On the western bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite the busy city of Bangkok, is the district of Thonburi. Here you won't find the tall skyscrapers and the chaos of the city; you are taken back to an earlier time when Bangkok was known as the 'Venice of the East' and life was slower and revolved around the canals or khlongs. We took an afternoon longtail boat ride along these waterways.
I wouldn't go swimming in the khlongs but the kids seemed to be having a great time!
This old lady was waiting for our boat to arrive - it was obviously a planned stop - she was selling a variety of goods straight from her little boat.
We then stopped at a real floating market. There were shops on the water...
...and shops on the land
There were a variety of homes on the khlongs, from rundown shacks to the more classy but what they all shared in common was a waterfront view!
It was a great experience to take a trip through the khlongs of Thonburi.
Great pictures John and even greater that I was with you in the longtail boat. Although I had some difficulty getting in and out of the boat it was well worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteYou're pretty quick with the blog and I still haven't finished unpacking! Photos are great, I didn't get the kids in the water! love Jude
ReplyDeleteI am thinking sea level rise might be a bit of an issue to those living on the fringes of the khlongs
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