2 days in Bangkok - Day 2: Our itinerary for a family trip

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Day 2 in Bangkok

As we finished our first day in Bangkok along Khaosan Road and Rambuttri Road (you can see our first day here), we took our walk through the streets to also check with the various tour operators in the area for a private tour, which we were particularly interested in.

There are several possibilities for tours from Bangkok, but for the limited time we had, we had to choose chosen the tour to go to two iconic places, namely the Maeklong Market (train market) and Damnoen Saduak (the floating market).
 
We were aware that these were probably two very "tourist places", but they were also places that had fueled our imagination for years, since we all can remember the famous images of the train approaching as the merchants move their bunkers away from the train line, as well as the floating markets with boaters and boats full seeking to persue people to buy their products.

And it is possible, on a single excursion, to visit these two places, which are still far from Bangkok.

We had read on internet that, haggling, it was possible to perform this tour for prices starting at 400 BAHT but, the best we got was for 450 each of us, including the child, who paid full.

This tour included the whole morning, with a pick-up at the hotel around 8am, started with a visit to the Maeklong by train, and a later visit to Damnoen Saduak, the floating market.
 
At the time of booking we were told that if we wanted to go by boat in Damnoen Saduak, the price would be 150 BATH per person and, as we wanted to do this tour, the total excursion was for 600 BAHT per person ($19USD, € 16).

Maeklong - Train Market

We just have to say good of the company we hired. There is time combined, they were picking us up at the hotel (around 8am) and promptly headed to the Maeklong. The market is about 80 kms from Bangkok and the trip takes about an hour, which was done in a new, air-conditioned, safe van.

Upon arriving at the Maeklong Market, we had the pleasant surprise of not being as full of tourists as we would expect, and of finding many locals that really used this space to carry out their daily life, whether they were selling or buying. As we arrived about 20 minutes before the train passed, we were able to walk around the market and see how it went before the train arrived.
 
Of course, one of the issues we were facing was that of security, especially when we were traveling with our son. And, we can guarantee that this is a totally safe experience to carry out for those who, like us, travel in family. Before the train passes, you will hear a sound announcement to warn you of it. Similarly, you will see merchants preparing their bunkers for the passage of the train and they will also warn people that this is happening, as well as indicating where they should remain for this to occur safely. In addition, the train crosses very, very slowly, so we feel completely safe and it is undoubtedly an extraordinary experience to do in family, which our child adored and were all were very happy to go.
 
After the train passes, it is equally interesting to observe the fast and organized way as the vendors put their seats back in order, making it almost impossible to imagine that a train passed that line a few seconds earlier.

Damnoen Saduak, the floating market

Shortly after the train passed, our group headed for the next goal, the Damnoen Saduak (floating market). This market was famous for the chase scene by James Bond (Roger Moore) in the film "The Man with the Golden Gun", and is less than 30 minutes by car from the Maeklong Market.

You can see here that part of the movie:
But if at the Maeklong Market we can say that we were surprised to find "local" life and not just tourists, now we felt that we are in a place destined solely and exclusively for tourism. If it is true that we expected it, but it's also truth that there was an expectation that it will not be so but, in this case, we can guarantee that it is 100% aimed at the tourist.
 
In our case, our experience consisted of a boat ride (peadleboat) by the pier, driven by a paddler. After this tour, we had free time to stroll through the market, and everything you see there, you can easily found it in Bangkok for less than half the price. You also have the possibility to eat but we had our lunch in Bangkok, as this tour is only midday and by 13h we would be in Bangkok again.

At the Damnoen Saduak you will also be able to take pictures with snakes and other animals, but this is a practice that we don't recommend, because this are animals are taken from their natural environment to be used for commercial purposes.

After the free time to take a walk, a motorboat ride outside the market was part of the tour, which allowed us to have some knowledge of how people live around the market.
This trip ends in a different place from which we started but, at the end, we already had our driver waiting for us to bring us back to Bangkok.

We are obliged to say that, in relation to Damnoen Saduak we were disappointed with the experience (unlike what happened with the Maeklong Market). However, the all tour is a unique experience, which lets you imagine how it really was in the past. Overall, we were very satisfied with the tour, because they are two really unique experiences and different from what we can accomplish outside Thailand.

Siam Square

Our return to Bangkok took us to Khaosan Road and we enjoyed lunch at Rambuttri before catching a tuk tuk (about 200 BAHT) to Siam Square. Our aim for the remaining hours of the day would be to explore a different part of Bangkok, the more modern and full of shoppings.
 
The tuk tuk ride to our destination through the chaotic traffic of Bangkok is itself an electrifying and unique experience. We had already ridden tuk tuk in various locations but, doing so in the center of Bangkok is unique, also not to be missed in your family trip.

Siam Square is an intense zone (Bangkok is intense) but it is characterized by several malls, almost interconnected that we often do not realize if we are still in the same or we moved to another.
Around the surrounding streets there is also a lot of street food so, after touring this part of the city and seeing Bangkok from a different perspective, we decided to have dinner there before returning by tuk tuk to our hotel.
 
And so we concluded our second day in Bangkok. The next morning we were going to catch the plane to Krabi and continue our family trip in Thailand.

If you want to know how you can get fromKhaosan Road to Don Mueang Airport (DMK) easily, quickly and cheaply, see it here.

Unfortunately, we could not see all that we would see in Bangkok for not having more time. If you have more time, we would like to suggest you to visit Chinatown, Golden Buddha, Wat Traimit, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, Romaneenart Park and flower market Pak Khlong Talat. Unfortunately, these and other attractions will have to stay for a second visit.

We hope you enjoy your family trip to Bangkok and, do not forget to leave your comment and share our Non Stop Family blog.

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