After spending the night in Bangkok, we were up and out of the hotel by 6:30 am. At first it seemed like a very early morning, but it was well worth it when we went to the Samut Songkhram train market.
We got there about 7:50 and wandered the market which has rails running through it. The vendors have their wares out to the rails, but about 8:20, they all begin to pull up their awnings and pull their tables back behind a red line. At 8:30, the train pulls through the narrow street which is just inches from the people standing watching. It was a great experience and well worth the early day.
Following the train market it was off to ride long tailed boats through the canals of Damneon Saduak . It was a thirty minute ride sitting flat on the bottom of the boat (not the most graceful way to get in and out of the boat). The trip allowed us to see how the Thai people in this region live along the water and use the canals to make their way from one place to another.
We docked at the pier by the Damneon Saduak Floating Market. The people bring their boats into the market and tie up to the sides of the canal and then sell produce and items from the boat and tables they use on the steps of the canal. It’s an interesting sight and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
We made a quick stop for lunch before making the two hour return to the Coral Princess and our embarkation for Ho Chi Minh City.
