I booked a day trip from Bangkok through GetYourGuide for around 43 euros. It covered two stops: the Maeklong Railway Market and the Amphawa Floating Market. I had seen photos of both online and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong about almost everything.

Maeklong is the market built directly on active train tracks. Eight times a day, a train passes through the middle of it. Vendors pull back their awnings and merchandise in about 30 seconds, the train goes through with centimeters to spare, and then everything goes back into place as if nothing happened. Watching that happen in person is completely different from watching it on video.

At the market I tried durian for the first time. Everyone warns you about the smell. What nobody tells you is that the taste is surprisingly pleasant, something between a custard and a very ripe cheese. I finished the portion.

In the afternoon we moved to Amphawa for the floating market. The food here was sold from small boats on the canal. Sweet potato balls, fresh coconut ice cream, a fruit I had never seen before called love apple. Everything cost almost nothing.

The evening boat ride was the part I will remember longest. As the sun went down and the guide turned off the boat lights, fireflies appeared along the riverbanks. Hundreds of them, lighting up the trees. Then he pointed to something in the water and I realized I was looking at a crocodile swimming next to the boat. Nobody had mentioned crocodiles.

This day trip is worth every euro. Book the one that includes the evening boat ride. Do not skip it for the afternoon-only version.