Navigating the back streets of Thonburi

[Gaccha]

Between the major streets that the intrepid farang can be seen loitering on are vast village enclaves that make Bangkok such a unique place. These are to be found on the wrong side of the river. They are incredible because of their lengthy history and the extraordinary number of tiny canals.

They are rarely visited as the maps are terrible. That is because most of the streets are so small that a motorbike can barely pass through. Yet these streets are full of atmosphere.

And since you can't find your way there is a real risk of getting trapped in the maze of twisting streets. I once entered a street from Itsarapap Street as a 10 minute shortcut, only to emerge 1 hour later at Phet Kasem 4. I use MapDroyd and some downloaded Google maps and a bike map to try to help.

The other danger is the dogs. Getting surrounded by a pack of hungry beasts is no laughing matter. I took gloves, a pile of stones, pepper spray and a golf umbrella to ward off this thread.

So I entered the Dangerzone and journeyed here:

a. The area

b. The journey

It involved canal paths, tiny canals and big canals, small sois, remote temples, village life in the centre of a city, gorgeous wildlife (cyan birds), and tourist watching. The tourists safely encased in their tour boats went by in Klong Mon.

b. the tour boats

c. the nature of the backstreets

I can only recommend this to the intrepid and to those who have done all the usual stuff... there are only so many times that the bacteriological museum at Siriraj Hospital and the gorilla at Pata Department Store can hold appeal...

Good luck, adventurers.

[vtjforyou]

Dangerous life you have...

[Gaccha]

Dangerous life you have...

I have travelled to many war zones, and I definitely fear dog attack more than an AK-47...

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

so, were the dogs actually that bad?

[JusMe]

Been a long time since I've meandered around that way, but I do remember having a fabulous time just "getting lost" in Thonburi.

Walk across a bridge and turn into any soi. Keep going, turn left, turn right, keep going - discover something by slowly walking through the areas.

You're never really lost. If you want, just keep going towards some main traffic road, or stop at a temple or mosque to ask directions to a main thoroughfare.

One can have a great time getting lost on that side of the river.

[phetphet]

Dangerous life you have...

I have travelled to many war zones, and I definitely fear dog attack more than an AK-47...

I wish I could find an effective deterrent for those bloody dogs that go for me when I am out riding on my bicycle.

[toybits]

Great Job Gaccha. Did something like this in a very different city.

[Gaccha]

My thoughts on dogs

I think the dogs can sense when you're ready for them. On the times they acted aggressively there were pretty cautious when they might otherwise have charged and surrounded me. I was also lucky. A couple of sleeping dogs could have trapped my route and forced an unpleasant showdown.

I had a 5 course rabies course recently after a bite. I would recommend the 3 jabs pre-bite course to anyone since you don't need the extremely hard-to-find medicine for that course. Since Thailand has the 3rd highest rate of rabies in the World and going into these small sois makes you a threat in the dogs eyes since is a pretty necessary caution.

On further points to adventure

(1) That block of streets surrounded by Phet Kasem PhraNok (now renamed Wanglang Street), Charansanitwong and ArunAmarin is the best adventure zone. But it's not the only zone. I strongly recommended as an entry-level adventure the block to the right side of Pinklao Bridge as you cross the river in Bangkok Noi.

(2) There is also an aztonishingly beautiful path along Bangkok Noi canal that is tough to spot. The west entrance is impossible to spot so you'll have to go from the east side. Enter at Arun Amarin Bridge in a tiny path snucked away near the stairs on the west side of the north face of the bridge. Once you enter you feel like you've just entered a nature reserve. If I can find pictures I'll post them. It leads to Charansanitwong Road through a winding path including a hidden village with old-style open houses.

(3) The other slum ("congested community" in the administrative lexicon) is the district where the Royal barges museum is located. Every street there is located on a canal. The community is made up of Muslims that were relocated after the creation of the Thonburi train station (that has since then moved 1km inland) on the river front. The locals have expressed fear of the Muslims near the mosque but I found them amiable enough.