Chao Phraya river ferry
December 25, 2015 by David Herd
Up a lazy river
Chao Phraya river ferry
Chao Phraya river ferry which takes you up the lazy river for only B150 for the whole day. It is a great way to see many of Bangkok’s wonderful landmarks. A ticket to Chinatown is only B40, get off at pier number 5 at Ratchawong and walk 10 minutes up the road.In the photo above you have The Peninsula Hotel on the left and the Shangri-La Hotel on the right.
Sing it for me Bobby
The flags are flying on the Taksin bridge
The Thai flag and the Royal Standard which is the King’s flag.
Chao Phraya river ferry
B40 to get to Chinatown from the Sathorn pier is a bargain.
Bankok’s famous Long-tail boat
The long-tail boat, known as Ruea Hang Yao is a type of watercraft native to Southeast Asia, which uses a common automotive engine as a readily available and maintainable power-plant. A craft designed to carry passengers on a river may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 meters, and a canopy. There is much variation among these boats, some have evolved from traditional craft types, while others have a more improvised look. The sole defining characteristic is a second-hand car or truck engine.
Just left of the bridge
This is where our journey begins, the Chao Phraya river is an exciting waterway. Check out my photo blog here.
Another boat arrives
There is a lot of traffic on the river, here is another of my photos blogs featuring a long-tail boat canal cruise.
Chao Phraya river ferry
The boat is certainly not in the luxury class however it is cheap and efficient. Announcements are made to give you warning that your stop in next.
The River Condominium
The River comprises of 2 buildings with 74 and 42 floors with 838 units.
The River condominium.
The south tower is the tall building and is right opposite the Shangri-La hotel.
Hotel Peninsula
Hotel Peninsula on the right and the River Condos on the left. Use this link for a great room rate.
Millennium Hilton Hotel
Another one of the great Bangkok hotels on the Chao Phraya river.
Millenium Hilton
The enclosed 360° rooftop lounge on the 32nd floor of the Millennium Hotel provides some of the best views over Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River. The atmosphere is relaxed and romantic. A great venue for cocktails with the accompaniment of some mellow jazz music in the background.
Baan Chaopraya Condo
Completed in 1994 the condominium comprises of a single building with 31 floors and 478 units. A 66 square meter apartment on the 34th floor is currently for rent at B25,000 per month.
Condominium
Another majestic riverside condominium.
Chao Phraya river ferry
Don’t forget a ticket from Taksin bridge to Chinatown is only B40, get off at pier number 5 at Ratchawong and walk 10 minutes up the road.
Cold beer in Chinatown
The Bangkok river ferry got me to Chinatown along the mighty Chao Phraya river which is known as the River of Kings. It is the life blood of Bangkok, around 50,000 people use its ferries each day. Slow barges bearing cargo coast upstream, kids still frolic in the brown water. Wooden shacks, mottled by the elements, still hang over the water. Check out my photo blog here.
Soaring hotels and condominiums hem in solemn temples, churches and civic buildings that look 19th century European, while close by the odd wooden sampan sells noodle soup or dried squid to hungry river workers. It is this juxtaposition of calm and chaotic, modern and traditional, religious and secular, ugly and sublime, foreign and indigenous that makes the Chao Phraya so evocative. My thanks to Bangkok.com for their wonderful description of the River of Kings.
Not everybody is happy on the river
A Vietnamese cargo ship ploughed into riverside houses along the Chao Phraya River in Phra Pradaeng district yesterday April 5t 2017, damaging three homes.
Residents fled to the streets in panic as the cargo ship loomed over them. Three houses were damaged, one badly, but nobody was injured.
iCheck Inn Soi 11
When I’m in Bangkok I like to stay in Sukhumvit Soi 11, here is an excellent budget hotel, if you USE THIS LINK you will get a great rate of around B1100 per night, or $30 USD.
Thanks for visiting my Chao Phraya river ferry photo blog.
Here is another of my photo blogs on this mighty river.
Zagreb Croatia Rio de Janeiro Brisbane River 
Koh Samui Korea London 
Bangkok Osaka Pattaya 
Counter only started June 16 2020.
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