Nakorn Chaisi Half-Day Trip

There are a few favorite spots of mine outside of Bangkok and the one I like most at the moment is a the little market at Nakorn Chaisi district which is in Nakorn Pathom province.  It's not that far out from Bangkok and is only roughly a half hour drive if you are coming from the Pinklao area.  I've been there several times already and most recently last week.  It offers a combination of good food, good ambiance and is overall a pleasant place to take a stroll.

I like it because the wooden shop houses date back roughly a hundred years and bank the Nakorn Chaisi river which is so beautifully peaceful.  It's a small little area and its a lovely place to just take a short walk, buy a few good snacks and food to take home, and have your lunch.  You are not going to get lost here unless you decide to cross the main road or bridge and keep on going.    If you can stand the heat, you can even buy fish food and feed the fish along its banks.  I always enjoy feeding the fish and even if I'm in my thirties now, I still enjoy it as if I were a six year old child.

They just renovated the market area so now you can easily walk through.  What do they have? Anything you could think of, but here they are famous for steamed five spice duck and fried snake-head fish in fish sauce, and pomelo.  Yes, Nakorn Pathom is famous for its sweet Pomelos.

Right next to the market is a shop that specialises in pomelos and I have to tell you they don't disappoint.  Last week we bought some for the first time (usually we buy it roadside) and I have to admit they are really sweeter than the ones I've had before.  They are a little more expensive than the ones elsewhere, but I suppose you get what you pay for.  You can also tell them if you want pomelos for eating right away or for eating next week and the lady will choose them for you. 

For antique lovers, next door is an antique shop selling odd objects and even old children's toys.  I like to just look at it.  On one trip I spotted an old railway bench that used to sit at old railroad stations in Thailand and I decided one day I will try and find one.  The wood curves so beautifully around enabling you to sit at all sides.  I love it. 

For lunch, I recommend "Tik Pochana."  It's a corner restaurant that has now taken over several shop houses.  It gets incredibly busy and people queue up for tables.  If you don't like crowds then you can come earlier.  I usually go there for brunch at around 10.30am and it's just wonderfully quiet.  I like their fried fish in fish sauce, which is so fresh and crispy.   They also have good "hor mok" which is a little mixture of fish and coconut served in banana leaves. They have stir-fried mixed vegetables and also tom yums.  Even the fried omelet with minced pork is good.  It's no wonder they got the "shell shuan shim" logo which is a sign of delicious food.  So far I've liked every dish I've tried there.

If you want dessert, across from Tik Pochana is a shop selling thai cupcakes with different toppings, and across the road is a store famous for it's sticky rice that you eat with mangoes.  They also sell a variety of other desserts to tempt you.  We had the coconut ice cream with sticky rice toppings and peanuts.  It was good.  Not too heavy.

So now I've revealed one of my favorite getaways from Bangkok.  :)  I hope you like it as much as I do!