The Real Bangkok Tour

You will see part of Bangkok’s skyline from the seaside before we sail through the locks and up the narrow canals. Here you get to see into people’s basic living rooms located on stilt houses in the water. Do not be surprised when a moment later you pass the neighbor, who has built a luxury villa. Many of the rich villagers have become tired of the downtown hustle and bustle and have now moved out on the canals, where very few cars are to be seen. Watch out for the giant monitor lizards lazily crawling around by the banks. They get very close to people’s homes and would likely snatch a poodle or a hen, if they could get away with it. The children are throwing themselves flailing into the water on the other side of the banks, knowing that the monitor lizards are afraid of people. They also know that the thousands of large catfish swimming around in the river do not have a peg in their mouths. But it looks crazy when 300 catfish are fighting for half a loaf of bread. There will be a stop at an ordinary temple, where you have the opportunity to get a glimpse of how Thai people use their temples on an average weekday. If you would like to send a few prayers off in Thai style, the guide will gladly help. No Thailand trip is complete without a tuk tuk drive. Therefore, the classic tuk tuk becomes the link between the canals and the train station. It is always a pleasure getting wind in your hair in a tuk tuk. If you bring children along, it is an experience in itself. The kids love to drive in the tuk tuk. Soon we board the next highlight; the train to Mahachai. The local station where we start is located in the middle of a huge market. The train ride starts in a densely populated part of Bangkok near the Chao Phraya River. When the train leaves the station, you will find it almost like driving through the locals’ kitchens and living rooms. On the way you will see the Bangkok skyline become smaller and smaller, until you are surrounded by rice fields, palm trees and houses on stilts. The train stops several times at the many small, well-manicured stations. Station superintendents make an effort to keep them appearing neat. The last station is a somewhat special experience, as the train simply runs directly into the market, which at the same time is the station. Here you can forget about neatness. Before the train arrives, the vendors have wisely removed their vegetable stalls that are usually placed on the rails – an exercise they have to go through many times a day, when the train comes. Get out to your left. If you get out to your right, you will find yourself in the middle of what looks like a slaughterhouse with pig heads, chicken hearts and dead as well as live fish all displayed in a nice assembly. The smell is as expected. The whole area around the station and the area down to the harbor is a large market – in fact, the largest seafood market in Thailand. It is mainly fish of all sizes that are being sold, and even though you might not like fish, there is plenty of street life to experience and not only fish are being offered. The guide will surely provide tastings of locally produced goods for those who are hungry for a snack. Lunch is served in quiet surroundings with a pleasant breeze and a view of the river and the harbor area. If you like fish, you have come to a top-notch restaurant. If not fish, of course there are other things on the menu. Maybe the world’s cheapest ferry ride at a cost of 3 THB per person, lasting five minutes, brings us to the other side of the river where rickshaws are waiting. Again, it is all about leaning back and enjoying the ride while you are being driven around the local area. A really nice ride where we, among other things, pass several Chinese temples. It is again a five-minute boat ride back to where the train to Bangkok will depart soon. Expected arrival at the train station is 4-5 pm. The trip ends at the Skytrain Station from which there are a few stops to the Chao Phraya River.