Canals · Thonburi side

The Khlongs of Thonburi

คลองบางกอกน้อย · บางกอกใหญ่

Longtail boats, stilt houses and floating kitchens — the last working canals of the 'Venice of the East'.

Jing ler? — no way

Plot twist: the Chao Phraya flowing through central Bangkok is artificial. In 1542 a shortcut canal was dug across a huge river loop; the river switched into it and never went back. The 'canals' Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai are the original river.

Jing ler? — no way

Nineteenth-century visitors called Bangkok the 'Venice of the East' — most of the city moved by water, and houses floated on rafts. The east bank filled its canals to make roads; Thonburi refused, which is why longtail boats still commute here every morning.

Source & further reading: Wikipedia · District guide: Thonburi side

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