Our last full day in Bangkok and we were off to see the "train market" and the "floating market".
The Maeklong Railway Market is a VERY popular tourist attraction. The market is setup along the railway tracks and when the train comes through, the stands and all the contents have to be moved aside so the train can pass. This happens a few times a day and is quite a production.
We arrived a short time before the train arrived. However, there were already large crowds and we could barely see the market. After the train had passed, we were able to get a better view of the market on the tracks. If you look closely at the picture on the right you can see that the customers are actully standing inside the railway tracks.
There were also a lot of stands along the street that crossed the tracks. Most selling food delicacies for the tourists and the shoppers.
Next stop was the Tha Kha Floating Market. This was another great experience. The vendors sit in their long tail boats and sell their produce or in many cases prepare some delectable dish. Many of the boats have hot plates or woks or other cooking gear and they cook up some of their specialties.
There was a small eating area with benches and tables where people could partake of their purchased delicacies. We had some soup and another dish that some people gave us to try. Both very good. We thought it was lunch. It wasn't!!
After our "snack", we went for a short boat ride through the canals around the market "island". And then it was on to King Rama II Memorial Park. The park was very peaceful and quiet. We didn't spend much time there. Just a quick look and then on to Wat Bang Kung temple.
Wat Bang Kang is completely shrouded by banyan tree. You can still get in to see the Buddha but, as these pictures show, it is through openings in the tree roots.
This was our last stop in Bangkok. From here it is on to our final destination - Krabi.
Click HERE to see a video of the floating market.
The video has three parts. The first part shows a nice veggie medley being prepared. The middle part shows how a transaction is completed between one of the far boats and the customer on the pier. And the last part is the creation of a Thai crepe. Looks tasty but we didn't get to try it.
