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Weekend Market Amphawa Canal	Mae Klong and Amphawa Floating Market. Page (1) \| (2) Mae Klong (cont. from Page 2)........ I find a songthreaw out on the main road. It’s going on a regular service to Amphawa. It arrives on the opposite bank of the Mae Klong River at the ferry crossing. I’m soon on the island which is isolated by the canal which dominates this popular tourist destination and the river. The streets and canal banks are already teeming with eager sightseers. The market opens three days per week Friday to Sunday inclusive. I join the many tourists exploring the gift shops, floating restaurants and walkways providing excellent opportunity to admire this fascinating location. It does far more than kill time but I head away from the canal bank to the quieter garden area which is itself quite idyllic where you can sample the local delicacies or simply relax. Rama II Park........My next stop is Rama II Memorial Park. It is likely that Rama II was born on this site; his mother was from Amphawa and his father ruler of Ratchaburi. Rama II the second king in the Chakri dynasty ruled from 1809 to 1824. The Park today consists of a few contemporary buildings which contain exhibits from the period mostly donated by community and a cultural museum dedicated to the locality. It has an outdoor theatre and beautifully laid-out botanical gardens; a nursery for many fruit baring shrubs and trees as well as many plants used in everyday Thai cooking. Admission 20 baht I wander out of the Park to the Main Pagoda built by Rama III (1824-1851) which enshrines the relics of Rama II (his father) at his birthplace. Local specialities........I head back to the Amphawa Canal now packed with weekend trippers. Despite eating lunch in Mae Klong I’d better sample some of the local seafood. It’s not as expensive as I you might think given the spectacle of having it grilled on the canal boat beside the klong. There is still time to roam around until dark when I head back to Bangkok by bus. There are a number of specialties from this area. Bpla too is an estuary fish. Shellfish, crabs, crayfish of many types are also local delicacies. Salt is extensively produced, coconuts thrive and there is a centre for sugar cane production. As a special treat come dusk you can take a trip to view the fireflies. Much of this is reflected in the souvenir shops. All in all Amphawa has so much to offer. A very long but enjoyable day!
Photo Gallery To Mae Klong/Amphawa Amphawa King Rama II Memorial Park Vocabulary* Bplamuak - squid Bplatoo - local fish Bpoo - crab Goong - shrimps/prawns Hoy Talap - oysters

Mae Klong and Amphawa Floating Market. Page (1) | (2)

Mae Klong (cont. from Page 2)........ I find a songthreaw out on the main road. It’s going on a regular service to Amphawa. It arrives on the opposite bank of the Mae Klong River at the ferry crossing. I’m soon on the island which is isolated by the canal which dominates this popular tourist destination and the river. The streets and canal banks are already teeming with eager sightseers. The market opens three days per week Friday to Sunday inclusive. I join the many tourists exploring the gift shops, floating restaurants and walkways providing excellent opportunity to admire this fascinating location. It does far more than kill time but I head away from the canal bank to the quieter garden area which is itself quite idyllic where you can sample the local delicacies or simply relax.
Rama II Park........My next stop is Rama II Memorial Park. It is likely that Rama II was born on this site; his mother was from Amphawa and his father ruler of Ratchaburi. Rama II the second king in the Chakri dynasty ruled from 1809 to 1824. The Park today consists of a few contemporary buildings which contain exhibits from the period mostly donated by community and a cultural museum dedicated to the locality. It has an outdoor theatre and beautifully laid-out botanical gardens; a nursery for many fruit baring shrubs and trees as well as many plants used in everyday Thai cooking. Admission 20 baht
I wander out of the Park to the Main Pagoda built by Rama III (1824-1851) which enshrines the relics of Rama II (his father) at his birthplace.
Local specialities........I head back to the Amphawa Canal now packed with weekend trippers. Despite eating lunch in Mae Klong I’d better sample some of the local seafood. It’s not as expensive as I you might think given the spectacle of having it grilled on the canal boat beside the klong. There is still time to roam around until dark when I head back to Bangkok by bus. There are a number of specialties from this area. Bpla too is an estuary fish. Shellfish, crabs, crayfish of many types are also local delicacies. Salt is extensively produced, coconuts thrive and there is a centre for sugar cane production. As a special treat come dusk you can take a trip to view the fireflies. Much of this is reflected in the souvenir shops. All in all Amphawa has so much to offer. A very long but enjoyable day!