Thailand’s most popular floating market, Damneon Saduak, is
in Ratchaburi province, roughly an hour plus from where we lived last semester.
A floating market, is exactly the same as many street markets
in terms of goods and wares for sale, just instead of walking you are in a
boat, so there is the added danger of capsizing. This token difference turns Damneon Saduak into a giant tourist magnet.
Due to the throngs of tourists, Damneon Saduak can be
incredibly expensive. As is the case with many tourist areas in Thailand (and, honestly, everywhere in the world), the locals view it as a lucrative opportunity
for overcharging foreigners. From the bus ride to renting a boat and someone to control the boat to buying
anything vendors are selling, everything is a chance to rip off a tourist, tacking
on anywhere from 20 to 400 baht more than the price should be. We were lucky
enough to be traveling with P’Gee (our Thai mother), so we had to deal with
less of the hassle. One of her former students was even a police officer at the
market, so our boat ride (normally the most expensive part) was on the house.
Two types of boats cruise the river: longtail boats with
their lawnmower engines extended dangerously far into the water and clouds of putrid
black smoke; and slow boats, equally long, but motorless (so without the speed,
but also the noise, sounds, and danger) and relying instead on a Thai to paddle
down the river. The whole river is such a traffic jam that speed matters very
little anyhow, so we opted for a quiet, leisurely ride in one of the slow boats.
Amid the chaos, shop owners wield a long stick outfitted
with a hook to catch their prey. Show
any interest and your boat will be singled out. The shopkeeper uses the hook to
pull the boat over to the riverside stand and hold it captive while he or she
tries to sell things for hiked up prices.
By mid-morning, as the sun starts to hover overhead, the
floating market heats up considerably. As sun protection, many of the boats
keep a full stock of big floppy hats. And as you float up and down the river,
there is no shortage of cold beer, water or chilled fruit. Boats bump and knock
together, jolting tourists and vendors alike, as everyone jostles to inch
forward.
While there were a couple of shady, quiet stretches of water away from the crowd, our overall impression wasn't entirely positive. Hectic, frenzied and expensive, not to mention inconveniently
located, Damneon Saduak isn’t somewhere I would choose to go again. But, thanks
to the presence of an experienced Thai who kept the swindlers at bay, it wasn’t the worst day trip.
