Amphawa!

We received this tip in Chiang Rai: Saao and Gaetano, the owners of our 'Bali Retreat', warmly recommended the Baanrak Amphawa Homestay to us, where they themselves like to spend a few days when traveling near Bangkok. Amphawa is located just about a hundred kilometers southwest of Bangkok. A few kilometers away are the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Mae Klong Railway Station. Both are extremely popular tourist destinations, often visited as part of day tours from Bangkok.

We depart from Bangkok by regional train towards Ratchaburi. At the platform, we encounter a unicorn, and on the train, we are accompanied by a monk who carries countless amulets under his robe. We continue to Amphawa by taxi. The homestay, still adorned with Christmas decorations, is located right by the klong, and we take a room on the first floor of the house: a large veranda with a view of the canal.

Miss Bee is the kind soul of a family business that she runs with great warmth. We were welcomed by Saao with the request to make our stay as pleasant as possible. Bee responds to this with utmost friendliness! The food at the homestay is excellent, and every morning we are treated to a rich Thai breakfast buffet. On the first day, she personally takes us to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Mae Klong Railway Market.

Amphawa has its own floating market, which, however, seems to be dormant and only awakens to modest life on weekends. We also notice that most shops along the canal are closed. The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, on the other hand, turns into a reversal of the actual market: it’s not the farmers from the surrounding areas who come with boats to sell their products, but tourists are funneled in droves through the canals, passing by souvenirs, souvenirs, souvenirs. The vendors use hooks to catch the boats, and no boat escapes without at least attempting to sell a souvenir.

A local train operates four times daily from Mae Klong Railway Station to Ban Laem, located 40 km away. The train passes through a market for the first two hundred meters, which stalls are cleared every time - this too is primarily a tourist spectacle.

In the following days, Bee continues to take charge of the program. She organizes - and pays for - a tuk-tuk that takes us to the Tha Kha Floating Market: much smaller than the Damnoen Saduak market, here are also some tourists, but it’s still fairly original. Accompanied by her brother, we visit a coconut farm and marvel at what can be made from coconut trees and coconuts. Bee and her brother take us to Petchaburi to Phra Nakhon Khiri, a residence of the former King Rama IV, who lived as a monk for many years.

On the last day, we take the train ourselves from Mae Klong Railway Station to Ban Laem and back, enjoying the tourist hustle and bustle at the market. Aside from that, the train serves as a regular means of transport, with a single fare - 40 km - costing about 25 cents per person. Most stations are not easily recognizable as such, with discarded railway sleepers serving as the entrance for boarding and exiting.

We leave Thailand after three weeks with still mixed emotions, but with the good feeling that we have experienced the friendliest sides of the country with Saao and Gaetano in Chiang Rai and with Bee in Amphawa. Thank you!