Life in a canal-side village in Bangkok

Many of the bridges that span the canals are still the original wooden ones, but are being steadily replaced by concrete overpasses.

One of the pleasures of living in a large city (10 million) is that there are still delightful pockets of traditional life to be found not far off the major streets. Many canals ("klongs") remain, much fewer than a hundred years ago, but still major influences on the lives of thousands of villagers who live on them. This post is a record of a visit to one of many villages that lie between Ramkhamhaeng and Serithai Roads (also known by their previous pre-development names Sukhapibahn 3 and Sukhapibahn 2, respectively), large, busy parallel thoroughfares that traverse Bangkok's easternmost districts.

I have wandered through this village more than once (see Bangkok Photo Rambles  https://www.facebook.com/photoramblers/), and each time notice something new, greet people previously met, and am greeted by new friendly faces. During a recent ramble, photographer friend Jeremiah Boulware (https://jeremiahboulware.com/) and I returned to wander some familiar paths and to explore new ones. Here are my photo impressions. More will soon be posted on Bangkok Photo Rambles, including Jeremiah's images of the morning.

Note: All photos are copyrighted by the author. No images may be used for any purposes without permission. Please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com

A typical scene of walkway construction along the canals. This one is made of concrete, which replaced the deteriorated wooden one.

Although the majority of the inhabitants are Muslim, there is a Chinese Buddhist temple in the middle of the village. 

A beautiful butterfly with a damaged wing kindly pauses for a photo.

As this was a major holiday, lottery sales were brisk. Here a man rides through the neighborhood with tickets to sell.

A beautifully weathered door with seashell adornments on the window grate. The planks at the bottom form a ramp for the owner's cat to freely access and leave the house.

There are many cats living in this village, which wander along the walkways, hiding in bushes and behind ceramic water tanks.

This old chain has apparently been repaired recently.

It is unusual to see lace curtains here. I do not know the origin of this one, which was folded over an outdoor railing.

A woman and her daughter set up their portable shop, which has items hanging from a frame on a pickup truck. This is a common sight in Thailand.

We chose to walk along a newly asphalted street tht runs along an adjoining klong that we had not explored before. There were many interesting sights along the way.

A small cement statuary piece. Children and animals are often depicted on these whimsical outdoor displays.

An elderly man collects twigs and branches from the canal banks and for a reason we could not determine, burns them.

This Chinese "spirit house" altar sits neglected under a tree near the bike path.

A young boy paddles a boat with his mother along the klong. When asked where they were going, she replied that her son enjoys going out in the boat, so they do it every once in a while.

Jeremiah captures images of a man checking his nets for fish and small river shrimp.

In the small nets were many small shrimp that he collected to be eaten, either dried or cooked. Many villagers still raise poultry and livestock, even in the city, or catch fish and/or plant fruit trees and gardens to supplement their diets.

In the large net were medium sized fish, which he left in, as the weight was too much for one person to manage and also collect the fish. He politely declined our offer to help; his wife will help him later.

As we left the klong and headed back toward the temple, we walked along a wider street that led us to a local school. Here another vendor cycles through the streets hoping for lottery ticket sales. 

A man sleeps alongside the street. Naps are a way of life here.

A broom salesman pedals through the streets, announcing his presence with a small bulb horn mounted on the handlebars. Each vendor's horn has a unique sound and rhythm, so residents know what product is coming their way.

A school van sits abandoned near the school.

Cooking pots in a window of the school's kitchen

A window in a passageway through canal-side shops.

A good luck ornament hangs above a house entrance.

A young girl gives a quick glance as she returns home from a nearby shop.

Two women wheel their portable grill (for making gai yang, or grilled chicken) from Ramkhamhaeng Road to the village. I was sorry that we were leaving, as gai yang is one of my favorite Thai foods, and it would take them awhile to cook it!

A man makes spicy papaya salad (som tam) on Ramkhamhaeng Road near the village. Many small food vendors were doing a brisk business on this holiday.

A woman from the village comes to buy food on Ramkhamhaeng Road.

A man sells many types of vegetables, including cooked corn (still warm) from his motorcycle. This is a common method of portable vending. We bought grilled chicken, spicy papaya salad and sticky rice before heading home.

Thank you for visiting this site. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Send questions and comments to me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com