Did you know that Bangkok is called the “Venice of the East”? It is a well-deserved name considering the large Chao Praya River and the beautiful canals, or khlongs, that wind throughout the city. These canals were dug in 1782 during the reign of King Rama I and were expanded throughout the 19th century primarily for transportation of goods and to connect temples, houses, and markets. Although there is now less of it, life still exists in close proximity to the water with houses lining the river that are accessible by boat and floating markets. We didn’t visit any of these markets in Bangkok as the best ones were out of town and we were feeling lazy, but we plan to check some out in Cambodia and northern Thailand.

Klong Bhang Luang Floating market

This is not a real floating market anymore, the shops are all in the riverside houses but not on boats. It is rather famous for its artistic scene. There is the Artist House, where you can buy or self made several stuff (paintings, jewellery, sculpture maybe)…

People can also feed the fish in the river. It is a very calm getout from the chaos of the city, especially for the people travelling with kids, we would highly recommend it. There we could also watch a traditional Thai puppet theater

Traditional Thai puppetry (hun lakhon lek)

It is an ancient art form similar to Japanese buruku puppetry, practiced since at least 1685. Shows were often performed for the monarchy and were extremely popular during King Taksin’s reign in the late 1700s. It is sadly fading from the cultural scene since World War II, but recently newly established groups trying to bring it back.

Each puppet, is controlled by two or three people with a rope and pulley system, which help make the puppet look as if it is gracefully dancing on stage. The shows are usually accompanied by both music and a narrator who normally tells a story derived from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Hindu Ramayana, which we learned about in Kuala Lumpur already.

Lot Wat Thep Thidaram

This particular canal was a true gem for us, we found it just by chance because we were overwhelmed by the traffic and started walking randomly and found the most local part of the Bangkok. We were invited by a very cheerful group who were drinking and eating by the river. They offered us some whisky soda (apparently that is quite a local drink here), they hardly spoke English but we understood each other and had a great time. Lovely people! Though they warned us not to walk around there at dark, apparently it can get quite dangerous.

Other than strolling around the canals, it is also possible to rent some longboats or take the touristic ferryboat in the bigger branches of the river. As a lot of temples and touristic attraction points are along the river, it is a great way to visit these places.

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