Chao Phraya River, Bangkok Thailand - Travel Tale and Guide

Hotels Near The Chao Phraya River:   Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers    The Menam Riverside Hotel Riverfront Residence, Executive Serviced Apartment

"Byyyy"(go) cries a barefooted boat boy who clad in shorts and little else skips with nonchalant ease along the inches wide wooden walkway which encloses the length of the pitching long tailed boat, so called for the extended propeller which protrudes on a two metre pole from the back of our colorful canal boat. In fact his call of "byyy" is barely necessary as the raised prow no sooner breaks speed to pick up the throng of passengers waiting at the wooden jetty before darting off once more. Fortunately, the gods are smiling and apart from one elderly gentlemen who was thrown violently backwards onto a thankfully vacant bench, we manage to seat ourselves safely as we speed off with a plume of water rising behind us.

This is my regular commute on Khlong Saen Saep where, the city continuing just yards above, canal boats churn up the dirty water of down town Bangkok. As they speed, monks, businessmen, university students and assorted others along a network of canals linking a city better known for its polluted expressways and hour long traffic jams than for its waterways that link a surprisingly large potion of this modern metropolis.

Water travel, and water itself, has always been an integral part of Thai life, perhaps the most important reason being that the Thais originally settled by rivers. Such was or is the importance of the river to Thai life that the Thai word for river "May Naam" translates literally as Mother water; A country that experiences periodic floods deemed houses on stilts the obvious choice, hence the bungalows so prevalent in even high lying areas of the kingdom; For the same reason there is little point planting decorative flowers or trees in your garden just to watch them washed away and so the popularity of potted plants. in the country, in the city, in apartment blocks, even on boats!; Both sea and river fish feature in almost all Thai meals; Fish sauce is an addition to almost all dishes and rather than the chips or chocolate bars that western youth chomp upon, the favored Thai snack is dried fish or squid; Two of Thailand s most important religious festivals have water as their central theme, Loy Krathong, where Kathongs- small floats made of reed and twine with a lit candle placed on top- are floated on either the river, or if there is no river close enough, any area of open water and Songkran, the Thai new year also features water as its major theme as the youth of the city descend on each other decked out with the most modern of water guns and lounging in the back of pick ups waiting for victims in a manner akin to Somali warlords; The royal barge festival...but i think my point is made, water is at the very center of Thai life .

An semi-elderly resident of the city Khun Gai, in his early 60's, kept me enthralled for two hours talking of a time in his childhood when the canals teemed with fish and he used to swim unworried with his friends in the cool water running adjacent to his house in central Bangkok. Go back another hundred years and the whole of the city was linked by shaded canals such as these and people felt nothing of popping in the family boat to row twenty minutes up stream to visit a friend. It is sad to report then that he tells me this same canal he used to frolic happily in, is now as black as tar and only those who really have to venture into the water. This merely verifies what we already know, that in the 21st century there's little time for placid journeys along shaded canals, and the noodle vendors who ply their trade from small boats are on their way out. Some beauty does remain however, its just a little harder to find.

The most visible of waterway in Bangkok is of course the Chao Phraya which neatly bisects the city, with Thonburi to the east and Bangkok proper to the west. From Cow Tha restaurant on Thewet Pier (easily identifiable on any map) you can observe rusting barges pulling raw materials up from the port, the speed boats of Bangkok's affluent middle class, the river taxis which shuttle people from Nontaburi in the north as far south as Bangkok's port in the gulf of Thailand, and of course the ubiquitous long tail taxi's. The surface greenery which often coats the river for me adds to the beauty but is seen as a weed and a never ending battle is being fought to rid the river of it. Interestingly enough it was introduced from some foreign land by a long dead princess who one can only presume admired it as much as I did but was unaware of its resilient nature

Experiencing river life couldn't be easier and boarding at any of Bangkok's many Piers (Tan Nam) is simply a case of waiting for the next river taxi and leaping aboard. Do leap quick though as these drivers aren't hanging around for you to gingerly tiptoe aboard. If you do fall in don't worry too much though (easy to say), a colleague of mine fell in several years past and suffered not ill effects, apart from the huge lose of face brought about by the chuckling crowd. One shouldn't laugh, but the sight of a tourist flapping around like a turtle with his huge backpack dragging him down and trying to keep the latest model Nikon above water does seem to raise a few grins-not from me of course- but from other less compassionate souls.

