水上巴刹
The Floating Market
一日晨，我们为了要到水上巴刹去选取角度入画，所以大家都起了一个絕早。准备就绪后，便亟亟驱车前往码头，雇了一艘游艇，沿河而上。是时，晨曦微明，朝烟弥漫，我们所乘坐的汽船，在那黄褐色混浊的河面上疾驰而过，只见游艇过处，那黄褐色的水面上，便划出了白练似的一线。河的兩岸，多是渔家，果园、竹林或是庙宇寺塔。其中以高巍的郑王寺內的Phra Prang 宝塔最引人注目。它以六十七米突的高度，有如巨人似地矗立在湄南河畔，那用鲜艳花纹的碗盘，以及玻璃瓷片镶嵌，堆砌装饰的塔幢，在晨光的映照之下，闪烁发光，五色缤纷，绚烂夺目 ! 在湄南河上往来的船舶，种类真多 •• 有极小的独木舟，帆船、汽艇、貨船，还有顺流而下的木排，俨如织女投梭般地川流不息。虽然是那么的喧嚣嘈杂，然而，我们都被这新鲜的景致，吸引了注意力，已完全没有喧扰的感觉了。
湄南河不但是一条风光绮丽，富有诗情画意的河流，同时还是泰国最有经济价值的河流呢 ！她蜿蜓曲折地流过广阔低洼的平原，造成良田万顷，沃野千里，使泰国成为一个柚木繁茂、农产丰富的快乐国土。这都是湄南河的赐予啊 ！
我们的船沿着纵横的河道，渐走渐窄，不久便到达了吞里府。在河道上，有许多妇女划着狭长的小船，从农场或果园运载了各种蔬菜和果子，都集中在这水上巴刹兜卖。举凡椰子，黄梨，红毛丹，香蕉，龙眼，人心果，木瓜，以及各种瓜豆， 蔬菜，鱼肉之类，真是应有尽有。那鲜艳，丰富而又复杂的色彩，巳足以促进你的食欲了。 每天当第一道曙光，照射在这平静的水面上时，那些穿着郁金色僧袍的和尚，便开始以熟练灵敏的手法，摇着黑色的木桨，划动狭长的舢舨，沿着河道，挨戶去化缘了。在这水上巴刹最特色的要算是水上餐馆了 -- 其实，所谓水上餐馆，也不过是一艘扁长的舢舨而已，沿着河道贩卖，有咖啡、米粉 ，以及各种的食物，都是在船上烹煮的，你只要把船泊近，便可一试其口味了。 船只往来如鲫，这种水上贸易的现象，显出泰国水乡生活的特殊情调。每天早晨，这些水上巴刹都充满了热闹的气氛，男男女女都在晨光曦微中，开始他们的辛勤买卖，水上巴刹的确是别具风趣的热闹市场 ！
我们在桥下停船，勾取了几幅画稿，同伴们有的去买墨拓的佛像，有的去买当地的土产，或其他的纪念品。我則在后座勾了几幅织布女工的画稿，又摄取了不少的照片，在这河道兩旁的水上房屋，也是具有特別的一魅力的。這种浮屋接连数里，是多么引人入胜 ！
我们在这里可以找到无数动人的画面。 你看 ！那静静流动着的河水， 动荡着的舢舨，加上弯弯的虹桥， 以及堤岸上匆匆往来的人群， 完全是一幅动的旋律啊！尤其是那扁长的小舟，如鸭嘴般的船头，男女的衣著，形形色色都表现出特有的风格。这些都是只在此时此地才能获取的画面。我站在桥上俯视着那穿梭般的船只，络绎不绝地从桥下穿过，远眺着那满载货品的船只，如八字形的停泊在那曲折河道的两岸，河的中央，就是往来交通的水路了，不断的都有白银似的水浪，拉着长长的线条， 在云霞灿烂的光辉之下，组成了一幅多么富有节奏感的画面阿！在这里，我们又可以丰收了！
One morning, in order to choose a painting perspective at the floating market, we all got up very early. After getting ready, we hurried to the pier and hired a boat to go up the river. At that time, the dawn was breaking, with a hazy mist in the air. Our boat sped along the muddy river, leaving a white wake behind it. Along the riverbanks were mostly fishing villages, orchards, bamboo groves, or temples. Among them, the towering Wat Chong Kham temple was the most eye-catching. Rising to a height of 67 meters, it stood like a giant by the banks of the Mae Nam River. The temple's colorful patterns, mosaic of glass pieces, and intricate decorations shone brilliantly in the morning light. Boats crisscrossing on the Mae Nam River, ranging from small wooden canoes to sailboats, motorboats, cargo ships, and even timber rafts floating downstream, created a bustling and lively scene. Though it was so noisy, we were completely absorbed by this fresh scenery, and the noise didn't bother us at all.
The Mae Nam River isn't just a picturesque and poetic river; it's also one of Thailand's most economically significant rivers. It meanders through vast lowlands, creating fertile farmland and turning Thailand into a joyful land of teakwood forests and abundant agriculture. This is all thanks to the Mae Nam River!
Our boat followed the winding river channels, gradually becoming narrower until we reached Thonburi. On the river, many women were paddling long, narrow boats loaded with various vegetables and fruits from farms or orchards, all gathered here to be sold at the floating market. Coconuts, pineapples, rambutans, bananas, longans, custard apples, papayas, and various vegetables and fish—it was all there, in vibrant and diverse colors. The vibrant and rich, yet complex colors were enough to stimulate your appetite. Every day, at the first light of dawn, monks in golden robes began skillfully rowing their small boats down the river, going from house to house to collect alms. One of the most distinctive features of this water market is the floating restaurants—or rather, small boats—selling coffee, rice noodles, and various other foods, all prepared right on board. All you had to do was pull your boat up to try their flavors. The bustling atmosphere of these water markets in the early morning truly made it a unique and lively market!
We stopped the boat under a bridge and created several sketches. Some of our companions bought ink rubbings of Buddha images, while others purchased local products or souvenirs. I, on the other hand, sketched some female weavers in the background and took many photos. The houses on both sides of the river were also particularly charming. These floating houses stretched for miles and were incredibly captivating.
Here, we could find countless captivating scenes. Just look at the gently flowing river, the bustling boats, the graceful arched bridges, and the people bustling back and forth on the riverbanks—it was like a flowing melody! Especially the long, flat boats with their duckbill-like bows, the clothing of men and women, and all the different styles—they all showed unique charm. These were scenes that could only be captured at this moment and in this place. I stood on the bridge, overlooking the boats passing through like shuttles under the bridge. In the distance, boats loaded with goods were anchored along both sides of the winding river. The central river was the main waterway for traffic. The continuous silvery waves, stretching like long lines, formed a scene full of rhythm under the brilliant radiance of the clouds. Here, we could once again harvest a treasure trove of images!