Railway Market and Floating Market for cruising guests
Dear guests, on this day tour you will see the following:
- Maeklong Railway Market
- Talad Room Hoob “umbrellas back market”;
- Amphawa or Damnoen Saduak
- mangrove forests;
- floating monkeys;
- Wat Bang Gung;
Our licensed tour guide wait of you at the cruise ship and holds up a name tag. Leave the ship in time. We pick you up directly in front the Cruising ship and bring you back after the tour. We wait until all guests are there, usually it takes 30 minutes. Total waiting time 45 minutes, then the tour starts.
Embark on a journey to the Maeklong trainmarket and floatingmarket! The sights are Thailand’s heritage, we invite you to enjoy the vibrant culture and tradition. Enjoy a selection of delicious local dishes, from traditional thai street food to freshly caught seafood.
Note:
We only do this tour when the cruise ships are in port overnight, during the week we visit the Flaoting Market Damnoen Saduak and on weekends the Floating Market Amphawa.
Floating market Amphawa
Our drive goes south from Bangkok to Samut Songkhram province. We arrange the programme so that you either see the Floating Market in Damnoen Saduak or in Amphawa, this depends on the day of the week. The klongs were partly dug out or created by diversion of the rivers. They were used as transport routes to distribute the goods that were grown and harvested in the area. Of course, souvenirs are sold today as they contribute to the livelihood of the locals. Directly at the Klong, fresh meals are prepared on the old boats, here you can get grilled fish, called Phla in Thai language, in all variations and of course Pad Thai, fried noodles or Pat Pak, fried mixed vegetables.
Train Market
We continue our journey and go to the “Umbrellas Back Market” which is also called Talad Room Hoob in Thai. The train runs 4 times a day and you can watch the train either coming in or going out, if it is feasible in terms of time, we will definitely try to do the trip either from the last station into the station, or from the station out. Your tour guide will walk with you through the market and explain one or two Thai specialities. You can try fruits such as sour or sweet green mango, mangosteen or the lychee fruits grown regionally here. Fish and other dried seafood also create a strong smell in the market.
Mangrove area
Once in the mangrove area, take a longtail boat into the extensive mangrove forests that end in the sea. Most of the mangroves have been cut down to create breeding ponds for seafood. We visit the mussel divers in the estuary, depending on the height of the tide. On this trip we pass the “swimming monkeys” that have settled here and live in the mangrove forests. As they have no natural enemies and are constantly fed, they are very trusting and sometimes come into the boat to grab a banana. On the way, you will see from the water and from land the traditional townhouses standing on stilts at the estuary to the sea. Experience the way of life of the locals who live on the river banks and manage their shrimp and mussel farms, the houses are mostly open because of the heat and thus you can have a look inside.
Wat Bang Kung
The temple was built when King Taksin was fighting with his soldiers in Ayutthaya, with the area serving as a navy camp. The temple was the spiritual centre for the soldiers, in honour of King Taksin the place was redesigned and is now a popular destination for Thais who celebrate their faith there. Many Chinese are also seen here, as the camp was guarded by Chinese soldiers assembled from the provinces during the Ayutthaya period. The camp was called Bang Kung Chinese Camp. In the square you can see cast figures of Muay Thai boxers in various fighting positions. A very interesting place to see, as there are hardly any European tourists there. After this interesting tour, we drive back to Bangkok to the starting point of the tour.
Price: 160 € p.p.
tourstart from Laem Chabang port
Implementation:
Tour starts after cruise ship arrives (no later than 08:00)
Small group 6 – 10 persons
The tour only operates when the cruise ship is in port overnight.
Inclusive:
English-speaking tour guide, other languages also possible
air-conditioned van,
lunch / drink still water
longtail boat,
Railway ticket
Own cost:
Drinks
Other personal expenses
Tip for our tour guide
Tip for our driver
Special feauters
The tour itinerary and the individual sights may vary due to weather or traffic conditions, airline departure times or closures of the sights. The decision to change the tour itinerary is then the responsibility of the tour guide, who may then decide on an equivalent new destination in consultation with the guests. The order of the programme points in the mangroves is subject to daily or seasonal tidal fluctuations (high tides). For this reason, this is to be considered flexible and is solely at the discretion of the local experts involved. Please note that during the rainy season it is not always possible to visit the salt pans/salt mines at high tide. No shellfish divers can be seen in the estuary during the rainy season. However, some can be seen from inland to just before the estuary.