Bangkok Bayous and the Floating Market

Bangkok Bayous and the Floating Market

I arrived in Bangkok and it was hot with no relief in the shade. I decided to take a canal tour just to see what lies behind what you can see from the road or the main river that runs through Bangkok, Chao Phraya (river), and dumps out in the Gulf of Thailand. I figured the only place to get a good breeze would be on a long tail boat over water. For two people the cost is about 1200 baht. Since I was by myself the lady gave it to me for 800 baht. I paid it because I wanted to go explore. The tour was going to be about an hour. Across from the pier is a river barn where a long tail popped out and crossed over to me.

I boarded and we headed down the Chao Phraya in choppy water due to traffic in all directions up, down, left, right, diagonal, whatever, for about a kilometer before the driver veered to the far side and entered a pretty wide canal with numerous untitled lefts and rights. There were river signs and major intersections and fewer long tails but more local boats working or transporting goods or family. The further in the more narrow the waterways became.

Wildlife utilizes the floating plant life for hunting where aquatics shade under it. I noticed quite a few different bird species, chubby monitor lizards, frogs, turtles, and of course fish breaching the surface for food.

There were a few traveling restaurants that had regular stops and the odd tourist long tail that stops them for an ice cold soda or beer or rice and curry, whatever their selling.

The jungle is close where new construction isn’t going in. Abandon homes are returning to the undergrowth beginning with vines and small trees until the weight becomes too much and they collapse and are instantly buried.

Every now and again we drove past completely manicured gardens or a wat where the monks take pride in their gardening skills and the beauty of flowers. And again we would press on past mystery water ways seldom used but still functioning in a sneaky way, most likely with row boats and not long tails with props.

We eventually popped back out on the Chao Praya a bit further down river and made our way back to the same dock where I got off and went my way.

I ended up going to the floating market for further exploration which was fun and interesting but a little over the top with tourists and not really a floating market like the ones I’ve seen on Enle Lake in Myanmar (Burma). Then again Enle Lake has floating villages where everything floats including their vegetable gardens.

For around 300 Baht a van will come to your guest house or hotel and drive you an hour west where another system of canals exist and I’m sure at one time there was a true floating market that the locals used to get supplies for maybe a day or two and then go back to the floating market and do it again.

Today it more of a thriving tourist destination with both shops on both sides of many canals, bridges, and boats that tourists can hop in for 150 Baht more and get a more personal experience being among the locals selling everything from cut coconuts with a straw to furniture and fabrics.

You don’t have to get in a boat and be apart of it, you can also walk among the shops lining the edges and watch others. For photographs and pure observation I opted to take a walk.

Along the edges there are a lot of shop owners pushing a hard sell and make you feel bad if you don’t buy something. I pushed on with what little Thai language I hold and respectfully decline. The look in their eyes is not one of compassion.

My favorite thing about the floating market was the assortment of hats not just for sale but that the elderly women wore everyday to stay out of the searing sun.

The floating market can be done in conjunction with the Tiger Temple or going to the River Kwai and visit the World War II cemetery and pay respects. There are a few other options and your guest house/ hotel or local travel agent can help sort out what you want to see and what you don’t depending on how much time and money you want to spend. It can be a full day or two if you choose.

Tonight I fly off to Nepal for two months. I’ll be in touch.

www.davidcdagley.com

Bangkok, Burma Tourist Visa And Me

Bangkok and Me

I flew into Bangkok, Thailand with only a few days left on my two-month visa with a one-month extension. I was planning on getting my extension to buy me a little time but as the taxi driver drove near Democracy Monument he had to make some changes due to some of the major roads being closed by the opposition party. Demonstrators waived flags and barked out their slogans through load speakers on the back of trucks inside their barricades.

Travel warnings are springing up from China, Malaysia, Philippines, and the United Kingdom and others will appear now that the caretaker government has called for a 60-day state of emergency on January 22.

Word on the street is that others from the outskirts of Bangkok are coming in to join and support the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (DPRC). Many people I spoke to in the south are angry about the situation and tempted to come to Bangkok to support the cause. Obviously, tensions are high.

Some rules have been issued from the caretaker government to combat the protests, namely, a ban on gatherings of 5 or more people. ‘Newspapers and other media are prohibited from presenting news which could raise public fears or distorting information that could affect national security.’

Since I don’t want to cross that line, go to the January 23, Thursday Issue of the Royal Gazette for the decrees.

For me, most of the immigration offices in Bangkok area are shut until further notice so I will not be getting my extension after all. Getting to the Burma embassy is a trick all by itself considering it’s always on the other side of town. The Burmese embassy accepts tourist visa paperwork and payments between 9am and 12-noon and then you can either, go back and pick it up same day between 3:30pm and 4:30pm or for a few baht less you can pick up your passport and visa the following day.

The Burma Embassy is located at 132 Sathon Nuea Rd. Bang Rak District, Suriyawong. Considering the political situation with the roads being somewhat closed by protestors and the government shutting other roads, the express boat down the Chao Phraya River is the most efficient way to get close and enjoy the sites of the city at the same time.

The sky train is still operational and that is your link to getting close. I got off at the Sala Daeng stop. The Burmese Embassy is very close and Sathon Nuea Rd is listed in the terminal. Of course the local Thai people are also taking advantage of not being on the roads so the boats and trains are packed more than usual. If you get off the sky train and can’t figure it out, hop on a motor bike taxi, not a tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuks don’t always take you where you want to go because they are hired to take you to clothing shops and other less desirable locations. 

If you can find the Sri Mahamariamman Temple on google maps, you are at the other end of the same street as the Burmese Embassy, sitting quietly awaiting 200 or more tourists everyday, not including tour companies with handfuls of passports.

The weather is nice in Bangkok right now, clear skies and cool temperatures. I wish I could stay longer but it looks like I have to come back from Burma to get to Nepal and I probably will have to do my India visa work here in Bangkok before I head out.


www.davidcdagley.com