Jaunted

Don't be fooled by the appealing photograph above: It's a mirage. What nut at Lonely Planet wrote that Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is "as iconic to Thailand as temples and palm trees"?

Liar! Sure, old women wearing wide-brimmed straw hats will paddle you around a canal filled with boats bearing fruits and knick-knacks, but the experience is hardly enjoyable when you're surrounded by disgruntled old Thais and overzealous middle-aged tourists on their second honeymoon.

Tour companies herd visitors in on buses, shuffle them onto boats, then paddle down the clogged canal. Thais in canoes hook onto passing boats, pulling them close to assess the goods, each filled with the same piles of poorly made Chinese imports. We've can think of at least one place that's more authentic: Epcot Center.

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· Bangkok Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Southeast Asia Field Trip [Jaunted]