03.08.10
The Floating Market and an Elephant Ride
The second tour we took in Thailand took us to four provinces outside of Bangkok. I would list the names, but I can’t remember them. Actually, when the tour guide told them to us, I could barely understand them anyway! I found the Thai language very difficult to repeat. My ears are just not used to hearing their words and just to learn how to say “thank you” required that I had to ask the gal at one of the shops to say it several times very slowly, heheh. Then I wrote it down as she slowly repeated it several times. If my ears got it right, thank you in Thai is “kap kun ka.”
The floating market was part of our tour, and that was at Damnoen Saduak just on the outskirts of Bangkok. First we took a long boat to get to the market. This is what they looked like.
We had to be careful to take turns boarding as well as being mindful of where on the benches we sat since these boats are a bit narrow and can easily tip. Here’s a pic of me and my parents on the bench in front of me.
From here we rode through waterways with houses on either side of us to get to the floating market. Here’s what it looked like.
And this was a view at one intersection.
I noticed that along the way they also had foot bridges so people could walk from house to house. Here’s what it looked like.
Once we got to the floating market we transferred onto the paddle boats for an additional fee because long boats aren’t allowed within the floating market because of their engines. Two people were allowed to sit on the front and the rear benches, but only one person on each bench in the middle. Aaron and I sat on the front bench, so I turned around and took a pic of my dad and my mom behind him. He’s wearing a hat my mom just bought for him there, heheheh.
Basically, what the floating market is are a bunch of vendors selling their wares or goods from paddle boats. We hire a boat that paddles us around the market and we stop at whatever vendor looks good, heheh. They sell all sorts of things like hats, carvings, stuffed animals, etc., including food. Here’s a pic of a vendor selling hats.
Here’s a pic of other vendors selling food.
They sell all sorts of foods from cooked foods, to raw fruits and veggies and even raw meats. We bought some fried bananas from this vendor, yummy! Here’s what it looked like.
Some vendors were on boats side by side. Here’s a shot of what I mean.
If you wanted to buy something from the vendor three boats in, she would put her stuff in a basket with a long handle and reach it over to you. You would then remove your purchase and place your money in the basket.
It was very crowded with tourist. This is one shot showing how crowded it was.
Once we got off the paddle boat, there were other shops along the way where you could still buy stuff just walking around. There was so much to look at that I wished we had more time and more money, heheheh. But alas, we had to go to our next destination, which was taking an elephant ride.
When we got to the place where they gave elephant rides, Aaron and I shared one elephant. We also bought a basket of bananas so we could feed the elephant along the way. I had no idea elephants ate bananas! And I learned that they not only eat bananas, but they eat the whole kit and kaboodle–skins and all! Or course, I suppose they don’t peel them out in the wild? So we were told that since elephants eat like that their poops are very fibrous, and it makes good paper! Ack! The things this city girl has never thought of. . . There was a small bench on top of the elephant where we sat, and a man straddled across the back of the elephant’s neck who lead the elephant for us. After we walked out into the jungle a ways, he turned around and motioned for my camera. I gave it to him, then to my surprise he slid down! Aaron and I were by ourselves on this elephant! Meanwhile the man ran ahead and called to the elephant to follow him while he took pictures of us. Here’s a shot of Aaron and me on an elephant.
And this was our elephant “driver” after he took our pictures and climbed back up. I don’t know what else to call him! Ha ha!
I think that’s all the pics I can add to this post, so will stop here and continue on another post later.
Marlakins
