Maeklong Railway Market, Thailand

this place is really worth a visit
it's situated at the province of Samut Songkram
Thais call this place Talad Rom Hoop Market = Market Umbrella Pulldown
u'll understand y towards the end of this posting :D

so in order to walk to the rail section, u'll pass the FOOD market first
how tempting :P
above was some sort of fish which were slightly salted which they eat with rice, vegetables and spicy belacan-liked dip
the bones inside has been removed hence they can bend the fish into this bamboo basket
so u actually buy the whole thing inclusive of this basket and just whack it into ur steamer!!!

JS informed that the slight saltiness came from the sea water...bcoz as soon as they were caught....
these fishes are cleaned, deboned and straight into this basket

yes the vegetables aka "ulam" and spicy dips that goes with the above fish
Thais eat a lot of greens

if u think u have had enuff of Som Tam = papaya salad, wait till u see these
an array of different flavour papaya salad with different dressing and condiments

the best papaya salad has got to be these......pickled RAW BABY CRABS!!!!
yes mix the papaya salad with these!!!!!
looks aweful but definitely tasted YUMMY!!!!
very very YUMMY
and super SPICY YO!!!!! can send u to the MOON!!!

my favourite Khanom Krog
forgotten wat is khanom but Krog means CRISPY/CRUNCHY
it's basically coconut cream cakes....crispy on the outside...super custard-dy creamie on the inside
with different fillings of ur choice - corns, taro, spring onions

huge cakes of palm sugar.....these Thai products are really good so we grab some
palm sugar is very essential in Thai cooking....all the sweetness fr Thai food came from this!!!!
it has such lengthy palate that stays in ur mouth...for all spicy dishes u need some sweetness innit :))

all the different grade of dried shrimps!!!!
look at its color!!!! so orangie!!! spells freshness

we just went ecstatic at this market and we haven't even reach the rail part yet :P
and Monkey was so so so so terribly tempted to buy this n that n that n this

more salted fish with dips!!!
it's everywhere and so mind blowing!!! I just wish there's a bowl of rice there n then :P

fresh fishes......can u see the green bunch of pandan leaves on the left?
pandan leaves = screwpine leaves
they actually made it into a bouquet of roses!!!!
so beautiful!!!!!!

more ORANGIE shrimps!!!!!

more Palm Sugar in different sizes and shapes

BBQ BANANAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!
those in skewers were sliced bananas....
so it comes in all shapes and format depending on ur liking

there's also BBQ sweet potatoes!!!!!
the middle row were bananas wif skin on it
they also have bananas without skin
as the malay saying goes "macam macam ade....."

grilled rice inside bamboo
the rice with mixed with some other beans and lentils
then coconut milk were poured into it b4 BBQ-ing em on open fire
smells blarddy good....coz they closed the opening wif lotsa banana leaves!!!!!

WUUUUAAAHHH look at the bananas!!!! so YELLOW
sure very very sweet!!! but nope we didn't buy any coz we were rushing to the railway market
in time to witness the train
so can u imagine how this Monkey suffered through this walk
can see and smell and ask but kenot BUY!!!!!

all the Thai Desserts!!!!
ARGHHHHH torturing!!!!!!!

this lady is selling glutinous rice with different mix
some with corns, with beans and palm fruit (atap chee)

fresh honey with its comb!!! and bees of coz -_-
it's been some time since I had these....and Thais sell it on the street market

currently we only get our Honey + Comb in a pasteurised jar wrapped nicely with ribbons and all fr Delicious Ingredients
so "atas" and yet lose its novelty bcoz this is wat u want!!!! in big cakes like this!!!!

aiyerrrr I so tempted to buy but JS threw me tat look
:(((( okie lor...I promised I won't buy anything lor :"((((( *so kesian*

rickadee trishaw....would be nice if we have more time here
then Monkey can ride this too!!!! hehehehehehehe
I dunno who's more "kampong" now...me or ppl there :P
sorry I'm a city gal and trishaw is really a novelty for me....and that includes Tuk-Tuk :P

all the beautiful flowers prepared for worshipping
Thais are really indeed very creative ppl.....
no wonder Flower Industry is so important to them esp orchids for export

