Amphawa Floating Market, Bangkok

When one talks about the floating markets in Bangkok, you think of it as a tourist trap, filled with tourists from tours. The boat vendors, selling fruits, vegetables and souvenirs would be touting along the crowded waterways, and the waters has since turn into a muddy playground.

Picture this, and most of us, who are repeat travellers to Bangkok would shun away from it. This is perhaps, what the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market looks like today. One of my ex Thai colleagues painted me a different picture, and told us another Floating market - Amphawa Floating market visited by Thai tourists (ie locals), my eyes lighted up and my curiosity search began.

Unlike the over-crowded Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (about 2.5hours or 100km away from Bangkok ) that operates from the early morning, Amphawa Floating Market (about 1.5hours, and 70km from Bangkok) is an afternoon or evening market. As with my previous post, we visited both the Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa Floating on the same day.

Amphawa Floating Market opens in the afternoon till night, Friday - Sunday, and is the most busiest after 4pm. Unlike the other day markets which you need to wake up wee hours in the morning from Bangkok and travel about 2 hours to get to the morning floating market, you can get travel from Bangkok to get here after lunch.

This is the place to visit for genuine floating market experience. The place is predominated by Thais although there seem to be an influx of independent tourists. You see few 'farangs' - the Thai word for Caucasians, over here.

You don't get onto the boats to tour the river canel although you can go on evening boating trips to see the fireflies (which I did not try). Instead, the boats are mainly for the hawker stalls, where the meal is prepared on the boat, and send it to the guests, seated at the river bank.

Most of the eateries here serve seafood along the riverside. The 'chef' prepares the food on the boat, then pass it on to the stall holders who takes orders and delivers the food to the guests who sits on steps and benches just facing the river. 

This is the real Alfresco dining experience!

It was really crowded on the Sunday afternoon when we visited, and the place is so packed with the locals that we couldn't get any seats to try the "alfresco dining".

Stroll along the sides of the river, and you see a number of quail shops, including a traditional Chinese pastry shop.

You can cross the river over the busy bridge (there are a few), with the largest and most crowded link-bridge at the cross section.

Enjoy a breeze stroll along and capture nice views along the river canel.

Rustic surrounding that you can't find in the busy city.

Night was approaching and we decide to settle for dinner in a busy restaurant. We were attracted to the BBQ seafood that was being prepared infront of the shop.

It's yummy seafood dinner at very reasonable price.

Very soon, it was nightfall, and time to make our way back to Bangkok. But before we go, I manage to take some decent pictures of the night view of Amphawa Floating Market.

Snew's Rating: 4.4 / 5

I definitely recommend this place. Although you don't get to sit on the boat to experience life on the river, the experience of walking along the riverside with quail shops and seafood eateries is more worthwhile, then being hassle by the touts of hawkers on the boat. This is a more genuine experience of a Thai then a touristy floating market hunt.

If I'm given a chance to come back, I may like to spend a night here, so that we have more time, to sample the street food, shoot picturesque photos, and not having to rush back to Bangkok.

Maeklong Railway Market, Bangkok

Maeklong Railway Market - 美功铁路市场 is no stranger to a lot of people. Travelogues featured on different TV channels, including the popular Pornsak's popular travelogue show Rail Trail - 铁路次文化 has also featured on this place, displaying how this busy market operates, in the middle of a railway track. How amazing the robust market is situated in the middle of a railway line.

I was motivated to make a trip to visit this place and in the midst of doing research on it, chanced upon a blog post that suggested that I could visit Maeklong Railway, together with the Amphawa Floating Market, as these two places are both situated in the Samut Songkram Province, and pretty near to each other. Killing two birds with one stone was definitely an added point for us make the visit.

So, we made arrangements to rent a car with driver, (who turned out to be our driver guide as well), for the day's trip. On our way, I spotted this bridge and manage to snap a quick shot.

In less than two hours, we reached Maeklong Railway Market. The market is about 70km from Bangkok city, but with the horrendous traffic in Bangkok, we were lucky that to reach the destination in 1.5hours.

When we arrived, our driver guide whizzed us through some market street, that seems like a maze to us, before getting to the Maeklong Railway Station.

We arrived at the Maeklong Railway Station to check out the train schedule. The train pass through the market 8 times a day. We were told that the train schedule timings do change, and at times, not too punctual.

As there is a little time before the next train arrives at 2.30pm, we venture through the streets. Here are some interesting sights.

Man selling a huge pancake-like biscuit.

Oh boy, I missed these old-school cakes!

I can't resist a photo of the huge durians.

