Pattaya Floating Market: ‘Retail therapy’ in an authentic setting Lifestyle

Maneeya Dhammataree

Located along Sukhumvit Road
between South Pattaya and Sattahip in Chon Buri province, the
recently established Pattaya Floating Market has been developed
to reflect the tradition of using small boats or stalls
alongside klongs (‘canals’) and rivers for the sale of various
goods, such as clothing items, food and drinks, furniture and
decorative items.

Compass points

The floating market features numerous interesting and
tempting products, sourced from all four corners of the kingdom,
presenting forms of folk wisdom given the importance of the
traditions involved in the production process.

The market manages to provide an authentic feel thanks in part
to the clusters of huts operated by the vendors. Probably the
best way to explore the market is by taking a row boat, which is
provided as an additional service by the operator. Once safely
on board this manned vessel, you’ll spot numerous clusters of
wooden huts throughout your journey, grouped as North, Central,
Northeast, and South.

Huts from the central region have
an ordinary pan lom (‘gable end’), while the northern-style ones
have gable roofs featuring kalae, which are basically made up of
two lengths of carved wood attached and held together in a
reverse V-shape.

The gables used to decorate huts from the northeast feature a
gold-colored image representing a nimbus (a shining cloud,
sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth), while the gables
of southern huts feature a carving shaped like butterfly wings.

Retail therapy

Having taken some time to get a feel for the market by making
one entire circuit, it was now time to start shopping.

The first group of vendors you’ll encounter on entering the
market represent the North of the country. Their main products
are wooden furniture, wood crafts, home decoration items,
silverware, textiles, silk and papier-m?ch? umbrellas.

A store called @Siam offers Oriental-style rattan furniture and
home decoration items. There are also intricately patterned
wooden decorative items, which will certainly be worth a place
in a collection.

Some furniture items on sale here have been produced to appear
like lacquered antique cabinets, featuring details in gold leaf.
In this same vicinity, you’ll find other stores, such as Cha-Vi,
Look Mai Gallery and Kpacok by Po-Arn, supplying delicately
carved wooden decorative items, too.

Expand your
wardrobe

On a corner in the North Zone, Miss Lanna offers a collection of
contemporary Lanna-style clothing, bags and accessories that?ll
catch the eye of female shoppers. It?s also a great spot for
northern Thai silk, since there are stores selling this on every
corner of the zone

In the Central Zone, you?ll find a range of mau hom ? basically
a popular form of farmers? clothing that was commonly seen in
the provinces. You?ll also get to sample more local silk
products, herbs for health and beauty treatments, pottery, ship
models, reproductions of classic toys, ceramics and handicrafts.

Rungmai Phu Tawan offers a large number of local herbal products
for both internal and external usage, including body lotions,
shower gels, and spa-related products. There?s also cold-pressed
coconut oil, which, according to research, burns fat and
stimulates the immune system.