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Day Trip - Which of these two do you recommend?

Day Trip - Which of these two do you recommend?

Old Jul 29th, 2004, 04:58 PM
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Day Trip - Which of these two do you recommend?

We will only be in Bangkok for 4 nights before we go to Phuket. We would like to take one day trip outside city and spend rest of time in city. Which of these two tours would you recommend: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market/Rose Garden/ Nakhon Pathom OR Ayutthaya (bus out boat back)?
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Old Jul 29th, 2004, 07:28 PM
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If you decide to go outside the city, I'd recommend Ayutthaya.
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Old Jul 29th, 2004, 07:37 PM
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it depends on what you like....i personally found AY to be boring...

i find the floating market to be very unique and fun...i did not like rose garden...if you go only to the floating market and start early you can be back to bkk for lunch....
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Old Jul 30th, 2004, 04:30 AM
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Both are interesting, but neither extraordinary. I would pick Ayutthaya.
There are some stunning sights on that day trip.
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Old Jul 30th, 2004, 04:51 AM
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We visited Damneon Saduak Floating Market and while lots of tourists (luckily we departed BKK very very early, arriving when vendors still setting up) it was a hoot, and a great place to get lots of souvenirs.

Because we didn't have sufficient time, we're sorry not to have visited Ayutthaya which will definitely be on the top of our list for a future visit. We've seen photos taken by others who visited here, and we know we missed something special.
 
Old Jul 30th, 2004, 05:00 AM
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The trip looks very much a canned tourist event. I am not a fan of the Rose Garden in any event. (Went once in 1986 and have never gone back in many trips to Bangkok over the years.) I have done the AY trip three times. You don?t' see a lot of AY as there is not a lot left, but there are some interesting ruins and temples. You do get a good stroll around the Summer Palace which is quite interesting, IMO. The best bit is coming back by boat, you can sit outside at the front and watch all the temples go by.. . .the river is the life blood of Thailand and a trip on it is a great experience.

The Rose Garden trip looks like a long day for about an hour at the floating market, with at least two stops at "factories" (read: shops). Therefore, I agree with the above poster that if you are going to do a floating market, do it on its own and not as part of a longer day trip. To the best of my knowledge, there are many floating markets in the area, including several within Bangkok itself. However, if you just hire a long-tail boat in Bangkok for a few hours to tour the Klongs, the Temple of the Dawn and the royal barges (I would highly recommend this type of trip), you will see some floating markets (albeit smaller than the two mentioned above), which may be enough for you. I have not been to the larger floating markets in many years (as they don't appeal to me that much, a little too touristy), but others may have more recent comparison with what you might find within the Bangkok city limits.
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Old Jul 30th, 2004, 07:13 AM
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If you're interested in archeology go to Ayutthaya and take the bus there and the boat back. If you go to the floating market do NOT take a group tour. Hire a driver (and if you want a guide) and go there on your own and get there by 9AM --- and leave before the tour buses get there. Skip the Rose Garden.
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