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The surrounding area of the market is filled with many small farms and orchards producing vegetables, coconuts, bananas, oranges, grapes, pomelos, and my favorite - mangoes. The fertile land is low lying and crisscrossed with canals that provide irrigation for the crops and easy access routes to markets.
One route to Damnoen Saduak passes by the salt flats. Large shallow ponds are created by using short earthen walls to entrap the natural brackish water of Bangkok Bay. These ponds are allowed to successively evaporate over a period of time to create a layer of salt. The salt is harvested and sent to market. Like so many other areas of Thailand, this section of road is filled with small stands and booths were you can buy bags of the various grades of harvested salt. It is interesting, even after 3 hours of riding from Pattaya, to see this from a speeding minivan. Someday we will go back on our own to tour and photograph this specialized process.
The floating market at Damnoen Saduak is not the only floating market in Thailand or even in the Bangkok area. There are some factors that are the cause of its popularity and, for some people, excessive commercialization. The biggest factor leading to its popularity is that it is open every day of the week from 6:00 AM to around 11:00 AM. There are other floating markets but some of them are open only on weekends or "Sat, Sun, and 2nd, 7th, &12th days of the waxing and waning moon". Buddhists are very familiar and their lives are synchronized with the lunar calendar but I doubt that many Westerners, i.e. tourists, including myself, have any clue as to which days are "2nd, 7th. & 12th days of the waxing and waning moon" of any given month. This cuts down on the availability of these markets for busloads of tourists. Another floating market that I have heard of is opened on certain days of the month coinciding with a high tide at the appropriate time. This market can only be reached by boat so the time of the high tide is critical to getting there and getting back. This is much too complicated for paying hoards of tourists.
Another factor that contributes to Damnoen Saduak's popularity is accessibility. The market is readily accessible to cars and buses. Main roads connect the market to population and tourist centers of the region. There are large parking lots next to the market. There is a bridge over the narrow canal where you can stand and photograph the floating market without ever getting near the water. Each side of the canal is flanked by covered areas that provide protection from sun and rain.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market can be accessed two different ways - one by land and two by sea. Whoops - I am getting confused that was Paul Revere's warning for the British coming. In Damnoen Saduak you will find Russians, Poles, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Americans, Japanese, and just about any other nationality along with the British. There is no need for warnings of their coming - they do everyday around 8:00 to 9:00 AM.
Many of the tourists and you can to arrive at the market aboard long tail tour boats. These are long and narrow wood boats with high bows powered by a propeller on the end of a long shaft attached to a recycled car engine. They are loud, often smelly and I find them to be a lot of fun. They carry about 6 to 8 passengers each or you can rent one for just yourself. As most things are in Thailand - they are available for a price. The price is not necessarily the price quoted or asked at first - buyer be aware or is it buyer beware? I prefer "aware" because "beware" evokes fear and most likely will prevent you from proceeding whereas "aware" implies knowledge for you to make informed decisions to take full advantage of available opportunities. As is said so often here - "UP2U"
You typically board the long tail boat some distance from the floating market. The boat tour lasts about an hour before depositing you at the land portion of the Talat Klong or Talat Naam. The boat tour travels through the matrix of canals and passes by orchards, homes, and water side shops. You get a close eyed glimpse into river life. The sanitary conditions of the water and shores may be of some concern to certain people but the experience is reality. This is the way and how the people live. Seeing and experiencing these things is one of the points of travel. You don't have to like or approve of it but you should at least experience it first hand.
The long tail boats deposit their passengers at one of two large covered galleries on each side of a canal. These buildings house countless shops, restaurants, booths, vendors, and touts. Everyone has something to sell and they expect you to buy it. The corridors through the gauntlet of vendors and tables of goods are very narrow and packed with other tourists. There are no bargains here but hopefully you did not go to purchase things at the Floating Market. The point of going to the floating market is the experience.
Another way to arrive at the Floating Market is by a small wood boat that you can rent for a specified amount of time. These boats carry 2 to 3 passengers and are typically paddled by a woman wearing traditional farmer's clothing with the area's unique straw hat. These small boats take you into the floating market. You actually become part and participate in the total market experience. Your boat as well as all the others will choke the waterway between the two covered galleries. It is important to keep everything such as hands, fingers, and arms inside the boat because the boats often come into contact with each other - not violently but more of a sliding or banging motion that would still hurt pinched appendages.
Duang and I arrived by personal vehicle and toured the land portion of the market by foot. When the crowds got to us we would just sit on the stone steps leading down to the canal or grab a seat at a food booth to enjoy a cool drink. We ended up sitting on the stone steps to enjoy our early lunch. We ate freshly prepared "kanom kow" (some type of filled turnover). An elderly woman prepared and cooked them in her small wood boat. They were cheap and delicious. For drinks we had two green coconuts - cool and refreshing. All the while our meal was being prepared I got to photograph the goings on of the floating market - up close and relaxed. Later we rented one of the small boats and entered the fray.
Our small boat took us into the center of the floating market. We were surrounded by boats filled with bananas, rose apples, pineapples, papaya, soft drinks, hats, clothing, umbrellas and assorted prepared foods. Often we could not move due to the congestion of vendor boats and other tourist boats. No matter the case there were scenes to photograph at every turn of the head. It was a very good people watching venue. For me the highlight was stopping along side a boat selling a special Thai dessert - Rice, Mango, and sweetened Coconut Milk. Duang fed me this fantastic dish as we were paddled out of the floating market madness into more tranquil areas of the canal complex.
Our boat took us into smaller canals where the long tail boats could not access. Along these canals there were homes and small shops along the canal bank. Colorful hammocks were hung in the bright sun awaiting a buyer. Food vendors with the small children that they were caring for were set up along the canal banks. The sights, sounds, and smells of ordinary daily life along the klongs were readily apparent as we meandered along. It was a very memorable and pleasant experience - the entire day.
Each part of the day had offered its unique opportunities and experiences that we made sure that we took full advantage of.
Is it a place for everyone? I believe so, but then again it is and will always be "UP2U"
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