The Floating Market (April 24 - 25)

Getting a bus to Damnoen Saduak seemed too easy, so the Backpacking Gods threw a little wrench our way.

Instead of being dropped off in the city as expected, we were dropped off at the highway and found out soon enough that our hotel is 25 kilometers from where we were dropped off. After a bit of detective work on our part, we figured out that we had to take a song teauw (a pickup with a roof that looks like a jeepney) to the only hotel in Damnoen Saduak.

It looked like a really old hotel, but it was clean and the mattress was comfy. The only trouble was the receptionist, who refused to acknowledge us after we told him we don't want to get a boat to the floating market from him because it's too expensive. We told him the tourism bureau in Bangkok said boats go from 200 - 800 baht, and we can only afford 200. He said it's impossible to find a boat for less than 500, and he wouldn't talk to us again after; he kept his eyes on the TV screen.

We had no idea how to get to the floating market; there were no maps on the Lonely Planet because most people come here on package tours. Luckily, even though the hotel doesn't have wifi (free or otherwise), we found a weak signal and got enough time to look for the market on online maps. Even online sources were inconclusive, though, so we left the next morning with our fingers crossed that we were going in the right direction, and that we could find a boat cheaper than 500 baht.

Well, we did. In fact, we got a longtail boat for 250, no motor, and had the whole boat to ourselves, too.

We came early to avoid the package tourists, and we grabbed a few things to eat and drink from the vendors on their boats.