Floating Market Thailand Travel
Bangkok Day trip, Full or Half Day tours
Floating Market Thailand is a popular half day trip by bus then river boat from Bangkok, with stops at Thai Wood carvers, and Thai fruits. Full-day trips include lunch, a visit to a Rose Garden, Culture show with dancing and kick boxing. Another tour (1-7days) is to River Kwai and Hellfire Pass. Check for tours at your hotel. Mini-buses pick up passengers at their hotels (6-7 a.m.), then drive to a central meeting point to transfer all passengers to one large tour bus for the two-hour drive west of Bangkok, then again transfer to a river boat for the Floating Market part of the tour.
River boat tour Bangkok to the Floating Market 
After the various stops along the way, day trippers transfer from the bus to one of these river boats.
Heading for the Floating Market, the boats glide along various canals, where we pass a number of homes, like this one.
The inhabitants give us scant attention, and continue with their own routines.
One young lad bent close to the water, and began brushing his teeth, totally ignoring the passersby.
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Floating Market Thailand ~ Canals Lined with Boat Vendors
After about a 15 minute ride, we get off the river boat at the Floating Market, where we spend about an hour looking around.
The canals and traffic make a dizzying maze, though the oarsmen seem to have it sorted.
There's time to take a ride along the canal 'streets' in one of the market boats.
I opted to wander the shore instead, and got a great view from the arching bridge spanning the canal.
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Floating Market Canal Boat Thai Restaurants :-)
Lunch is included if you take the full day Floating Market rose Garden tour, though if you wanted a snack, this was a great place to indulge.
A number of different foods were prepared on these boats, over hot charcoal coals on small grills.
Boats also act as fruit and vegetable markets.
A boat load of musicians playing Dixieland type music were soliciting the crowd for donations for their temple.
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Docked Canal Boats Along River Banks at Floating Market Thailand
Other merchants sell from the sheltered buildings along the canal banks, and you can shop without setting foot in a boat.
Other vendors are reached only from the water. Goods available include sandals, handbags, T-shirts and linens.
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Paksing Pier Lunch Floating Market Thailand Full Day Tour
The full day tour stopped for lunch at this lovely restaurant along the river, en route to the Rose Garden Theme Park.
The half-day trippers headed back to Bangkok.
The restaurant's open-sided large room was filled with many other visitors. The food was (as I always found in Thailand) excellent.
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Thai Musicians: Culture Show Full Day Rose Garden Tour 
After admiring the last roses of the season at the Rose Garden, we headed into a large covered arena for the ethnic show.
All participants marched into and around the arena, then filed into rows of bleachers near the entrance, to 'pipe' in the rest of the troupe.
The female dancers wore long, curled finger tips, and beautiful silk gowns.
Unfortunately for still camera users, they move too fast, but camcorders would get marvellous footage.
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Thai Kick Boxing Demo on Floating Market - Rose Garden Tour
These kick boxers gave a demonstration in the afternoon part of the full day tour.
In Thailand, they don't say 'Thai' in front of the words 'kick boxing'. (It took me a minute to realize it was superfluous.)
I found it nearly as entertaining and interesting to watch other visitors from around the world, and how they interact with their families.
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Ride an elephant Option - Rose Garden Ethnic Show Tour
In my experience
in every country where there are indigenous elephants
there are elephant rides offered to tourists.
Your decision whether to take one or not.
Me? No, thanks, but I'll wait till you're done :-)
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Snake information Sign - Option Floating Market Full Day Tour
The guide offered to stop at this snake show, which charged a small fee.
With some trepidation, we filed into another roadside arena, where this helpful sign was posted.
It listed what to do it bitten by a snake, among other helpful tips.
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Milking cobra venom at Thailand Snake Show 
The young man's deft handling of the snake showed he knew what he was doing.
At the end of his display, he approached the audience.
He offered various members a photo op whereby he draped this snake around their neck and shoulders.
Just the thing for the annual Christmas card photo!
The shows ends with the snake being put into a cage with a mongoose, in a supposed fight to the death.
The audience howled so loudly, he removed the snake before any bloodshed occurred.
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Thai Souvenir Shopping Sun hats - Floating Market Shops offer good selection
Sun hat or hand fan?
Depends on how you open it!
These cleverly - designed hats were for sale at the Floating Market, and are very easy to pack, as they fold up to an inch or so wide, and about 8 inches long.
Also on offer are T-shirts, beaded and fabric hand bags and purses, belts, and much more.
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