Same palace, new chaos, and one very committed train market
Since we had already visited Bangkok’s Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha last year, this overnight tour had a bit of a “previously on Bangkok…” feel to it. But to be fair, when your rerun includes gilded temples, riverboats, floating markets, and a train barreling through a produce aisle, it’s still pretty solid entertainment.
Day 1: Bangkok, Take Two
We left the ship and headed into Bangkok. Each bus for this tour (there were five full buses!) had an ornament of some sort hanging off of the outside passenger side mirror. Ours was a rubber chicken. Perfect. This day was for what I can only describe as Round Two: Royal Edition.
First up was the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, two of Bangkok’s crown jewels and absolutely worth seeing – even if, in our case, it was more of a reunion tour. The temple houses one of Thailand’s most revered Buddha images, carved from green jasper, and the palace grounds are as ornate and glittering as ever. It’s the sort of place that makes you feel underdressed no matter what you’re wearing.
From there, we took a boat ride along the Chao Phraya River, which turned out to be a welcome change of pace. Cruising along the water gave us a glimpse of Bangkok from a different angle – temples, homes, river traffic, and everyday life unfolding along the banks. It’s always fascinating to see how much of the city still revolves around the river.
Lunch followed at a local restaurant, where we paused to refuel before moving on to one of the more mysterious recurring features of organized tours everywhere: the reputable jewelry store stop.
Because apparently no cultural experience is complete until someone offers you gemstones.
We managed to survive that temptation and eventually checked into our hotel for the night, where a buffet dinner was included. The real bonus, though, was that our evening was at leisure, which in travel terms means: “you are temporarily free to make your own questionable decisions.”
So naturally, we headed to Asiatique The Riverfront, which was just a short walk from the hotel. It turned out to be a fun way to spend the evening – part shopping arcade, part riverfront promenade, part “look, more things we absolutely do not need but did strongly consider buying anyway.” The lights along the river, the open-air atmosphere, and the people-watching made it a great stop. And what outing in Asia would be complete without a stop at a 7-11. A great way to wrap up the day.
The other bright spot in this repeat day, was our guide, Sam. He was such a character and had the most beautiful singing voice. He would break into song now and then, sometimes oldies, other times rap, and even one wonderful opera piece.
Day 2: Trains, Boats, and Tactical Squatting
Day two began at the deeply offensive hour of 5:30 a.m., when we checked out, had breakfast, and climbed back on the bus for a two-hour drive into the countryside. This is the sort of travel schedule that makes you question your life choices before sunrise.
Our first stop was Mae Klong Railway Market, also known as the market that looked at normal city planning and said, “No thanks.” This bustling local market is set directly on active train tracks, with vendors selling fruits, vegetables, seafood, and all manner of market goods right up against the rails.
And yes – when the train comes through, the whole market springs into action.
Awnings retract, baskets get scooted, goods get shuffled out of the way, people scurry behind the barely visible “red line” and then, just like that, a train rolls through the middle of it all as if this is a perfectly reasonable thing to happen before lunch. Once it passes, everything pops back into place and business resumes like no one nearly lost a watermelon, or limb, to public transportation.
And this happens eight times each day.
After that, we drove another hour and then climbed into a motorized long-tail boat for the journey into Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. The ride itself was half the experience. We sat squat-style in the bottom of the boat – cushions provided, dignity optional – while zipping along narrow canals lined with stilt houses, gardens, family shrines, and glimpses of local life.
Eventually, we arrived at the famous floating market, where the canals were packed with tourists in canal boats and vendors selling produce, snacks, souvenirs, and just about anything else that could plausibly be sold from a boat. It’s lively, colorful, touristy, chaotic, and undeniably fun. There’s a lot to take in, and even more to photograph, especially if you enjoy scenes that feel equal parts cultural tradition and beautifully orchestrated madness. Naturally I went crazy for all the life on the street, or in this case, on the water, shots.
After some time exploring, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch before beginning the final 3.5-hour ride back to the port.
And yes… we were late getting back. Again.
Which, by the end of a two-day overnight excursion involving royal landmarks, railway markets, floating boats, early wake-ups, and long bus rides, felt less like a surprise and more like the inevitable final chapter.
Still, despite a bit of déjà vu on day one and a heroic amount of transportation on day two, it was a memorable Bangkok adventure – part repeat performance, part travel spectacle, and all very Thailand.
Would we do it again?
Ask me after I recover from sitting squat-style in a boat.