Boat Trip at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok [Thailand]

Roaming around a local floating market can be boring when your tummy is full but at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, you can choose to take a boat trip for just 100 baht (about S$4.00), with two stopovers! 

We shall be taking a long-tailed boat, similar to the one in the above photograph, to navigate the canals in the capital city of Thailand, which is also known as "Venice of the East".

Boat ride in the cloudy day was so therapeutic; wind blowing against the face, the drone of the engine together with the water splashes as the boat pushed against the water. Comfortable enough for one to take a doze, as my Thai friend did, but not for me.

There were so much to see; not the towering buildings, not the shopping malls! Instead, you would immerse yourself in the life of locals who lived by the canal. It's literally waterfront living! 

A 'luxury' that I don't crave as it can be so eerie at night! Furthermore, I couldn't forget the many scenes, by the water, of this classic Thai paranormal movie; Nang Nak! You don't need much; just some fog and someone singing. 

It's pretty cool having your own boat though. Nevertheless, I never quite fancy muddy water as something could have lurked underneath; like a snake, a crocodile, a corpse! It doesn't help I have a very good imagination.

God knows what happened to this row of banana trees...

Did a herd of elephants barge through? 

Exposed piping; water or waste? Frankly, in some countries, such canals / rivers would be so smelly; you would have second thoughts even to just travel on the water. No such issue here; I don't think it's so clean until I can drink it but at least, it doesn't smell icky. 

Construction along the river. Last one appeared to be a luxury landed property. From Google Map, it's like a collection of at least seven bungalows! Address, somewhere between 894 and 898 Bang Phrom, Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand.

A single stalk of lotus flower. Come to think about it, I know that Vietnam's national flower is the lotus. How about Thailand? It's dok koon, a yellow flower that came from Cassia Fistula Linn, also known as Golden Shower Tree! 

The waterway wasn't as crowded as expected. I am guessing it was a lot worse in the past when roads weren't as common and commuting via the canals was a preferred mode. 

Similar to Venice, it was said that Bangkok is also sinking and floods have worsened in recent years, no thanks to global warming. The owner of the above house had made preparations by building the house on stilts! 

Abandoned house without a roof. Such places would be treasure in my youth as it calls out for some exploring! It's been a while since I last embarked on such "adventures" though.

A provision store by the river! 

Coming to our first stopover; Wat Saphan and the Floating Market. Time it took to travel by boat from Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market? About 15 minutes.

A very clear message; be back in 20 minutes.

Question: what happened if we are not back?

Maybe we can negotiate for a new boat to send us back?

Anyway, took a photograph of the boat so that we know if it would be the correct one when we return. Boat number 7. As you can see, the captain would be at the back of the boat to navigate its direction.

Click here to check out my post on Wat Saphan and the Floating Market! 

Back to the boat number 7 and the only seats available were right in front! Just like roller coaster, I would strongly recommend going for the front seats! 

You get unblocked views! 

There's even some space for stretching, if you wish. Well, any disadvantages then? Nothing's perfect and I guess the major disadvantages are that you are not fully sheltered and if the boat captain dozes off, there is a higher risk of injury.

No idea what this structure is for?

Damming the canal?

A typical spirit house that's common in most Thai households. What I found more scary is when the spirit houses were abandoned, with offerings strewn all over the place, statues that were discolored and/or broken.

Coming to our next stopover! 

Supposed to be an orchid farm. 

Jetty.

Strangely, we stepped into a place that I wouldn't say is an orchid farm. Called Baan Suan Bonus, it's like a homestay with a farm and a cafe. Check more more photos from my post here. 

It started drizzling shortly after.

Which means we can't take the front seats anymore! 

Our Thai friend started a conversation with a fellow Thai and we got to know that we entered the wrong place! The actual Orchid Farm was like next door to Baan Suan Bonus! 

Given the rain, the boat captain appeared to be driving faster! 

Speed was reduced as we neared the end of our boat trip. A rogue boat captain might result in head-on collision with another incoming long-tailed boat! 

Lastly, showing you the picture of the boat motor. It didn't look too complicated even though I wonder on two things; safety, especially if someone falls in and gets close to the turbines, and pollution.

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Address

30/1 หมู่ที่ 15 Bang Ramat Rd, Zone 1,

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, Bang Ramat, 

Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand

Pricing

100 Baht Per Person

The Sunflower Garden @ Changi International Airport Terminal 2 Transit Area [Singapore]

The sunflower garden at Changi Airport Terminal 2 (transit area) had been around for quite a while and I was wonder if there were any drastic change ever since the pandemic, when the terminal underwent a major upgrading!

From memory, it didn't seem to have changed much. Still as empty as people, and with smokers contributing to the visitor numbers as the garden had a smoking corner. 

I did notice some subtle difference at closer look; there was this variety of red color sunflower! Naively, I always thought sunflowers were the bright yellow type and there were in fact over 70 varieties under the genus, Helianthus! 

Personally, I still prefer the common sunflower which best represents the sun, and reminded me of happiness, positivity and cheerful; quality and traits we should have in our short life.  

Anyway, don't expect huge swathes of sunflower plots at the airport. It's more a themed garden with sunflowers being the main, but not the only plants around, although I would love to have the sight filed with nothing but just sunflowers when I stepped out from the air-conditioned comfort of the airport.

Like the above!

More photographs for your reference. According to the write up on the airport's website, "All the sunflowers displayed at Changi Airport are grown in the group’s nursery. Every month, the nursery produces at least 2,000 sunflowers. They take up to 90 days to flower, depending on weather conditions and the species. Sunflowers grow to a height of up to 1.5m, and flower heads can be as wide as 15cm.".

I didn't see such a big flower head though. Back in my last trip to Taiwan, at Zhongshe Flower Market, the sunflowers were a lot more impressive, towering over me with flowers as big as my head! 

Another new thing I noticed at the Sunflower Garden were the numerous alien-like contraptions that stick out from right above the sunflowers, and pointing towards them.

They also looked like the claws from claw machines! I noted there were LED lights in the center of the "claw" and figured they were for the growth of the sunflowers, especially at night when there is not much light in the area. 

Many buds had yet to flower!

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Address

Changi International Airport Terminal 2,

Transit Level 2.