Train market and Amphawa floating market

Today we got out of bed fashionably late…we really have to start getting up earlier because monday I have to be back at work bright and early (ouch!). We still had 1 hour left before we had to get the bus to the markets so we grabbed something to eat at one of the many stalls. The neighborhood we are in with the guesthouse is called the European neighborhood because of the lively vibe you get here! It is always buzzing with backpackers and old farts that long to be young again!

We met a friendly Portugese girl who told us we definitely had to go there once because it is a very beautiful country. When we were talking, the heavens opened up like they haven’t done since we got here! Rain was flooding half of the place we sat, so the girl kept scooting over until there was no more room left to scoot! She was almost on my lap…funny!

We took a minibus that we booked yesterday to go to a few markets and to see some fire flies in the evening! The bus was packed with a South African guy who lives in England with his Polish girlfriend, a Japanese girl, a Canadian guy and two Korean looking dudes. The driving capabilities of our driver were like all the rest of the Thai people… it SUCKED! They can not keep their foot on the gas and keep a constant speed. They always have to brake abruptly, give way too much gas (with their foot still half on the clutch) and swerve from left to right, making sure they hit each pothole on the way!

Well we managed to get to the market on time for one of the most spectacular things to see (or at least in the area around Bangkok!) There is a small little market where they sell fish, fruits, clothes and other stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary you would say…well tell that to the train driver that passes there 8 times a day!! It is way cool to see that the stalls are all on tracks so that they can retreat them when the train comes and just push them back when the train has passed! They even have plastic roofs protecting them against the sun, which they also have to break down 8 times a day, every time the train passes. They are so swift and fast in doing this, it looks just amazing! Some stuff they don’t even bother to move, as the train will just pass over it, leaving nothing but only a few cm between the food and the rusty metal of the train…

 

 

 

After our special train market, we drove down to one of the many floating markets around Bangkok. This one was located in Amphawa and didn’t offer much floating stuff!! It was however very picturesque and Venice like! I even felt it had a warmer and friendlier vibe than Venice. It offered a lot of markets on the shore and was stylish with al the wooden buildings at the waterside! We even saw some children making the most of it and jumping in and out of the water, even when one obviously could not swim…

 

 

When the night fell, we took a longtail boat for a long trip around the area to go and spot fire flies. If you haven’t seen them before, you can picture them as the christmas lights in your tree when you set them on the on/off mode…. They blink away, sitting in the tree with hundreds of them together, blinking almost as one, making no sound whatsoever. It is truly amazing to see that the Thai don’t even have to buy christmas lights, they just catch a few flies and hang them in their tree…

Back at out buzzing nightlife street in Bangkok, we saw a billboard. At first we thought it was an announcement of a new police movie, but no, it was a glorification of the local police force…

 

Nov 23 2012

1 COMMENT
  1. so nice !!!
    jullie gaan het niet zo super vinden hier denk ik , koud nat en grijs. maar je hebt het weer gehad hé en daar kan je nog lang van genieten !!!
    dikke kus en knuffel en tot gauw
    ma
    en co
    xxxxxxx

    11-23-2012, 9:44 pm Reply
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