Bangkok's Chinatown

An early morning walk

By Grant Cameron

September 7^th, 2020

A HUA LAMPHONG SUNRISE

Well I must begin this photo essay with a confession; this and the next tale have been over 2 years in the making. Why, you may ask (or perhaps not)? I've no idea. The images had been uploaded to this and Chinatown #2, but I never found the words to accompany them. Until now, for I had another walk round Chinatown yesterday, and so the 3rd tale to tell compels me to issue these two oldies.

But we begin at Hua Lamphong railway station just before sunrise, for it is the easiest place to park the car, and it is March 2018. Now you see the reason for the confession, it is now September 2020 in the time of Covid.

HUA LAMPHONG

Hua Lamphong railway station, Bangkok's over 100 year old station and officially referred to by the State Railway of Thailand (S.R.T) as Sathani Rotfai Krung Thep (สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ) is soon scheduled to close once the city eventually opens it's new Bang Sue Grand Station. And for that reason it is always good to walk round and explore the grand old station before it becomes a relic of the past.

I take many photographs in Hua Lamphong (as evidenced by other stories), and so I will just let the images speak for themselves.

"Glory of a joyful capital"

. . . which is the literal translation of the Krung Kasem Srikrung Hotel's name which you see on exiting the station to the west, and across the Krung Kasem canal. A "gem" of 1960's architecture I understand the hotel once enjoyed a particular reputation; nudge, nudge, wink, wink, if you know what I mean, but it is indeed a colourful edifice.

We leave the station just as the outskirts of Chinatown come to life: traffic flow slowly increases and monks are on their alms round.

It is just after Chinese New Year and there are lots of reminders.

Hidden away behind Wat Pathum Khongkha is a quaint teak hotel built on stilts on the banks of the Chao Phraya river, the Loy La Long hotel. The 30 years old hotel has a charm and elegance all of its own, with wonderful views of the river.

By now the sun has risen, and it is starting to get hot. But before finding a place for a coffee (or more likely a beer) we continued to stroll and enjoy the yet relative cool of the early morning.