Bangkok – An unexpectedly wonderful Khlongs Tour (Day 2)

Last Updated on March 15, 2023 by PowersToTravel

But first, a moment to pay our respects to the memory of the great King Bhumipol

Continuing my narrative from my previous post…  we exited the Grand Palace complex.  We saw that the crowds were heading to the right, towards the city of Bangkok, instead of towards the river.  There were a lot of police directing pedestrians and wondered what else there was to see?  So we walked a couple of blocks and found wide line of people which extended beyond our sight.  Many had sun umbrellas and blankets and seemed content to wait what appeared to be hours and hours in the line.  It had a quiet but family atmosphere.

“What is this?” we asked a policeman.

“They are waiting to pay their respects to the dead king.”

Oh, we had bumped into the very end of the year of mourning for the previous king, King Bhumipol, who we learned later was beloved by his people.  The year of mourning had ended in October.  King Bhumipol had died at the age of 88 and had reigned, and kept the country stable, for 70 years.  He was the grandson of King Chualalongkorn, the prince in “The King and I.”  (Always my frame of reference.)

So now we knew why the streets were blocked off, and the reason for the metal detectors.  I’m thinking that the Grand Palace might not have been so crowded that early in the morning otherwise.

Along the side of the road outside the Grand Palace, a large memorial celebrated the king.

We knew that it might take days if we waited in line, so we wandered back towards the river, and wonder of wonders! we found an ice cream shop with air-conditioning in the arcade of shops along Na Phra Lan Road!  We also found a table in the back to enjoy our treat and the cool air.

Khlongs Tour

Onward to the river for our Khlongs Tour.  The previous day I had paid for, and reserved our private long-tail boat for our tour from a man on the Tha Chang pier.  Greg had not been pleased then that I had handed over so much money, 2,000  baht or approximately $64,  and all I got in return was a voucher.  Greg felt that I should just buy the ticket when we arrived to take the tour.  But I had read up on all of these adventures, had identified the correct reliable vendor (Mit Chao Phraya Co. Ltd) and due to the Saturday crowds felt that a reservation was the right way to go.

So we arrived on Tha Chang (pier) and presented our voucher.

“Come here, come here!” and they gestured us down a ramp to a large floating dock from which several long-tail boats were coming and going.  “We will tell when.  Soon.”

Soon.   Soon.   Soon.  I grabbed the water bottle which they had graciously given us, and drank a swig, then realized something was wrong.  It did not snap when I had opened it, and the neck of the bottle had one color plastic ring, which did not match the color of the lid.  Oh, my, I had read about this, how people sell water and try to disguise the fact that it is not bottled water!  I was very angry, but didn’t feel that our language would be up to making a fuss.  I drank some of Greg’s Diet Dr. Pepper, and hoped for the best.

Oh, I didn’t tell you yet?  Greg brought an entire suitcase full of 16 oz. bottles of Diet Dr. Pepper all the way from Rhode Island.  The Thailand portion of our trip would be accompanied by smiles and happiness.

Other people’s boats pulled up and they departed.  From the larger dock the Orange Flag boats swooped in, whistles blowing.  Officials alighted, with megaphones, yelling in Thai “Front of the boat! Move to the rear!  Move to the rear!”  A whistle would blow to announce the boat.  Whistles blow to announce its imminent departure, more whistles as the official jumped onto the boat.  What a hub-bub.

We ourselves waited much more silently, and waited and waited for our long-tail boat.  We kept asking, and kept getting, “Soon… Soon” answers.  I wonder if we would have been just as lucky to have not made a reservation?  At least making the reservation had not taken us out of the way the previous day.    Nothing was lost, but nothing was gained either.  (I’m still not unhappy about choosing Mit Chao Phraya Co – I’ve ready stories of people who get scammed by vendors on the street, who end up at jewelry stores and other rip-offs, after short rides.  At least we got the ride we wanted, and it was longer and better than expected… more later…)  The wait was entertaining, though long and hot.

Finally our boat arrived, after fifty-three minutes of waiting!   I know the exact wait time from my picture properties, as I entertained myself with taking pictures of all the boats which weren’t ours.

Oh, the disappointment!  All of the other boats were long, their graceful necks covered in colorful flower leis, and their tails complete with the roaring engine.  Our boat was squat, with a little fringed roof, no long-tail motor, and no flowers.  We were gestured in, and off we went, straight across the river, in a similar fashion to the ferry the previous day.  However this day we were in an even smaller boat, and the traffic on the river was heavier.

We surged up and dove down into the waves, and finally reached the canal which opened from the other side.

We quickly found that we were unable to continue as there was a canal lock immediately in front of us.  Our boatman tied us up to the wall and we waited, at least this time in the shade.

We watched as boat after boat came into the canal until it was filled with roaring long-tail boats.  Our boatman continued to rest, anchored to the side of the canal, while the other boats went in front of us.

