*This review is part of our Bangkok 2012 Travel.
Day 4 itinerary is to visit Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Maeklong Railway by following Mama Tour at first half of the day, the package for both attraction cost $600 which include transportation from Hotel, return to Khao San Road and boat ride at Domnoen Saduak Floating Market. We wake up in the early morning and wait for our driver to pick us up at Hotel then proceed to Damnoen Saduak, reach around 9am. The market is still silent and not much people since it still early.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is one of the many floating market in Thailand but it no longer the traditional floating market instead it has become tourist attraction, item sold here are souvenir and handmade handicraft but not much traditional Thai item. What they sold here are for tourist in mind instead of local people as there is not much local people visit hence all item sold here is pretty expensive, you need to be equip with good bargain skill in ordered to get item at reasonable price.
Long boat to visit the floating market is bundle in the tour package, the long boat is not really stable when we first step into it but after sitting down and the boat start moving then it kind of stable. Driving us around the floating market is a very old lady, she passionately drive us around the floating market for around 1 hour.
Along the river there is boat selling various items.
There is motor boat passing through this river as well, the river is pretty wide for certain area.
You can as well cruise the river with something high tech such as this big motor boat then run pretty quick but I find it useless because the main intention to visit this floating market is to enjoy the slow boat cruising through the river.
Small guitar that is very cute but selling at pretty high price.
Our boat provide big hat to it customer as well, thanks to the old lady great service.
Most of the items here are souvenir.
On our way back the river is now pack with boat and we start to “crash” into each other boat.
After river cruise done we have around 30minute free time to walk along the street market, honestly we do not buy anything here because it way too expensive and nothing look attractive as well.
For those who are not good at bargain please go to this shop, Paew Sourvenior as the price is fix and they do sold almost all the items along the river.
Overall I would say the experience to visit Damnoen Saduak Floating Market worth the value in term of experience how they run the business which totally differently with Klonghae Hatyai Floating Market. If you plan to buy a lot of thing from here then you better think twice because the item sold here is expensive, I would suggest you buy those item from Chatuchak Market at better price and much more variety.
It time to move to next attraction Maeklong Railway.