This past weekend I visited the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
Traditionally, in the early 19th century, when waterways were the main form of transit, floating markets were a popular trading hub, where communities would gather to exchange fresh fruit and produce.With the development of roads and railways in Thailand, floating markets became obsolete, and now these floating markets serve more for nostalgia, and as a tourist attraction, offering visitors a glimpse into Thailand’s past.To get to the floating market we took a minivan from Victory Monument. The trip was around 2 hours and cost 2.50 USD. Word of warning: when the van dropped us off at the pier, we were bombarded with locals trying to scam us for a 1,000 baht boat trip. Luckily, I had read about this earlier, and knew we could walk about 1 km to the actual market and barter for a better price. We were able to negotiate a ride for 75 baht (2 USD) and quickly we were on our way!Some of the boats were selling fresh fruit, like bananas, coconuts, and pomelos(similar to grapefruit).Others were selling grilled meats, and preparing full-on Thai cuisine.We ended up buying some pad Thai and boat noodles. Boat noodles are rice noodles with pork, garlic and basil, topped with a rich meaty broth. Here’s a short video of the vendors preparing the dishes. Side note: you’ll probably hear us talking in the video. Since we had to barter for food prices, we were trying to decide how much we’d pay for a beer. Then the boys got distracted by a monitor lizard. 😛

Later we came across this women selling sweet rice wrapped in banana leaves. With her broken English, we couldn’t tell if she was saying the rice was cooked “with tea” or “whis-key.” Since we liked the element of surprise, we decided to buy a few bundles. Wowzers! It was definitely rice soaked with whiskey. Enough to clear out your sinuses. Hah! 😂😂😂Overall, I thought the local vendors were very friendly and welcoming.It may be a busy tourist destination, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits. 🙂It also may be packed in some areas, where we felt like we were playing a game of bumper boats, but for the most part, the canals were quite tranquil and serene. 🙂
After about an hour floating on a river, we took a walk around the surrounding market. They were selling lots of generic souvenirs, but were also making handcrafted wooden furniture. Stunning!😍
While walking the market, I also saw this comical sight. How to escape the Bangkok heat. Level: expert. 😛

We spent about 3 hours in total at the market, then ended up walking back to the station, to get a minivan back to Bangkok.Since it was my last weekend in Bangkok, I originally planned to go out for cocktails, but since I’ve still got the flu, I opted for a more non-alcoholic beverage. Tasted like V8 Splash. Delish! I also decided to indulge in an at-home beauty treatment. The beauty products in Asia are quite unique, and nothing is more evident of this than their variety of facial masks. While wandering Boots pharmacy in Bangkok, I saw everything from bee venom to activated charcoal, and snail serum to horse fat. It seems like people will literally slather anything on their face, and hope for a beauty miracle.😂😂😂I thought the animal masks were quite cute, and opted for one of the more underrated cuddly creatures: the raccoon. ❤

Now this raccoon mask is coated in sheep placenta, which supposedly helps produce collagen and promote skin elasticity. Upon opening, the facial mask was literally dripping with placenta. 😲

Even after placing the mask, it was so gooey, it kept sliding all over my face. It didn’t tingle, had no odor, and after 15 minutes and a quick rinse, it left my face feeling quite refreshed. Overall, I am pretty content with my skin, so this mask was merely good for a laugh. They always say laughter’s the best medicine. 😂

Anyway, that’s all for now, but stay tuned. It won’t be long before I’m on my way to Europe. I will be posting my itinerary in the next blog. Until then. Take care and happy Monday everyone! 😀