5The 116th BPG photo walk took us quite far out of Bangkok to the provincial capital of
Samut Sakhon on the Tha Chin River. With uninterrupted urban sprawl between, you could
convincingly argue that it is still part of the capital. In spite of the distance, about 50 members
joined the walk. We were delighted to see several new faces and returning familiar ones.
The route, selected by guest walk whisperer Koen Olie in Mark’s absence, was more like a
series of short walks with breaks in between. The first took us from Wongwian Yai BTS station
to Wongwian Yai train station. After an hour’s ride on a local train, we then walked from
the Mahachai train market to the ferry pier near the seafood market. After crossing the Tha
Chin, the third part of the walk took us around the Tha Chalom neighbourhood to Wat Laem
Suwannaram and Ban Laem train station. Most walkers turned back and followed much the
same route home, but a few took the scenic route back to Mahachai station (and a later train
back to Bangkok), adding the fourth leg to the walk.
Both Mahachai and Tha Chalom started out as predominantly Chinese communities
when they were established some time before the middle Ayutthaya period. The river takes
its name from the community’s distinctive architecture, with Tha Chin (ท่าจีน) translating as
“Chinese pier”. You can still see that influence in the temples and shrines of the area today.
Tha Chalom may have a quiet and peaceful atmosphere now, but it was once as vibrant
and busy as Mahachai still is. A victim of its own success, many prosperous locals relocated
to Bangkok, leaving their family homes empty. Some are rented out to Burmese labourers,
who now represent just under half of the local population. The labourers come to work in the
seafood factories, freezing and packing the catch of the day for worldwide distribution.
Of around 50 walkers, 37 submitted their shots for Bangkok Photo Walks. This particular
walk gave us an opportunity to return to the ordering approach we debuted in issue 89 (Walk
#114), with photos sorted in roughly the order they were taken to tell the story of the walk. If
you want to get to specific photos, you can click the number on the contents page. As a new
feature for this issue, you can now click on the page number on any page to return directly to
the contents page.Have fun,
Greg, Mark, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #92 • Walk #
Bangkok Photo Walks is a not-for-profit, community-created
publication. All photographs herein are copyrighted by their
respective creators and published only with their permission.
Reproduction of this magazine in any form is not permitted
without the written permission of the publishers.
Please contact: [email protected]
Head of BPG Greg Rhodes
Magazine Editor Ben Reeves
Photo Walk Coordinator Mark A. Hathaway
Guest Walk Coordinator Koen Olie
Logo Design Ubonpayom Ongsara
Front Cover Photo Martin Woolnough
Title Page Photo David Melody
Back Cover Photo Arvind Mani
© 2023 Bangkok Photographers GroupFour walks in one