Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market: 5 Things To Do

I have never been to a floating market in Thailand before until 3 months ago. Wary of tourist traps masquerading as floating markets, I went to my chief source of information on Thai food: Mark Wien’s Migrationology.

I was fascinated by his account of the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, and decided to visit it for myself. And boy, I absolutely loved it!

Here are 5 things you can do at this floating market.

Church Service in Bangkok

If you happen to be staying in the shopping district of Pratunam in central Bangkok, and are looking to attend a church service conducted in English, may I suggest the Immanuel Baptist Church?

I came across this church while looking for a church to attend. I wanted one that was within walking distance from the hotel I was staying in, near the Baiyoke Tower, and I didn’t mind at all if the service is conducted in Thai, as I wanted to experience a Thai-language church service.

Poisien Restaurant: Searching for the Pumpkin Lady

One of the worst things you can do when visiting Thailand is not doing your homework on the best places to eat. As fantastic as Thai cuisine is, not all restaurants or food stalls serve delicious Thai food. 

I have been to Thailand several times without doing any research, and I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by the food I ate. So prior to my last visit 3 months ago, I checked out Mark Wien’s Thai food blog. I decided to go to one of his favourite restaurants in Bangkok called Poisien, also known as the Pumpkin Lady Restaurant.

Chatuchak: 3 Quick Thoughts

Everyone who loves shopping will not give Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market a miss. Everyone else will wonder what the fuss is all about. After a rather uncomfortable overnight train journey from Hat Yai, going to this market was the last thing that I wanted to do. I would’ve given it a miss if it wasn’t for two ladies who dragged me along.

Here are 3 quick thoughts from the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Hat Yai to Songkhla by Minivan

If you are in Hat Yai with time to spare and want to see something more leisurely than a (relatively) touristy border town, why not head over to Songkhla (สงขลา), the capital of Songkhla Province?

You may have searched the internet to find out how to make a day trip to Songkhla. And you may have found out that there are several ways to get there and back by public transport.

Well, let me tell you how you can get there from my own experience.

Why visit the Middle East and North Africa?

Hospitality.

Eid Al-Adha is less than a week away and it brings back sweet memories of my travels in Tunisia two years ago.

It was late September 2015, only six months after the terror attack on the Bardo Museum and three months after Sousse. And there I was in Sousse, on the day of the Feast of the Sacrifice.

I went to the medina in the morning of Eid, hoping to see a religious ceremony that might be held in the Grand Mosque. But when I arrived at the mosque, there was nothing - no celebration, no ceremony. It was eerily quiet. There was barely a soul in the square in front of the mosque.

Hat Yai to Bangkok Train

Seater or Sleeper?

Travelling by train from Singapore to Bangkok is one of those epic journeys that I’ve always wanted to take. Thankfully, I’ve done it once in Dec 2015 when I took the train from Johor Bahru (it still counts!) all the way to Bangkok.

I did it again in June 2017, although by bus from Singapore to Hat Yai, and by train from Hat Yai to Bangkok.

I arrived in Hat Yai on a Thursday morning and went straight to the train station to buy 2nd class overnight sleeper tickets (there were 3 of us), as I had planned to continue my journey to Bangkok on Friday evening. Well, as you have guessed, the 2nd class overnight sleepers (train nos. 32 & 38) were sold out.