Last Saturday's Walk

We went back out to the Klong Saen Saeb about 7 kilometers east of Minburi to finish off the last bit of that end of the canal with a footpath. We had got this far last month. It was only 5 kilometers there and back with a good footpath on either side but not a lot of interest except the canal here is well stocked with fish by the looks of it.

Klong Saen Saeb, Minburi

After the walk we drove towards Chachoengsao trying to follow the klong but it does get a bit complicated as it splits, rejoins and changes name before it reaches the Ban Pakong River. I think we were getting lost when we found a new temple building under construction at Wat Prong Arkard (this spelling is probably wrong but comes off a ThinkNet map). The size of the building is massive and the construction techniques are similar to building a shopping mall but the design is all traditional Thai temple building. I have no idea of the cost but it's many millions of Baht.

Wat Prong Arkard

From there we drove into Chachoengsao and stopped off at the old city fort walls by the river. Had a closer look at the old cannon there and took some pictures of the marks on them. The date below is interesting. This fort dates back to the early 19th. Century and the interesting bit in Wikipedia is of it being used in the mid 19th. Century during the Angyee Rebellion. This is something I know nothing about. I have found a reference to fighting Chinese opium dealers in Chachoengsao and another to a Chinese coolie revolt in Phuket. I will try to find out more.

Chachoengsao Fort Cannon

Saturday walk on Klong Saen Saeb

Yesterday's walk was about 9 kilometres from and back to the truck on Klong Saen Saeb. This canal is 170 years old and was built to move troops faster towards the eastern borders of the then Siam. You can get the history on Wikipedia here.

The walk covered an section of the canal going east from the watergate called GP8 on the eastern side of Minburi town. I had pleasant company so spent a great deal of the walk in conversation but there was still plenty to see. It is mainly a Moslem area with at least three mosques on the route. The paths were pleasant and lots birds and fish and other animals to see.

The stand out location on this walk was the Kamalulislam Mosque for a number of reasons. A BMA history notice board told us that the mosque is also known as Sai Kongdim which is the name of the small canal joining the Saen Saeb next to the mosque. We walked a few hundred metres along this canal until the path run out but have a fairly spectacular picture of a lizard on a water hyacinth from the end. (I didn't take this picture or the one of mosque.)

The board told us that the King Rama V, (Chulalongkorn), visited a mosque on this site by boat in 1907. Again it would be interesting to know the history of these Moslem communities east of Bangkok as this shows they were here at least 100 years ago. The path along the klong next to the mosque has a frame with a climbing plant growing over it. The path becomes a tunnel as on the klong side it has dropped roots down to the water. It's gives a beautiful shade from the sun.

There wasn't that much going on in the canal but in the houses on the side there seemed to be a few places getting ready for some sort of celebration lunch. We were invited into one but by then we needed to get back. See the map below for this walk. There are also a few pictures from the walk. Minburi is just to the east of Bangkok.

Lizard in the Canal

Kamalulislam Mosque

Kamalulislam Mosque Canal Path

Spirit House in the Klong

Klong Saen Saeb History

I came across another BMA history poster, this time for Klong Saen Saeb. These are rather good although this one is harder to understand than the others. Click on the picture at the bottom to see the original and below is my copy.

Khlong (canal) Saen Saep is a canal that has been extended from Khlong Mahanak flows to the eastern side of bangkok, and passes through the following district's area of Vadhana, Suan Luang, Bang Kapi, Bueng Kum, Khanna Yao, Min Buri, Khlong Sam Wa, Nong Chok, Amphoe Bang Nam Priao, and flows into the Bang Pakong River in Chachoengsao Province. The canal is devided into 2 parts; the Khlong Saen Saep Tai (South) that starts from Khlong Mahanak at Wat Borommaniwat up till Hua Mak, Khlong Tan, and Khlong SaenSaep Neua (North) starts from Hua Mak passes through the end reach of Khlong Samsen (Khlong Tan), then passes through Bang Khanak and flows into the Bang Pakong River. There is no evidence of when Khlong Saen Saep (South) was dug but it is estimated that it was made during the time period after Khlong Mahanak was dug during the reign of King Rama I and before the digging of the end reach of Khlong Saen Saep (some areas ity is called Khlong Bang Khanak) which was during the reign of King Rama III in 1837. This was the time that Thailand was at war with Cambodia and Vietnam. During that time sending of provisions and food was slow and not prompt. Therefore King Rama III graciously ordered Phraya Sri Phiphat (That Bunnak) - later was Somdet Chao Phraya Borrommahaphichai Yat, to lead Chinese workers in digging up the khlong. The khlong started from Hua Mak up till Bang Khanak, a total length of 53.519 Kilometres, and had a width of 6 wa and a depth of 4 sork and took altogether 3 years to be completed. The total amount was 96,000 Baht. this khlong has great importance to the economy as well because it connects the Chao Phraya River to the Bang Pakong River and reduces the distance between Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao and Rattanakosin. H.M. King Rama V ordered that the top of the khlong be widened from 6 wa to 9 wa and an extra 6 sork was also added to each side of the khlong.

The Thai measurements in the above piece work out as follows. A Wa is about 2 metres which is fingertip to fingertip with spread arms. A Sork is from the elbow to fingertip, a bit less than half a metre.

Sunday's Walk

I printed satellite pictures of two possible walks before getting in the truck. I used neither as I stopped before getting to them because it looked interesing at another point. I accessed Klong Saen Saeb via a short piece of footpath along Klong Lo Lae. This is closer to Minburi than Bangkapi in Bangkok and to the east of the Bangkok Ringroad. In the map below the red dots show the walk.

The main canal is wider than our local Klong Prawet Burirom at least as far as the watergate just before Minburi. After that it does narrow by about a half. I walked east but the path run out before the watergate. Turned and went as far west as the path on the southern bank goes. This was opposite a mosque and there was a bit more footpath on that bank but now way of getting there easily. Not much to report on this walk as it was quiet and not many people were about.

Looking east towards the watergate from the eastern end of the footpath

Looking west towards the ring road from the western end of the footpath

After I drove to the other side of the watergate and parked at Wat Bumpennua. The bridge crossing the canal is unusual and very Chinese looking.

Bridge over the Klong Saen Saeb at Wat Bumpennua

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.

A Quick Peep at Klong Saen Saeb

A very quick visit to Klong Saen Saeb today and a walk of less than a kilometer. I hadn't intended going over to this klong anytime soon, but I haven't had a walk for 3 days. I didn't really have that much time today but my legs were feeling stiff and I wanted to get out.

Klong Saen Saeb is the other canal that joins the Chao Phraya and Ban Pakong rivers together. It is older, by about 50 years, busier and bigger than my local Klong Prawet Burirom. I drove along the service road of the Bangkok Ring Road past the area I have been walking and turned left onto Ramkhamhaeng Road heading into town and the Bangkapi shopping area. I stopped at the bridge over a small canal called Klong Ban Ma. To the south there was a footpath which I will walk another day. To the north a path a few hundred meters long as far as the large Klong Saen Saeb.

Klong Ban Ma looking towards Klong Saen Saeb from Ramkhamhaeng Road

At the junction with Klong Saen Saeb I couldn't see any footpaths along the sides towards Bangkapi so there might be no walks in that direction. Behind me there was a path heading east so that will also be another day's walk. There wasn't any traffic on the klong but this might be because I got there in the early afternoon before school and work ended. Next time I will get into the history of this canal a bit.

Klong Saen Saeb looking west towards Bangkapi