Damnoen Saduak is one of the most famous and frequented floating markets in Bangkok. It's a top spot for those eager for irresistible photos, tasty Thai food, authentic souvenirs, and to capture the true local lifestyle.
Well... the market has transformed over time into a place almost exclusively for tourists with deep pockets. Pretty much everything has become way too commercial and, of course, with prices that are out of control.
Thailand isn't an expensive country at all, but in places like this, it's good to avoid shopping. Considered one of the most exotic tourist attractions, the market attracts thousands of tourists daily, who aren't scared off by the 100 km separating the market from the capital.
How to get to the Damnoen Saduak floating market?
Being a major tourist spot, most travel agencies in Bangkok, and even in the surrounding areas, organize tours, departing early in the morning and returning in the evening.
You can also get there on your own if you want, by public transport. Bus 78 leaves regularly from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal. And for only 5€ and almost two hours on the road, you'll reach the pier where you depart for the market, in the cheapest way possible.
If you don't want to depend on a group and a fixed schedule, the best option would be to haggle with a driver who will be at your disposal all day. Being a larger group, it was convenient for us to rent a minivan, the driver being a friendly young man who also acted as a guide and took us first to the Chang Puak Camp Riding Center, where we rode elephants. For the whole day, we paid around 80-90€.
The market is visited, obviously, by boat.
Once you arrive at the departure point for the Damnoen Saduak floating market, you have to board a famous long-tail boat. Lighter by 35€/person, in a narrow boat with an extremely noisy and polluting engine, we were driven at high speed, close to the tipping point, on the narrow and crowded canals towards the market.
We laughed it off the whole way, joking about our boatman who probably aspired to some Formula 1 title. Along the klongs, you'll encounter merchants selling all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits (Chinese grapefruit, mango, bananas, papaya, or coconut) or souvenirs directly from their boats or from the shore, so by the time you reach the actual market, you'll be familiar with the products.
The place is swarming with people.
Between the early hours of the morning and lunchtime, the market is extremely crowded. Locals come here with boats loaded with super fresh and tasty fruits to sell.
They make their way, with difficulty, through the crowd of curious tourists. They come from all over the world to capture a bit of the lively atmosphere of the place. Besides all sorts of hats, t-shirts, souvenirs, fruits, and vegetables, you can also buy food directly from the "mobile kitchens." A different kind of street food. It's prepared in a boat, in a cramped space where there's barely room for a gas cylinder, a small stove, and the cook-waltz.
So if you want a portion of fried rice, noodles, or all sorts of weird soups in a bag, it's done quickly. The lady serves you on the spot, all you have to do is hold on to her boat. Coconuts occupy an important place in all the commercial activity. They're everywhere, and there's not a boat where you won't see tourists sipping coconut water with a straw, quenching their thirst.
The properties of coconut water are considered beneficial to our body, having incredible detoxifying properties. This miraculous liquid didn't impress me. I really didn't like it, even though I was eager to try a coconut.
Like all touristy places, the prices are pretty high.
You should know that the prices are rightfully exaggerated, and if you came here thinking you'd find bargains at every step, you're wrong. For a hat like the ladies below, they were asking 35€, and I got it for 7€ from a market in town. For a "made in China" t-shirt, they wanted 15-20€. Even a simple coconut cost 7-8€, even though there were mountains of coconuts on all the canal banks.
The boat trip doesn't last more than an hour, and we headed back at the same breakneck speed to where we started. When I felt the ground under my feet, I thanked Buddha countless times for watching over us.