Food lovers: head to Bangkok's floating markets for a taste explosion

Floating waterways not far from the Thai capital are a great place to challenge your eating habits.

While it may be a good time to be back in Britain right now with us all enjoying the delights of a roast turkey and all the oh so delicious trimmings, if you have a palate that prefers things with a little more spice and kick then why not head to Bangkok on your next trip?

If you've done any travelling around Asia before, you'll know that the Thai capital is a wonderful place to sample all sorts of delicacies, some more appealing than others. Yes, we're looking at you deep fried grass hopper.

Often many people's first stop when travelling around Asia, Bangkok is a great place to begin a tour of this part of the world but be sure to stop off at its gastronomic heart: the floating markets.

These markets offer visitors the chance to sample not just many types of food prepared fresh on the many stalls by the waterside, but also give you the chance to explore the Thai way of life as you watch traders and shoppers haggle and banter among the colourful wares.

Located about 80km outside of Bangkok is one of the most popular markets, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi province. This area was unaffected by the recent flooding and while some of the markets north of the city remain closed, most have now opened again with 91 per cent of the flood damaged areas now returned to normal, according to authorities.

The Damnoen Saduak market has bustling waterways, packed with longtailed boats full of fruit and veg and all sorts of delicious things to try.

You've no doubt heard the stories about some of the more unusual things on offer from some stalls but the best thing to do is be brave and try as much as you can, after all, travelling around south-east Asia is not something we can promise to do more than once in a lifetime.

And with recent research showing that Brits are some of the most timid travellers when it comes to sampling foreign foods, have a go at trying to improve our reputation on that front by eschewing the Thai green curry and going for something a little more unusual. Who knows, you may just find a new favourite dish.