Maeklong railway
market
A
marketplace with a working railway track through it.
If you’re driving
from Bangkok to Hua Hin (which takes about 2.5 hours), make sure
you schedule a stop in Maeklong Railway Market in Samut Songkhram,
some 60km away from the capital. Locals call it Talad Rom Hoop
Market, which translates to “Market Umbrella Pulldown” but tourists
call it Scary Market (read on to find out why)
But if you look down on the road, you’ll
realise that you’re actually walking on train rails! And when you
hear a siren, it’s time to step back into safety and let the action
unfold. One moment, locals are shopping for the vegetables; the
next they are waiting patiently at the side while stall keepers are
scooping up their baskets and boxes of goods with a rather
lackadaisical attitude about the whole exercise.
Slowly, a yellow train makes an appearance!
It’s a tight squeeze with the train travelling at about 15mph and a
few inches away from your face. It barely touches the stall awnings
and if stall keepers aren’t fast enough to pick up their goods,
that’s OK as the train goes over a basket or two of fruits and
vegetables along the way. And as soon as the train is gone, vendors
start displaying their goods again and everything is back to
normal,
Trains run through the market eight times a
day from Ban Laem Station. So make sure you check the schedule so
you don’t miss the train! And if you’re up for it, why not buy
yourself a train ticket and be part of the action of going through
the market as well
