Bangkok Railroadscapes. Exploring Non-Tourist Pathum Wan

Leaving for Phnom Penh tomorrow! 😀 Busy with planning; excited, much to do. Meanwhile, let me share a story of exploring the railroad environment in a very central Bangkok district, called Pathum Wan. A very non-tourist scene in the very touristy area.

So, after I finished with Klong Som Poi Neighborhood, a question arose whether I should have walked over that bridge:

It had no path for pedestrians, only tracks... Is it allowed at all?

A ridiculous question for a person who explores an urban environment with a camera in hand. My fault.

But, then, I noticed a regular local guy, crossing the bridge, and Mr. Doubt provided the speech platform for his more adventurous colleague, Mr. Pathfinder.

As a child, I lived in such a dilapidated house that I never took my classmates to visit me. One of my classmates really insisted, so we had a very, very long walk along pathways through forests and ravines until it began to get dark and my friend had to go home without seeing how I lived. Later life also had many twists and turns, including several years of living in a half-burnt apartment. So, it’s hard to surprise me with poor living conditions.

And, as a photographer, I say: this chaos has its own peculiar beauty.

Crossing the bridge:

The bridge is over a canal with public boats ply below. But I had no patience to photograph these views. Because you shouldn't be slow on the bridge: if the train goes along your track, you'll have to endure a couple of anxious minutes, standing on the bar of the bridge over the canal's water.

On the other side, the cityscape changes from makeshift shacks to blacked buildings in disrepair.

It looks that people live there:

Ana a gorgeous papaya lives there. Papayas are like that: they happily grow at the least suitable places.

A train passing by. Fortunately for the area, Bangkok Central Station was moved from its old location, and, today, only commuter trains run along these tracks, mostly only in the morning and evening. That's a trickle in comparison to 200 trains per day before 2020.

Let's walk further:

The houses are upright, the pillars want to take a nap.

Graffiti, depicting the old kind Rama 9, damaged by lately constructed windows.

Some kind of shed near the tracks with a collection of photographs of the old king.

Walking up an over-railroad crossing bridge, which no one uses and no one repairs. 100% dangerous, the planks were rotten as hell.

A view from above, that's where I was walking:

People sitting by tracks, a row of dirty shacks... I had no idea what to expect.

Ok, that's just a place to dine between tracks. Tables of shack restaurants.

Asking for a photo. "Yes":

Look at the background: hens. That "basket" by the people is a cage for a chicken.

Keep walking.

Lovely!

Tiny Chinese temple behind barbed wire.

That bridge I knew, crossed it many times on a bus:

I was going to find a way to its top to return to "normal" Bangkok.

Walking below the bridge:

And that's a view of Hua Lamphong station premises, the former Bangkok's central station:

Going further would be cool but... It was getting dark and I had no mood that day to sneak into the territory where someone potentially could detain me. Maybe, next time.

Leaving the railroad, passing dusty old Isuzu.

Another gorgeous papaya.

A farewell look at Hua Lamphong area from the bridge. The walk ended but I will come back multiple times to this area. And the next time it will happen is tomorrow when I board the third class train Bangkok - Ban Klong Luek Border.

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 50mm on a Nikon D750 on January 31, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.