Travel Memories: Thailand Part 3 - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Hello Hiveans! It's now the third part of my Travel Memories in Thailand. For this post, I will be sharing our experience at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, which is the most famous among floating markets in Thailand.

As a recap, here are short clips from my previous posts:

For our Thailand tour for the day, we were planning to go to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It was quite far from where we were staying. Though it was quite expensive, we hired a Grab in going there. When we already rode the car, the driver negotiated with us to pay him 1,000 Baht for the trip in going there since it was quite far and there were toll fees to pay along the way. It was more than the booking fee when we logged to the app. Since we were three, we were thinking it would still be practical and convenient than to find other ways to commute. So, we agreed with him.

We already reached the Damnoen Saduak District and we kept looking at Google Maps. We started to get nervous because we turned somewhere not directly pinned at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Eventually, we stopped and arrived in a docking area for boats going to the floating market. We were kind of hesitant since it didn't look similar to the entrance that we searched for and the boat ride was also more expensive than we found in blogs. We wanted to walk to the main entrance of the floating market but it was quite far. So, we just gave in after a few minutes of thinking and convincing (a bit of intimidation) by the receptionist.

After a few minutes of boat ride, we started to see stalls on the side and was relieved as the sign for Damnoen Saduak Floating Market appeared in front of us. As we went deeper into the market, we saw more boats. Some were loaded with tourists like us while there were also boats carrying Thai delicacies to entice curious and hungry nearby passengers.

We found ourselves lucky that we were able to rent a boat with shade. Though it was a bit gloomy, we can still feel the heat of the sun. By the end of the ride, we could have been so sweaty.

Stalls along the canal were mostly selling souvenirs. There were restaurants too but some foodies were sold in boats, making it easier to reach and buy when you started to get hungry during the ride. I really did not search beforehand what I would expect to see in the floating market. When I travel somewhere, I don't want to search much about the place to have a bit of surprise upon going there. I really thought the floating market would look like a wet market in water, yet it was more like a tourist haven.

Buddha and elephant images like sculptures and carvings were popular souvenirs here. These came in different sizes and materials. Buddha images also have different representations like the happy Buddha.

When we were buying souvenir ref magnets, to one of the stalls not really near the canal, an old couple was very accommodating to us. Their ref magnets were cheaper than others. Upon paying, we were given a very cute elephant wood carving. They said to bring it always for good luck.

Bags and clothes were also present in the floating market. Thailand is known for selling affordable clothes. On one of the stalls, I was interested to buy those colorful elephant pants. I think they were comfortable to wear and I was planning to give to my friends. When the woman selling computed the total price, I was a bit hesitant to pay. I was thinking maybe there were other stores in Bangkok that would sell those cheaper than here. So I started to haggle for the price, the lady gave me only a few discount. I was still not convinced of the price so I asked for the price to be lower. The lady no longer gave in and politely asked from what country I came from. So I proudly said, "Philippines!". She chuckled and heard her say, "That's why!". Maybe she experienced bargaining too from fellow Kababayans before. I think it's just our culture to negotiate for a lower price especially buying in bulk.

What I didn't expect to see were some vintage (or vintage-looking) collector's items like those miniature old Coca-Cola bottles that we collected before. It's nice to put up these and their vintage-looking signages in your room if your up for that retro style.

Paintings of different subjects were also sold here. What really caught my attention was this mother and baby elephant painting. I remembered the one I saw in Ayutthaya where a young elephant was chained together with its mother. I think the baby elephant got tired that it rested its leg to the fence. Looking at the both of them saddened me that they were there for entertainment. I didn't want to try an elephant ride. Other than being afraid of heights, I didn't want to be a burden to the elephant's back (though I'm not that heavy, right? 😁). Having to see an actual elephant face-to-face was once of the things that I really wanted to do in Thailand. I'm curious how this gentle giant looked like. Hopefully next time, I could visit other places, like in Chiang Mai where elephants are free to roam around and enjoy nature.

Towards the end of our boat ride, we saw animals displayed at the side of the canal. There was a snake and lorises. It was my first time to see a loris. Its big eyes looked similar to tarsiers in Bohol but had bigger body size. I think you will pay if you want to hold and have selfies with them. We just quickly snapped photos so that we didn't have to pay. 😆 It's still best to see those wildlife animals stay in their natural habitat.

We didn't miss the day without grabbing something for our hungry tummies. Along the crowded part of the canal, there were boats selling fruits, snacks and desserts. There were noodles, coconut ice cream. Maybe I was just too hungry that I forgot to take a picture of what I ate. So when we were dropped off to the bank, we settled at the nearest restaurant.

When we walked towards the exit/entrance of the floating market (the one we expected to enter instead of the private pier) we saw an old lady selling coconut pancakes. Her sweet smile urged us to try those pancakes. The pancakes were soft, sweet and chewy.

Every trip has its surprises. We ran into some troubles along the way and spent more than what was planned. But what's important is how we dealt with it and made the best out of it.

This ends our trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. I would like to thank everyone for following since part 1 of this trip. Next up is the final chapter of my Thailand Travel Memories - Bangkok City tour. See you then! 😉