A market to float your boat

A market to float your boat

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Fancy a taste of squid? Prawns? Grilled crab? These and all sorts of other culinary delights are available at the floating market in Amphawa, an hour outside Bangkok.

Amphawa's canals and river showcase a striking collection of wooden shop houses set against a backdrop of lush greenery, and although the town is relatively little know to foreign tourists, it has long been a secret among city-dwelling Thais looking to get away from it all.

. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Workers apply the final touches to a huge golden statue at a Buddhist temple near the floating market.

. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

A vendor offers a variety of food from her small boat in the riverside town, which holds a UNESCO World Heritage Award for its main canal.

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Small boats manoeuvre through the Amphawa floating market, where restaurants and stalls are crowded along the waterfront.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Small boats manoeuvre through the Amphawa floating market, where restaurants and stalls are crowded along the waterfront.

A vendor sells plates of seafood to passing customers.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

A vendor sells plates of seafood to passing customers.

Others offer their wares to visitors at the market, where all sorts of food is available, from prawns to gooey "hoy tod", a type of Thai mussel omelette served with crunchy bean sprouts.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Others offer their wares to visitors at the market, where all sorts of food is available, from prawns to gooey "hoy tod", a type of Thai mussel omelette served with crunchy bean sprouts.

Different types of seafood are carefully laid out in the back of a boat.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Different types of seafood are carefully laid out in the back of a boat.

A woman doles out food to customers at a restaurant.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

A woman doles out food to customers at a restaurant.

A girl with a megaphone offers accommodation and packages to tourists visiting the floating market.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

A girl with a megaphone offers accommodation and packages to tourists visiting the floating market.

Different kinds of souvenirs, from hats to fish crackers, are available to tourists visiting the town.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Different kinds of souvenirs, from hats to fish crackers, are available to tourists visiting the town.

Boats carry visitors through the floating market as the water reflects the bright lights of the restaurants nearby.
. Samut Songkhram, Thailand. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Boats carry visitors through the floating market as the water reflects the bright lights of the restaurants nearby.