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You might be surprised to learn that there was actually an intended route to the 122nd BPG
Photo Walk! Greg was at the back of the group of 44 photographers who headed south
from Ratchathewi BTS station, but later in the walk he kept running across people going the
opposite direction from him, apparently content to blaze their own trails. The 37 contributions
to the magazine show that everyone had a successful walk, no matter the route they followed.
You would have to try quite hard to have an unsuccessful photo walk in Baan Krua. The
14 -rai (about 5.5 acres or 2.24 hectares) neighbourhood has an interesting and unique history
that dates back to the 1780s. The community formed here after King Rama I granted the land
to the troops from the Kingdom of Cham who helped him defeat a Burmese invasion. In so
doing, he created what is now the oldest Islamic community in Bangkok.
The Cham people originally came from what is now Cambodia and southern Vietnam.
Aside from the skill in battle that earned them their new home, they brought fishing and silk
weaving skills with them. The gentle rattle of looms would always be part of the background
noise of Baan Krua, but it rose to a deafening clatter after American businessman Jim
Thompson introduced Thai silk to the world. Sadly, when he disappeared in 1967, a lot of the
industry went with him, and only a small number of traditional weavers remain.
Coincidentally, the people of Baan Krua would help King Rama III in fighting a war, too,
albeit in an abstract way. Khlong Saen Saep, the canal that cuts through the neighbourhood,
brought no small amount of prosperity as it connected the community to the Chao Phraya
River to the west and the trade that rode its tides. However, the canal was originally dug
to carry supplies east to troops fighting in what is now Cambodia during the Siamese-
Vietnamese Wars.
The neighbourhood’s latest claim to fame is its surprisingly large population of cats. BPG
members can certainly attest to their numbers – especially Greg, whose inbox was flooded
with photos of them! You’ll find a very full spread of their furry faces on page 104.Have fun,
Greg, Mark, Chutima, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #98 • Walk #
Head of BPG Greg Rhodes
Magazine Editor Ben Reeves
Photo Walk Coordinator Mark A. Hathaway
Photo Walk Support Chutima Panjapan
Logo Design Ubonpayom Ongsara
Front Cover Photo Noah Dolinsky
Title Page Photo Moritz Alexy
Group Photo Greg Rhodes
Back Cover Photo Kent van Vliet
© 2024 Bangkok Photographers GroupWoven into Thai history