The morning started early as we were being picked up at 7am, and wanted to make sure we had time for one of our favorite parts of the day. Yes, breakfast!
We met our guide (now sidekick) Malee in our hotel lobby and she had a van waiting for us. We drove approximately an hour outside Bangkok’s city centre to visit the Maeklong Train Market. This market is spread across the local train track - so close the goods are actually touching the tracks. The train runs literally right through the market several times a day. It’s pretty remarkable to see what happens before and after. As soon as the vendors hear a train coming they quickly take down their awning and shuffle their goods. The train passes literally inches from the goods in the market. While this is fascinating to see and a fun experience, it’s no secret with the tourists!
Within seconds after the train passes through, everything is back to business.
Our only purchase at the market was durian, known in Southeast Asia as “the king of fruits”, otherwise known elsewhere as “the smelliest fruit on earth”. It has a spiky hard outer shell and a custard-like flesh with large seeds. Although it’s considered the king of fruits in Thailand, you are not permitted to have durian in any hotel, public transit system, public car or airport because of its offensive smell.
Before you read on I suggest reveling in this video of people trying durian (click link).
Now for the moment when Laura & Jennifer try durian:
If the video continued, you would see me finishing the remaining piece in my hand, chewing and swallowing while thinking it’s not so bad, meanwhile concentrating on fighting my gag reflex until I lost control of it. It won. I couldn’t stop gagging. Honestly it’s not that bad (in fact so many people love it), but between the smell and the texture, two Irish-Canadian girls don’t stand a chance.
We walked through the rest of the market beyond the railway tracks, where I purchased a new sunhat for the equivalent of $6, then got back in the van and headed to our next destination.
Our next stop was a family run coconut farm, a quirky spot where we tried boiled coconut and fresh coconut sugar, so fresh it was still pasty (and tasted a bit) like fudge. We hydrated ourselves with a fresh coconut drink, then walked around the grounds to see the lines of coconut tress.
After we visited the Damnoen Saduk floating market where they sell fresh food including fruits, vegetables, a wide variety of seafood and noodle dishes, as well as clothing and souvenirs.
We took a ride in a long tail boat with a woman paddling from the back, which gave us a full tour of the market and surrounding area.
Then we took a motorized long tail boat, for what turned out to be a much longer ride than we anticipated, to the King Rama II museum, the very serene waterfront former residence of, you guessed it, King Rama II (over 200 years ago).
By this point we were ready to take a break from the touristy experiences, with poolside relaxation on our minds. Unfortunately we were 80km and a WHOLE LOTTA TRAFFIC away from that reprieve. The whole ride I was just thinking of my happy place, and then poof!
Lunch and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc poolside, then a dip in the glorious pool. We had a lovely time relaxing and recharging before our evening walking food tour.
On this tour we walked with a new guide for 2.5 hours around Bangrak ("the village of love") where we stopped at 7 stops for various local culinary experiences, including a dessert of egg and banana wrapped and fried in a pandan leaf, drizzled with condensed milk (way more delicious than we expected!).
One of our favourite stops was the fruit market where we had the opportunity to try more exotic fruits like mangosteen, rambutan and tamarind. I would love to describe all the wonderful new culinary delights we experienced this evening (including the century egg I ate but Jennifer refused), but we are going to call it a night as we have another early morning tomorrow, when we will head to the airport for our journey north to the mountains in Chiang Mai.
With love,
Laura & Jennifer ❤❤
That video is everything!! First, Jenn gagging is the best, but seeing your laughter and fun took the cake! Loving the posts!!
Hi Mamma it looks like you are having the time of your life! ( I also loved the video of you guys eating it! LOL xD so funny hope to see you soon bye for now!
Hi mom, been following every blog post and looks like you and aunt jenn are having a lot of fun!(p.s. I loved the video of you and auntie jenn trying durain!)