Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok

I've been having so much fun editing the photos from our trip to Thailand last year.  (Yes, I realize how behind I am. I blame my job and my uterus. )  I still can't believe we were even there.  I don't think a day goes by that I don't long to be back.  I loved everything about Thailand, the smell, the people and just the feel of it.  We packed a lot into our one week trip and were only in Bangkok for about 36 hours.  I was determined to visit a floating market in that short time. The one we chose was the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

There are two reasons that we chose this one.  First, it's one of the few that are relatively close to Bangkok.  It took less than an hour to get there by taxi.  The second reason is that this is one of the newer markets and is known to be less crowded and touristy than the others.  It's frequented by mostly locals and we were the only foreigners that I even noticed while we were there.

It's not technically a floating market but more of a riverside market.  It's spread out along a narrow canal with a few boats tied up along the riverbank loaded with food. But the market is large and full of stalls selling the most beautiful Thai street food.

We booked a private tour guide for the day through Your Thai Guide.  Our local guide was Nina and she made sure we got the most out of our day.  She guided us through the market, answered our questions and pointed things out to us.  But, mostly she just let us wander, click a million photos and obviously eat.

She recommended that we get there early which was great advice.  By the time we left just after noon the number of people had doubled.  It was full of families enjoying a big meal by the water.  I can't even describe the abundance and variety of food.  I had no idea what some of it was but it smelled exotic and enticing.

The atmosphere was relaxed and casual.  Nobody gave us a second thought and there wasn't that hard sell or urgency that we've experienced in other markets, for instance in Marrakech.  Just a family day out enjoying great food and company.

 

Matt had a heaping bowl of Pad Thai made in a flash right in front of us.  I had a bbq beef platter.  We added a huge bottle of water to help us beat the heat.  Some of the vendors were happy to offer us samples as we walked through trying to decide what we wanted for lunch.

What I loved the most about Thailand were the smiles and openness of the people.  It was such a refreshing and much needed change after living in London for a few years.  You know I love London, but you certainly wouldn't describe it as the City of Smiles.  Thailand is definitely the Land of Smiles.  Big open, beautiful smiles.

 

It's also the land of beautiful food!  Do these pictures make you want to go to Thailand?  I can't wait to get back there.  We didn't eat nearly enough.  Fair warning, I have a whole load of posts planned from our time in Thailand and Yangon.  I can't wait to get more of these photos sorted and edited.

What is your favorite food market meal?

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