Floating market

Meg and I enjoyed another eventful weekend in Thailand as we explored more of both the Bangkok nightlife and Thailand countryside. Friday, we had supper at a Mongolian restaurant called "Mongo's". The food was delicious and my burger was ridiculously huge...but yummy down to the last bite. Afterwards, we ventured to soi 11 off Th Sukhumvit to explore some of the bars there. We passed an outdoor bar called "Cheap Charlie's" which drew our attention immediately with the following sign that was posted on their bar (warning: some language may not be suitable for all readers!):



Then, we went to the Bed Supperclub for a few drinks. It was an oddly shaped and decorated club which was not as interesting as we'd heard but we still had fun. I was dropping tired so we ended up going home early - 10pm early. I know, I know, I'm getting old.

On Saturday, we went to meet Meg's yoga friend Sarah (from Ottawa) at EZZE, a techno club in RCA (a clubbing district), where her boyfriend was a DJ and celebrating his birthday. We'd met a couple of Sarah's friends before and had a good time chatting and meeting new people. But, once again, we went home early (midnight) because of a 6am rise to go to the floating market.

Actually, there are a couple of floating markets throughout Thailand but we were going on a tour with Angus and Oh to Damnoen Saduak, 104km west of Bangkok. Traditionally, floating markets were where people sold foods and other goods when canals and boats were the primary mode of transportation. Now, it is little more than a tourist attraction but still worth seeing how people lived 20-30 years ago.



After exploring the market's canals and goods, we went to a snake show. Shows involving snakes and crocs are common in Thailand so we thought it might be interesting to check out...especially after our snake experience on the streets of Bangkok in December. The snakes they had were amazing! From King Cobras to Pit Vipers, they had it all. Meg wasn't quite as impressed as I was. :) We watched a 30 minute show where trainers would dodge the venomous strikes of cobras and then catch them with their hands or mouths! Yes, mouths! We were turned off from the show when they put a cobra and mongoose into a container together until the mongoose attacked the cobra, maiming it. It seemed cruel and unnecessary. At least I got my picture taken with a python!



Finally, we went to Nakhon Pathon to see Phra Pathom Chedi, the tallest Buddhist monument in the world. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time to look around but we did enjoy going into one of the shrines.



Overall, it was a fantastic trip and we're looking forward to exploring more of Thailand. Next on the list is Ayuthaya, Thailand's old capital.