A Walk in Non-Tourist Bangkok. Khlong Toei District

I have repeatedly came across the statement that it makes sense to visit Khlong Toei market because it is authentically Thai, unlike what you see on Khao San Road and the vicinity. In the context of Khao San Road, true. As for the rest, there is nothing special about this market except the fact it is probably the most stinking place in Thailand (from my experience). Some Thais hate even passing by it on a bus. Secondly, there are so many Myanmar people working there nowadays that I doubt this place is still that much authentic Thai.

But there is something I like in the area of Khlong Toei market. That's the canal-front architecture:

A relic of the past that will probably soon fade into oblivion.

There is something appealing in these unnatural angles of inclination and chaotic heaps.

I would say that there is something in common between such spontaneous architecture and art.

Such neighborhoods in Bangkok usually exist in a narrow strip along canals. I wonder why... I guess people settled along the canals first. When the time came to expand the city, it was easier for large business and the government to buy bigger plots away from the canals rather than try to resettle numerous canal-front householders.

Not to mention, canals made sense only in the past when Bangkok had neither roads nor water supply and sewerage. In the 20th and 21st centuries, having a building at a canal means a loss - the canals often smell too bad.

If the above buildings are related to poverty, that plank house represents rather the middle class's dwelling of the 20th century. Typical for Thailand. I guess these houses were also a product of technological progress - the sawmill equipment probably made this type of construction available, and, for this reason, plank houses spread all over Thailand.

The first floor. Sleeping lady and a portrait of the king, next to the roadway.

But, if you, dear Web wanderer, think that this is the appearance of today’s Bangkok, then no. The appearance of Bangkok is determined by these buildings (only usually less freshly painted, blackened):

This is a type of houses, which is called "usual" or "boring". But I love them. Meanwhile:

Young women hurrying to Khlong Toei. Let's take a look a the Khlong Toei Canal by the market:

I crossed a stinky bridge and had a short visit to the market; left quickly because of the odor.

Instead, I decided to take a position on the large street intersection's footbridge in order to take images of the surroundings with the telephoto lens.

From there you have a view of the junction of eras: the outgoing 20th century with cute cracks and cats, and the 21st century, shiny, plastic, and already a little bit boring to the eye.

I had a telephoto lens with me so I decided to take advantage and shoot the road traffic,

traffic jams,

colorful Bangkok taxis,

Delivery people on bikes, and cats.

Street restaurants under the sheds. Meanwhile, above eating people:

A male cat appeared on the roof.

It was the hour before the sunset so it wasn't too hot for cats at last.

And there was the great myna (Acridotheres grandis) above cats and eating people, singing:

The last rays of sunset disappeared behind the buildings, and I headed to a bus stop.

More images and stories from Southeast Asia are ahead! Check out the previous ones on my personal Pinmapple map.

I took these images with a Nikkor 70-300mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on March 28, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.