It was past 3 o’ clock when I reached Pattaya back from Coral Island. My next destination was the world’s biggest floating market. The distance from Pattaya to the floating market is 6 km. The front of the market itself is very attractive. The entrance is constructed in such a way as to resemble a large boat.
There is a beautiful figure of elephant made in wood in front of the ticket counter. After taking the ticket, we can enter the market passing by the photo gallery. Inside, we can see the floating market lying like a raft in the lovely lake. The sceneries of the floating market are related to Thai culture.
A full floating-market experience can be had by getting around in a man-powered boat or by walking alongside the lake. As per my friend’s suggestion, we decided to go to the other end of the market by a boat and to have a return walk. The place was full of buildings constructed in teak in the Thai style. The commercial buildings on both sides of the canal are connected using wooden bridges. Therefore, we can visit the whole market as well as do shopping by boat or by walking through the lakeside. The floating market is said to cover an area of around 100,000 square feet.
Travel by boat is fascinating. We get a new shopping experience from the grocery shops floating in water and the vendors selling varieties of Thai food. Floating market is a shopping wonder that exhibits to us the lifestyle as well as the culture and tradition of the people of Thailand. At several places in the market, there are open stages. Here, cultural shows are conducted at different times. We can enjoy these programmes without paying any fees. The show includes water boxing, martial arts, traditional Thai dance, etc. We got out from the boat and started walking back through the side of the market. The walkways made of teak wood, the shops, the light produced by the traditional Chinese lanterns, all these made me feel like I have reached a dream world. The major attraction of floating market is the wooden sculptures. The sights of Thai tradition, whatever they are, have been presented beautifully.
It was dark when I came out of the floating market. As I was about to return, I had a last view of the market. What I saw was the wonderful scenery of floating market with the lights in the shops getting reflected on the canal as well as the canal bank, illuminating the whole place, the beauty of which was beyond description. I was weary from all the travelling. The only thing I remember is seeing the bed in the hotel room. The next morning, I woke up hearing the alarm clock ringing. I cursed the person who invented alarm clock. I will be saying goodbye to Pattaya today. For me, Pattaya is yet another resting place in the long journey in search of new places and new sceneries. In the morning itself, I dressed up and left the hotel to go to Bangkok, the dreamland of tourists. At 22 km on the way from Pattaya to Bangkok lies the charming Nong Nooch Tropical Garden [Nong Nooch Village].
To the sightseers, this is an aesthetically pleasing spot of great scenic beauty. As soon as we enter the garden, we can see a tusker trumpeting and bobbing its head greeting the holidaymakers. When I reached there, the cultural show was going on and so, I decided to see the garden after the show. The cultural show is conducted in a big theatre and is a true manifestation of Thai culture and tradition. It is a one-and-a half-hour show that includes art forms wearing traditional dresses, Thai marriage, war scenes, village art display and varieties of other sights and music. As the scenes changed, the backgrounds were also changed using remote control. The precise timings were comparable to that of films. All these, along with the light arrangements, made the show a marvellous one. I enjoyed the whole 1-1/2 hours.
After the cultural show, I went to see the elephant show which took place in a big open stadium. When I reached there, the visitors were all in a hurry to take photos posing with the elephants. They were enjoying, taking snaps, some were hanging on the trunk of the elephant while some others were making the elephant massage them. Elephant show lasts 1 hour. The show includes elephant football, basketball, walking on 2 legs, etc. After the show, I had food and then decided to roam around the Nong Nooch Village. The rest of the description will be in the next part.
