Floating Markets and Rose Garden Cultural Center Day Tour

I was picked up for the Floating Markets and Rose Garden Cultural Center day tour at 6:15 a.m. Luckily, my hotel started serving breakfast a 6 a.m. Bangkok was already up at that hour––food vendors were on the street and people were going to work. We picked up four tourmates at another hotel––an extremely nice family from Argentina who were taking an Asian trip on their own. The father was a doctor who had previously practiced in Los Angeles.

We drove past a very busy huge market on our way. Thais buy their food fresh everyday and the markets open up as early as 6 a.m. Many Thais also eat their meals on the street, buying from the very numerous street food vendors. There are also supermarkets––Tesco Lotus has almost a monopoly here (Tesco is a British chain).

I put Day 4 on a slideshow: http://www.peggysphotos.com/canal–cruise–floating–market–rose–garden/ (Slide Shows, Asia, Thailand, “Canal Cruise, Floating Market, Rose Garden), but will point out some of the highlights of the tour.  Photo: the market that we drove past.

Floating Markets and Rose Garden Cultural Center Day Tour

Coconut Sugar

We made a rest stop at a place where we could find out how coconut sugar is made. It is made from the flower buds of coconut palms. Also, we had a demonstration of how coconuts are shredded.

Coconut Sugar

Canal Boat Ride

Next, we took a ride on a slow long–tail boat through canals that would take us to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It was so quiet and peaceful on the canals that it could make you want to spend more time here just doing nothing. Thailand has many of these canals.

Thailand was having one of its coldest winters––cold for the Thais but just right for the tourists. I had expected very hot and humid weather in Thailand, not cool mornings and warmer, sometimes hot, afternoons but with bearable humidity. The nights were warm––something I really liked as we seldom have warm nights in Los Angeles no matter how high the day’s temperature.

I have put my photos of the canal on a slide show: http://www.peggysphotos.com/damnoen–saduak–canal–boat–ride/ (Slide Shows, Asia, Thailand, “Damnoen Saduak Canal Boat Ride.)

Canal Boat Ride

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Our boat took us to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which has shops along the canals that you shop at from boats and also many, mainly female, vendors in canoes. There are other floating markets in Thailand but this one is for the tourists. It was crowded with tourists but most likely this was half the crowd usually here. The protests had kept many tourists away from Thailand––my tour guide told me that 50% of the tours reserved through his company had been canceled. I think my Gate 1 tour guide was right in saying that this was a good time to visit Thailand––cool weather and fewer fellow tourists.

Our tour guide told us to meet him at the tourist van at 10:30 a.m. He gave us instructions as to how to find it and also its license plate. I followed his instructions to a tee––walk over the bridge and go to the parking lot with a large pole with something yellow on it. Well, maybe there were two bridges and I added a bridge and maybe there was another parking lot with a large pole, but I was in the wrong parking lot, which I did realize when it became past the meeting time and no one else was there. But I figured that someone would find me and Pablo, on our tour, did. I do have a tendency to get separated on tours, but since I never have done this more than once per trip, I knew I was safe from getting lost for the whole rest of my trip––I was right.

I have put my photos of the Floating Market on a separate slide show: http://www.peggysphotos.com/damnoen–saduak–floating–market/ (Slide Shows, Asia, Thailand, “Damnoen Saduak Floating Market”).

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Handicraft Village

Next stop: the Handicraft Village. The handicraft here was mainly wood carving. These elephants were elephant size.

Handicraft Village

Handicraft Village

A very large wood carving.

Handicraft Village

Nakhom Pathom Chedi

Our next stop was at the Nakhom Pathom Chedi. It is the tallest Buddhist monument in the world at 395 feet tall (120 m). Originally here was a 2nd century BC to 5th century AD stupa that become in disrepair in about the 11th century. In the early 19th century, a chedi (stupa) encased the original structure. There were several Buddhist temples of different sizes at the chedi and many golden Buddha statues.

Nakhom Pathom Chedi

Rose Garden Buffet

Time for a buffet lunch with extensive offerings. Very good.

Rose Garden Buffet

Rose Garden Elephant Show

Next event was the Rose Garden elephant show of which I took a movie: Movies, Thailand Movies.

Rose Garden Elephant Show

Rose Garden Cultural Show

A Thai kick boxing demonstration. I took a movie of it: Movies, Thailand Movies.

Rose Garden Cultural Show

Rose Garden Cultural Show

Bamboo Stick Dancing. I took a movie of this: Movies, Thailand.

A very good tour!

Rose Garden Cultural Show