Thailand - More than Bangkok

The Amphawa Floating Market is about an hour and a half away from Bangkok and we recently made it there with the family.

The main attraction is if course the floating market as well as a ride around to see the fireflies. The view along the Mae Khlong River in the evening is stunning having arrived around 6pm on a Sunday evening.

We had chartered a boat to bring us from the jetty along the river into the canals. I had to sit in the centre - I am the balance for the boat… The boys sat in the front.

Then the view of the market came into sight. Rows of boats anchored to the side of the canal selling cooked food. The shops are along the boardwalk.

The floating boats are selling cooked food - mostly freshly grilled seafood as well as the ubiquitous pad thai. Seafood available are usually scallops, fresh river prawns, squid and crabs.

So we walked around and finally settled down for dinner. One can choose to sit along the canal right above where the floating boats cook the food. But being a Sunday night, we could not get a seating area for 5. So we settled for a seat inside a coffee house somewhere in the middle of the canal. We ordered the food and the stall holders will deliver. First up, the pad thai stall.

Then the seafood stalls.

Then the taste test… pad thai first. The pad thai comes with small packets of sugar and chili flakes. Authentic pad thai as one would expect. Crunchy bean sprouts, fragrant egg stir fry with the noodles. Add to that some prawns and squid and it becomes a great dish.

The seafood followed quickly. First up the scallops. Looks nice but rather disappointing. The scallops were small and over-grilled.

So too was the sea bass. Wrapped in tin foil, the fish was grilled with scales on. What I liked was the lemongrass, lime and basil leaves they stuff into the cavity of the fish before grilling. Ok but not great.

The best dish was the grilled squid - done just nice. Slightly charred on the outside and still juicy on the inside. And when you dip into the thai sauce, great stuff!

The river prawns were not too bad but unlike their sea water counterparts, the river prawns are not as sweet.

Typically big headed prawns, it is a good thing they don't charge by weight.

Along the canal, some shops sell other foodstuff like fried fish balls. As we were already full, I did not try them.

Available are also steam paos.

And some fish paste dish - somewhat like our otak otak.

And when you are done, sit by the canal and watch the sunset.

After dinner, we went for a boat ride out towards the Mae Klong River to see fireflies in the dark. Unfortunately, it was a full moon night so the sky was a little too bright to be able to fully appreciate the fireflies. Still, it was a nice experience. Give it a go the next time you visit Bangkok. Something unusual.