Thursday, February 1, 2024

Travelogue 2024/1: The Green Side of Bangkok (Thailand)

Bangkok is a delightful city, vibrant and diverse. I enjoy visiting it frequently. Amidst the chaos and hustle, you’ll discover the true hidden gems, the most beautiful spots, the friendliest people, the most surprising alleys, and the best-cared-for cats. But sometimes, you have to escape the crowds, the noise, the heat and the grime.

In this travelogue I describe three excursions in Bangkok: two immersed in green and one on the water. 🌿💧

Walking through Bang Kachou, Samut Prakan

Today, we embarked on an excursion to Bangkok’s “green lung,” a vast area enclosed by a river loop. First, we took the bus (number 47 from National Stadium), a very old vehicle with holes in the wooden floor through which you could see the road. But also, there was a screen indicating the stops. Traffic flowed reasonably well, except for one instance where we needed to turn right, but the lane we had to cross remained blocked due to congestion. Another bus forced its way through. After 40 minutes, we reached the final stop.

We started with a cup of coffee at Amazon. The two (!) ladies behind the counter guided us to the restrooms, which were somewhat hidden in an adjacent empty market. We stocked up on provisions at one of the two 7-Eleven stores flanking the Amazon Café. Next, we took a short walk to the pier. The Chao Phraya River was noticeably wider here. On the left, you could see the harbour and sea vessels. We were ferried across in a small boat.

Initially, the area was filled with rental bicycles and parked motorcycles, but soon we found ourselves walking amidst greenery, passing small houses and fields. The footpath we followed for a few kilometres was an elevated concrete walkway—truly beautiful. You could hear various birds singing in the trees and animals rustling in the leaves, although they were mostly hidden from view.



After about an hour, we reached the botanical garden, a meticulously landscaped park. We strolled through the rear section, where efforts were made to restore three types of original forests, including apple mangroves characterized by their small aerial roots shooting out of the ground. It was green, airy, and peaceful, making the heat bearable. At the park’s edge, a passage led to a small café just outside. There, we enjoyed a refreshing cool drink.

All in all, we walked for a solid 2½ hours before returning to the jetty. Including the bus ride, it was a full-day excursion. 🌿🌞

Phi Suea Samut Fort, Paknam, Samut Prakan

Another substantial excursion. It began with 40 minutes on a cold BTS (Skytrain) ride to Pak Nam. The crowd quickly thinned out, while on the opposite platforms, towards the city, many people were waiting. From Paknam BTS, we walked into town. It felt different right away: the air was clearer, with fewer gasoline fumes and more sea breeze. And it felt somewhat less sophisticated and more provincial. We stopped at Inthanin, a coffee shop, for a decent cup of coffee. The coffee shop didn’t have a restroom. But having learned from previous experiences, I understood the girl when she gestured: outside, to the left, to the left. Indeed, there was a narrow passage. And at the back, there was a turnstile where you could insert 5 baht. Behind it were the restrooms.



We continued walking to the market, through the market, and at the back there was a pier. A medium-sized wooden boat arrived swiftly. It was busy as we crossed the river. We navigated between large cargo ships and naval vessels, eventually docking behind Phi Suea Samut Island. We were near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, where it meets the sea, so the water was brackish and tidal. Under the footbridge from the pontoon to the shore, a mudskipper spectacle unfolded in the mud. We had never seen such large ones, up to 20 cm long. They looked eerie. Usually, they sat still, but sometimes they crawled with their fins through the mud or swam away. Smaller ones, around 10 cm in size, displayed beautiful green hues and occasionally raised their dorsal fins. Occasionally, a crab emerged from a hole in the mud, its disproportionately large claw adding to the sense of awe.

We walked through a slightly smaller market toward the street. Turning right, we passed a row of shops, most of which were closed, heading toward the temple. Through a peculiar, half-decayed building, you could climb the stairs to the suspension bridge over the river's tributary that ran along this side of the island. That small island was mostly a nature reserve, home to mangroves, snakes, bats, and large white birds. A concrete path on stilts led to the southern tip, where a fort stood - guarding the river mouth. The fort had rooms for troops, ammunition, cannons, and periscopes. There was a statue of an admiral and an exhibition with posters about an incident involving the French.

Until then, it had been a reasonably cool morning, but the walk back was quite warm. Returning to the Paknam side, we headed to the OK restaurant, which had garnered some attention on social media. It was nicely decorated, and the owner was an enthusiastic man. Although they promoted vegetarian options, those were somewhat limited.

We walked to the large observation tower. It followed the tradition of watching for ships arriving from the sea. Even though today wasn't clear, you still had a beautiful view all the way from the river to the sea. The first few kilometres were visible, but the high-rise buildings of downtown Bangkok remained vague.

An elevated walkway connected the tower to the BTS station. However, finding the right floor and door in the tower proved challenging. And then we discovered that the walkway was closed. The reason was unclear. So, we ended up walking along busy roads to reach the BTS.

This, too, was almost a full-day excursion.

Three-Boat Tour

Just like Amsterdam, Bangkok is a city with many canals. I devised a route through the city that involves taking three different boats. We started at the Hua Chang pier, just south of the Rachathewi BTS station, but you can also board at the northern end of various Sukhumvit sois (such as 3, 15, 21), or even all the way at the Bang Kapi pier, where the Yellow Line runs.

Through the Saen Saep canal, large boats speed, leaving behind wild waves and blue plumes of smoke. These boats are popular for commuting. At the piers, they are not securely docked but rather pulled against the dock with a rope. Quick embarkation and disembarkation - then off they go. Small houses line the canal closely, allowing a glimpse inside.

We disembarked at the Bo Bae pier, situated right in the midst of a clothing market. Similar to the metro, skytrain, monorail, and train systems, transfer points are not well-coordinated. So, it was quite a walk to the next pier: Yek Lan Luang on Krung Kasem Road. This boat doesn't operate frequently - once an hour on weekends and only during the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. A small electric boat approached slowly, carrying just a handful of passengers. Serenely, we sailed down the Krung Kasem canal. This canal was wider, with more picturesque banks and busy roads running alongside.

At the endpoint, we had to walk again, passing locks and a pumping station where the canal meets the Chao Phraya River. Here lies the Thewes pier. Boats dock here by reversing against the floating jetty. Dozens of large boats ply the river, serving as crucial public transportation. There were also plenty of other boats - tourist boats, ferries, cargo ships - so it was bustling, requiring skilful manoeuvring by the captain and sometimes wild rocking in the waves. We sailed along for about half an hour. Along the way, we passed various landmarks such as the Royal Palace and Wat Arun. You can disembark there or stay aboard a little longer. From the Marine Department pier, you can walk through the southern part of Chinatown. Alternatively, from the Sathorn pier, you can take the BTS back to the city centre.


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