Monkey & Nina our personal guide of the day standing on the RAIL TRACK!!!!!!
yeah I finally get to buy SOMETHING!!!
THAI HOT SPICY CAN DIE SMALL CHILIS

Thai Durians me no likey!!!!!
coz they pluck the fruits instead of waiting for it to fall

different types of garlic and shallots
roasted ones and those of smaller species
all beautifully merchandise along this railway track
mind u this is a LIVE railway track and 8 TRAINS pass by it every single day

Shrimps and prawns at great bargains too
the number of locals shopping here...shows the prices are really good

dunno wat fish.....

some vendors have for a rail system for their own kiosk too
so when the train passes by, it's easier for them to keep their merchandise

haven't seen a market this neat and clean
most of all there's no smell
after speaking to Nina, we found out that most fishes and shell fish has got basil leaves with them
to "make them more fragrant and void the fishiness"
ooOOooooo so they merchandise them not only as decos but also serves a purpose

nope they are not BBQ prawns/squids/fish/chicken/meat
it's BBQ FROGS!!!!!
wahh sure damn sedap and only 35 Baht = RM 3.50

this market runs a few kilometres long
according to our Guide Nina...it is about 4km

then we reach the Train Station

yeah u can cross anyway u like...
afterall we've been walking on the track :P

the choo choo train!!!!!

get ur tickets and board the train

otherwise u can be as notorious as Monkey and hopped in without a ticket
well we were just playing touristee

hmmmm we were surprised at the train's condition
very very very very SUPER CLEAN!!!!!!
and there were so many plastic bags of groceries on the floor

after the above pic was snapped, the shutter closed....
we heard the horn......
our guide was ushering us to get down before the train moves :P

errrr folks the train is coming!!!!
aren't u all supposed to be packing up and leave the track???
but looks like everyone were still bz bargaining and selecting their fresh produce

helloooo folks!!!!!
Monkey & JS just scampered to the side at the sound of the blarring horn

then the traffic officer lifted down this manual pole to block the car traffic fr crossing the road
coz the TRAIN is COMING!!!!
yeah everything is manual here coz it's KAMPONG remember????

and when we turned to our left....in less than 3 seconds it became like this
we were like WTF!!! when did it happened??? so fast?????
ARGHHH we didn't catch that moment with our cameras!!!!

there were no more humans on the track
the umbrellas/awnings were all FOLDED
and vendors had pushed most of their pully/rail system merchandise IN

Once the officer flag down......in a very un-fast and un-furious way
the train comes chugging down

chug chug chug...it's a slow train lar....wat do u expect?

still chugging............"POMMMM POMMMM POMMMM"
and tourists like us were so amazed and mesmerised by this moment
so dunno we are more Kampong or these kampong ppl are kampong :P

wahhh close encounter....I can almost touch it...we were just next to it

nothing beats the lady in turquoise shirt holding her awning
she can almost kiss the train :P

the fruits and vegetables lie precisely a few centimetres below the train

such precision!!!!!!
and nothing was hurt during the process *of coz*

I think the train runs on diesel??? so smellie~~~~~~

"BYEEE BYEEEEE BYEEEE" waved the excited Monkey
macam rusa masuk kampung lar me
those ppl must be thinking, where I came from, there's no TRAIN :P

and as fast as they packed....the vendors un-fold their umbrellas/awnings and biz runs as usual
we were then walking the track again :))))))))))))))

so folks the best time to watch this happening is at 9am when the sun is not too hot
and the best place to stand is 8 metres fr the Maeklong Train Station at the road
coz u get to see both side :))))))))))

well it was sure surreal and didn't expect this
CHOOO-CHOOO-A-CHUG!!!!!!
Thank u Mr JS for roaming the Earth with me :D