Seeing Bangkok’s canals on a boat powered by solar energy shows its potential for water transport
- Bangkok’s waterways are thronged with long-tail boats and other diesel-powered vessels, but a trip on a solar-powered craft shows how different life could be
- Our tour takes in canals around the diverse Thonburi district, on the west bank of the capital’s Chao Phraya River
Bangkok has been referred to as “the Venice of the East” on account of its many canals.
Although the Italian city is rarely described as “the Bangkok of Europe”, the comparison does highlight the pivotal role that water played in shaping the development of the Thai capital.
Today, despite an expanding network of subways and sky trains, Bangkok’s canals, or khlongs, are far from relics of a bygone era; the motorised canal boat remains a fixture of urban life, much like tuk-tuks and traffic jams.
And in keeping with the environmentally conscious age, along with a fleet of newly launched electric-powered passenger boats there are a handful of solar-powered ones used by operators providing tours of the city’s waterways.
Mr Tai – who is reluctant to give his full name – runs one such tour, and offers to take me for a jaunt around Bangkok’s Thonburi district, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
On a typically muggy morning, we meet at the pier beside the Wat Kalayanamit temple, where Tai’s boat, the Sol Solar, is moored. Tai is in his late 50s, with the even-keel disposition of a seasoned sailor. Joining us on our outing is his 12-year-old daughter, Yayi.