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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Coordinates: 13°31′09″N 99°57′33″E / 13.5193°N 99.9592°E / 13.5193; 99.9592
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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thai: ตลาดน้ำดำเนินสะดวก, RTGS: Talat Nam Damnoen Saduak, pronounced [tā.làːt náːm dām.nɤ̄ːn sā.dùak]) is a floating market in Damnoen Saduak district, Ratchaburi province, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest of Bangkok, Thailand.[1][2] It has become primarily a tourist attraction, attracting domestic and foreign tourists.[1][2][3][4][5] It is often considered the most famous floating market.[2][3][4][5]

History

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From 1866 to 1868, by order of King Rama IV, the 32-kilometre (20 mi)-long Damnoen Saduak Canal was constructed to connect the Mae Klong and Tha Chin Rivers.[4][6] Many floating markets arose from the canal, and about 200 ancillary canals were dug by villagers.[4] The main floating market was called Lad Plee market (ลัดพลี, RTGS: Lat Phli) which adjoined a Buddhist temple and remained active until 1967 when the development of roads replaced the need for water transportation.[4] This pattern was seen with other old floating markets which disappeared by the mid-20th century due to the development of modern land infrastructure.[4]

In 1971, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) made the Lad Plee market a tourist attraction for foreigners.[4] The market had boat vendors and shops on the canal banks.[4] In 1981, a new road was built to Ton Canal, and private entrepreneurs established the modern Damnoen Saduak Floating Market along this canal.[4]

Description

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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market consists of a maze of narrow khlongs (canals).[1][7] Female traders, often wearing traditional mo hom apparel (blue farmers' shirts) with wide-brimmed straw hats (ngob) use sampans (small wooden boats) to sell their wares, often produce.[1][7][8] These boats are often full of vegetables and colorful fruits that are photogenic, and these images are used for tourism promotion.[2] The market is often the busiest in the morning from 07:00 to 09:00 and is active until noon.[1][8] A roof was built for the market so that it could be operated every day and all day[9]

The floating market includes three smaller markets: Ton Khem, Hia Kui, and Khun Phitak.[1][7][10] Ton Khem is the largest market and is on Khlong Damnoen Saduak.[1][7] Hia Kui is parallel to Khlong Damnoen Saduak and has souvenir shops on the canal banks to sell goods to larger tour groups.[1][7] Khun Phitak is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Hia Kui and is the smallest and least crowded market.[1][7]

The floating market is crowded with tourists and is considered a tourist trap.[11] As such, the wares tend to be overpriced.[11] Bargaining is a common practice, although the prices of souvenirs and food are generally fixed within a few baht. Canoe cooks can be found preparing and selling boat noodles.[7][5] The floating market also has been noted to lack cultural authenticity, although it remains a popular destination for both foreign and domestic tourists.[4][10][11][5]

The market has been featured in several films. A canal chase scene in The Man with the Golden Gun with Roger Moore as James Bond was filmed at the market,[12] and the 2008 film Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicolas Cage includes a scene that takes place at the market.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dorling Kindersley (2 August 2010). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Thailand. DK Publishing. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-7566-7422-9.
  2. ^ a b c d Andrew Burke; Austin Bush (2008). Bangkok. Lonely Planet. pp. 235–6. ISBN 978-1-74104-858-2.
  3. ^ a b Lonely Planet; Mark Beales; Tim Bewer; Joe Bindloss, Austin Bush, David Eimer, Bruce Evans, Damian Harper, Isabella Noble (1 June 2016). Lonely Planet Thailand. Lonely Planet Publications. p. 302. ISBN 978-1-76034-164-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cohen, Erik (June 2016). "The Permutations of Thailand's 'Floating Markets'". Asian Journal of Tourism Research. 1 (1): 59–98. doi:10.12982/AJTR.2016.0003.
  5. ^ a b c d Austin Bush; China Williams (2009). Bangkok Encounter. Lonely Planet. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-74220-512-0.
  6. ^ Philipp Meier (2012). SPOT-ON IN ASIA. Lulu.com. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4716-0711-0.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Ron Emmons (1 September 2010). Top 10 Bangkok. DK Publishing. pp. 20–1. ISBN 978-0-7566-8850-9.
  8. ^ a b Phil Macdonald; Carl Parkes (3 March 2015). Thailand. National Geographic Society. pp. 122–3. ISBN 978-1-4262-1464-6.
  9. ^ "Too much of a good thing". Bangkok Post.
  10. ^ a b Andrew Spooner (28 February 2013). Thailand Dream Trip. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-907263-67-5.
  11. ^ a b c Pile, Tim (2017-01-19). "Bangkok - the good, bad and ugly sides to the Thai capital for visitors". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
  12. ^ a b Marek Lenarcik (31 May 2013). This Is Thailand. eBookIt.com. p. 201. ISBN 978-1-4566-1726-4.
  13. ^ Coplans, Chris (2008-10-03). "Bangkok Dangerous: not so dangerous after all?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
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13°31′09″N 99°57′33″E / 13.5193°N 99.9592°E / 13.5193; 99.9592

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