Shopping has long become an integral part of modern life. Every year, it gets harder and harder to surprise customers with luxurious shopping centers. Only Asia and countries of the East stay true to their traditions. Bazaars and markets are still open as it was centuries ago. Don’t jump to refuse a trip to floating markets in Thailand because it is not just shopping but a full-fledged tourist excursion that can impress even experienced travelers.

Just a few kilometers from Bangkok, there is the main shopping center of the country – the largest and best-known floating market Damnoen Saduak. Unlike the old floating markets that disappeared without a trace, Damnoen Saduak was built at the end of the 20th century. It quickly became a landmark of the Bangkok vicinity and one of the most visited tourist sites. The market got its name from an artificial canal constructed by the order of King Rama IV in the middle of the 19th century. A 32-kilometer long canal connected two rivers: the Mekong and the Tha Chin. The floating market Lat Phli, which was later replaced by the modern Damnoen Saduak, was formed on its surface. The mysterious labyrinth of the market consists of plenty of small wooden boats: sampans steered by dexterous petite Thais. Dressed in traditional blue farm shirts and triangular straw hats, smiling vendors offer a variety of goods. Here you can buy clothes, footwear, souvenirs, food, exotic fruit and vegetables that adorn tourist postcards, depicting floating markets of Thailand. The market is especially lively at dawn when the sun is not that hot, and most tourists sleep after a wild night in the capital’s night club. Trading is in full swing in any weather. For that purpose, a roof, protecting customers from rain and blazing sun, was built over the market.