or cutting up fresh meat to vend to locals, or charcoal-grilling skewers of chicken or fish to feed the hundreds of hungry tourists – your kitchen, workshop, studio is sitting out in front of you all day, rain or shine, blazing heat or chilly fog. Only the job of a traveling salesman in our part of the world seems to come close!

If you’re visiting Bangkok, this market is about an hour and a half from the city. Most tour operators have a Floating Market tour and we found the one from Intrepid Travel to be fun and reliable.

It’s nearly a forgotten way of life, but for the visitors of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, it’s a fascinating and colorful glimpse into the past. Boats heaped high with fruits and vegetables crowd in alongside the “floating tourist traps” of carved elephants, handmade bags, and assorted spices. Weathered faces that still crinkle into a smile ply these barges up and down the crowded canals, posing for the countless photographs and hoping for an occasional purchase.

It’s a chaotic mass of boats, color, and traditions, but it’s also a sea of fantastic foods, soups and meats so spicy it makes my face turn red, delicious morsels of fried fruits that burn the tongue because you can’t wait to taste the sticky mess and always the smiles. They call Thailand the “Land of Smiles” and a morning at the market proves it!