Stalls set up just on the side of the railway tracks.

Notice the boy is walking on the railway track.

Notice the tourists standing by, ready with their cameras, while the locals are still happily doing their marketing.

Alright, the train is finally passing by (it was 10 minutes late), and you start to see some slow but steady action from the stall holders. Notice the stall holders holding back the poles of the tentage, just like a manual canvas retractable.

The train approaches the market in a slow and steady speed and at times, sounding horns to tourists who were just too eager to capture a good shot of the approaching train. In the midst of the commotion, I couldn't get a good shot of the approaching train. Only heads with their camera aiming on the train. What a waste!

After the train passed the market stalls, life continues on. You see the stallholders occupying the railway tracks, almost immediately.

Stall holder putting up the shade to continue her business. 

After that, all the tourists heading towards station to have a photo opportunity with the train.

As we are walking back to our vehicle, we spotted more street stalls.

A titbits stall where my peers stopped by for some buys.

There is a reason why Maeklong Railway Market is one of the most photographed venues in Thailand. It is a unique market, in the middle of an outskirt town, with trains running through it throughout the day. Definitely a sight, and an experience, not to be missed.

We paid about S$110 for a 10-hour trip, with the comfort of a vehicle and driver, at disposable for us. We started the journey at 12noon, and visited both the Maeklong Railway Market and Amphawa Floating Market. By the time we reached our hotel, it was about 9.30pm. We share the costs among the 4 of us, hence it was a still pretty affordable full day trip.

Another way to reach the Maeklong Railway Market, is to be on the train itself! Check out the blog post by Nomadic Notes on the directions. This is a cheap alternative, but you probably need a full day as it involves two train journeys and  a ferry journey. Do plan your time and directions carefully if you do choose to this DIY way.


Snew's Rating: 3.9 / 5


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Amphawa Floating Market


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T&K Seafood @ Yaowarat, Chinatown

Holiday Inn Express, Bangkok

T&K Seafood @ Yaowarat, Chinatown

Yaowarat, or Chinatown is one place that I try not to miss whenever I go Bangkok.

It's a good place for a good dinner, at very affordable prices. My friends used to tell me it's a must place to have Bird Nest and Shark's Fin. Bird nest is alright for me, but I honestly do not know the authenticity of the source. The price differs according to the grade of Bird Nest. Shark's Fin? Hmm... No fuss about it, but I try not to order it at my own initiative, although I still consume it during wedding dinners.

For my last few trips, I have been patronising this old stall along the Yaowarat street, infront of a corner Chinese Goldsmith shop. It's all T & K Seafood. This stall opens from the evening, 6pm till early morning, after the goldsmith shop closes. This is probably an arrangement between them. Most of the shops along the street open till around 5pm. Thereafter, the street stalls selling food dominate the night scene along the road.

I was told there's a huge day market at one of the streets, but I not visited it before. If you have, do drop me a comment if it's worth exploring.

This stall is very popular for its BBQ seafood - prawns, crabs and so on, in Thai food. Of course, you can also order Sharks Fin from the stall. It's almost certain that every Chinese food eatery at Yaowarat serves Shark's Fin.

It was our late dinner, or supper rather. Hence, we didn't order too much food. This is what we ordered:

BBQ Prawns. It would probably be called "Tiger Prawn" or King Prawn in Singapore. Of course, after peeling the shell, it's not that big. But still finger licking good!

This is my favourite dish - Glass Noodle with Crab. A pretty popular Thai dish too!

Thai Style Kang Kong. What we like is the garlic fried together with the vegetable. They are not minced garlic, and you can actually buy these small garlic bulbs (eaten as a whole) in the markets.

Tom Yam Goong - translated as Prawn Tom Yam soup. Don't underestimate the spicy level of this. We were all sweating over after a few mouthfuls.

Being the typical Chinese, I need carbo to fill up the tummy a bit. This is the only disappointment that I have. It's oily and the rice is pretty dry.

Overall, it's definitely a good dinner/ supper and worth the trip here, although it's a distance from the city area. Traffic is horrendous at Yaowarat and it's not serviced by the BTS / MRT. The nearest MRT is Hua Lampong and you still need to take a short taxi ride to Yaowarat. Taxi drivers are very reluctant to go to this area due to the traffic. I had previous bad encounters with taxi drivers who even drop us off half-way when they have initially agreed to drive us there. Experience taxi drivers will know how to avoid the one-way street and go by the back road. My suggestion is do your part by getting off from the returning back road and walking up to the main Yaowarat road, if traffic is really bad. I believe you would not want to be caught up in the "so near yet so far" situation.


