Ep 82 - Exploring the canals of Bangkok in a packraft, Part 2 - Rush hour boat traffic!

Bangkok is an incredibly vibrant city and there was a lot to see on our packraft exploration of the canals of Bangkok, so our journey is covered by two back-to-back episodes. In this Part 2 we experience the second half of the canal paddle, followed by the walk back, including about 2 kilometres through a cool alley market. As the rain starts, we hop on a classic tuk-tuk, taxi, racing through the busy Bangkok streets, then a second, as sunset approaches. Known as the “Venice of the East” during much of the 19th Century, the canals of Bangkok that still crisscross the Thai capital serve as living cultural and historical relics. Low-lying Bangkok, humid and thick in its swampy surrounds, has been carved, drained, protected and irrigated by canals since the 18th Century. Though Bangkok’s usual icons are tuk-tuks and traffic, its waterways are the true symbols of a city. Today, many of the khlongs (canals) have been filled in and paved over to make room for roads, but a massive network of waterways still cross-crosses the city. Each day, thousands of commuters travel by motorized boat on the canals and on the Chao Praya River, which runs through the centre of the city. Exploring Bangkok’s khlongs is a great way to get into the thick of this steamy city. Though they are sometimes smelly and polluted, these are the true blood vessels of the city, serving as living cultural and historical relics. With ocean levels rising and Bangkok’s foundation sinking an average of three inches per year, the canals may well play an important role in the city’s future. In order to experience a slow and intimate exploration of these canals, we are paddling the packraft, covering about 20 kilometres, with about half of that distance here in Part 2. Here are some key moments: 0:26 – Intro scenes 1:17 – Welcome back to Bangkok, Thailand, for the plan in this Part 2 2:03 – Pulling over as a tourist tour boat passes by 2:24 – A narrow side canal 4:09 – The mid-canal shrine with offerings of pop 5:15 – Excellent up-close view of the colourful traditional canal boats 6:40 – A water supply main, evidently leaking a bit 6:57 – A timely side canal lets me dodge the next boat, while exploring this interesting desolate dead end, with a large sunken boat 12:58 – Cool temple with boats parked out front 14:00 – Gnarly Popeye statue 14:47 – A moped on a small bridge 17:38 – people feeding the fish 20:20 – Under many small vines, then a monk in a small wooden boat rows by 23:15 – Under a bridge with many tags hanging from it 23:36 – Under another cool bridge with a boat parking. This is the famous floating market area. 27:44 – Vines, a small footbridge, and a lizard 30:09 – 2 boats passing, back to back 33:12 – A highway overpass with street art 37:13– Cool work boats 38:22 – Another canal-front temple, and another boat 42:06 – A bridge, with so many tiny fish feeding under it that it looks like rain 44:07 – A long mural 46:40 – A huge golden Buddha risen in back 49:01 – At a huge golden Buddha and temple, under renovation 50:40 – More spectacular huge temples and statues 51:40 – One more golden statue, up close 51:53 – Arrived at the take-out 52:28 – Cats! 53:10 – The famous “Ghost Tower”, the Sathom Unique, was 90% complete when abandoned in 1997 54:30 – A temple on the walk out, followed by some other cool street views 55:35 – An alley market than I followed for over a kilometre 59:00 – Walking by a famous, vast, palace 1:00:47 – Very cool monument 1:01:36 – Rain was imminent, Tuk-tuks are in order for the rest of the way back to the hotel, with a stop at a market 1:07:42 – Back at the hotel, where the rooms are connected by... canals! If you enjoyed this please consider hitting the like button, hype, and subscribing. This helps the channel get noticed, so that others get a chance to see it, and may just surprise you with some interesting new videos! 100% of the ad revenue that this channel generates is donated to charities working to conserve the amazing planet that this channel explores. Thank you!