Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand, is famous for having grown up around and across a local railway line
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand, is famous for having grown up around and across a local railway line
Lychees at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Rambutans at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Dragonfruit at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Tuk-tuks at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Durians for sale at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Soon organising drinks at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Soon ordering drinks at Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand, is famous for having grown up around and across a local railway line
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand, is famous for having grown up around and across a local railway line
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand, is famous for having grown up around and across a local railway line
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
Catching up on sleep, Talad Rom Hoop food market, near Bangkok in Thailand
After driving out through the sprawling surrounds of Bangkok – the Los Angeles of Asia? – we came without seeming to pass through any countryside, to Talad Rom Hoop, the food market famously situated on active railway tracks. The train is not running at the moment due to track works, and even when it is, it’s a small local line), but there was a real sense of claustrophobic lack of space, the very reason the market has spread to the tracks.
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Jeffrey getting buckled in for the canoe trip at Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
On the canals near Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, Amphawa, Thailand
Palm sugar factory at Amphawa, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
Boiling up syrup to make palm sugar, near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
Palm tree, Amphawa, Thailand
Soon demonstrates climbing a palm tree at Amphawa, Thailand
Amphawa, Thailand
Amphawa, Thailand
Homes on the canals near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
On the canals near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
Homes on the canals near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
Homes on the canals near Amphawa Floating Market, Thailand
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa
From there to the Tha Kha Floating Market at Amphawa, where we rowed along the canals to see palm sugar being produced at a family factory before enjoying lunch at a restaurant overlooking the market. A further stop at Nakorn Pathom to see the tallest stupa in the world standing (127 metres), and to sample a popular regional dessert, khao lam, a mixture of sweet sticky rice neatly wrapped in a bamboo tube and steamed.
The tallest stupa in the world standing (127 metres) at Nakorn Pathom, Thailand
The tallest stupa in the world standing (127 metres) at Nakorn Pathom, Thailand
A trader selling khao lam, a mixture of sweet sticky rice neatly wrapped in a bamboo tube
Khao lam, a mixture of sweet sticky rice neatly wrapped in a bamboo tube
Kanchanaburi is the site of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai and on the route of the Burma Railway. Walking over the bridge at sunset was a bit emotional for me, as was visiting the Death Railway Museum the next day. In the early 1990s I was involved with Richard Davey’s theatrical production A Bright and Crimson Flower, which told the story of the Australian POWs who survived this second world war atrocity, and whose story to that point really had not been widely told.
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Cattle at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Jackfruit growing at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Jackfruit growing at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Cattle at Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
The River Kwai, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
According to Soon (and I have no reason to doubt her), Thais are constantly amused by our pronunciation of the bridge and the river, as promulgated by the famous film starring Alec Guinness. ‘Kwai’ (as rhymed with ‘why’) means ‘water buffalo’. The proper pronunciation of the place concerned is ‘Kwa’ (as rhymed with ‘car’).
For dinner, Soon took us to a local outdoor food market. The highlight was chicken stir-fried with basil – brilliant. The cost was about TB150 each, including drinks. The braver among us (including your humble correspondent) tried a few local snacks. like fried grashppers.
Jasmin tries an insect snack at KanchanaburiShrine, Kanchanaburi, Thailand