I set out today to get as much B-Roll (not interviews, basically supplemental footage) for my thesis as possible. I read online about the floating markets in Thailand, which I figured would be the perfect opportunity to get some of the greenery of Thailand -- rather than just come home with video of Bangkok, which is crowded and urban, where as the rest of the country isn't really like that. I also thought I'd try to see a few other things. But, I set out at about 10 a.m., after researching directions in both English and having the hotel workers translate them to Thai (my number one travel tip ever). I got to a cab and told him the floating market that I wanted to go to. He told me it was closed, and pulled out a brochure with a different one. He was very enthusiastic, to say the least. I asked him how far, since I wanted to get back to do other things. He said, "half hour" and "1500 Baht", which is not too cheap. I talked him down to 1200 and said okay.
As is turns out, by "half hour" he actually meant an hour and a-half (now looking at GoogleMaps, it's really 1 hour, 43 minutes). We finally got there and I was pumped. The guide showed me the route of the boat tour through the canals and markets. I was most excited about the "water elephant ride" at the end.
We get to the counter and I'm about to purchase my ticket. He tells me 5000 Baht, which is about $163. I'm a little ticked at this point. I told him I wasn't going to pay that to go by myself on a boat to spend more money at a market. I talked him down to 2000 Baht (which is still a little pricey, in my opinion), which unfortunately didn't include the elephants. I figured, I can't think of a time when I'll ever really be able to do this again. So off I went.
It rained a little during the trip, making some of the videotaping difficult. I still got some great footage, though.
I thought I'd try to stop and video some of the trinkets and people selling them. The poor lady I chose did not understand what I was doing or why I was just putting a camera in her face rather than buying something immediately. I did finally get something.
I also stopped at a Buddhist temple along the way. I could tell the decor, signs, etc. had been geared towards tourists, but it was still awesome to see. I feel like the closest I had ever come to a Buddhist monk previous to this was, well, never.
And, just as the ride was ending and I was assessing whether it had really been worth my money, I was surprised by a little lady with a plate with my picture on it. I remembered someone taking my picture in the beginning, but I didn't think twice about it (I snap pictures of people all the time, right?). But, lo and behold, it was a plate commemorating my floating market trip. I thought it was hilarious and the lady was confused as to why I was laughing so hard. I could only think to myself, it's like the rides at Disney World -- you get a picture snapped when you're least expecting it, then you can buy the t-shirts, mugs, etc. with the picture at the end. So I had to get the plate.
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