Accidental Visit to Baan Suan Bonus - Part of Boat Trip at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok [Thailand]

Part of the boat trip we signed up for at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market involved a short stopover at an orchid farm and we stepped in, expecting to see rows and pots of orchid plants. 

I was scratching my head as it was more farmland with banana trees, plots of vegetables, but I didn't question much. Maybe Orchid Farm was just a name.

Okay, I found some flowers. 

Not on an elaborate scale. 

Further down was a gated area known as Baan Suan Bonus. I studied a few weeks of Thai, which proved to be helpful as I remember Baan means house! And Baan Suan Bonus was supposed to be a farm stay and cafe. Again, nothing to do with orchids.

Rustic cafe that would have been the norm back before the 1990s. It kind of reminded me of my childhood days in the kampong, where there was a market near Nee Soon Camp, although this was much cleaner.

Menu in case you are hungry. We can't stomach anything as our tummies were already filled with food back at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market! There were just so many mouthwatering snacks! Furthermore, it would be too much of a rush given that it was just a 15-20 minutes stopover.

Bet the younger generation in Singapore wouldn't know the purpose for some of the things on display! To be fair, some of them were foreign to me too. p.s. I had used a typewriter before! 

I regretted not buying the fan! The folding fan I used to buy tend to get spoilt quite easily, and the kind sold here was hardier, although under my hands; things tend to be destroyed quicker. 

Just wondering if the guns are "working". Unlike Singapore, private gun ownership is possible, and in fact common, in Thailand. In my recent trip to Bangkok, I recalled there was a street in Chinatown where there were quite a number of gun shops.

Narrow passage.

The passage bordered a body of water, which was the centerpiece for Baan Suan Bonus. While the water wasn't crystal clear, it embodied the living-by-the-water lifestyle traditionally practiced by Thais.

Daredevils can walk up to this bridge for further photo-taking! Since it wasn't dizzyingly high, I quickly bounced up! Alex was more worried I would accidentally drop my camera into the water! 

Okay, I am more scared of crocodiles. 

And I am unsure if this was connected to the waterway. 

You can have a swing out to the water too! 

I am wondering how many visitors had stepped in and used this sampan as a prop! Water had seeped in and I guessed the the hook was necessary to prop it above the water! 

Fish feed at 10 baht a bottle; only about 40 cents! The fishes were a fortunate lot as they were well fed! My "contribution" hardly stirred their interest.

It started drizzling! 

Of course I spotted the level two, and it was open to the public! Climbing up the pretty unnerving staircase for a helicopter view of Baan Suan Bonus. 

Other passage bordering the "pond".

Again, some nostalgic items on display, including a rusting Suzuki motorbike! I was attracted to the clock which had a compartment with those fiber optic lights, which were pretty popular back then! 

More boats; the first one appeared to be sturdier. Pity Alex wasn't in much of a model mode for me to get him to sit in for a shoot. 

Would this be a bridge or a bench? 

Given my bad experience with plants in soil, maybe I should consider air plants for a change. I do like having plants at home but my plant murderer label makes me hesitate! 

A cozy pavilion with a fan; definitely relaxing if your aim was just to do nothing, which isn't something I can do when I am overseas, unless I am on a small island with no shopping centres!

Last view from the pavilion!

It was only when we left Baan Suan Bonus that a fellow traveler told my That friend, in Thai, that the orchid farm was right beside Baan Suan Bonus! We had entered the wrong premises!