| As with any civilization, communities thrived along waterways.
In Thailand, the waterway system of interconnected inland canals and
rivers run an accumulated length of about 4,000 kilometers. In old
Siam (Thailand’s archaic name), boats were the primary mode of
transportation. As villages were built along the river banks, the
practice of bringing the “market” to the villagers was a common
practice then. Boats piled high with meat, vegetables, fruits,
poultry and other household goods traversed along the rivers and
canals as vendors plied their wares to the villagers. The inland
waterways were the heart of commerce and trade in old Thailand.
With progress came the paving of roads and the building of other
infrastructure. The use of motor vehicles became the norm and the
floating markets of Thailand faded into obscurity. However, there
are some villages left that are still practicing the tradition of
boat trading. Of course the manner of trade and items being sold
might have changed in some ways but the objective is still the same
and that is to bring the market to the people and not the other way
around. One of the most popular floating markets in Thailand is the
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
The name Damnoen Saduak was the name of the canal that was dug
during the reign of King Rama IV. The canal was to connect the
Maklong River and Taachin River as a means of faster commute between
provinces. Currently, Damnoen Saduak belongs to the province of
Rajburi. The people of Damnoen Saduak are mostly farmers who grow
fruits and vegetables like papayas, oranges, grapes, beans,
cabbages, tomatoes, eggplants, onions and more. The canal provides
the much needed irrigation for the crops too.
What is amazing is the fact that to better their route and
further irrigate inland farms, 200 smaller canals were dug by the locals.
The interconnected canals paved a way for the locals to ply their
wares to the neighboring provinces as far away as Bangkok.
Today the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is also called the Klong
Lat Phli Floating Market. Situated about 109 kilometers away from
Bangkok, the floating market is two-hours away by car. The floating
market is open every day from 6:00 A.M. up to 11:00 A.M. only. There
are many half-day tours to this water way community. The place is
bustling with tourists, vendors and flat boats loaded with fresh
produce. The jostling for spots in the “khlongs” (canals) by the
flat boats manned by female vendors is chaotic, colorful and
entertaining. You could avail a ride on a long-tail boat ride to the
market where you can take a closer look at the beautiful orchards
and traditional teak homes located along the canals of the local
villagers.
There are a lot of things that you can buy in the floating
market. Aside from fresh produce and some “tacky” items for sale,
there are boats that ferry ready-to-cook items too – sort of a
“floating” restaurant. As the canals are quite narrow, it is best to
hang-on for dear life while on the boat for falling in the water
would not be a pleasant experience. |
