Friday 15 November 2013

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thailand, Bangkok)


Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
There are several floating markets near Bangkok. The most famous floating and is known to be one of the largest floating market popular among tourists is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located in Damnoen Saduak District in the Ratchaburi Province. The floating market is around half an hour drive (subjected to traffic conditions) from Maeklong Railway Market.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market  (Boarding Area)
Everyday, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is crowded with of vendors boats plying the canal selling all kind of stuff from souvenirs, vegetables, fruits, live snakes and even food that requires cooking such as phad thai! Do note, if you are buying souvenirs, you would need to bargain as the prices can be marked up by as high as 80%.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market  (Boarding Area)
The ideal time for visiting this floating market is before 9am, before the tourist crowd starting coming in. As we visited the Maeklong Railway Market first to witness the rail train travelling through the market, we only arrived at the floating market just before 10am. The part of the canal which was used for boarding and alighting was congested (see photo above)! Look at the number of boats (the boat fee was covered in the deal)! Part of the reason why it was so congested was because there were many vendor boats selling all type of goods and food. In a way, it was a kind of tourist trap and not everyone would like this place.

Now, if you are starting to think that since its so crowded, you should skip this, read on. This is because some of the food sold here by the boat vendors made this trip so worthwhile!
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
It was still relatively congested as we were near the boarding area.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
Once we got past the crowd, we were able to tour the less congested canals. There were less vendor boats and more shop houses which were located just next to the canal. If you would like to purchase any items, you can request for the boat to be stopped just next to the shops.

If you are starting to feel that this place looks familiar, well it is because this was the place where the James Bond; 'The Man With The Golden Gun' and Nicolas Cage's 'Bangkok Dangerous' movies were filmed.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
Although we did not purchase any souvenirs while on the boat ride, we stopped twice to purchase food! Once for Grilled Banana and another for Mango Sticky Rice!

We bought the Grilled Banana from the boat vendor which was stationed near the boarding area (congested area). This boat was obvious as it had a yellow sign which shouted out what it's owner was selling - Grilled Banana. All the other boat vendors which I saw did not have any sign stating what they were selling. The Grilled Banana boat vendor had a small stove in the middle of her boat for grilling the bananas.
Grilled Banana 40 Baht (S$1.67)
The Grilled Banana cost 40 Baht (S$1.67). Several pieces of grilled bananas cut into smaller pieces were served. As we 'cruised' down the murky water, we savoured on this snack. It was a struggle finishing it as we all were more used to the fried banana - Goreng Pisang.
Mango Sticky Rice 50 Baht (S$2.08)
We also bought Mango Sticky Rice from a boat vendor while taking the boat ride. There were many boat vendors selling this product. The Mango Sticky Rice cost 50 Baht (S$2.08). It was our first Mango Sticky Rice since we arrived in Bangkok and it did not disappoint! The mango was so fresh - sweet and juicy. The sticky rice topped with sesame seed was soft, moist and flavourful. Each grain of rice was coated with coconut milk which made a whole world of difference to the taste. I must say that it was superb.

After my trip in Bangkok, I realised that it was hard to find a lousy Mango Sticky Rice in  Bangkok, even those bought along the streets tasted delicious!
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 
After our boat ride, we walked over and crossed the road to access another part of the floating market (for clearer direction, please refer to the map located at the end of this post). This stretch was where you could find some of the best food boat vendors! From selling fruits, desserts to fully cooked meals such as char siew rice and even tom yum noodles.
Kway Teow and Tom Yum Noodles' Boat Vendor
As we walked along the stretch, we spotted a row of customers (around 7 customers) seated down next to each other in front of this boat vendor. Each customer was sitting along the river on small stools with either a bowl of Kway Teow or Tom Yum Noodles! Although this caught our eye, we hesitated for quite a long time worrying about the hygiene. In fact, we left and came back only after mustering enough courage and succumbing to temptation. This was the only two boat vendor which could garnered a crowd of customers. The other was the Coconut Ice Cream Vendor (which I shall elaborate on later in this post).
Kway Teow 40 Baht (S$1.67)
The Kway Teow aka Boat Noodles was simple yet delicious. A hearty and comfortable bowl of noodles. It was a joy slurping down the Kway Teow which was thin and smooth. There were pieces of chicken meat, fish cakes, beansprouts, liver, pork lard, spring onions and peanuts added inside. The peanuts gave this dish a crunchy bite while the pork lard enhanced the taste further. The liver also deserved a mention as it was fresh! There are the usual condiments set located at the side for customers to adjust the taste to their liking.
Tom Yum 40 Baht (S$1.67)
Tom Yum 40 Baht (S$1.67)
The Tom Yum Kway Teow came with similar ingredients. The difference was the taste of condiments added in it. The soup was tastier and more complex; sourish yet spicy. We were shocked when we saw the local sitting next to us adding several spoonful of sugar into her Tom Yum! Not bad quite a decent bowl of kway teow considering the location and price.

