Inside the minibus which we boarded at Century Mall
The current COVID-19 situation has disrupted our upcoming travel plans (haiz) so I might as well complete blogging about our previous trip to Thailand. 
On Day 3, we went on a tour that we had booked via Klook (get S$5 off your first activity by clicking this link) We got to vist the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market. The tour cost $33.65 per pax after a discount with a Klook promo code.
Spotted this building along the way. It looked like a dragon had tried to climb to the top. Turns out it’s King Power MahaNakhon, one of the coolest buildings in Bangkok:
Please go Google for a better image if you’d like. This was taken while on a moving vehicle so… 
First stop: 7-eleven
Our hotel (Le Tada Residences) was pretty near the pickup location – precisely why I booked that hotel in the first place. So it was easy for us to be there at 7am. We’d actually wanted to go on this day tour on Day 2 of our Thailand trip but they did not have enough guests to warrant proceeding with the tour, and as luck would have it, we did not check our emails and Klook wasn’t able to get in touch with us. So we showed up at 7am that day, then went back, and returned again the next day at 7am. There were 7 of us on that tour, so it was definitely comfortable in the minibus, which could probably seat 10 or more people. Apart from me and my darling, it was a group of 5 Filipinos.
And unfortunately, our guide Cherry was late so we did not make it in time for the train. So there were some changes to the schedule. We went to a rest stop (kind of like Yong Peng in Malaysia) where there was a 7-eleven outlet. (I bought Lactasoy with no sugar, and it was just awful) Some of the ladies bought their breakfast here – one even bought cup noodles to bring onto the minibus. I’m surprised they didn’t spill any hot liquid on themselves as they shared the noodles.
Then we visited a temple – Wat Bang Kung – that was built during the Ayuttaya period. There was also a Thai Boxing Temple nearby, not that we saw any actual boxing going on:
Then we made our way to Maeklong Railway Station. We were told that at 11.10am, the train will arrive and at 11.15am, we were to meet our guide, get tickets from her and get onto the train before 11.30am. It was simply a train-riding experience – we had to alight at the next stop, and the journey took something like 15mins only.
When the train is in sight, EVERYONE clamors for a picture. And yes, people will stand on the tracks, as if unafraid of being run over.
I’m not sure why this is a tourist attraction.
But the food at the station is really good! And cheap too! We were attracted to a stall called Rom Hub Station as there was a lady with a gigantic hair accessory on her head (the flower was bigger than her face) calling out to passersby. The Mango Sticky Rice is VERY GOOD (and cost just 50baht) while the fresh coconut costs only 15baht. You won’t regret dining here!
One very enjoyable meal in Bangkok!
After boarding the train, we found that sitting on the left side was cooler. Do take note if you’re boarding the train around 11am.
When we reached Lat Yai Station, we got off the train and made our way to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. We were given watermelon and some water before we got onto the boat, which was probably a good thing.
We were supposed to go for the 60-minute boat ride at 10am. But because our guide was late, and we missed the train, we got onto the boat after 1pm, when it was SUPER HOT!
The Filipinos sat in front, while we took the back seats, as we did on the minibus. XD
I got a fright when this lady stuck out this long pole with a hook at the end, latched onto our boat and pulled it close to her ‘shop’.
Like that also can, ah?
Either the boatman would select which ‘stalls’ he wanted to stop his boat at (and we’ll sometimes see him receive cash, whether or not we bought anything), or we get dragged in, as shown above. (>_<) And unless you don’t mind paying exorbitant prices, don’t look, don’t point and most certainly don’t ask any questions. The sellers are experts at coaxing people into parting with their cash, and unless you are a seasoned shopper and can put your foot down and say “No, it’s either this price or I’m not buying”, it’s best to just keep quiet and look at your phone or elsewhere. Let the sellers grumble to the boatman in Thai about how miserly you all are, and then you get to leave.
I like this lil old lady’s smile
Unfortunately, it seems to me that this floating market serves mainly tourists. I didn’t see locals buying stuff off the boats.
After we were done with the boat ride, we were shown places where we could sit down for a meal. Darling and I set off towards the nearest 7-eleven store, where we bought Cherry Blossom Magnum ice cream, among other things.
We could then select our preferred drop-off location: Asiatique, Chinatown, Siam Center or Century Mall where our journey began.
We picked Asiatique, and there we had dinner at Checkmate Bar & Bistro, which was offering 50% off via Eatigo (yes, you can use Eatigo in Thailand!) There was also 1-for-1 for Stella Artois beer.
BBQ Pork Ribs at 380baht++
We also had their deep-fried chicken wings (just the mid joint) at 180baht++, which went SO WELL with beer. The Tom Yum Kung (250++) was a disappointment though. I’d probably not come here for mains again. It’s more of a finger food + beer place.
We did also have ice cream at Swensen’s.
The Swensen’s at Asiatique doesn’t serve hot foods. You come here just for dessert. Had two scoops of ice cream, with jack fruit, fudge and cherry toppings, and a yummilicious chocolate lava cake! The bill? Just 254baht. And water is served free-of-charge. 