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River cruise back in time A small district by the Mae Klong River, Amphawa of Samut Songkhram Province comes to a halt at the end of the day. Shops close and people confine themselves to their houses. Recently, efforts to enliven their lives has resulted in the opening of a floating evening market. Amphawa holds a significant place in history, particularly from Ayutthaya to early Rattanakosin periods. Then it was called Kwaeng Bang Chang. In 1760 Nai Thong Duang, who would later become King Rama I, was appointed Luang Yokkrabat and placed in charge of Ratchaburi. He lived in Kwang Bang Chang and married into the Bang Chang family. It was here that Chim, the future Rama II was born. "Don't worry, this boat is big enough to carry ten people. There are just six of us," said the boatman and guide, Vichien, when we boarded the vessel for a tour of Amphawa Canal. It was late afternoon when the boat turned into Mae Klong River, the wide watery realm absolutely calm except for the roar of the boat's engine. Groves of coconut trees alternated with wooden houses built on stilts, and temples lined its either banks. "The river is clean, isn't it?," the guide said. I nodded. In recent years the river had become smelly as sugar factories upstream discharged untreated water into the Mae Klong. Now their operations are monitored more strictly. In fifteen minutes we arrived at a temple pier. Getting off the boat, we walked through Bang Koong Temple to an ancient chapel surrounded by an overgrowth of fig and Bo trees. Bang Koong was a naval outpost during the reign of King Ekathat of Ayutthaya. After Ayutthaya had fallen to the Burmese, Phraya Vachiraprakan fought back and regained it in 1768 by leading a combined Thai-Chinese armada. He ascended to the throne as King Taksin and moved his capital to Thon Buri. In 1774 he revisited the Bang Koong naval camp, but after that it remained in disuse for almost 200 years until 1967 when the government renovated and turned the place into a camp for boy scouts. Coming back to the chapel, it lay in the embrace of towering fig trees whose branches grew and weaved around the structure like arms of nature. It had a Buddha image that shone from the neon lights on the ceiling. Patches of ancient murals, worn out and almost obscure in the dim light, were also visible. The scene looked like a miniaturised version of the awe-inspiring of Ta Prohm stone sanctuary in Seam Riep, Cambodia. Also present was a monument to King Taksin. With light fading quickly, we got back on the boat and sailed to Wat Bang Khae Noi to visit a chapel famous for its teakwood carvings. At the temple pier, fragrance from flowers planted in its garden permeated the evening air. We rushed to the ordination hall, a resident monk guiding us there. When he turned the light on the chapel and wood carvings on the interior glowed from walls to the ceiling. In a few minutes we met the abbot who proudly declared that it was the product of long years of hard work by artisans brought in especially from Phetchaburi and noted for their craftsmanship. Except for a few touches here and there, he said, the work was almost complete and ready for public view. We praised the exquisiteness of the carvings which drew a happy grin from him. When the boat was about to turn into Amphawa Canal, Vichien told us that the waterway was also called Khlong Phi Lok, or the haunted canal, explaining that it had nothing to do with ghosts or spirits but it was called so after the specially designed local boats that plied the canal. By the time we returned to Amphawa market dusk had set in. Fluorescent lamps glowed from boats and houses on either sides of the canal. I spotted a boat full of pots containing various curries. A group of visitors were dining on a flight of stairs leading to the canal. Another boat was stacked with Thai desserts in banana leaf wrappings. I took note of a rare dessert called Khanom Raak Bua (a sweet made from lotus root). Next to it was another boat selling an assortment of traditional desserts, such as Ja Mongkut, Thong-ek, Thong Yod and Foi Thong. I sampled Khanom Luem Kluen, it had a mildly sweet flavour.
There were other boats selling grilled meat balls and squids. Apart from these mobile eateries, food stalls were also set up on terra firma along the walkway inviting passers-by to sample the food. We obliged, indulging in a score of dishes, before moving on to do a bit of shopping. The canalside shops boasted a wonderful array of souvenirs, Amphawa T-shirts embossed with its postal code, postcards reproducing the nostalgia of old days and a dozen other memorabilia. A few visitors lounged sipping freshly brewed coffee by the canal. We were drawn to a foot massage outlet and enjoyed the pampering treatment. Interestingly, these wooden shops originally were houses built on stilts. Since the evening market came into being, most residents turned them into shops, and still others into guest houses ranging from single to three-bedroom facilities with air-conditioning and a living room, like the one next to the foot massage outlet. Another shophouse sold home-made snacks and sweets. There were several boat tour counters where visitors could take a night tour to observe beautiful fireflies, and a concrete bridge connecting two sides of the canal around which there are several houses that provide overnight accommodation. "Previously we only ran a shop selling sweets. But once it closed for the day everything was so quiet," said a kind-looking lady when we turned up at her guest house. That day she had a group of visitors and all her rooms were occupied. Although they were not canal-fronted, they were clean and tidy. In front of the house there were nice seats offering excellent view to the canal, ideal for a leisurely cup of hot brew in the morning or drinks in the evening. Next to it was another unit that served as a sweet shop, a type that brought back memories of my childhood days. "Once Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited here. She was delighted to see the shop and told me to keep it this way," said the lady. When I walked to the bridge in the centre of the market, I heard the blare of karaoke music from a restaurant that I found disturbing because it spoiled the peace of this canalside community. But a shopkeeper there saw it differently, saying that the music was a sign of vitality and was played loud to enliven the spirit of visiting tourists and shoppers. But visitors like me, coming from Bangkok, would strongly disagree. We go there to seek the serenity of canalside villages. Light music, I think, would have been a better choice. By now it was about 9pm and a hush had descended on the market. Most of the vendors had paddled home. A massage outlet was waiting for its last customers to leave. Food stalls along the canal were being pulled down, but the blare from the karaoke restaurant was still going strong. Though the night was still young, I knew it was time for me to leave. |