Market-ing

Today we are enroute to the floating markets south of Bangkok.  First, however we were treated to a special market on railroad tracks.

Note where the tracks are in the pictures.  We call this guy the durian ninja.  No horrid smell at all.

See how close.  When the train arrives vendors have about 2 minutes to move their goods, canopy shelters and wares.  Many of the merchants moved the vegetables directly under the train.  That's where we were walking moments before the train came through.

All your local proteins, no ice that we could see...

Splendid colorful fruits and vegetables.  We have a video of the transformation to share when we get home.

These long boats took us to the floating market.  Back road canals that local people use daily.  It was an interesting mix of new and old homes and outbuildings.

"The Floating Market" entrance.  Chaos to ensue.

Some of the aforementioned chaos.  The intersection we turned left on was fun. 

 

Our guide assisted us in ordering our soup 🍜 for lunch.  We went for a bowl with everything in the broth, one egg, one rice noodles.  The sour condiment sauce, although a little spicy was delicious.  One of us added the ground chilis too 😅.

We had to have the recommended mango and sticky rice from these ladies.  Amazing how the sit and sell their food from a boat.

On our way back we stopped at a real home and farm that was open to tourists to view.  Jenn was harvesting a bit of coconut sap.

They produce local coconut sugar the old fashioned way.  

Their tools and a detail of the inside coconut branch.  Look close and see baby coconuts.

Their daily worship/meditation area in their home was very large.

We would be remiss to not note the spirit houses on (from what we can tell) nearly all homes.  A place for the spirits to go when the land is used for the people.

The area south of Bangkok primarily produces sea salt.

Tonight we see a show primarily about thai history, their story.

First however, Jenn desperately wanted to feed the elephant.  She wants one.

Beforehand was an outdoor show.  Indoors no cameras allowed.

The show was amazing with 185 cast members and a stage so large it is in the guiness book of world records.