Thailand Stories

Klong Suan 100 Year Market (1) The old Klong Suan 100 Year Market in Samut Prakan Province sits alongside a canal that in the old days was the only way to travel between Bangkok and Chachoengsao. With the coming of highways the importance of markets like this one died out. However, the old shops have now been renovated and …

It has become popular these days to revitalize some of the old riverside markets around Thailand. New floating markets are also being built to match this demand. This is part two of my comprehensive list of Thai floating markets that …

There are many floating markets and riverside markets around Bangkok. Some of these are new and others have been revitalized. This is part one of my comprehensive list of Thai floating markets that you can easily do as a day trip from Bangkok. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market The most famous floating market for…

A short distance north of Amphawa there is another riverside market that has been trying to revive its old community. This is Bang Noi Floating Market that straddles a canal of the same name near the Mae Klong River. There has been a market here for more than one hundred years and at one time hundreds of market vendors…

After the success of Amphawa Floating Market in Samut Songkhram, other communities in the area decided to try their hand at a weekend market. One such example is Bang Nok Kwaek Market which is alongside the Mae Klong River north of Amphawa…

For those of you who are finding that Amphawa Floating Market is becoming too crowded and touristy, then I recommend that you step back in time by staying overnight in one of the many homestays that can be found along Amphawa Canal. In the …

One of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in Thailand is The Nativity of Our Lady Cathedral next to Bang Nok Kwaeng Riverside Market in Samut Songkhram. The cathedral has been a dominant feature of the river banks of the Maeklong River for over one hundred years. The walls are made of highly-heated clay brick coated with…

The most popular floating market in Thailand for tourists is undoubtedly at Damnoen Saduak. However, if you want to avoid the bus loads of tourists on a very well worn trail then I suggest that you head out to Tha …

Ban Rak Amphawa Homestay – Amphawa Home of Love Most people go to Amphawa Floating Market in Samut Songkhram as an easy day trip from Bangkok. It is only about 90 minutes away. I have done it several times myself. However, the popularity of homestays in recent years has seen a boom in business in this once sleepy town. …

I first went to Amphawa Floating Market in Samut Songkhram exactly five years ago. I went there for the annual Rama II Fair . This year it takes place on the weekend of 5th-6th February 2011. I have been back to Amphawa a few times since. I really like …

When I first started teaching at Sriwittayapaknam School nearly 17years ago, I used to do penpal projects between my Thai students and students in other countries such as America, England and Australia. It was great fun for all the students involved as they got to communicate with people on the other …

My Bangkok Day Trip for this week is to Samut Songkram Province. With the completion of the Kanchanaphisek Outer Ring Road it is now much quicker to travel to this province from different locations around Bangkok. From Samut Prakan it took us only an hour to reach this seaside province. The most famous destination here is …

I was on my way to the floating market at Amphawa the other week when I came across this interesting temple. On the outside it was deserted and very undistinguishable from any other temple that I had been to in Thailand. I almost passed it by but then a coach load of Thai tourists pulled into the small parking lot. They left their coach in single file and were led …

Over the years, at www.thai-blogs.com , I have written about many of the day trips that I have been on in the Bangkok area. I have long since been to all of the major tourist attractions and now I spend most of my time looking for new attractions within driving distance of Bangkok. The other day I found a new …

Ask any one of the literally thousands of travel agents in Bangkok for advice on visiting a floating market and sure enough they’ll point you in the direction of the extremely well-known one in Damnoern Saduak, Ratchaburi province. Damnoen Saduak floating market has been transformed into a tourist sightseeing fad with almost as many foreign tourists as locals. …