Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

I wanted to see a floating market and the one in Damnoen Saduak is the most popular of its kind near Bangkok.  I joined a tour through Viator which would take me approximately 110 km west of Bangkok. The tour was led by a very sweet Thai woman whose name I couldn’t understand for the life of me – it sounded like she said ShoSho but I’m not sure so I will just call her Sally. The driver of the van was a very stoic man who never uttered a word but you could tell definitely knew his way around as evidenced by the random side streets he took. As we left Bangkok, tall buildings were quickly replaced by rice paddies and fishing farms.

Arriving riverside, we piled into a long-tail boat one by one. I sat at the very front with Sally as we whizzed down the canals lined with small wooden houses on stilts. Sally asked where I was from and when I said California she gushed, “Oh, I love California!” I asked when she was there. “No, never been. No money. Too expensive to go.” She told me that she has lived in Bangkok all her life and her whole family is still here. When other boats flew by, ours would teeter from side to side sliding me to Sally’s side and then hers to mine. We giggled as we tried bracing ourselves when the next few boats went by. Arriving at the floating market around 9am, it wasn’t too packed yet so it was nice to be able to walk around without the crowds – which soon poured in not long after our arrival.

We didn’t take a boat through the actual market. Instead we walked along the walkways. At first I was a little disappointed but then I realized I was able to take much better photos from the walkways.

There were several spots for a photo op with a python. Kinda freaked me out a bit. I don’t know what that thing is going to do but the sign below reassured me I’d be fine?

I was so hungry seeing as I had completely skipped dinner the night before and a woman ushered me to her food stall offering me some Pad Thai. “No meat. Vegetarian,” I said. “Ok. Ok. No problem.” I sat down near some other Thai folks as I watched her cook my Pad Thai. She put down the plate in front of me – it had chicken. “No meat?” I asked. “Yes. Yes. Chicken.” I said, “No. Vegetarian.” She took it away and brought me another fresh plate. It was really good. The noodles were a little undercooked but still the flavors were strong and very tasty. Pad Thai at 9:30am is a first for me. I sat there for a while watching the crowds pour in, had a few bites and decided it was time to finish waking around the market.

I saw a man hacking coconuts for their water. Only 20 baht? Yes, please! I seriously needed the electrolytes since I was running on few hours of sleep. The coconut water hit the spot. I sat on a bench overlooking the market while drinking my coconut water. I started talking to a nice young man from Calcutta, India. He was here with his parents on a day tour from Bangkok. Soham was 20 years old and studying medicine. When I asked if he was enjoying his time in Bangkok, he replied, “I’m stuck with my parents. It isn’t exactly fun.” I laughed recalling all the travels that I did with my parents growing up. Come to think of it – this is the first international trip I’ve taken without them since my very first trip abroad at the age of 13 when I was on a school trip to Paris. My how time flies!

The floating market in Damnoen Saduak is definitely the most popular and is a great photo op. Is it worth the long trek to get there? Probably not. It is very touristy so if you are into that kind of thing then go. Otherwise, I would suggest going to Taling Chan, which is more authentic and much closer to Bangkok.

Mentioned in this post
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Tour: Viator
Price: $43.56 USD