Finally the lock opened to our side, and about eight long-tail boats surged out toward us, anxious to be on their way.  Next, the waiting long-tail boats navigated in, and I thought sadly, “They’re not going to let us in because we’re tiny.”  But then, boatman courtesy prevailed, and we found that they had saved a single slot in the middle, for us.  What a roaring noisy event as all the boats jostled into position.  Then what?  Did the water fill in and we were raised up?  Or did the water drain out and we were lowered?  I have no memory of the event except that it was suddenly tranquil event, as the long-tails cut their engines and we rested there crammed gunwale to gunwale in the lock.

The tranquility didn’t last for long.  Once to our proper canal level, the lock opened and the long-tails started their engines and roared forward.  We, in our little puddle of a boat, slowly left the lock, no roar, no flowers flying in the wind, just the put-put of our engine.

We soon found, however that we had the best of all possible tours.  Our little boat, as it slowly navigated up the canal gave me such an opportunity to view all of the life at the side of the canal, and get the pictures we always so desperately wanted.  We saw a monitor lizard the size of a full-sized alligator.  We saw the back of the houses, with the laundry flying in the breeze, as well as the racks of clothes just resting there, the back patios serving as the locals’ walk-in closets.  Colorful little bird houses kept beaconing my camera.  (It wasn’t until we met our guide on our drive north that we learned that they weren’t bird houses – they are spirit houses.  More on that later…)

We passed fishermen, and women in small dugout canoes with loads of market goods, wading egrets.

Oh, after the heat and throngs of people at the Grand Palace, and the long wait at the pier, this trip was the most beautiful, fascinating, tranquil journey through another life, a lifestyle which was so physically close to the modern city, yet so far away in time.

The canopy on our boat kept us shaded, and the movement created a light breeze.  Frequently the long-tailed boats would zoom past us, with laughing smiling tourists, and I thought, “Oh, but we are getting the best of this adventure!”

Taling Chan Floating Market

Our boat pulled up to a busy dock and we found ourselves at the Taling Chan Floating Market.  I had educated myself and learned that Khongs (Canal) tours on the weekend stopped at this weekend floating market, which was supposed to be much more entertaining and busy than the weekday “Thonburi Floating Market.”  That was one of the reasons we had chosen to do the tour during a very busy time, instead of when we might not have had to wait so long.

Dock workers helped us out of our boat, and we agreed on our meeting time with our boatman, and off we went to explore the market – our first Southeast Asian market!   I knew it was mostly oriented toward tourists, however I knew it wouldn’t be like the local flea market at home.

Part of the market was on land, with colorful souvenirs and interesting vegetables and meat.  Part of the market was floating, and that was the most fascinating part of it.  Large bowls of tiny turtles and worms/eels sat on the wooden pier.  Vendors perched in long wooden canoes several feet below the docks, outfitted with primitive-looking charcoal grills, grilling fish.  The dining area was a dock area surrounding the canoes.  The guest would buy his meal from the cook, and eat it on low wooden tables over the water while sitting on tiny plastic chairs.  It was the ultimate food court!  Hungry as we were, and delicious as it looked, we didn’t have time to eat.

Royal Barge Museum

So we returned to the boat pickup area, gestured to our boatman, who quickly picked us up, and off we went.  After another alternatingly noisy and tranquil lock experience which we shared with no less than fifteen long-tailed boats, we emerged on a much larger canal.  Our next stop would be the Royal Barge Museum.  I had paid extra for this extra stop.  The boatman deposited us at a long pier with much fewer people than at the floating market.  We walked to land, and found the inevitable ticket booth.  We found we had to pay extra for a photography pass, so we paid for just one for me, and entered the museum.  The royal barges were perhaps five times the length of the long-tail boats, and extremely ornate, with gold painting.  It was hard to get a picture from the front of a boat and still see the rear of the boat in the distance, it was so long.

It was a brief visit, and off we went again.  A floating vendor drew near and tried to sell us beer.  We didn’t want any, and the vendor made motions that we should buy for our boatman.  We certainly didn’t want to be rude, so we bought our boatman a beer.

Sadly, we saw the Chao Phraya River appear ahead.  We held our breath as our tiny boat once again navigated the bouncing waters, and at last tied up at Tha Chang, three hours after we began.  It was supposed to have been an hour and a half, but to get three hours for no additional cost, and three fascinating, cool, tranquil hours at that!  What an experience!

Related Links

Mit Chao Phraya Co Ltd – recommended in spite of the wait, and in spite of the “bottled” water.  Watch out for their free drinking water!  It may be safe, but it isn’t sealed, so you never know.  (I did not get sick.)

Check out this article of mine too:

Thailand Travel Blog – Itinerary, Impressions and Diabetic Travel Tips