BKK Last day

I'm definitely not yet done with Bangkok! Monday came and so did my hotel pick-up for my Floating Market half-day tour. I paid 600 Baht for this package exclusive of lunch and boat ride in Damsoen.

I became really interested to see the Floating Market as I got fascinated by the countless colorful photos I've seen from other travel websites. Good thing that since I've already been to Bangkok a few years back, I was able to skip the usual attractions within the city proper. Hence enabling me to go to other places I haven't been before.

The trip from Bangkok took us 2 hours before we reached the famous market. We were then asked to transfer to a boat to go to the canal where the market is located. On the van, I met another lovely couple in the persons of Giorgo and Alice Campagnoli. They were from Milan in Italy and are also neighbors of George Clooney in Lake Como.

Upon reaching the market at 1030AM, we were directed (or kind of forced) to ride a smaller boat and paid 100 Baht each. Depending on the physique of the tourists, the boat can accommodate as much as 4-8 people and will ply along the market for 10 minutes before making a U-turn to alight the passenger in the designated terminal.

After that we were given about 45 minutes to explore the place on foot. A certified coffee addict that I am, I didn't think twice of sampling the brewed coffee that is sold on a boat parked on the side. A few photos here and there and I went back to our meeting place where our guide will pick us up.

We were already supposed to be heading home but our itinerary still included a visit to another elephant show / riding area which was 15minutes from Damsoen. For consolation, we had time to relax and drink soda to beat the scorching heat of the sun. We stayed for 30minutes and then we proceeded to another stop (I'm beginning to hate it already as I was already famished!) to allow interested people to watch a cobra show.

Fortunately for me, I saw again the Cuppens family which made me relax for a few minutes. I didn't bother watching the show anymore but I had to stay put as some of my trip companions went inside. The show lasted for 30minutes and off we go again. Our last stop was in a wood-carving factory/shop.. Again for interested tourists who have enough cash to stash. (I sure wasn't one of them!)

Finally, we boarded our van and left for Bangkok. I reached my hotel at 2PM and left the hotel at 530PM just to have enough time to travel to the airport. This time I took a cab which cost me 300 Baht one-way inclusive of the toll fee (50 Baht) which the passenger is required to pay.

I bid adieu and flew back to Singapore at 9PM. I've proven myself I could survive going solo in this trip. Now I just have to gear up to the biggest adventure I am going to embark with.

Next stop.... EUROPE.