Floating Market and my second chance at Wat Phra Kaew

It was our third day in Bangkok. Time was running so fast. We again woke up at 5:00 AM and ate our breakfast at 6:15 AM. At 7:15 AM, Sam called us in our room to inform that he was already downstairs. So there we left the hotel five minutes later. Since it was still early in the morning, going to the floating market was hassle-free but it took us 1 hour to get there. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is already outside Bangkok.

It was 8:20 AM or exactly one hour when Mr. Sam parked his car in an open lot. We saw only 3 cabs when we reached the place. He told us that from there, we will be renting a boat that will take us to the floating market. At first, I still can't believe that that was already it. I went around first to look for some signs and along the road, I saw those blue arches with the name of the floating market.

I guess Mr. Sam was right but somehow I was still curious how come those arches were leading to somewhere else.

The lady near the station in the canal told us that the rent of boat was 600 baht per person. We tried to haggle but she said that was the best price she can give to fellow Asians. Well, our haggling powers and charms didn't work to the lady. After paying, we hopped in to our boat. We were told that it will be a one and a half of travel. There was nothing to see during our first 30 minutes except for some houses, coconut trees and an old lady taking a bath in the murky water of the canal. Probably, she was still thinking that she has clear vision of the water. Haha!

The boatman then took us to a souvenir shop. We alighted from the boat and just took a few minutes wandering around the shop.

We already knew, beforehand,  that all the items within the floating market were exhorbitant so we were deadset of not buying anything. The next 30 minutes or so were spent taking photos of the merchants selling their wares and goods in the confines of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It was just a sightseeing experience for the two of us. At that time, the canals were so busy with boats full of tourists. We got so thirsty so we bought buko or coconut for 20 baht a piece. I told the boatman that we wanted to go and roam around the market but he said that he can't do that. We were so disappointed but there was nothing we can do.

We left the floating market at 10:20 AM. As we hopped inside the cab, I told Mr. Sam that he should had brought us to the main floating market so we can spend more time there than wasting time travelling going to and from the market.

But he just kept silent. From there I realized that Mr. Sam probably had a tip from the parking lot owner for the tourists he will bring there. Oh well..Lessons learned.

Along the way going to Bangkok, I requested Mr. Sam to just take us to the Grand Palace instead to our hotel. At that moment, I wasn't sure if he will agree or not but I was glad when he agreed. Exactly one hour, we were outside the Grand Palace. After paying Mr. Sam 600 baht, we went inside. One guard called our attention and directed to change clothes. From there we realized that we were both wearing cargo shorts and that was not allowed when going inside the Grand Palace. So we went inside this center and borrowed pants with a 200-baht deposit.

Since the area was huge, we spent two hours roaming around and taking photos of ourselves.

The heat was unbearable that we each bought two bottles of fruit juices to quench our thirst. We took a cab at exactly 1:35 PM and reached our hotel twenty five minutes later. The traffic was horrendous. We spent two hours inside our room to rest. After that, it was window-shopping within the area  for the next three hours. We went inside the mazes of Indra Square, Pratunam Garment Market and Baiyoke Market. We also managed to buy a few souvenirs for ourselves, family and some close friends like shirts, keychains, wallets, plates and ref magnets. We also dropped by the Pratunam Mall and decided to have our Thai foot massage there. After three days of walking from 7AM to almost midnight, it was time to relax our aching feet. The massage was so great that I fell asleep during the entire duration. My friend was even kidding me that the two masseuses were giggling probably because I was already snoring. OH what a shame! HaHA! But what can I do, the massage was great. We gave our masseuses 20 baht each as tip for the great service. And oh, did I mention that the massage was just 99 baht for 1 hour.

Our next stop for the day was the Sirocco Bar. The purpose of going there was supposed to get photos of the Bangkok nightscape. Unfortunately, we had read in one website that people dress up whenever they go there since it's a very trendy bar. We only brought comfy clothes for the trip so we were left with no choice but to scrap the idea of going there. I told my friend why not check out the Baiyoke Sky Tower because when I was looking for a money changer on the first day, I was able to see the booth for the revolving roofdeck.

My friend was interested with that. It was 7:00 PM when  we headed towards the tallest building in Bangkok. We paid 200 baht each just to get a sight of Bangkok nightscape from the 84th floor of the Baiyoke Sky Tower and that's inclusive of one drink. When we reached the top, it was amazing! It was our first time to be in a revolving roof deck! We get to see the entire Bangkok nightscape and the horrendous traffic on a Monday night. We took endless shots of ourselves with the Bangkok nightscape as our background. After that, we went inside the bar and availed of the drink. I chose Mai Tai while my buddy chose Bailey's. We stayed there for some minutes more while munching on some popcorn.

We were in our  hotel room by 9:00 PM. We were supposed to go to the Democracy monument and the nearby landmarks so I can take night shots of them but we got tired already.

10:00 PM: ZZZZZZzzzzzz