Changes on Klong Banma

I haven't been exercising enough. Last weekend I managed to get a walk along our local canal, Klong Banma. I hadn't done this walk for a few months and found that much of the vegetation had been cut back and near the railway a new housing estate was being built. The site is on both sides of the klong and it looks like the builders only have road access on the western side. They have put in what I take is a temporary bridge to get their trucks between the two sides.

New Housing Estate

Building Workers Housing

New Bridge

The new mosque, which is slowly being built near where Klong Banma goes under the Chonburi Motorway, is almost finished. It is one of the two giant mosques being built at the Bangkok end of the motorway. Below is a view from the klong path.

New Mosque

Flowers in the Klong

Haven't walked or blogged for a while. Set out this Sunday morning at 7:10 AM. A usual walk north along Klong Banma over the railway and under the motorway. Went on a side canal running to the west and off on a lane I haven't been before. Someone is building a traditional Thai style house (complex) which looks like a palace with lots of smaller buildings joined by walkways. I will get a picture when they finish it.

On one section an area of water hyacinths allowed to grow off the main channel was in bloom and you can see how they get their name with their mauve flowers. Of course they are an invasive species from South America and are not good for native plants and are also a sign of pollution, but it is nice to see their flowers;-)

Further along was a tall flowering plant in blue and white in the mud of the klong bank. I think it was a wild ginger or heliconia, but I haven't seen it before. I tried to dig out a section with my stick to bring back but it was too deep. I might take a small spade with me next time I go.

Some of the moslem community were getting ready for a wedding lunch and loud music led the way. Tables and chairs were ready under a long open tent and people were already turning up in their best clothes. Isuspect some might be arriving by boat later.

Returned home after an hour and forty minutes so not a bad walk.

Needed badly to get some exercise. Now when I don't walk off some inches from around my stomach it physically hurts so I have an extra incentive, walk or pain-killers. I walked the rest of Klong Banma so I know the entire lenth from Klong Prawet Burirom to Klong Saen Saeb is walkable except for the first 200 meters at the southern end. The red dots show today's walk and the blue dots previous walks.

This part of Klong Banma doesn't have much going for it. No old communities on it, just more recent ones. There are new (less than 30 years old) housing estates mainly walled off from the klong and more recent very basic homes of rural migrants. Neither of these groups would produce votes for city hall if the upkeep of the canal footpaths were better. The housing estates because they don't use the canal and the migrants because they can't vote in Bangkok. Hence the footpaths are pretty bad. (I think if I were in city hall I would try and sign up all the rural migrants onto the voting list. Tammany Hall style for sure.)

I had to backtrack two times, the first one adding a good 15 minutes to the walk, because of the footpath condition. Below a section has dropped into the water.

Below the footpath just runs out before the bridge. Usually you find some sort of access to the bank but here I had to backup a hundred meters and finda path on land.

It was a rather depressing walk until I came upon this water feature and sala at the back of an apartment house. The water bubbles down the rocks to the two imitation storks below. They have made a fine back garden for the apartment dwellers here.

Klong Ban Ma or Klong Banma

I'm getting very slow. I just realized that the small canal I walked down to get to Klong Saen Saeb has the same name as the klong that is just up the road from me. My excuse is age and the differences in English spellings of Thai names. I have been referring to my local canal as Banma and this was Ban Ma. I should have picked that up straight away though. Ban Ma or Banma though is quite complicated route with many canals joining, right-angles and so on. This does give me a challenge though, a walk from one end, Klong Prawet Burirom, to the other end, Klong Saen Saeb.

The spelling thing is a problem. I have always used "klong" although now on official signs and much of the internet it's "khlong". The "Prawet" in Klong Prawet Burirom is spelt "Prawes" as the district and I have used Pravet in the past which is closer to how it sounds. For Klong Phrakanong we could use Phra Khanong, Phrakhanong, Prakhanong and so on.

Klong Banma

Just in so much better a mood today. Went out before noon for a 50 minute walk on the small klong, Klong Banma, at the top of our estate. I do this walk so often that I know almost to the minute how long it will be. The turn round point is a wooden bridge over the klong before we get to the railway.

I cross this bridge and look in a motor workshop yard about 100 meters up the lane. they are usually restoring old cars so it can be interesting to see what they are working on. A yellow mini was there and something from the 50s I couldn't identify.

Next to the bridge is a traditional Thai house. I looked at the roof and it probably is the original one with a square tile rather than corrugated sheeting you will more often see. The picture below shows whoever owns it is not poor. A new car and expensive wall and gates hint at that, yet the house looks almost untouched from what it would have been like 50 years ago.

Two Walks - Two Klongs

Went out twice today. Needed the quiet. In the morning went just past the Wat Krathum Sueapla temple to look for the beginning of another small klong going north. Found it; it's called Klong Thap Chan and on Saturday I had reached it via another klong quite a distance to the north. Below shows where I got to.

So today here's a picture of the southern end of Klong Thap Chan. I will try and fill the gap over the weekend.

Late this afternoon I had a short walk along the small klong that passes between our housing estate and another. I know this walk very well and it takes about 50 minutes if I turn at my usual spot. The small klong's name is Klong Banma.