Bangkok - Canal People

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Geo: 13.7185, 100.518

Today we decided to see the other side of Bangkok. We chartered what is known here as a Long Tail Speedboat. It is a long narrow boat powered by an unusual variation of an outboard motor. Basically it is an automobile motor (no muffler or pollution controls) with a very long shaft which extends into the water with a propeller which can be tipped into the water. They are very fast.

To enter into the area of the canal people you have to pass through a lock. This area is below the level of the river.

The type of housing varies greatly. Some houses are on reclaimed land while many are on stilts of either wood or preferably concrete.

The infrastructure in the area is in poor condition. There were places where what I presumed to be sewer lines were broken.

Once we left the canal area we visited the Museum of the Royal Barges.

Thankfully it did not rain while we were on the water but we discovered upon arriving back at the dock that it had rained by the hotel. We stopped for a beer at a local restaurant and the skies opened up.

We returned to the boat dock around dinner time to go to Chinatown. Most of the storefronts had closed and the evening trade on the street was opening. The bulk of the stalls were selling food and there was a brisk trade to say the least. We were somewhat unsure about buying from the stalls because we were not sure what we might be eating.

Back by boat and the Thai restaurant we ate at last night.

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Comments

[crw]

Hope you kept your mouth shut while riding the long boats as the water spray can be quite toxic. I always got a kick out off seeing some people along the river have their feet in the river water while watching tv. The tv had to be mounted h
igh on the walls in their homes as their abodes would be flooded by seasonal rains or waves made by boats as they pass.

[itchy-feet-bc]

My small umbrella fell into the water while getting out of the boat. We were headed back to the hotel so I sprayed it down in the shower.