ms_go- Can you tell us more about the Pen's evening cocktail cruise? This is new, isn't it? Is there a cost and what does it include? How long does it last?

Have a great time with Tong. Please tell her Kristina says "Hi!". We will be seeing her again in July!

glad those two restaurants worked for you....and the price is certainly right for good "authentic" food...

i can't wait to go back to coconut palm...

say hi to tong from me and give her a big hug....

Here we are back in rainy Seattle - we miss those beautiful Bangkok mornings!

Hey ms_go,

Glad you are having a good time! I will be interested in what you and Tong do on your two days. We have her for two days in a few weeks and just don't know what to do with her! I do not think I really want to go away from Bangkok in our short time there and want to make the most of our opportunity.

It still just amazes me that you went such a long way for such a short time!!

isng tong to eat around bkk is fun....her best trips are outside of bkk however....this is her greater interest quite honestly...

I hope you're indoor as there's a big thunderstorm rolling in from the NE.

Yes, it's turned from a beautiful, sunny morning to a rainy afternoon. We just got in and managed to dodge the raindrops for the most part. We took the skytrain (very easy!!) to the weekend market and back and then a khlong tour ending at Wat Arun, where we spent some time.

Kristina, the Pen's cocktail cruise is 1,500 baht per person (I believe; mr_go signed for it). It includes drinks and various hors d'oeuvres. It's one of the hotel's regular boats that has been converted, so it is small--there were only eight people on our cruise, plus the staff of four. It lasts an hour and basically goes up the river a little past the Grand Palace area and then turns around. The view is about the same as you get from the express boats, but without the crowds (we just got off one that was packed). It starts before sunset and is dark by the time they head back. Yes, it's a little pricey, but we were tired (had just arrived from Chicago 17 hours earlier) and wanted something low key before dinner.

HappyCheesehead--we are going to the floating market and Kanchanaburi tomorrow and the fishing village on Monday.

We will give Tong regards from all!

One other thing on the Pen sunset cruise. I believe they said they only do it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.

Ms go i am thinking of doing the sunset ruise when i am in BKK in a couple of weeks and the Pen did say it's only Fri, sat and sun. I am going to do it as it seems a great way to spend an hour (and i love the river) i believe its 1250bht++

Glad you are having a great time, i can't wait to be siting on the balcony of my room in the Pen and am seeing Tong on the 28th!

We're jealous. Have a great time. Give Tong a hug from Panda and Beth. You will love the fishing village.

ms go,

Hope you are safely back! Looking forward to hearing a bit more about your trip, especially your days with Tong. We had planned on just staying in Bangkok with her, but if the floating market and Fishing village were true highlights we may go down that path....

Hi HappyCheesehead--

We are back, and our trip report is coming very soon, I promise (I don't want any penalties!). I've had to turn around and go straight to California. Don't ask why I'm up and posting at 2am....

We had two excellent days with Tong, and we highly recommend the fishing village if you are at all interested in that. Here's how we split our days:

1) Floating market and Kanchanaburi, including quick stop at the Bridge on the River Kwai, Tiger Temple, lunch, elephant ride and relatively quick stop at the death railway site. This was a very long day, from 7am to 8pm (we had some bad traffic getting back to Bangkok).

2) Maeklong railway market and fishing village, including feeding the monkeys and then lunch at the house in the bay. That was a shorter day for us, since we'd visited the floating market the day before--7am to 2pm. We had to go to the fishing village a little on the earlier side because of the tides.

The floating market is touristy and pretty crowded, but it is interesting and Tong picks out some good foods to try (if you do this or the railway market, make sure you ask her to stop for the coconut puffs). Tong will also have the boatman take you away from the crowds and through some of the quiet canals where people live. Overall, I'd say we spent maybe 90 minutes at the floating market.

The railroad market is the one where people set up their stalls along the tracks and have to scramble a bit when the train comes through. There are tourists there, but the market is mostly for locals, as it is selling primarily produce and fish (along the tracks anyway). This doesn't take as much time; we maybe spent 30-45 minutes here.

The fishing village includes a long stop in the mangroves to feed the monkeys, which was actually a lot of fun--and interesting; who knew the monkeys would rather fight off rival groups than go after the food. Lunch was great, with four or five different seafood dishes. I don't think you'll find this kind of experience many other places.

You can combine the markets and the fishing village into one day, but it may require some juggling of activities depending on the tides. Tong will know how to arrange it. I believe FromDC and her husband were doing the floating/railway markets and fishing village the day after we did; I don't know if she's posted on it yet, but I did get an email saying they had a great time, too.

I have updated the photo album somewhat, although not many photos of the markets yet and not many captions. I also added an album for the monkeys, just because that was so much fun and I took a lot of pictures. I've put links to both below.

Sorry for rambling on here, but feel free to ask if you have any more questions. I'll be checking occasionally as will, I'm sure, mr_go (he's at home).

Monkeys:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p594742737

Other:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p8594150

i have really enjoyed your photos! thanks for sharing.

Dear ms_go - well, your name is right for you, that is beyond doubt! Ms_whirlwind might work too

I loved your pictures, and thank you very much for sharing your experiences with Tong.

We have decided to go for the day tour out of Bangkok to the markets and fishing village. With only 4 full days in Bangkok, and all the marvelous sights to see, I was hesitant to leave for a day. However, the day does look like a lot of fun so, why not?

Ms_go - What great pictures! Thanks so much for sharing them and your thoughts on your time with Tong. We have booked her for Feb 1st for a day out to the Floating Market and Fishing Village. I'm certain it will be one of the highlights of our trip. We have a total of 21 days on land and will be dividing it between Bangkok, the northern region and Angkor Wat. We are still making arrangements and doing lots of reading. I'm hoping our pictures come out as wonderful as yours have. - June

HappyCheesehead - Please be sure to post your trip report. I'll be waiting to hear about your time with Tong. If you remember, please tell her that June is looking forward to meeting with her. Have a wonderful trip.

Will do June!