Welcome back again Steemians in my last blog about our trip to Koh Kret, I gave you a taster of the journey over to the small man made island. If you didn't read my first instalment, Koh Kret is an island in the Chaopraya river, 20 km north of Bangkok. The island was created as the meandering river was too tight for long barges to get around, so they they created a straight channel across, which formed the island. We finally got onto the island and it was packed full of things to see! I hope you enjoy our journey so let's begin!

Food and Fish

We arrived on the island at about midday and any good exploration requires an explorer to be fully fuelled for the journey ahead. We found a small local-style restaurant to energise ourselves for the journey. Although soon after sitting down my junior explorer had decided that we needed to go feed the fish, as they would also be hungry. It was a good opportunity to get a quick look around and some photos by the riverside. Junior Explorer wasn't happy with his first feeding spot and searched around looking for a prime feeding perch. After trying a few places he struck gold with an uncountable amount of river dwellers flapping and jumping to get some of the food upon offer. Once the fish were satisfied we went back, Junior Dolittle had some fried rice, which he barely touched and I had a classic Pad Thai with shrimp, but by the time we got back my noodles were stuck together like gum! Don't worry it didn't take long to prise them apart with my pocket-sized crowbar!

Junior Explorer, looking for the right spot

Flapping fish

Pad Thai after being prised apart!

He barely ate any, luckily for him I was there to assist!

Market Shopping at a Snail's Pace

There was a lot of stuff to buy and obviously the locals must rely on the trade of visiting tourists and most of those tourists were Thai, although I did see a few groups with a tour guide. Now the one problem with the path which follows around the island is that it's far too narrow! I actually get quite claustrophobic and when people stop to buy things from the never ending amount of shops either side of the path, there is no space to move or pass. This resulted in hip straining dolly steps for most of the journey along the path. The shops had many handmade crafts, including a guy who made homemade lollipops, which he moulded into various characters. As you can imagine Junior Explorer's eyes glued instantly to this man's stall and every shop selling toys!

The island is renowned for its Mon Tribe pottery, the tribe have been present on the island for just under 300 years. There are many kilns dotted around the island producing various clay pottery, such as the intricate designs above.

One of the many shops hypnotising children as they make contact

Junior Explorer was loving this guy's handmade Thai lollipops!

Check out this monkey with a fishing rod, the lollipop maker has got the skills, I hope it helps to pay the bills!

This was how busy it was for the whole way through the market walkway!

The heads that look like monsters on the table are the heads of Thai giants, known as 'Yaks', you will often see huge sculptures of these giants in front of temples, the characters are seen as guardians, who protect the temple against evil spirits.

Escaping the Masses Watching the Boats Pass by

All of the Explorer family were getting tired of the dolly steps, so we diverted off course to escape the human traffic on the main path. We spotted a coffee shop which was riverside, so we jumped at the opportunity for some time to chill and watch the world pass by. The river was busy with an array of aquatic vessels, it was interesting to see how the locals travelled by water. The boats passing provided us with a sense of calmness after the bombardment from our common Earth destroyers. Here are a collection of the vessels which caught our eyes.

One of the many delivery boats, this one looked like it had finished its work for the day.

The ferries were non-stop coming back and forth across the river, always full of passengers.

This speedster zipped past and was long gone in no time!

The couple on the jet-ski looked like they were having a whale of a time, they blasted past with huge beaming smiles on their faces.

This old dear was the highlight of the waterways even if she didn't know it! She looked like she was in her late sixties and she was shifting the big gas tanks around as if they were cans of coke! This was while the young male members on the boat sat lazily watching Super Gran do all the work!

Thank you for taking time to check out my blog, please swing by to check out the final part of my Koh Kret Exploration - The Dessert!

Never stop exploring!

Peace out fellow Steemians