A walk from the 14th October Memorial to Chinatown

[Bangyai]

Time to stock up on rubbish for our online store again and this time rather than take a boat or bus I decided to walk from Ratchadamnoen to Sam Peng , about a 30 minute walk.

Starting here at the 14th October memorial. Must have passed this a hundred times without really noticing it as it is set back on the corner of Tanon Tanao and Ratchadamnoen.

From the Bangkok Post :

One of the biggest and most notorious demonstrations ever to have happened in Bangkok was the fateful student-led protest of October 14, 1973, when half a million people gathered on Ratchadamnoen Klang to demand an end to the autocratic regime of the so-called "Three Tyrants". It was savagely quashed and turned into a bloody riot that culminated in the death of several hundred protesters at the hands of the police and the military and today the memorial is a shrine to those who died.

Not much to look at from the street view




But opens out inside











Around the central memorial are enlarged newspaper clippings of the demonstrations.



















Quite a lot of the clippings are in English so plenty to read. There is also a museum set on three floors just behind the central memorial




Unfortunately I didn't have the time to go in and check it out but a grainy Youtube Video gives some idea of what it was like.

[Bangyai]

Leaving the memorial and walking down Tanao Road you will see lots of shops selling silver










Not quite as many as around Khao Sahn Road but easier to walk along without scraping past backpackers.

A shop getting blessed ....or selling monks,. Not too sure.




And a nice little eatery far from the maddening crowds.




I know DD has a thing about bridges at the moment so standing on one to take this shot its nice to see how they've managed to clean up the small canals in this area. I can remember them being a lot dirtier than this but now they are quite pleasant to stroll by.








About halfway down Tanao Road you come to a very well known shrine, small though it may be.



The Chao Por Sua ( Tiger ) shrine dates back to 1834 and is of Chinese design. Very popular and always a crowd here leaving offerings. Sometimes there are dancing shows put on here but I've never seen one myself. Be hard to see anything through the clouds of incense when its really busy !

This whole area is crown estate so plenty of old buildings to soak up and get an idea of what the city used to be like. Take away all the wiring and air conditioners and it would look a lot better IMO.







A little further along Tanao Road you come to a small circus where this building has been nicely renovated.




A left turn here will take you past lots of shops selling Buddhist paraphernalia
and some interesting statues







And five minutes later you will arrive at the Sao Ching Cha giant swing.




More after lunch

[Satonic]

Thanks for sharing the pics Bangyai, Despite living in Bangkok for a while its shocking how little of it I have seen / explored. I really need to get out more

[Listerman]

Time to stock up on rubbish for our online store again and this time rather than take a boat or bus I decided to walk from Ratchadamnoen to Sam Peng , about a 30 minute walk.

A very interesting post, with a lot of relatively recent Thai history, if you dont mind me asking what sort of rubbish were you stocking up on ?

[Bangyai]

In front of the giant swing is Bangkok City Hall




This is a lively place in the evening as lots of people use the area to dance or play games




a bit of history




Opposite the city hall is Wat Suthat which was being given a little makeover when I passed.







Unfortunately no time to enter the temple but here's the way in




Just around the corner on Tanon Unakan is a very important Hindu shrine used by local Indians.




Walking down this street along the wall of Wat Suthat there is this little building just inside the wall. No idea what it is unless its some kind of retreat ? Very nice though.





A little further on is my favourite inner city park , Romaneenart which was formaly a prison. On my first visit to Thailand it was still a prison but a lot friendlier now.


Never seen one of these before. An uphill struggle.













Nice place for a packed lunch.

[Bangyai]

Time to stock up on rubbish for our online store again and this time rather than take a boat or bus I decided to walk from Ratchadamnoen to Sam Peng , about a 30 minute walk.

A very interesting post, with a lot of relatively recent Thai history, if you dont mind me asking what sort of rubbish were you stocking up on ?

Just cheap bling from Sam Peng. Most of the stuff you see at Chatuchak passes through here beforehand.

[Bangyai]

On the far side of the park is the:




Free and well worth a visit.







On the day I went it was very quiet and I was going to give it a miss having seen part of it before but the friendly security guard absolutely insisted on unlocking the place to let me have a look. I think he probably feels his job will disappear if they don't get more than the 10 people a day they are averaging at the moment ( nearly all Thais by the look of it ).











No photos allowed but I couldn't resist this one in block 9.




No photos are allowed in this punishment block but here are some I took on macro from the museums magazine.

Firstly , for naughty boys is the rattan ball with the offender on the inside. Luckily too big to play Tacraw with




Moving on we have this to keep you on your toes.




and if you think your condo is hot try spending a day in the sun inside one of these with just a couple of air holes




On leaving the punishment block I went back to sign the visitors book and make the ' voluntary donation ' passing this old guard tower on the way.







The main block is devoted to more serious punishments of a terminal nature

The old ways are best ...... unless you're on the recieving end.




