With it's headwaters in the mountains of Northern Thailand, the Chao Phraya is the main river in Thailand.
The river flows over 350km, through the heart of Thailand's central plains, the nation's food bowl.
It arrives at Bangkok with only 40km left in it's journey to the Gulf of Thailand.
The river is always brown, from the silt it picks up along the way.
Through Bangkok the river meanders back and forth and flows rapidly past the city. Add to that the strong tides and it can be quite difficult to navigate and it can be a little tricky to get on and off the ferries.
There is a real assortment of structures along it's banks, from the old to the new, but the main thing you notice is that the river is always alive with activity.
It is certainly one of the nicer places to be in Bangkok, with the cool breezes that blow off the water.
A ferry ride or a cruise on the Chao Phraya is certainly one of the highlights of a trip to Bangkok!
This amazing river sounds like it plays a vital role in everyday life in Bangkok. Pity it is so brown.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be a bit of lack of planning in terms of providing public space along the foreshores.
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