Pattaya Floating Market

Having been in Pattaya just a little over a month I haven’t had much of a chance to do anymore than settle in and get my house in order with school and other necessaries, that is until today. One of the newest attractions to Pattaya that has been on my list of things to do is visit the new Floating Market that was built towards the end of Jomtien.

After reading what Martyn over at Beyond the Mango Juice had to say about the Pattaya floating market on his post Pattaya’s Not Yet Famous Floating Market I figured it would definitely be well worth the trip.

I have to admit I went into this day trip not expecting too much. For the most part these types of markets are just tourist traps selling Thailand souvenirs and trinkets and while it may be packaged pretty, seeing the same Thailand t-shirts and wooden elephants stall after stall gets old fast. I will say I was very pleasantly surprised by certain aspects of the Pattaya Floating Market but I was also let down by quite a bit as well.

The Pattaya Floating Market is about 10 minutes down Sukhumvit road from Pattaya towards the end of Jomtien. There is ample parking for both cars and buses alike and you can’t beat the entrance fee which is free for all, they do ask for donations at the entrance to help keep the market going though. The first thing I noticed entering the market was how beautifully it was laid out, truly a photographers dream. If you enjoy taking pictures as I do then you will definitely be in your element. Even with crowds of people it was very easy to get the pictures I wanted without waiting or getting into odd positions.

The quaint village is broken up into 4 regions that represent Thailand, the North, Northeastern, Central and Southern part and over all it is very easy to navigate around the shops and jetties via walkways and foot bridges, There is also very good signage everywhere letting you know where to find the various cultural shows, shops, food and bathrooms. They also have red and green arrows on the walkways so you can easily find your way in and out of the market.

The floating market is very well maintained and clean with a host of beautiful flowers decorating the walkways and bridges with an emphasis on orchids.

The market boasts over 100 shops as well as the expected merchants selling their wares by boats along the walkways and jetties. One of the nicest things I found about the market were the boat merchants. All of them were selling traditional Thai food and treats and boy was their fare tasty. For a bigger meal there are several restaurants scattered around the floating market as well as treat shops never more than a few feet away.

I was really hoping that the market would have more than the standard tourist fare and I was happy to find 5-6 shops selling custom made Thai wood working, silk and the like actually being made on site by the artisans.

Unfortunately, for me, the majority of the shops were selling the standard Thai souvenir/trinket fare and to be honest it was very over priced. While these shops were nicely laid out and presented their wares well It would have been nicer to see some more real craftsmanship. Even so I thought even these shops added to the atmosphere well so I can’t begrudge a little tourist scalping.

The down side for me was the absolute junk shops selling, you guessed it, absolute junk! There was a 99 baht shop selling housewares and various other crap and a bunch of other merchants just selling the most ridiculous stuff imaginable. Molded Jesus heads, H.M.S bounty boats & lighthouse’s ( Thailand is known for these things ), and my favorite, a fat little falang doll wearing an overcoat that he eventually opened to reveal himself jerking off his big cock…Great for the kids.

As well as the merchants there are also several cultural shows that are scheduled on the hour throughout the day and quite a few colorful characters walking around making the experience more friendly, enjoyable and definitely more fun. Unfortunately I picked a soggy day to visit Pattaya’s floating Market so I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy the cultural shows as everyone was packing in to get out of the rain.

One part of the market I found very nice and also relaxing was the Buddhist area where quite a few small shrines and Icons could be found, also great for picture taking opportunities.

All in all I would say the Pattaya market is great for a small day trip of a few hours walking around, taking pictures and eating some tasty Thai treats. You probably won’t be persuaded into buying much if you are like me but you will definitely leave with a full belly due to the host of great Thai food available…it not only looks and smells good…It is good.

It might be best to visit the Pattaya Floating Market during the week when it might be less busy, if a rainy Sunday was anything to go by then the weekends here will definitely be packed.

You can visit Pattaya Flating Market online to get more information on operating hours and event schedules.

To see more of my Pattaya Floating Market trip you can visit the Pattaya Floating Market Gallery that has almost 300 photos of the day trip or you can visit the Thailand Photo Gallery at anytime to find these pictures and many more.

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