Amphawa Floating Market

Floating Dreams: Amphawa Floating Market

Floating markets have been featured for Tourism Authority of Thailand for decades. Recently, a Disney short "Our Floating Dreams" released on June 22, 2019 reminds the world of the floating market’s charm, and perhaps "Pineapple Fried Rice" (Khao Pad Sab Pa Rod) will soon become a Thai popular dish in the world stage just like Tom Yum Kung, Pad Thai, and Green Curry as Mickey and Minnie accidently mixed Fried Rice and Pineapple in quite an interesting way in the story.

Commuting along the khlong or canal especially in the central part of Thailand is common. In Bangkok alone, there are more than 1,000 canals. Thus, there are several floating markets in this region. The most popular one is Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi province which is about 80 km from Bangkok. The less popular, but more authentic is Amphawa Floating Market located in Samut Songkhram only 50 km from Bangkok.

What to see and do?

Visitor can enjoy Thai desserts, seafood, and tropical fruits at the market. Some dishes are familiar.
Some are alien-looking. However, if you expect to find Pineapple Fried Rice sold on boats as seen in the Disney short, you might be disappointed. However, you may order it at a restaurant. Exploring the surrounding canals and the Mae Khlong river by longtail boat is recommended. Visitors can see local lifestyle where most people do fruit plantation and make Thai desserts. Visiting museums such as King Rama II Memorial Park where fascinating Thai artifacts are housed is also interesting. The admission fee for adults is only 30 baht (1 USD) and 10 baht for children.
The Thais like to visit temples. A 9-temple tour is also available, but if you don’t have much time, Wat Chulamanee is worth visiting. It is believed that this temple was built in Ayutthaya period some hundreds of years ago.
Inexpensive homestays run by locals are easily found. Staying with locals and taking an evening excursion by boat along a canal to watch fireflies is definitely a fantastic experience.