Day Thirteen.

Today we journeyed to Damnern Sandauk, a floating market outside of Bangkok.

The tour also included a visit to a working coconut plantation where we saw how coconut was boiled and turned into different products but our attention was drawn to the many cute dogs peeking out from under tables as well as a massive python they had just cruising about. The dogs kept their distance. There were also many caged animals, several of them in broad sunlight with no shade. A squirrel, monkeys, bids of many varieties and fish in tanks. Again, we would have liked to open the cages and let them free but alas.

Errrw!

Soon onto the floating market via a boat ride through the canals of the area. The long tail boats with their propeller shafts extending  way beyond the rear of the boat, gained some speed as we cruised toward the market. The canals had houses and plantations built right up against them as seemed more like Venetian waterways than simple watercourses. Every house had a boat hoisted beside.

I guess if you imagine floating markets you might picture fruits and foods prepared and colorfully displayed and there was a good deal of that, but to make ends meet the locals have turned to trinkets and knockoffs so the whole experience was marred by people hassling to buy shirts and tiger balm and souvenirs. That said, the market still retained enough of it's picture postcard charm to keep us wandering through.

After the market we drove the hour and a half home, swam in the Siam City pool and then prepared for a night out cruising the Chao Phraya river, Bangkok's primary waterway. 

The boat was called the Grand Pearl and was one of several dinner cruise boats on the river. Before the main cruise we sat in a rather nice riverside restaurant as guests arrived. A girl in traditional Thai costume gave us an orchid corsage and a Thai Elvis serenaded us which was great entertainment.

A drink in a nice riverside restaurant before the cruise.

One of the many riverside temples under-lit and beautifully presented.

The food was okay and all served in one hit as the cruise started. A lot of guests (read: rude tourists) launched at the food like pigs at a trough. The desserts were the first to go with people piling the chocolate cake as though they were building their own mini pagodas, then the suhi and then the mains. The food was mostly seafood which left me with only a few choices but it was still tasty. I just wish they had metered the food out in courses over the cruise and told us what was sailing by rather than just have us guessing. As it was, the food ran dry fairly quickly, a girl came around with our flashed out family mugshot and the rest of the cruise was sitting and looking out the window while the singer on the top deck tried to encourage everyone to Che-Cha. It was a little like the Swagman.

One highlight was a traditional Thai dance performed by a Traditionally dressed girl and a guy dressed as a Thai costumed monkey. The girl's dance was elegant. She bent her fingers right back into a curl and popped her elbows beyond horizontal (which we immediately tried around the table and failed to accomplish). The monkey was great and he shook Brad's hand before running away.

And, in another classic Thai tradition, they had Mr. Bean playing on a plasma at the food counter for the whole trip (Odd). We had to keep prying Brad from it to look outside.

The cruise finished and we took a slightly (very) annoying drive hoe with some little kid and his rude parents BLARK! BLARK! BLARK!-ing all the way home. There are some people have little respect for others and I think we pretty much met all of them. (this naturally excludes the Thai who have been so hospitable and friendly).


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Tomorrow is Thai New years... Songkran. We are very lucky to be here for this festival on our last day as the whole country basically has a water pistol fight. We have bought super soakers from the 7-ll and are planning to avoid the tourist part of the festival and hit the spot where the locals celebrate.

Night!