When we were eating, we saw someone washing the bowls and utensils using a piped water located at the side of the river. It felt good to be assured that they did not use the river water to wash the bowls and utensils.
Coconut Ice Cream Boat Vendor
Further down this same stretch, you can purchase an authentic Coconut Ice Cream served in a coconut shell from this boat vendor! We were debating whether to go for this as we were worried about the hygiene. Luckily, we gave this a try. What a pleasant find!

The boat vendor first chop the coconut into half and drain the coconut juice into the river. After that, he would scrap the flesh of the coconut and leave it in the shell. He then proceeded on to scoop three scoops of coconut flavoured ice cream into the coconut shell on top of the pieces of coconut flesh / pulp. As shown in the above picture, the boat vendor scooped the ice cream from a tall, round stainless steel canister which was used to keep the ice cream frozen. Lastly, he sprinkled roasted nuts on top of the ice cream.
Coconut Ice Cream 30 Baht (S$1.25)
This Coconut Ice Cream is a must try! The ice cream was impressive. It was full of milky fragrant coconut flavour; not diluted. In addition, the coconut flesh was so soft, tender and flavourful. The roasted nuts added on top added an extra crunchy and addictive element into this dessert.

It was delicious and refreshing! Moreover, considering the price, it was so cheap! We should have bought more of this! This is the BEST Coconut Ice Cream we had in Bangkok! If you have read about how awesome the coconut ice cream at Chatuchak weekend market  tastes, you really need to give this a try.

Prior to this trip, from our desktop research, we got to know that the coconut ice cream at Chatuchak weekend market was highly raved about. We thought that the one at Chatuchak would be much better than this. But well, we were wrong! This Coconut Ice Cream which we bought from Damnoen Saduak Floating Market was way better! I will post on the coconut ice cream from Chatuchak market at a subsequent post. (Refer to this link for the post)

Overall, we had no regrets purchasing the Half-Day Damnoen Saduak Floating Market & Mae Klong Railway Market Tour deal on Deal.com.sg. The tour guide Vorn did a great job. He was professional, friendly, safe driver and provided great service.  At $26 per pax, it was a value for money deal! In addition, I was glad that there was no additional charges. The boat fee was included in the deal. Tips for the tour guide were at customers' own discretion.

Do note the food / snacks expenses in this post was not included in the tour.


Please note for the parts in Italic. I do not get any benefits and am not paid to writing this. I am just writing this because I was satisfied with the half day tour.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thailand, Bangkok)
Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi, Thailand ‎


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Wednesday 13 November 2013

Costa Coffee: 1 For 1 Beverages Promotion at Robinsons Orchard (till 15 Nov 2013)

Source: Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee: 1 For 1 Beverages Promotion at Robinsons Orchard (till 15 Nov 2013) 

- Valid till 15 November 2013
- Valid at Robinsons Orchard
- Complimentary drink must be of equal or lower value, excluding bottled drinks
- Show that you are a fan of Costa Coffee Facebook Page to redeem 

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Maeklong Railway Market (Thailand, Bangkok)

Maeklong Railway Market
Three weeks before my trip to Bangkok, I spotted a Half-Day Damnoen Saduak Floating Market & Mae Klong Railway Market Tour deal on Deal.com.sg. I was elated as I have been wanting to visit both places. With this deal, I was able to solve all the logistic issues as both places are more than an hour away from where I was staying; Baiyoke Boutique Hotel - Bangkok. After consulting those traveling together with me on this trip, I bought the deal which cost S$26 (624 Baht) per pax.

