Beyond the Frame 38/
Bangkok’s Khlong Ferry Boats are a fast and inexpensive traffic-busting form of public transport that remain relatively unknown to visitors.
Khlong Saen Saep
Snaking between skyscrapers, beneath Bangkok’s congested roads, a network of khlongs (canals) criss-crosses the city.
Khlong Saen Saep is 72 km long and connects to more than 100 smaller canals. The western section runs through the heart of Bangkok but is largely hidden from the glitzy shopping malls and swanky condominiums which dominate the skyline.
Fast ferry boats travel along this part of the canal, whisking commuters between the Golden Mount temple at Pan Fa in the west and Bangkok’s eastern suburbs.
Anybody who’s visited Bangkok is likely to be familiar with the names of the central locations and the mega shopping monoliths that are most commonly associated with them: Pratunam, Chitlom, Wireless Road, Asoke. They will also be familiar with the frustratingly grid-locked traffic that often slows to a walking pace. The Khlong Ferry Boat service offers a speedy and exhilarating alternative.
Here’s a 20-second video for flavour.
Pontoons are dotted along the canal’s route, some on the northern shore, some on the south. Ferries arrive every few minutes, barely pausing long enough to allow passengers to leap on and off.
At rush hour, ferries are packed with commuters but as ferry pilots only seem to know two speeds, full-throttle and turbo, travel times are short.
Docking is more of a gesture than an actual procedure. One of the crew will leap from the ferry to the pontoon, lasso a rope around a bollard for a few moments and passengers execute (hopefully) a well-timed leap on or off the ferry.
Wikipedia suggests that the Khlong Ferry Boat service has a “chequered reputation due to the polluted water in the Khlong and the slapdash nature of the service.” Personally, it’s the slapdash nature that I find appealing and I’ve swallowed enough Khlong water over the years to have built a sturdy tolerance.
If the gymnastics required to embark and the danger of being showered in khlong water is not enough to keep passengers on their toes, at several points along the route there are low bridges. Upon approach and without any warning, the pilot will release a lever which drops the rooftop canopy several inches. Anybody foolish enough to be standing beneath a metal strut will receive a resounding clang on the head. It’s important to note that should this happen to you, nobody will react. The crew might laugh and rub their own heads in mock sympathy but it’s just part of the Khlong Ferry Boat experience.
Walking along the canal-side footpaths is one of my favourite ways to spend time in Bangkok. The canal is almost 200 years old and many of the ramshackle homes that line the canal route seem to be almost as old.
With only the distant thrum of far-off traffic, the canal paths are surprisingly peaceful. One might hear the sound of somebody washing dishes or the swish of a broom but the only traffic one is likely to meet is a street vendor pushing their cart of fresh veggies and spices towards a roadside pitch.
Each ferry is crewed by a pilot and a team of two who issue tickets and “tie-up” the boats at pontoons. Only recently have they been issued with life-jackets. Some wear polystyrene motorcycle helmets, which would offer about as much protection against the underside of a low bridge as a plastic colander but crew members are nimble and adept at crouching at the right moments.
For me, the Khlong Ferry Boats perfectly illustrate Bangkok life. They’re quick and unfussy, efficient if not elegant, perfectly utilitarian. Much like myself 😬
As the rush hour crowds disembark and wander home, contemplating their evening meal; Pad Kra Pao Moo (stir-fried pork with chilli and Thai basil) perhaps, or Tom Kha Gai (spicy coconut and chicken soup), the ferry boats make their final journeys of the day. This is the perfect time to take a trip. As the sun drops beneath the tops of skyscrapers, shafts of golden sunlight paint the khlong water and dapple the pontoons in light and shade.
Should my mental faculties leave me in my dotage, just stick 200 Thai baht into my pocket, put a camera in my hand, and help me onto a Khlong Ferry. I’ll be perfectly content speeding up and down the canal until the sun sets.
A Humble Life by Susanne Helmert
My fascination with photography zines was rewarded again this week when I received a copy of Susanne Helmert’s limited-edition zine, A Humble Life.
Finding the door to an abandoned house open, Susanne explored the interior with her camera.
“I felt as if I was transported in time… Little details one might easily overlook: the yellow armchair in one corner, whose armrests had been turned brown and leathery from years of use. Or the light switch and the wallpaper around it with its heavy marks and discolouration from the daily usage back in the days when the house was full of life.”
Susanne’s pictures of the abandoned house are poignant and take us on the journey back in time alongside her.
She searched for clues to the identity of the former occupant.
“I found a bottle of medicine with a name on it in the kitchen and was able to search for the name of the former habitant and find the obituary online. That was the moment when I knew I wanted to tell the story of this person through my photographs.”
Susanne’s research did eventually lead her to discover the name of the last person to live in the house. Their obituary is included at the end of the book, a mystery solved.
A Humble Life is a limited edition of just 20. My copy is numbered 17 so I guess there might not be many copies remaining.
It feels like a real privilege to own a copy of such a limited edition of a photographer’s work.
My love for the zine concept, where a photographer can self-publish their work in a carefully-edited, beautifully printed, inexpensive format continues to grow.
Book Competition
There is still time to enter the competition to win your choice from my list of Most-Loved Books in 2024.
Check the previous newsletter to read the list and submit your entry.
Until next time, go well.
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