Boatloads of tradition

Samut Songkram's Amphawa riverside market floats visitors back to a rural Thai lifestyle of years gone by. Opened four years ago, the market is a ribbon of old wooden shophouses and boats selling luscious traditional Thai dishes, fresh fruits, desserts and unique souvenirs from 4 to 10pm, Friday to Sunday.

But lately, Amphawa market has been a victim of its own success. The number visitors has grown to more than 10,000 a week and the local environment is suf¬fering as a result. Samut Songkram Chamber of Commerce launched the bi¬monthly magazine "Mon Rak Mae Klong" late last year, and since then contribu¬tors like Naowarat Pongpaiboon, Teerapab Lohitkul and Su Boonleang have de¬scribed problems of rotting garbage, annoying noise levels and an increase in the cost of living in Amphawa.

Hopefully, bringing attention to these issues is the first step in solving them. Meanwhile, with all the fabulous food on offer it's not hard to see why so many people are attracted to Amphawa market. Hungry visitors should look out for "Ngo Pojchana", a 35yearold eatery serving a ThaiChinese fusion that includes shrimp sausages, fried squid with garlic, and tom yam. If you want something sweet to finish the meal, Grandma Chalao Machin of Kanom Thai Baan Kor Jak offers delectable traditional Thai desserts like ta ko (waterchestnut custard with coconut topping) and khanom sai sai (steamed pudding with sweet coconut filling). Or there's the icecream stall run by a couple called Pa Wijit and Pramot, who dish up coconut ice cream for Bt10 to Bt15. Cheap homestays are also a fea¬ture of Amphawa - grab the current edition of "Mon Rak Mae Klong" (Bt40) for a choice of these. 

BOX

Amphawa Floating Market is on the bank of

Mae Klong,

next to Amphawa District Office,

Samut Songkram.Call (081) 207 4733, (081) 804 1403

Ekkarat Sukpetch

Daily Xpress