A Return Visit to Thonburi

The Kudijin community village.

As I have friends visiting me in Bangkok, I took them out of the beaten track to show them sights of Bangkok most people never go to as they do not know about it.

Yesterday was the day of the Thai voting referendum. It was also one day after the dreaded Pokemon

Go game arrived in the country. Is this a premeditated coincidence? Whatsoever, we went to the other side of the Chao Phraya River, in Thonburi. After Saphan Taksin pier (Stop # 1), we took the regular taxi-boat to Yopiman Pier (Stop # 6) and from there took the small ferry across the river.

As a quick recall, Thonburi is the founding site of what has now become Bangkok. After the fall of the former royal capital of Ayutthaya, burnt down by the Burmese, the newly appointed King Taksin set his new capital there. So, wandering through the historical landmarks of this area is not only a trip back in time but also a leisurely laid back atmosphere that makes you forget you are still in the 'City of Angels'. This part of Thonburi has kept its original community flavor.

Crossing the Chao Phraya from Yopiman River Walk takes you a Thai wat full of Chinese atmosphere.

The whole area between Bangkok Yai canal (north) and Memorial Bridge is known as Kudi-Chin (or Kudee-Jin) referring to the Chinese heritage of this area.

Wat Kalayanamit.

This large Buddhist temple is an interesting building. First, it has one of the largest wiharn in the

Sitting Buddha

country, sheltering a massive 15-meter high sitting Buddha. It also has a touch of Chinese culture. At the time of its construction, in the 1820s, the riverfront was home to a large Chinese community. One of the royal noblemen bought the land and gave it to the Chinese/Hokkien community to build a temple. His name was Kalayanamit, which can be translated as “good friend” from the Thai language. This first landmark shows the blend between the two cultures.
Wat Kalayanamit

The walking tour of this side of the river unveils a surprising harmony of cultures and religions. It will become clearly obvious as we will proceed from one site to the other.

Kian Un-Keng Shrine [ศาลเจ้าเกียนอันเก๋ง].

This is an exquisite ancient Chinese little temple that has been beautifully preserved under the patronage of a local family. The stucco carvings on the facade have lost their original luster but are a great work of Chinese art. The indoor murals have been splendidly preserved. It is worth visiting the adjoining inner yard opening on a second smaller shrine.

Stucco facade with round window

Lanterns

Side entrance

Courtyard plants

Pursuing towards south along the riverside, we pass in front of a wonderful gingerbread teak mansion, unfortunately standing in a pitiful shape.

Church of Santa Cruz [Wat Kudi Jin]

Church of Sta.Cruz

After the Thai and Chinese heritage, this Catholic church is the central landmark of Kudi-Chin. It was built in 1770 by the Portuguese, who arrived here from Ayutthaya with King Taksin. The present building is not the original. However, this is the oldest Portuguese church in Bangkok. (The oldest in

Choir rehearsing

Thailand is still standing in Ayutthaya). The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Siam in the 16^th century, soon after they captured Malacca in 1511.

The old landing pier is in the back of the newly-built concrete bike & pedestrian trail along the river. It remains a wonderful piece of intricate artwork that will hopefully be restored & preserved. The entire kampong (village) is the home of a Catholic community that has kept some of the original heritage passed by the Portuguese even though its inhabitants are mostly of Chinese descent. They are extremely friendly and very proud of their traditional ancestry. One small, cozy bakery & coffee shop has kept the secret of making original Portuguese cookies. And now they have just opened a new site, which will soon be a local museum recording the Portuguese heritage of Kudi Jin.

Santa Cruz Church

Baan Kudichin Museum [ดูเนื้อหาเพิ่มเติมจาก]

A nearby family in this soi has endeavored to restore an original wooden house with all the modern norms. The museum is not fully completed yet but the house is finished and they have already opened a lovely coffee shop, whose floor is made of wonderful white and blue Portuguese-style tiles. They told me the tiles had been made locally. The veranda opens on a patio planted with a lawn and having a small pool contributing to creating a Portuguese atmosphere. They have also started to decorate the interior with an array of antiques. On the top floor of the house, there is an open veranda with a stunning view of the river and Kudichin village.
Baan Kudichin

Village house door

House facade decoration

Mural scene

'I love Bangkok' mural

Floor design at the museum

Museum coffee shop

Upstairs room at museum

Veranda viewpoint

Wat Prayoon

This is another Thai Buddhist wat, which is not well-known but holds two major interests: a huge,

Inside the chedi

immaculate stupa and an amazing Chinese garden. By the way, this temple expects to be a future UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• The tall, white chedi (Thai for stupa) was the first to be built in Thailand in the style of Sri Lanka religious Buddhist monuments. It is 80 meters at the base and is said to contain some original relics of Lord Buddha. The most extraordinary feature is that you can actually go inside the chedi, which is a rare thing to do. It has been beautifully done and it looks awesome.
• The Turtle Mountain is an amazing additional feature. It was built in the shape of a melting wax candle. It is home to dozens of turtles that people come to feed.

Wat Prayoon

The area after the Memorial Bridge is also a mostly Thai-Chinese riverfront community but it is also the home of a small Muslim settlement.

Chao Pho Suea Shrine [ศาลเจ้าพ่อเสือ].

This is just a small and very colorful Chinese Shrine by one of the many Khlong that can be found in this part of town.

Kuwati Isalam Mosque.

Once again, it is totally surprising to see this old riverbank mosque squeezed between a Thai restaurant and a Chinese temple. It is another testimony to the cultural diversity of this area, where harmony prevails. The wooden building to the right has an intricate wood design on its veranda.

Guan Yu Shrine.

This is another interesting Chinese temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. It is 200-years old and has a pagoda with a view on the Chao Phraya River.
Guan Yu Shrine

Princess Mother Memorial Park.

This area is the Princess Mother's childhood home in Thonburi. She was the mother of King Rama IX. This little park has been dedicated to her memory since the 1990s. The trees are so high that it is almost always kept in the darkness of the canopy. It has the same atmosphere as a mini Bayon at the site of Angkor Wat.

Princess Mother Memorial Park

Gingerbread house window

Baan Kudichin entrance

Thonburi house garden

Turtle Mountain

To explore all these sites on foot takes a full day if you consider taking a few rest-stops to rest and refresh from the walk and the heat.

Here is a list of my other links on Thonburi:

PART I-Thonburi Yai Canal Area
PART II-Thonburi Noi Canal Area

PART III-Thonburi Khlong San Area

Thonburi Old Gingerbread House

There exist also an excellent website in French about this area:

Kudee Jin-un quartier historique oublié de Bangkok

Christian Sorand