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There seems to be quite a few communities around Thailand now that are trying to replicate the success of Damnoen Saduak Market. I think Amphawa Floating Market
in Samut Songkram have been doing a good job. Bang Nampheung Floating
Market in Samut Prakan have also been trying to have a weekend market
along the canal. Strictly speaking, these new markets shouldn't really
use the word "floating" as they are firmly on the bank of the canal.
But they do have water activities. Now comes the news that the Old Bang
Phli Market in Samut Prakan wants to develop a kind of floating market.
They actually have one of the longest running markets in Thailand as
this one was established just over a hundred and fifty years ago in
1857 by Chinese traders.
The market runs alongside Samrong Canal. Today they kicked off a
series of activities that will be organized for every weekend from now
until the Rub Bua festival in mid-October. They had quite a few vendors
today selling their wares on boats. They are hoping to keep this going
throughout the year but that really depends on the interest of the
general public. There were certainly quite a few people there today.
Though, as expected, I was the only foreigner there. It is the kind of
place you go to where the local people are surprised to see you speak
Thai. If you like to get off the beaten track away from the other
foreign tourists then Bang Phli is an excellent choice. But, don't
expect any English to be spoken and you will hear people calling out
"farang" a lot. In addition to the market, there are also boat tours
which I will tell you about later.
The old Bang Phli Market starts at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai. It is
basically a series of wooden shophouses with one long covered roof. It
stretches for about 500 metres or so. I have been here several times
before and I could see today that there are more shops for tourists.
Before they just had household goods, only of interest to local people.
Now they have a wider selection of food, as well as a small museum of
old photos. There is still room for improvement but they are going the
right direction. I think it is a nice place to eat a meal alongside the
canal. At the end of the market, there is a bridge which you can climb
over (see top picture) and then you arrive at another stretch of
shophouses. This section is more open and so easier to take pictures.
There are quite a few alleyways running off from the market and if
you have time it is worth exploring. At the temple, there is the famed
Luang Pho To image which, according to legend, was spotted floating
down the canal and was rescued by local people. During October every
year they have a lotus throwing festival
where a copy of this image is paraded up and down the river on a boat.
People in their thousands line the banks and throw lotuses onto the
boat. I will be going there for the festival next month and so will
tell you more about that later. If you have any questions about this
market or any other tourist attraction in this area, then please visit
our Samut Prakan Forums.
Do you need help in planning this trip? Visit the Paknam Web Thailand Forums for free advice 24/7.
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