Mae Klong Railway

 The train through the market !

maeklong railway

Even though I've been living in Thailand for a long time, the desire for new discoveries is always present... and I still have many things to discover, I know that...

For a long time I had a big desire to bathe again in the authentic, the real Thailand, the one of the simple and so naturally smiling people. I was served...

While in Bangkok for an administrative formality, I took the opportunity to extend my stay and to discover the famous market crossed by the train called Maeklong Railway (in Samut Songkram) and that I had not yet seen with my eyes. However I went many times to the floating markets of Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa which are in the same area...

To go there, I could have done as any tourist the simplest and fastest way... I could have taken an air-conditioned taxi, a VIP bus or an agency... and simply put my ass down and let myself be taken to the place...

No... I decided to take the train, much more fun, much more folkloric...

 The roadmap

To give you an idea of the tour... here is what the expedition looks like.

  • Trip: from Wongwian Yai to Mahachai: 1 hour journey for 10 baht
  • Crossing the river arm (from Mahachai to Ban Laem Pier): 5 minutes, price 3 baht (there are ferries every 10 minutes or so)
  • Trip: Ban Laem to Maeklong: 1 hour for 10 baht

From Wongwian Yai to Mahachai

I'm way ahead... I thought I would take the 8:35 train but it's 7:38 and a train is about to leave, the 7:40 one... I have just enough time to buy my ticket (10 baht) and to jump on the train towards Mahachai which we will reach in one hour.

Wongwian Yai Railway Station

The train is very clean and must be from the 50's... it reminds me of the train I took a few years ago in Kanchanaburi to visit the famous railway built by the prisoners of war and which forms a long wooden viaduct along the Kwai river... called the death train. (Bridge of the river Kwai)

The windows are wide open and the ceiling fans are the only means of ventilation. Anyway we are still cool, it is barely 8 o'clock... 

A uniformed ticket inspector passes by to check the tickets... 

As the train stops at every station, i.e. every 10 minutes or so, we see him regularly... passing and re-passing. Nothing escapes him.

As written above, the train stops at all the stations... I didn't count them, but they are quite numerous.

From time to time we can see the station master in uniform... for this one I took the picture a few seconds too early because I got a nice smile not very visible because of the mask, but the hand sign was there... nice!

 The Mahachai Station

After one hour from the start, we arrive in Mahachai... a very clean and presentable station...
In Mahachai, there is already a market set up directly on the railway... it is not as important as the one in Maeklong but it already gives an idea of what awaits us.
By the way, these very nice little schoolgirls... whom I do not fail to greet. 
Just off the train, I have to go to the pier which is a few minutes walk from the station...
The opportunity to take a very active street... and typical.

Mahachai Railway Station

 The ferry to Banlaem

And here is the ferry that will take us to the other side, to Banlaem... where our second train is to be taken.
The crossing (3 baht) takes about 8 minutes.
What is really nice in Thailand is that all the signs are translated into English... 
Banlaem - Maeklong Line, it couldn't be clearer!
The very small station of Banlaem is not crowded... it is rather quiet
At the ticket office, nothing could be simpler than buying your ticket and waiting patiently for departure time...
A little granny has just taken her ticket. 
She sits right in front of me... she has an old seal as luggage.
Next to the ticket office, I see this "moped" which bears its name well, and yes, it exists. Apparently it is very recent.
The train leaves Banlaem station... on the way I see this old man sitting at a table, not paying any attention to the train, unperturbed, concentrating on his soup...
Next to the ticket office, I see this "moped" which bears its name well, and yes, it exists. Apparently it is very recent.

 Arrival in Maeklong

We arrive in Maeklong... as you can see here, there is not much space between the train and the market buildings...

En jetant un coup d'oeil à l'arrière du train, on peut apercevoir les vendeurs du marché qui redéplient leurs auvant dès le train passé. C'est assez amusant et vraiment typique.
As you can see here, there are many visitors... this market attracts a lot of tourists because this show is quite unusual...
The main attraction is the folding of the awnings... each shopkeeper knows of course when the train is passing and prepares to do the manoeuvre a few seconds before the next passage...
Everyone is ready... all that remains is for the train to come...
And here comes the beast... beware of the monster!
Once the train has passed, the canopies are immediately straightened and the tracks are once again invaded by visitors.
Less well known and much less frequented by tourists is the market hall next to the railway... 
It's almost noon and I feel a little hungry. I head towards the village where there are small Thai restaurants to eat a "khao man khai" of chicken and rice...

Maeklong Railway Station

So much for this part of the day which I really enjoyed. The visit of the market crossed by the train itself could have been done in a few minutes... and this article could have been satisfied with three or four pictures... 

Well no, I wanted to highlight this mini adventure in the middle of the locals, the little stations, the ferry to cross the river branch... it's so much more pleasant.

Back to Bangkok

For the return, you have the possibility of remaking the same circuit or of taking a bus or minibus... it is this option that I finally chose because I want to accelerate a little to arrive early in Bangkok and to go on top of a huge tower...

The transfer in minibus costs less than 100bahts and will deposit us at a BTS station... from there... all the horizons are open again!

I would like to salute and thank Thailandee.com which was of great help to me to make this tour. It is by discovering its video on Youtube that I was able to organize myself and make this visit. As I said at the beginning of this article, I could have easily chosen a taxi or a bus, but no... it's this formula that interested me... 

Don't hesitate to visit his website, you will find a lot of useful information about Thailand...

Vous pouvez visionner sur ce site, le superbe film de Philippe Gougler (des trains pas comme les autres) où le marché de Maeklong est évoqué... un film que j'ai vu et revu et dont je ne me lasse pas. C'est la Thaïlande, la vraie, celle que j'aime vraiment.