The new ways ....... a bit like .......' bernie the bolt....you have 30 seconds '




Talking to the guards about the awful tortures depicted in some wall paintings he commented

" Ah, those punishments were reserved for traitors. They deserved it for betraying their country. Got to deter these people or where would it end ?

Seeing this bit of graffiti on the way out I wondered if Kasit would agree ?

[Bangyai]

Leaving the park at the far corner you pass the Miramar hotel. Used to be a good cheap place but its had a makeover and is now considerably more than a thousand a night. Good location though.




Nearly there and spotted this fine old relic.The offices of ' Sing Seean Yert Pow ' newspaper. Never heard of it myself so probably a Chinese language rag.




Then after a little more walking I was in Sam Peng Market surrounded by more naff bling than you can shake a stick at.






Very tiring moving around here and as interesting as it is I wouldn't want to try coming here every day. Exhausting and claustraphobic.


Walking back to Ratchadamnoen a couple of hours later I passed this old hotel on Dinso Road.




Couldn't help thinking a small name change would improve things.


' Wai Wa Ree ' sounds a lot better

[grasshopper]

You should write a guide for the expatriate visitor to the Big Mango from parts much smaller. Now I have to renew acquaintance with the old g/f and get around to see these new/old places. That's what living in an exotic Asian city should be all about.

[Bangyai]

You should write a guide for the expatriate visitor to the Big Mango from parts much smaller. Now I have to renew acquaintance with the old g/f and get around to see these new/old places. That's what living in an exotic Asian city should be all about.

Thanks for that. Actually, I just like taking pictures of old buildings since they are a good reminder of less hectic times. Posting them on TD is better than storing them on photobucket since at least anyone with similar interests can also have a look see at whats out there away from Sukhumvit.

[bobo746]

Looks like a nice quiet part of town i will have to get down there thanks mate.

[aging one]

thanks as always bangyai, another great report.

[The Fresh Prince]

Nice posting bangyai.

[Norton]

Great stuff as always up to your high standard. Thanks.

[Neo]

Excellent thread, off the well worn track of Bangkok and into the everyday life of it's inhabitants.. out of greens.

This was really surprising..

[Bangyai]

Excellent thread, off the well worn track of Bangkok and into the everyday life of it's inhabitants.. out of greens.

This was really surprising..

Yes, you will notice the bench overlooking the canal. I remember a long time back there was little or no access along these small canals in this area. Now, most of the household rubbish and clutter has been cleared away and you can walk along the edge of the canal through the back yards of the crown estate buildings that line the sides. Very cool escape from the sun.

[reinvented]

great thread
agree should be more of these; really bring bangers to life

[paddymac]

Thanks for a superb thread. I'll definitely do this walk in full. Wat Suthat is one of my favourites. It has some lovely tranquil corners, some hilarious gargoyles of European colonial invaders which look remarkably like ex-Prime Minister Ted Heath, and the most blatant example of Thailand's famous two-tier pricing. Which I would love to share but I've been temporarily baffled by how to attach pix here. I'll work on it.

[paddymac]

Sorry, I've just found out I'm not allowed to post attachments.

[Bangyai]

^ Thanks for the comments. Ne need to stick to any route in this general area. Something interesting around every corner. Just wander around at discover it for yourself .

[terry57]

Love your thread. Love cruising around that area checking things out. Lots to see and explore.

Cheers mate. Great stuff.

[Bangyai]

I had a chance to eat in this little resteraunt today. Having just walked from Chinatown , I was hot , hungry and thirsty. I also had to wait in the area while Ms Bangyai finished her shopping in Pratoonam as I had forgotten my house keys so there was no point going home first.

Anyway, as I had hoped the aircon was on and I flopped down in the window seat and ordered the hamburger , fries and coke set for 99 baht. And very nice it was too, home made and a lot better than my back up air con option at McDonalds.
Speaking to the owner, it seems they have only been open 3 months but are already picking up passing trade and regulars.

She told me that the old buildings in this area are owned by the nearby temple and these are let out on very long leases. She pointed to the little shop opposite and told me the lease for it had just changed hands for 5,000,000 baht !!
They are in the conservation zone and no external changes to the buildings are allowed which does a lot tp preserve the historical appearance of the area.

[OneSureThing]

Just stumbled upon this thread. I remember walking a similar route int hat area a few years ago. There is certainly no better way to explore Bangkok than on foot.

[ultramarine]

Thanks for the eating tip Bangyai. I will be stopping by sometime soon. I didn't realize that conservation was in such force. Very good that it is.

[Paddy Whackery]

Time to stock up on rubbish for our online store again and this time rather than take a boat or bus I decided to walk from Ratchadamnoen to Sam Peng , about a 30 minute walk.

A very interesting post, with a lot of relatively recent Thai history, if you dont mind me asking what sort of rubbish were you stocking up on ?

Just cheap bling from Sam Peng. Most of the stuff you see at Chatuchak passes through here beforehand.

I see even in Thailand they have those cursed cycling lanes. You wouldn't believe the problems they cause in Brooklyn...People practically gouging out each other's eyes over dinner. So, never talk about sex, politics...or even worse - cycling lanes.