As mentioned in previous posts, we take pride in planning our own travel, everything from flights and hotels to walking tours and excursions. We also recognize how fortunate we are to have taken some wonderful trips over the past few years. With travel, there is an occasional fuck up. We encountered that this past Sunday.
Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday for those back in the States) we had booked an excursion from Bangkok to a floating market outside the city. The reservation had been made over a month ago. We arrived at the tour operator’s office and headed out with six other hopeful explorers.
After a 90-minute drive, we made our first stop at Mae Klong, where a train runs directly through the middle of the market. It’s similar to Train Street in Hanoi, although in Hanoi it is a real train rolling through a real neighborhood. This felt more like a staged tourist attraction.
Our next stop was a Wat (Buddhist temple). During our time in Bangkok and Chiang Mai two years ago, we visited numerous Wats.
Then came the main event: the floating market. We arrived at Amphawa Floating Market. Visiting a floating market had been mostly my idea, something we missed on our last visit to Thailand, and the YouTube videos made it look pretty incredible.
Well… this was not the floating market we envisioned.
Instead of boats packed tightly together selling goods canal-to-canal, it was primarily stalls along the water with a couple of vendors cooking from boats. When we asked our guide about the lack of, well, actual floating market activity, she explained that this was indeed the market we had selected.
Instant bonding moment with our fellow travelers. We were all equally disappointed that we had driven two hours for something we could have experienced in Bangkok. The best line came from a Dutch woman on the tour: “Fuck me, that was the reason I booked this tour.” Jane felt the same. An Indian couple on the trip was equally let down.
We usually do a pretty good job booking our excursions. This one? A major fail.
Since we had been to Bangkok two years ago, we only stayed two nights this time. Our hotel, the Kromo Bangkok Curio Collection, opened about six months ago. I booked it through the AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts program. We were very impressed and would highly recommend it. With the FHR benefits and promotion, the stay was virtually free and we had an amazing breakfast and a great late night meal in the bar.
Elections were taking place while we were in Bangkok and on Sunday, before our full day excursion, we passed a polling place.
Monday morning we flew to Krabi. We had been here before as well, though in a different area. After checking into the Krabi La Playa Resort we spent the late afternoon relaxing by the pool, followed by a delicious Thai dinner.
Tuesday we took a short longboat ride to Railay Beach. The limestone cliffs are stunning, truly beautiful, though the beach itself is just okay. We headed back mid-afternoon for more pool time and the pool bar (Jane’s favorite spot). For dinner, we went to the Ao Nang Night Market.
Following breakfast Wednesday morning, I decided to get a hair cut. As like the floating market, this was a major fuck up on my part Let’s just say I will be wearing a baseball cap for the rest of our trip (free marketing for Butternut Maple Farm).
Traveling Walters 