Posts Tagged ‘The Legend Maeklong’

20th August
2012
written by bob

So one of the recommended things to do when in Bangkok is to visit the Floating Markets. There are a few to travel to that are only about an hour or so from Bangkok. We have heard as well as read quite a few reviews/sites indicating the Damnoen Saduak Floating market is extremely touristy. While it is probably quite exciting to see, we were recommended by a fellow colleague to instead travel to the floating market in Amphawa.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

One major difference between the 2 floating markets is that the Amphawa starts at 1500h and shuts down at 2100h whereas Damnoen Saduak only operates from 0700h to 1300h. So after a little research, we booked a place to stay, we were off to Amphawa for an overnight stay at The Legend Maeklong.

How to Get to Amphawa?
Despite where you may be staying in Bangkok, you “should” be able to make your way to “Victory Monument”. We ventured there by taxi for a cost of 80 baht (by the meter). One thing we learn in the first couple days was to ALWAYS ask a taxi driver to travel by the meter. If they refuse, trust us, there will be another one in 2 minutes. There is NO SHORTAGE of taxis in Bangkok! You can also get to Victory Monument via the SkyTrain which is very quick and easy to use. This is an especially great option (and highly recommended) if you do NOT want to sit in traffic! Once at Victory Monument, find the location for the Mini-bus (Toyota van) to Amphawa, another 80 baht per person. If you aren’t sure, just ask one of the local vendors for “Amphawa” and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Once on the minibus from Victory Monument, you are on your way directly to Amphawa.

After an hour and a bit minibus ride, we arrived in Amphawa at the drop point. It seemed like when asking the locals where or how to get to “The Legend Maeklong”, no one knew what we were talking about. One local man graciously called the small resort for us. We soon discovered that we should have gotten dropped off Maeklong, the stop 10 minutes prior to Amphawa. A tuk-tuk was called to transport us to Maeklong that is, until we learned the driver wanted 200 baht for a 10 mins ride. Ummmm, no! First of all, we have a safety concern for our daughter in such a vehicle with no doors or seatbelts and secondly, it ONLY cost us 80 baht each to travel from Bangkok to Amphawa! After speaking with Kanita at the “Legend”, she informed us that we could take a long boat, water taxi, directly to the Legend’s dock on the river. Sweet! It was more costly than the tuk-tuk BUT it was VERY COOL and the river view was AWESOME!

During our 15 min water taxi ride to the resort, we had the opportunity to observe the floating market in its active and very lively state. There were people everywhere and, honestly, very few tourists – well…white tourists, anyway. Along the way we captured some pretty cool photos of the old wooden teak houses that local people rent out to tourists. Literally, a Thai family will take you in for your stay in Amphawa if you like. How great and hospitable is that? (Did I mention the Thai’s are incredibly polite and courteous?)

Arriving at The Legend Maeklong, we were greeting by Kanita and her staff. Unbeknownst to us but we were upgraded to a sweet room at the back of the 100+ year old Colonial home which is an amazing and the main house at the resort. Kanita and her staff were amazing! They greeted us dockside, welcoming us with friendly smiles and open arms. Our bags were shuttled off to our room to settle in and get ready for dinner. After dinner Kanita arranged for us to take another private long boat taxi to the night market for some sight-seeing and shopping. The night market was AWESOME! Lots and lots of cool things to look at; both souvenirs and edibles. We saw some worms, beetles, and other bugs that were available to snack on BUT…ultimately settled for a couple of handmade watches. On the way home, our taxi captain took us to an area that was quite dark with the only real light being that of the moon. As we approached, we were able to see a lot, and I mean A LOT, A LOT of fire flys sitting in the trees. The entire tree was literally lit up like a Christmas tree! It was VERY COOL! Miss G loved it!

As always, enjoy the slide show by clicking on the picture!

BKK Airport

Au revoir, mes amis!