The Floating Market

We woke up early yesterday, at 5h and on a Sunday morning to be precise, only to be at the floating market by 7h. Luckily this time we didn’t lose our way-in and -out of Bangkok, as this time we had a road-map.

When we reached the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market by 7h, not all floating shops were open and not all patchy street dogs awake. There were only a handful of tourists sitting lazily on boats that sluggishly floated through the murky green waters between boats that sold fruits, meals and handicrafts. We ate a peaceful floating-breakfast – small rice pancakes stuffed with grated coconut, coconut water and bananas. Bought some typical touristic souvenirs, haggled skillfully. After an hour’s boat-ride, we got off and went alongside the canal, to take a look at the market from the other side. From the other side, we saw a sudden transformation of the place. The place was switched over so radically, that it needed sometime reckoning with.

All early birds can take solace from this, as by 9am there were more boats than the narrow water canal could endure. The place was bustling with a fever of a late morning sort, which was a little distasteful because we saw a sharp contrast of what the place was like just about an hour ago. Both foreign and Thai tourists poured in by the hundreds and vendors by the scores hungered for their attention. Not sparing ground, the vendors hawked along the breadth and length of the floating market, and in shops alondside the water canal. Boats with both tourists and floating-vendors clamoured for water space, and there were even floating-traffic-jams every now and then.

Vincent with his new zoom lenses took some lovely shots!