The serene ambience of Thai canals
Thai life has been bound up with water since centuries ago. Back then houses in Bangkok were mostly built along the banks. The rivers and canals were once the main transportation arteries of Bangkok, because we didn’t have many roads at that time. And those that existed weren’t always in good condition, especially in the rainy season. So, people preferred travelling and carrying goods from one place to another by boat.
In the past the rivers and canals were no less a colourful scene of life. The clean and clear waterways were often full to the brim and bustling with people from all walks of life. Some villagers were busy selling their agricultural products while the passers-by were slowly heading to their destinations.
On those days when Bangkok had an elaborate network of canals, the city was dubbed “The Venice of the East”. Unsurprisingly, we once also had a large number of floating markets, which might be compared to the business areas or the community malls we have nowadays.
But today most of the canals had been filled in and replaced by the modern streets. As a result, the importance of the floating markets had gradually diminished with time and finally nearly all of them disappeared. However, we’re lucky enough that there’re still some floating markets available for us to learn the traditional ways of life of our ancestors. Some are the revival of the former markets and some are entirely new. Brought to you here are the notable floating markets located in and around Bangkok.