Snew's Rating: 4.5 / 5

I couldn't really remember the exact bill. But it's totally worth it. The meal was less than S$30 for 4 person. We have prawns, crab and tom yam soup. Where would you be able to find such pricing in Singapore? Totally worth it! It definitely cheaper than the proper Chinese restaurants found along the streets. But well,  do manage your expectation on the hygiene level. Do not try to see what's on the ground. There's dustbin or should I say, a pail, at almost every table. On some parts, dirt water runs on the ground, probably due to the washing of plates and so on. So, if you are a hygiene freak, this place is not recommended.

林真香- This is the very popular and famous shop in Chinatown for tourists bringing foodstuff home. The staff can speak Mandarin, Cantonese and probably Teochew (as the majority of Thai Chinese are Teochews) as well.  If you purchase quite a bit, the boss at the cashier counter will ask if you would like to pack it in box or bags. They actually pack your buys in the carton box, ready for you to check in at the airport, at no extra charges. I'm impressed at this additional service.

Holiday Inn Express, Bangkok

There are so many good hotels in Bangkok to stay. So why Holiday Inn Express? Well, for this trip with the girls, we wanted to stay at a place that's a pretty much a steal, yet, in a comfortable and clean four-star hotel.

Initially we planned to stay at an apartment, since there are four of us. But apartment locations wasn't that ideal. Then someone suggested the newly opened Holiday Inn Express. Location was great - just a few steps away from the National Stadium BTS, which is centrally located. For a reputable brand, yet a no-frills hotel - Holiday Inn Express, we got the rate of less than S$100 per room per night including breakfast. To me, it's   value-for money, and such deals I can only find in Bangkok.

There is no porter at the doorstep to handle your luggage. Help yourself to the trolleys. Sometimes the security will double up to assist. But usually, the front office staff are helpful to help us with directions or to call a cab.

The lobby area, pretty cosy, with an Internet corner that serves as a mini-business centre.

Rooms

The room is cosy and good size. For me, I don't really need a very spacious room. What is impressive is that the room is new and clean. I couldn't ask for more in this newly-open hotel.

You be surprise that for a no-frills hotel, the hotel take pains to provide the best comfort for its guests. Guests can choose between Soft or Firm for the pillow density. Just call the housekeeping on which you would prefer and they will send it to your room.

Breakfast

I wasn't expecting much of the breakfast, but I was wrong. Breakfast is a pretty decent, but of course, don't expect a five-star buffet spread.

Asian spread includes fried noodles and porridge. Western spread, you can expect the usual cereals, bacon, ham, sausages and eggs.

Fresh juice, milk and different type of bread roll were available too. An added touch that I was really impressed was the availability of takeaway. If you are in a rush, you can pack your coffee, together with some morning bakeries - bread roll, croissants or muffin in a takeaway package.

Vicinity 

MBK is a short walking distance away from the hotel, but MBK seems pretty much a shopping mall that is passe. The Ajumma in us prefer to check out the Tesco Mega-mart that is just 5 minutes away from the hotel. We bought not only food stuff that is found only in Thailand, but also toiletries and pharmaceutical products that is cheaper in Bangkok.

On our way there, we pass-by a local street market, just next to Tesco and took a peep at it.

Streets stalls are set up for the morning market.

Look carefully at the next few pictures. Yes, it's insects on the top left hand picture. I thought only Thais in Central Vietnam eat such stuff, I was really shocked when I saw this in the street market. And I must apologise for putting it together with my favourite - Luk Chup (right photo on the first row). Luk Chup is a popular Thai dessert, made of mung-bean flour with natural colouring, shaped in various fruits and vegetables. It's really nice, except for the fact that we found some arts attacking the desserts!

Look at the smiles of the parents of the Thai children. Not sure if you agree with me, but I do think that they have a more memorable childhood than kids in Singapore these days. Do you see kids playing in supermarket trolleys nowadays? Hardly.

Snew's Rating: 4.1 / 5

Stay Period: 6 -9 September 2012

I am all hands up in recommending this hotel. The only little hiccup in service is that we wanted to borrow a knife to cut some fruits, on one of the nights. For safety reasons, I do understand that most hotels do not have the policy allowing a knife to be on loan for guests. Most would ask the guests to send the food that they want to cut to their F&B guys to do it. The front office staff asked us to go to the breakfast area to try our luck, but the place was already closed at night. There was a restaurant at the first level, but the staff refused to help us with it. So... no luck for us that night.

Nevertheless, it's a good hotel, in a great location. I will return to stay at the hotel, anytime.