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There is probably no person who, going to Bangkok, would not also visit Damnoen Saduak to see the Floating Market, one of the last original floating markets in Thailand. The tradition of trading goods from long boats goes back many generations, and in addition to Thai cuisine, you can find juicy fruits, various handicrafts, straw hats, stuffed insects and other specimens at the market. Sailing through the waters of the canals in a boat, we can admire not only the bazaar full of smells and colors, but also the everyday life of the local inhabitants. How to get to the Floating Market from Bangkok? s it worth seeing Erawan waterfalls? You will find out in this post.

Floating Market and Erawan Waterfalls - Is It Worth It And How To Get From Bangkok?
Welcome to Floating Market! Thailand

Floating Market

Unfortunately, after arriving at the Floating market it is hard not to notice that commercialism long ago won with authenticity. Market which once was exclusively for the locals today is mainly an attraction for tourists who come here with organized tours from Bangkok. Despite this, the place has its own charm – after all, in how many other places in the world you can eat freshly prepared pad thai straight from the floating boat?

How to get to Floating Market?

There are several ways to get to the floating market, which is less than 100 km from Bangkok. The quickest and most convenient option is to buy an organized tour (half or full day) from one of the local offices. Unfortunately, choosing this option, we must take into account that although we will get to the place comfortably by air-conditioned minivan, but it will be rush hour and instead of unforgettable impressions we will be left with a dose of disappointment. Due to lack of time, we also decided to pre-book an organized tour on daytoursbangkok.com.

A better option, which we did not use, it seems to reach the site just before the largest wave of tourists using public transport. The downside of this solution is waking up early in the morning (bus no. 78 departs from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal – Sai Tai Mai – at approx. 6 am) and the need to haggle for everything and with everybody 🙂 How much you’ll save depends on your negotiation skills. The bus will reach almost to the place, the last 1 km we have to go through another mode of transport (eg. by taxi), and after reaching the Floating Market, we have to haggle over the price of the boat.

Erawan National Park

After visiting the Floating Market in the morning, we changed from the minibus to a private taxi and headed 160 km northwest towards Kanchanaburi Province to see the famous Erawan National Park. After failing to see the waterfalls in Yosemite National Park, we were hoping to have better luck this time around. Unfortunately, we miscalculated. It was supposed to be heavenly and phenomenal. It was average, crowded and we had not enough time. But from the beginning…

Erawan National Park is said to be one of the most visited national parks in Thailand. On weekends and holidays, whole families gather here to spend a nice afternoon and splash in the water. The park covers an area of 550 km² and is mainly known for its blue waterfalls, which take their name from Airavata from Hindu mythology – a white, three-headed elephant.

Is it worth going to Erawan National Park?

We arrived at the park after a nearly 2.5 hour private transport trip that was included in the price of our full day trip. Unfortunately, we arrived well after 1:00 pm, and the bus we were supposed to take back to Bangkok left the park at 4:00 pm. So we had less than three hours to see seven great waterfalls, definitely not enough time to climb all levels. We had enough time to reach the third waterfall, catch a breath, take some interesting shots, visit the park toilet and get back to the bus. Advice for future visitors – go to the park in the morning, otherwise it’s not worth bothering here at all. Well, unless you are not afraid of crowds of Russian tourists 😉

Where to eat in Bangkok?

Tired after a day-long trip, right after returning to Bangkok, we went to a nearby Thip Samai Restaurant, to try legendary, the best pad thai in the city. The fact that the place is popular not only among tourists but mainly among locals is proved by long queues that every night line up in front of a restaurant. Fortunately, waiting for a table kinda makes the  ‘live-cooking’ show, which whets the appetite. We guarantee that after tasting pad thai from Thip Samai, you will always want to come back here for more!

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