We arranged for a trip out to the floating market through our hostel, all in all I would give it a 6/10 stars. I didn’t realize that there were several floating markets– and that the Damnoen Sadauk is the one geared toward tourists.

The tour included a paddleboat trip around the market, and then a fastboat trip around the neighboring community and farms. During the paddleboat trip you sit in a boat with about 8 other tourists and the boatman in the back steers you toward anything anyone is vaguely interested in purchasing from the vendors lined up along the banks.

There are also vendors perched precariously in their own boats, most selling food (coconut ice cream, fruit etc) and they paddle up alongside your boat and try to get you to buy a snack.

The fastboat trip was more interesting. The motors for these boats were a creative blend of all types of motors – some were pimped out in chrome, others looked like they were procured from an old from a weed whacker. The steering mechanism was a 12 foot rod with a propeller at the end of it, submerged in the water and maneuvered left or right as needed. They sounded like the diesel engine of an 18 wheeler. We called these “Mad Max” boats (If you haven’t seen that movie yet, go do it).

We took the Mad Max boats through the canals to the villages neighboring the floating market. We sped by fishermen untangling their nets, sweet little grandmas washing their clothes in the river, and an old man with a wide toothless grin taking a bath on his dock/porch.