Bangkok - 29.04.19

Today was excursion day. Whenever I thought of Bangkok, I had the images in mind of small wooden boats in which older Thais sit, paddle around on small rivers, and sell their goods to other boats. Maybe it's also because that was always a popular photo motif in travel catalogs that I often had in my hands professionally. In any case, it was clear to me that if I ever travel to Bangkok, I definitely want to see such a market. Even though many reviews on the internet advised against it because it has become too touristy, I had already booked such a trip before my departure. On Sunday evening, I was told that I would be picked up on Monday morning at 06:00 am at my hostel. Well, okay .... When I arrived at the reception just before six, there was already a small bus outside and my tour guide, Miss Sarah, a small, super friendly Thai woman, was waiting for me. The good thing was that she spoke English very well and could be understood easily. When she asked me where I came from and I answered 'Germany', it was very funny to realize once again how limited the expectations are, because her response was 'From Berlin or Munich?'. That made me smile. Since I was picked up so early, I was afraid that we would now take a little tour through Bangkok to collect participants at numerous hotels. But luckily we made two more stops and then drove completely. We were only a group of 7 participants (USA, Switzerland, and Germany), which I found very pleasant. After everyone was on board, Miss Sarah introduced herself again and when she told us the details about our tour itinerary, I became curious. Because contrary to the description of my booked tour (Floating Market), she also mentioned something about the Train Market. I had flirted with this destination when booking, but then decided against it to save time, because both markets are outside of Bangkok. In any case, I was now on the tour to both markets without having to pay for the Train Market. Either my originally booked tour did not take place or I was assigned incorrectly. I didn't ask any further and was happy that I would now also visit the Train Market. After a good hour's drive out of the city, we boarded a train, a 'Local Train' without air conditioning. We took this train to the Train Market after about half an hour. Just before arrival, Miss Sara became very hectic, positioned each of us at a window, and ordered us to take out our cameras. What happened then was an indescribable spectacle. The Train Market takes place around the railway tracks, probably due to lack of space in the village. Every time the train enters or leaves, the traders have to temporarily dismantle their stands. We experienced the train's arrival from inside the train and then again the departure while standing and huddled together under a sales stall. Strolling between the stalls was a challenge for the olfactory nerves but also for the eyes. Compared to what I saw and smelled in China, it was easy-peasy. Why they sell fresh mango right next to fish that was anything but fresh is a mystery to me. Well, the cats there also think they are chickens and guard the eggs. After the train had left again without us, we drove to a typical 'Thai House' to see a demonstration of how sugar and oil are obtained from coconuts and how they are further processed. Luckily, this was only a very brief stop, after which we went to a boat dock where we changed to loud motorized longtail boats to cover the rest of the distance to the Floating Market. Miss Sarah always spoke of James Bond boats, as they apparently appear in some James Bond movies. I can't say anything about that. But in any case, this was not a relaxing boat ride, but this boat had a lot of speed and getting wet was about the same as riding a log flume in an amusement park. The small Thai helmsman, toothless and all, clearly had his fun. At the Floating Market itself, as warned on the internet, it was very touristy, but they were there. The little, old Thais who sold fresh fruit, fried meat, cooked soups, sticky rice with mango, and coconut ice cream from their boats. That's what I wanted to see and I simply ignored the rest. After that, we went back to Bangkok in the air-conditioned bus, fortunately. The bus ride took 1.5 hours. I had myself taken back to the hostel for a breather and to freshen up, because there was still an exciting program awaiting me in the evening. I had booked a night bike tour of Bangkok in advance. After finding that really great last year in Dublin, because on such a bike tour you experience the city in a completely different way, I thought it was a cool idea for Bangkok, until I knew how hot it is here. But I had hope that it would be bearable once the sun went down, and on the bike you also have a light breeze. And that's what it was like as long as we were riding, but when we stopped, the sweat was just pouring off. Our group consisted of four participants (2x South Korea, 1x Bangladesh, and me) and our guide. Luckily, we hardly rode on the main roads, but rather in small alleys and side streets, and I already knew how to ride a bike in left-hand traffic from Dublin. The tour led along some main attractions that I had already seen in daylight and were beautifully illuminated in the evening. We had to take a ferry once. Because we rode through many side streets and alleys, we also got a glimpse of non-touristy Bangkok and saw how the locals live. Really crazy in some cases. Almost at the end of the tour, we visited the Flower Market. It is open 24 hours and there is quite a bustle. Because that's where the flower decorations for the Buddha altars are put together, packaged, and prepared for shipping. I didn't even realize initially what all these flowers are needed for. We were back at the starting point around 9:45 pm. On the way back to the hostel, I treated myself to an ice-cold cola, and when I lay in bed after a necessary shower, I was pretty exhausted.