A Weekend at Amphawa

Our train arrived at the Umbrella Market in Samut Songkhram, and we soon made our way to the famous Amphawa Floating Market!

summertime in Thailand

Arriving at the market, we immediately hopped aboard a tour boat to cruise the canals and take us to five temples along the river. Dusk began to fall as we bought a couple of coconuts to sip as we cruised along.

canals

It had been sweltering that day, but out on the water, a cool evening breeze was blowing, and it felt nice!

canal tour

Each temple was special and unique. One of the temples had 200 year-old fresco murals on the walls!

beautiful fresco murals

Another was famous, as it was the abbot of that temple that, according to a well-known Thai ghost story, trapped a famous and powerful spirit in a jar.

evening at the riverside

a monk sweeping the temple

The fifth and final temple was the most famous of all! The tiny original sanctuary was overgrown by the roots of a sacred tree, making it feel a lot like something from an adventure film.

It was dark when we arrived back at the market, and time for a delicious seafood dinner; the freshest seafood dinner possible! At the floating market, vendors grill and prepare tasty fish, crab, prawns, and all sorts of shellfish right on their boats, and serve it to customers sitting on little plastic stools on the boardwalk. We ordered tons of scallops, mussels, a giant salt fish stuffed with lemongrass, and two plates of pad thai goong, all washed down Thai-style with a glass of Chang Beer served over ice. (I know, I know... but you do get used to it. Super light beer over ice in Thailand helps beat the heat).

the freshest seafood dinner!

I had wanted to wake up early the next morning to see the monks making their alms rounds along the canal on small rowboats, but I was feeling too exhausted after the long journey the day before to want to wake up just before dawn.

early morning on the canal

Still, we were up pretty early for a hot cup of tea and a stroll along the nearly-empty canals; the village had not yet woken up to begin meeting the packs of tourists who would arrive in the afternoon.

floating market at morning

 We discovered a beautiful and quiet temple along the river, with a Khmer-style chedi quite like the one at Wat Arun in Bangkok, but pure white.

beautiful Khmer-style chedi

I had been to Amphawa before, but never in the nighttime or morning. It's a totally different experience than just coming as a tourist on a day trip! I would never have thought of taking a weekend trip to Amphawa, but I'm super glad I did! I am very grateful for these sorts of experiences that I have from time to time in Thailand, which let me feel more like a local than just a foreigner.

a vendor prepares for the day