Ampawa Community & Floating Market is not on the International map and that's what makes it special because, unlike the famous one at Damnoen Saduak, it is genuine. To be fair Damnoen Saduak was great one time, but is now over-commercailised and overun with hoardes of tourist buses, and to me spoilt forever.
Furthermore, you don't need to get up at 5 AM to get to it, as its starts in the afternoon until the evening (around 9PM), and means you can end your day with a Thai meal overlooking the canal.
No rows of souvenir stalls, in fact it has been kept a secret amongst Thais for a long time. It is not even featured in he Lonely Planet guide!
A great afternoon or evening trip to a real Thai Gem, where you can feel and experience the traditional Thai way of buying and selling goods.
Distance from Bangkok is only 80 kms, so plan a half day/evening trip. The colours before sunset are superb, so would suggest leaving Bangkok around 4 PM. Do it in with a maximum of 4 persons, so you can meander the little passageways and canals relatively unoticed.
Dear Rob, my husband and I are sailing on the Oceania Nautica and will dock at Laem Chabang
ReplyDeleteon April 16 at 9 am and sailaway April 17 at 4 pm. We have been to Bangkok several times and
are interested in different sights. Your description of Ampuwa sounded interesting. We might also like a private car 1/2 day tour to Pattaya. What else could you recommend for our two day stop in Laem Chebaang. Thank you for your prompt reply. Please include rates for 2 persons. Thank you arthur and bette frankel
email frankelab11@yahoo.com