On our second day in Bangkok, we awoke rather early to drive to a town called Maeklong. You might have seen this particular town before on YouTube or the Travel Channel because it hosts a well known market. This particular market is comprised of vendors who could not fit into the establishment that contains the actual market. They instead spilled out the back and onto the tracks of a working railroad. Four times a day, the vendors have to adjust their awnings and back away as the train squeezes through the narrow corridor in between buildings. I've now been living in Southeast Asia for a year and a half which means that I have seen my fair share of markets, but this one takes the prize for most miraculous!
From there, we continued one of the many floating markets surrounding Bangkok. Unfortunately, in recent years, the main market has relocated and turned into one of the largest tourist traps I have seen in Asia. Having done research and watched travel shows, I was expecting a picturesque gathering of a plethora of boats floating within close proximity to each other, selling their fresh vegetation. This market, however, was filled with boats selling the same tourist trinkets that could be found down any alley in Bangkok. Now, I have been informed that markets, such as the one I had been picturing, do still exist but are only open on the weekend. We finished up our experience at the market by taking a paddle boat around the canals surrounding the area. We saw a bounty of monitor lizards streaming through the murky water as well as contraband pet shops and people bathing.
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