01-09-10

photo documentary – Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Last 2 weeks i got a chance backpack to thailand. This is my 1st time traveling in Thailand. Along the journey i manage to do some photo documentary for my photojournalism collection. 1 of the place is the most famous floating market in thailand.  It is called the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.

According to one of the locals there, According to history, Damnoen Saduak was the name of the canal dug by King Rama IV in 1866. In those days, rivers and canals were essential for transportation. King Rama IV, with his great concern for the country’s future economic growth, had the canal dug to connect the Taachin and Maklong rivers.

Damnoen Saduak situated 110 kms west of Bangkok, they have the old style and traditional way of selling and buying fruits, vegetables, etc…, from small boats. It is totally chaotic, with a lot of small ‘khlongs’ or canals are filled with flat boats piled high with fresh produce, each jockeying for position and paddled by ladies ready to stop and bargain at a moment’s notice. It’s colourful, noisy, touristy but great fun. It was awesome and im amazed to see how those people can paddle/ride the ‘khlongs’ with full of stuff to sell without a single drop into the water…hoho…
FYI, this floating market also was one of the shooting location in the ‘bangkok dangerous’ movie..

If u guyz want to go to this floating market, heres some travel guide as a backapackers from me. =)
Since the location is quite far from bangkok, i suggest u guyz gotta spend a night here…be here a day early. find local bus from bangkok to damnoen saduak. It will just cost u around 80-150baht max. arrive early n find a backpack guesthouse around the town…its just a small town… Make sure u wake up early in the morning to go to the floating market…as early in 730am. Because if u are late (after 9am), it will be pack with tourist from all over the world. There are many package for tourist, make sure u choose the right one…if not, u will just be able to visit it for just half an hour as the package will take u to other places also like rose farm n temple…(seriously do not take that…trust me!)

For my photodocumentary part. This time, i manage to make it from different perspective and angle. if u guyz google, most of the pic of damnoen saduak is from the land and angle from above. I try to differentiate my angle which is 100% of my picture are from the boat. We manage to rent a private boat while we were there.
As usual, i always love to shoot people, again, this time most of my picture contain portraiture and activity of the locals of Damnoen Saduak.

regards, azimzainudin.