In the past, daily commerce in Thailand was conducted mostly along its river and canals. The water networks were busy as locals came to eat and farmers sold their wares. It is not surprising that this different lifestyle would attract many foreign tourists eager to experience this special atmosphere. Over the past 100 years or so, tourism and general modernisation has seen many floating markets disappear altogether. Some remain, but are usually only able to provide a glimpse of the past.
Thaka Floating Market is considered one of the most authentic floating markets that still remains. Just outside busy Bangkok in Samut Songkhram province, the rural surroundings and easy-going lifestyle of the locals is partly why Thaka is still a genuine, operating floating market and a visit here should be A MUST for all travellers wishing the most real experience of a dying tradition.
You will meet your personal guide for the day at your hotel in central Bangkok and hit the road at approximately 7.00am. Not far outside the city limits, you will move off the main road and drive past coconut plantations before coming to a hive of 'weekend-only' activity, that being Thaka Floating Market. Here you can try Thai coffee and have a light breakfast, plus relish the tastes of local delights, fruits and snacks at unbelievably cheap prices.
Move onto Kanchanaburi province, an area much visited today due to its tragic past.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the first stop. This somber visit is a place to reflect and has been meticulously maintained by the Australian War Grave Commission, as its where over 6,000 World War II POWs are interred.
Nearby is the JEATH Museum, which is run by the monks at a neighbouring temple. A brief stop is made to go into the reconstructed bamboo hut resembling the POW's living quarters to see paintings, drawings and photos of, and by, the prisoners.
The brief stop there is followed by Thai Set Menu Lunch.
Move onto one of the tour's highlights, spending time at the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai. Whilst the Hollywood movie was full in inaccuracies, the visit to the bridge is no less special. Two labor forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma, worked from opposite ends of the line towards the center resulting in many deaths.
Finally drive about 30minutes to Prasat Mueang Singh Historical Park located in Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi. It protects the remains of two Khmer temples dating to the 13th and 14th centuries.