Traveling south from Thewet offers interesting urban scenery, one of the most impressive being Wat Arun-the temple of dawn, its 80 meter tower a clearly visible landmark, rising high into Bangkok's smog ridden air. Unlike Stonehenge or Angkor Wat there are, perhaps unwisely, no rules against climbing up the tower. It's bit steep and certainly not for the faint of heart but offers a birds eye view of the river.

Traveling further south down the river comes one of the most impressive sites of the lot. Set back a bit from the river the golden spires of the Grand palace, a short walk if you choose to get off here, rise up in royal splendor and the occasional kite being flown in Sanam Luang, the nearby park, adds more color to an already beautiful scene. This is where you should get off, if you fancy a visit to the grand palace and its famous adjacent temple Wat phae Kaew-The tremple of the emerald Buddaha. Highly revered by the Thais the actual emerald Buddha left me a bit unimpressed. Not as large as I had been led to believe (it's actually made of jade) it stands upon a huge pedestal and looks about two inches high when viewed from the ground. It's probably closer to four feet. Nevertheless this temple is well worth a visit for its murals alone. Painted onto the temple compound walls and indeed the temple itself are truly beautiful depictions of the Ramakeeyen, the Thai version of the Ramayana, the Indian story of Rama's battles against the forces of evil. He is aided by his faithful side-kick Hanuman, a kind of monkey- giant- man- god- thing.

North from Thewet takes you past temple grounds reaching to the rivers edges, abandoned European style depots from yesteryear, numerous children playing in the dubiously clean water up to Nontaburi (easily recognizable by its plethora of docked boats and its huge bell tower). (I used to live on the Thonburi side of the river and walking across the bridge at night would have to be very careful not to knock over any fisherman's tackle as they dangled their line the hundred feet or so down to the river. In all my trips I never actually saw anyone catch anything but would have been amused to see the fishes journey from the water to the fisherman's hands some 100 feet above).

If after reaching Nonthaburi, the furthermost reach of the river taxis, you haven't seen enough of what the river north of Thewet has to offer then a trip can easily be arranged from one of the numerous boats waiting to take you to Koh Kret , a river island that's claim to fame seems to be sand stone carvings of Buddha images and the like, and numerous Kanom, Thai sweets. If you love sweet food, a trip round the island by boat makes an interesting diversion but annoyed the hell out of me due to the Thai's infatuation with food (any resident of the city will tell you that the Thai people revere with all there might, not Lord Buddha, But Lord Aharn -food- and a trip is not a trip with out at least four or five stops for food and in this case Kanom. It seemed that every time the boat started to move we were stopping for everyone to disembark and buy yet another kind of home made candy. Dripping with syrup they're a bit sweet for my taste but certainly proved popular with my fellow shipmates.

If it's canals you're interested in then just like a river trip it couldn't be easier. Consult your map.(I'm sure you have one) and board a canal boat on the canal nearest the world trade center. This is Khlong Saen Saep of which I spoke earlier, the biggest and most used of Bangkok's canals with regular boats and semi-clean water. Once the haunt of opium boats and pleasure barges, it now serves, along with its many arterial routes, as the most used commuter canal in the city. Basically get on any boat going left (back to world trade center) to head towards Banglampoo, the backpackers ghetto, or right to head out into less urban areas of the city. For my money, head left when you board the boat as at least when you've had enough you get off somewhere instead of in the middle of nowhere.

Either direction you're riding low below ground level, passing old wooden houses and getting a glimpse into the everyday life of Thai folk for whom to at least some, time seems to have stood still. Wooden houses facing straight out on to the Khlong with mothers bathing their children or doing the dishes, children splashing around in water I've already hinted might not be the cleanest around, workers washing off after a hot dirty day and relaxing with a few Krong Thip- the local cigarette and shots of straight Maekong - mixers cost money you know, and old gents just passing the time of day watching their world go by.

River or canal, they are both unforgettable experiences and if at all possible you should try at get afloat at least once during your stay in the city. It could be the highlight of your time in the City of Angels.

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