4 August 2012…Our rattling old local train slowed down as it rounded a bend entering the local town of Mae Klong.  The view from the train driver’s cabin was a surprise – a busy weekend market sprawled out across the train tracks as if a train hadn’t been through there in years.  But as we approached the stall keepers quickly pulled back their awnings and moved their boxes of vegetables as the train steamed through.  When our little two carriage train had passed they lowered their awnings again and the busy market continued as if nothing had happened. 

The secrets of Bangkok and surrounding areas slowly reveal themselves as we spend more time here.  High on our list recently has been a trip to the nearby town of Amphawa to see their popular floating market.  But in this case the journey is just as good as the destination; we combined five different forms of transport last Saturday to get to Amphawa and had a hoot of a time along the way.

Our first form of transport was the ubiquitous Skytrain, our friend and neighbour, which whisked us in air-conditioned comfort to Wongwian Yai, the end of the line on the other side of the river.  From there we had a walk (second form of transport) to the Wongwian Yai local train line.  This local line is not connected to the rest of the Bangkok or Thailand train network, it is just a point to point single train line connecting this outer Bangkok suburb to the fishing port of Mahachai. 

Originally build in 1905 to move fish from the fishing fleet on the Gulf into the city, the train line is now used mainly by locals who connect between their small villages, the markets and the city.  The tickets are only 10 Baht (about 30 cents), no air conditioning or any formalities and it’s just as likely seats are taken up with piles of produce going to the local markets as they are of school kids, locals and commuters.  And on our train, two foreigners (us).

As the train (our third form of transport) leaves Bangkok the city gives way to light industry and fields of rice, stopping frequently to drop a few people off or pick a few up.  Mahachai (the town is also confusingly called Samut Sakhon) is a fishing port on one of the many large rivers that flow from the north into the Gulf of Thailand.  We explored the fantastic local fish market, which seemed to specialise in an unlimited variety of dried fish, and had a great lunch at a restaurant overlooking the river and the ferry crossing to the other side. 

From there we caught the local ferry (3 Baht – our fourth form of transport) to the other side and then a short walk to the next train station, really an extension of the previous line but since there’s no bridge you have to take the ferry instead.  The ferry was great fun because it carried the locals on their motorbikes – a simple drive on, drive off arrangement with bikes getting priority over people and everyone enters and exits from the side of the ferry.

The next train only leaves three times a day so timing is everything.  We jumped aboard and claimed a seat for a fabulous ride out through a very rural setting with thick jungle on both sides where branches were swept aside by the passing train (and your face could get a lashing if you stuck it out the open windows) followed by long stretches of open land which were salt flats.  Some of the train stops had absolutely no village or buildings around it – just a small shelter for locals to wait under until the next train arrived. 

And finally we arrived at Mae Klong (also called Samut Songkhram – I hate when they do that), the end of the line at yet another river flowing into the Gulf, and it was here that the local fruit and vegie market seemingly opened its arms to allow the train to chug through, only to close down again after the train had passed.  This was real National Geographic stuff, an amazing scene of how two completely different functions can cohabitate in the same space.

But wait, there’s more.  After enjoying the market/train we jumped into a local sawngthaew for a short trip to Amphawa.  A sawngthaew, which literally means ‘two benches’, is a small open-air bus which has, wait for it…two benches for people to crowd into from the back steps.  This was our fifth form of transport for the day and it dropped us off after crossing a small bridge over the local floating market.

Amphawa, as we learned on the fly, is a very popular weekend destination for local Thais who want to escape the big smoke for a day or two.  All accommodation options are geared for the locals and after a bit of a struggle we found a clean air conditioned room recently built as part of a local’s enterprising efforts off their own house.

The main part of town is a channel leading out to the main river that is lined on both sides with great little shops and restaurants along the raised walkways.  The whole place really comes alive in the evening and services the Thai’s endless need to eat.  Small little wooden boats pull up alongside the walking path and offer everything needed for a barbeque dinner of fish, squid, prawns, scallops and some other unidentifiable stuff.  Locals will come down to the water’s edge, sit on little bench seats, order straight from the lady in the boat who then proceeds to cook the meals on their large flat earthen bowls filled with hot coals.  She sits there all night in her wide brim hat with everything she needs within an arm’s reach to prepare delicious seafood dinners for the locals.  Great fun.

Not wanting to squat on little children’s seats for our Saturday night meal we opted for a restaurant on the river with great views of life passing by on the walkway or the water.  And we may have topped the evening off with some shopping and adding to the local economy.

On Sunday we more or less reversed our path with the small variation that instead of the sawngthaew back to Mae Klong we hired a long tail boat (oh no, our sixth form of transport) for a water trip down the canal, out into the main river and downstream to the train station.  From there we watched the market open up again for our train before choo-chooing back to the next river, ferrying over to the other side, lunch again at our favourite restaurant, and then the last crowded local train to Bangkok. 

These weekend excursions give us the chance to see more of Thailand then most visitors see and help us realise some of the subtle complexities of living here.  We never get tired of watching the locals go about their daily business, whatever that may be, always with a welcoming smile and friendly advice if asked.  Our respect and admiration continues to grow for how they get so much out of life under what can at some times be quite limiting conditions.

And in addition to many forms of transport we enjoyed a unique floating market and the amazing marriage between a vibrant local market and a 100 year old local train line.  Nothing strange about that!