Pak Khlong Talat is a market in Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 that sells flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s, fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

s, and vegetable

Vegetable

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....

s. It is the primary flower market in Bangkok and has been cited as a "place[] of symbolic values" to Bangkok residents. It is located on Chak Phet Road and adjacent side-streets, close to Memorial Bridge

Memorial Bridge, Bangkok

The Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, in Thailand, connecting the districts Phra Nakhon and Thonburi.The bridge was opened on 6 April 1932, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Chakri Dynasty...

. Though the market is open 24 hours, it is busiest before dawn, when boats and trucks arrive with flowers from nearby provinces.

The market has a long history. During the reign of Rama I (1782–1809), a floating market

Floating market

A floating market is a market where merchandise is sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chiefly found in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam...

 took place on the site of the modern Pak Khlong Talat; by the reign of Rama V (1868–1910), it had changed to a fish market

Fish market

A fish market is a marketplace used for marketing fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both...

. The fish market was eventually converted to today's produce market, which has existed for over 60 years. The market's focus has shifted from produce to flowers as the Talat Thai market on the outskirts of Bangkok has become a more attractive site for produce wholesaling.

Most of the flowers sold in the market are delivered from Nakhon Pathom

Nakhon Pathom Province

Nakhon Pathom ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi...

, Samut Sakhon

Samut Sakhon Province

Samut Sakhon ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.- Etymology :...

, and Samut Songkhram

Samut Songkhram Province

Samut Songkhram ) is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon. Local people call Samut Songkhram Mae Klong. The province is the smallest of all Thai provinces areawise...

 provinces, though flowers that require cooler growing temperatures may come from as far away as Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Province

Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...

 or Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai Province

Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. In the north it borders Shan State of Myanmar and Bokeo of Laos.-Geography:...

. The market's produce selection is extensive and is delivered from across the country.

The market accommodates both consumers and wholesalers and has a wide variety of customers. Many local florists visit the market in the early morning hours to stock their shops for the coming day. The urban poor who make a living stringing and selling phuang malai

Phuang malai

Phuang malai are a Thai form of floral garland. They are often given as offerings or kept for good luck.-References:* http://www.thailandlife.com/phuangmalai.htm* http://www.thaiwave.com/benjarong/variety/garlands-smells.htm...

 (flower garlands) buy sacks of jasmine

Jasmine

Jasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...

 and marigold

Tagetes

Tagetes is a genus of 56 species of annual and perennial mostly herbaceous plants in the sunflower family . The genus is native to North and South America, but some species have become naturalized around the world. One species, T...

blossoms. Though the market is documented in guidebooks, it receives few foreign tourists.