My Bangkok Day Trip for this week is to Samut Songkram Province. With the completion of the Kanchanaphisek Outer Ring Road it is now much quicker to travel to this province from different locations around Bangkok. From Samut Prakan it took us only an hour to reach this seaside province. The most famous destination here is Amphawa Floating Market which I will talk about another time. The day trip today is to see the swimming monkeys in Khlong Khon district and the market on the railway in the city itself. If you have time, you could also have a meal by the sea at Don Hoi Lot. Click here for my map of the area.
It is a little challenging to reach this first destination but the rewards are worth it. If you are driving from Bangkok you need to take the Rama II Road (Highway 35) to Samut Songkram. Once you reach the turn-off for the city, keep driving for another 8 kms until you see a PTT petrol station on your left. The road to Khlong Khon is right after this. There is a bilingual sign. There are quite a few signs for homestays in this area and many offer boat trips out to see the fishermen at work and of course the swimming monkeys. On our second trip we rented a boat from a pier near Wat Khlong Khon which worked out cheaper than the resort. We gave him 500 baht for the one hour trip. While we were there we spotted some songtaews that were coming from Samut Songkhram city so it would be possible to come here even if you don’t have a car.
The first time I came here I didn’t bring any bananas. So, we didn’t have much of an interaction with the monkeys. This time I brought some from home but you could also buy at the market in Samut Songkram. The boat man took us to several places where we were able to see the monkeys. They were hidden in the mangroves at first but as we came closer they came out to see if we had any food. Some even started to swim out to the boat. They weren’t really that aggressive with us but some monkeys were much greedier than others. It was a great experience and fun for all of us. I am sure I will go again. Make sure you take a hat and sunscreen as it can get quite hot.
From Khlong Khon we drove back to Samut Songkram and parked the car near the train station. The main attraction here is the market that is on the train tracks. There is hardly room for us to walk down the tracks but somehow a train passes through here eight times a day. We checked the timetable at the train station and saw that we had about 45 minutes before the next train arrived. So, we walked around and had something to eat. For the record, the train leaves the station at 6.20 a.m., 9 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. The trains arrive at the station at 8.30 a.m., 11.10 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 5.40 p.m. Of course, these times are subject to change.
The first time I saw this market was some years ago when I arrived from Bangkok on the train. This a good day trip in itself. You could then catch a songtaew out to see the monkeys in Khlong Khon. A small tip if you are on the train. You won’t get a good view from the front of the train. By the time you arrive, all the market stalls have already been pulled back from the tracks. Better to be at the back of the train and watch them as they push everything back. Better still, the best views of the action are from the tracks. If you are feeling up to it, and if you are here at the weekend, you could also drive out to Amphawa Floating Market. They also have public transport going this way.
I hope you enjoyed this Bangkok Day Trip. I am out every weekend looking for new attractions. You can follow me live on Twitter @RichardBarrow where I post pictures as I travel. Also check out my moblog at www.MyThailandBlog.com which I post from my iPhone as I travel. You will find news and links about my next trip on my website at www.RichardBarrow.com
