Khlong Bang Soi Thong

After participating in Thailand's International Half Marathon, David was pretty clear that he wasn't up for much in terms of site seeing in Bangkok. I had only run a relaxed 10 km so had more energy and wanted to make the most of our two days in Bangkok. To strike a balance, I decided that leisurely strolling through a floating market might just be the perfect outing. In researching our options, I found Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, a 30 minute taxi ride just on the outskirts of Bangkok. Many of the floating markets are quite touristy and up to 90 km outside of Bangkok, which certainly didn't meet our criteria for being relaxing. The other thing that made the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market appealing is that it is mostly visited by locals, known for good food and steeped richly in Thai culture. No english was spoken, which always makes for a more interesting experience as you try to figure out food prices and risk not always knowing what you are eating.

We began by exploring one side of the floating market by leisurely strolling through the many food stalls, while drinking our freshly made mango smoothies. The Thai people love meat, so no outing would be complete without sampling some meat on a stick, including Gai Galae (bbq grilled chicken). So good!!!

To take a break from our strolling and food sampling, we decided to take a 1.5 hour tour on a traditional long boat. The intricate canal system is known as the Venice of the East. Our long boat tour took us through the canals to a temple that we had 20 minutes to explore as well as a beautiful orchard filled with local flowers, especially orchids. Along the way, I was lucky enough to spot a 5-6 meter long Asian Monitor lizard. A little later in our tour David and the girls were also fortunate enough to spot one of these lizards. I'm not sure how friendly these guys are, but we definitely decided that keeping our hands out of the murkey river water was a good idea.

Visiting the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market was the perfect way to spend a relaxing day.

ClarindaRead more