January 27, 2018

Woke this morning feeling good. Peggy not so well so she decided to rest in the hotel. I was not sure what was ahead other than I was determined not to be eaten by one of the giant lizards.

Our destination was the floating markets at Damnoensaduak about an hour drive from the hotel. To reach the market we boarded the Long Tail boats. They are a long, skinny vessel holding 4-5 passengers with a truck engine spinning a propeller on a 10 foot shaft. The contraption is perfect for the narrow canals. Envision a Venetian gondola with 150 horse power engine.

The route retraced the scenes from at least one James Bond movie including the crazy elevated sidewalk next to the canal. We went almost as fast. Fortunately, there were no bad guys chasing us. The other tourist boats were almost as bad. It was tough to,get a picture of the lizards. They move quickly looking for napping tourists. We reached the floating market area so named for the venders in their small boats that clog the waterway.

The market was easily the most exotic and interesting sight so far. I was busy snapping pictures and posing for Python photo shoots. I finally decided to eat from the friendly ladies in cooking in the canoes. I watched the grandma cook my soup in her boat. I sat on the canal steps like the other Thai people. My stomach was not prepared but I had a couple hours to figure that out.

I sought out some Grandson gifts. The collection of giant bugs is perfect. I hope my daughter-in-law feels the same. Anyway, my stomach was OK until we reached the biggest stupa I’m Thailand. I managed to walk its circumference before I started to feel the effects of river food. These giant stupas contain Buddha ashes. They are everywhere just like the pieces of the true cross in Western Europe. Oh well. Anyway, I put on a show of ridding myself of boat food while.on the bus. It was not fun but recovery was pretty quick. I think I will avoid the exotic for the near future or at least a day or two.

Peggy was feeling better so we went to the Night Market down the street from the hotel. It is kind of a mall and carnival blend. Thousands of young folks glued to their iPhones quickly bored me. It was not the dry land recreation of the floating market. I was done for the night and we both skipped dinner.