After purchasing the deal, arrangements were made for the local guide to pick us up at our hotel. The pick up time is typically 7am to 730am.

The Maeklong Railway Market is located in Samut Songkhram is 37 miles (60 km) west of Bangkok. The travelling time from our hotel to this station took around 1 hour 15 minutes (subjected to traffic conditions). In Thai, it is called ตลาดแม่กลอง (Talad Rom Hoop) which when translated means 'Market Umbrella Pulldown'. The Maeklong Railway Market is probably one of the most famous (and unique) open air market in Thailand; popular among locals and tourists. The market is open daily. It is not famous because of the products available, but because a railway train runs right through the market daily - seven times a day! 
Maeklong Railway Station
The tour guide first brought us to the Maeklong Railway Station where the train from Ban Laem Station would stop over for a period of 15 to 20 minutes.
Maeklong Railway Station
It is important to visit the station as it would give an accurate timing of the train arrival. The rough schedule of the train can be seen through the white notice board. However, that schedule is subjected to changes. A more accurate timing was reflected on the red board. As shown on the above photo, the train would arrive at 8.55am. As we arrived at 845am, we had 10 minutes (sufficient time) to make our way to the market which was just next to the train station.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej
The portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej; King of Thailand. You can find smaller portraits of the king and the royal family in many Thai places (e.g. restaurants, malls, shops).
Maeklong Railway Market
Upon entering the Maeklong Railway Market, you may notice that it looks just like a normal market with awnings / umbrellas extending out of the shops so that the market is sheltered. A busy thriving market.

There were different varieties of vegetables, fishes, seafood, shellfish, oysters, meat, fruits, spices, handicrafts and even toys available in the market.
Maeklong Railway Market
Well, if you still thought that it looked like a normal market, you will notice that in the above photo, the railway track is actually the pavement which people are using to access the market. It really does look like a normal pavement! The only tell tale sign is the two pieces of metal rail which are at times covered by goods. As you can see, the walking way is actually quite tight and narrow.

Before the train arrives, there would be two 'warnings', both in the form of sirens.
After first siren
After the first siren (five minutes before the train was to arrive) was sounded, a stream of people in the market (mostly tourist) started walking past us as they went about looking for a safe spot to stand. The kiasu and kiasi ones like me would have already chope secure found a safe spot to stand.
The market looked more empty as all the tourist either moved to the sides or move out towards the Maeklong Railway Station. Only the experienced vendors and locals continued with their normal routine as if nothing was going to happen.
After second siren
Once the second siren was sounded. The vendors in the market started moving their stuff that were of a certain height away from the tracks. In addition, they had to shift the awnings / umbrellas. Everything went like clockwork as it was a daily routine for these vendors.
Maeklong Railway Market came to a standstill as the vendors held on to the poles supporting their awnings / umbrellas.
Once everyone got the first sight of the train, there was a sudden and continuous burst of shutter sound!
This was the reason! The background shows the Maeklong Railway Station. Look at the crowd gathered  just in front of the station! Everyone was waiting for the 'star' to 'walk' down the red carpet hoping to get the best shot!
View of the train as it was approaching
The vendors had gone through such routine so many times that they were all experts in this. Some of them left their goods (of a certain height) right next to the track!
Back view of the train that just went past
The train past dangerously close to everyone. Another step forward, we would have been run over by the train. In fact as the train went past us, I overheard someone shrieking 'Oh my god, oh my god, so close!'.

After the train went past, the market was transformed back to its original form in a flash and everyone continued with their usual activities.

So what happened to the train? Well, it was parked at Maeklong Railway Station, where it would stop over for a short while (around 20 minutes) before making its way through the market (again) to Ban Laem Station.
We went on board the train for a short duration to take photos of the interior of the train. Do be careful as the steps were steep and the floor of the train was wet (as it rained at around 8am).
That's all for the Maeklong Railway Market! We continued on with the tour to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market! Watch out for it in the subsequent post!

Maeklong Railway Market (Thailand, Bangkok)
Kasem Sukhum Road, Mae Klong
Samut Songkhram 75000, Thailand


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