Tha Kha floating market, an authentic floating market

Le Tha Kha floating market is a small, authentic market located in the province of Samut Songkhram (where you can also find the floating markets of Amphawa and the very famous Damnoen Saduak). Here I am again using the word "controversial" but I could hardly see myself not mentioning it as it fits the place so well.

I apologize for the quality of the photos but I only had my phone that day...

1- A floating market of yesteryear

It is such an "old-fashioned" market that its original mode of operation, and until recently, was a headache to know the dates... Indeed, merchants from the surrounding area met in Tha Kha to sell their goods according to a system based on the lunar cycle... The market therefore took place on the 2nd, 7th and 12th day of the ascending (also called "rising") and descending moon.

Suffice to say that only the initiated went there. But in an effort to attract more people than the old ones who were becoming fewer and fewer to frequent the market, and in particular to attract a few of the city dwellers of Bangkok to this market with its unique atmosphere, Tha Kha simplified its schedule to do like all the other floating markets, by being open every weekend.

The banks have also been developed recently, but overall, you can still feel this old-world atmosphere at Tha Kha market.

The big difference already with most floating markets (except in my eyes that of Lat Mayom, which still has a certain local aura, because it is mainly focused around food), is that you come across a good number of boats, each delivering various goods, fruits, vegetables, small dishes prepared on site, and not just souvenir shops as is the case in Damnoen Saduak or even Amphawa (but if you had to choose, the charm of the Amphawa market, because the latter is bordered by authentic old wooden houses).

From the information I have read, the Tha Kha floating market would be one of the last 7 “real” floating markets still in operation today (for more than 100 years, but apparently not quite non-stop).

2- A short history of floating markets

There is one thing to understand, the origin of floating markets is due to the high concentration of canals in the region bordering the Gulf of Thailand. The main means of transport for centuries was therefore the boat. It was then logical for the local inhabitants to move to a meeting point via its natural routes to trade.

But as the first cars appeared at the beginning of the 2th century, roads developed, Bangkok became urbanized, canals disappeared and/or became impassable. People gradually abandoned the boat, becoming less practical, more limited in space, and preferring to do their shopping by car (or by 50 wheels if not ...) and the floating markets as such ended up disappearing in the mid-60s or even XNUMXs for the most part.

In 1907 this is what a floating market looked like.

The current markets are therefore mainly "re-creations". The precursor in this field being what was then known as the Lat Phlee market located on the Damnoen Saduak canal. Then in decline, the site was revalued and promoted by the authorities of the then nascent Thai tourism industry from the beginning of the 70s.

Success came in the early 80s when a road near the canal gave developers a huge boost as they saw an opportunity. A new site was set up as a floating market along an irrigation canal and became the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.

The rest is history, and since then, many other communities along the canals, which once hosted floating markets, have wanted to follow the trend and revive the local economy by exploiting the canals and attracting visitors, starting with locals! The primary goal has not always been to attract foreign tourists as such.

At Damnoen Saduak market, early in the morning.

Many of today's markets are thus of recent activity and the very concept of a so-called "floating" market has lost its original aura, because some markets located next to a canal will be considered "floating", even though you will not find boats circulating there (like the small market of Bang Nam Phueng in Bang Kachao).

Worse, some markets are entirely artificial, created from scratch with an artificial body of water (you can find them in Hua Hin, Ayutthaya or Pattaya for example).

3- Atmosphere and boat trip on the canals

Obviously, when you say canals, you say boats. It's an effective way to soak up the place, it's easy to rent the services of a boat to take a tour on the canals adjoining the Tha Kha floating market. You will find boatmen parked at the end of the market, on the right when arriving via the main car park.

And here we go for a ride!

For 200 baht per boat, you will then be taken by rowing around the market, using narrow canals, mainly used by locals living along, in peace. A pleasant ride to immerse yourself in time for about 40 minutes that this route lasts. The boatmen are also all locals, it gives them a nice job to show their environment for a weekend.

We are surrounded by coconut trees, greenery. We come across other boats loaded with coconuts or other, ready to bring their goods to market. If we come across locals, it is often based on smiles, the Thailand that we love. We can also hear or see birds, as often on the banks of the canals. During my first visit, as it was the day after Loy Krathong, the festival of lights, we could still see a few boats floating on the water.

The only "downside" is that to appreciate this market, you have to be an early riser. For my part, it was just before 7am that I arrived on site, after 1h30 journey from Bangkok, which meant a departure at 5:30 a.m.! That already calms the desire of most tourists who prefer to rest.

And here, there is no choice, because unlike other markets that operate all day, Tha Kha only opens in the morning, so if you arrive there at noon, it's too late... And that's part of the charm of the place. A morning atmosphere, it's peaceful and it's generally cooler.

After 7am it was really the beginning so there were only a few boats. After having observed all these colorful scenes and the growing activity, I took advantage of this setting to have a small homemade coffee on the edge of the canal (you will easily recognize it with all this bamboo furniture).

As we left around 9:30, there were starting to be a few tourists and the market was more lively than when we left. The question I was asking myself was: will this continue? For the time being, we saw a lot of people of a certain age, the original sellers, but when the new generation takes over, won't the market lose a bit of its soul and become just another floating market?

4- How to get to Tha Kha floating market

By public transport, it's complicated... The simplest thing is to hire the services of a taxi from bangkok and while you're at it, visit the Samut Songkhram region for the day (to do this, you need to allow around 2000 baht).

If you are in "economy" mode, there is otherwise a bus connection between Bangkok and Damnoen Saduak market, leaving from the Sai Tai Mai bus terminal (Southern Bus Terminal, west of Bangkok), this already brings you quite close since the two floating markets are 11 km apart. There are also vans at 150 baht. Once at Damnoen Saduak market, it should be possible to find transport locally to take you to Tha Kha market.

An alternative solution would be to take a minivan to Samut Songkhram (Mae Klong Station) for 120 baht and find transport on site to take you to the market (I know there are tuk tuks, but knowing that there are 10 km then too, I don't know if they cover this distance and don't know the price).

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