Many major cities across the globe have bodies of water running through them. The Nile runs northward through Cairo in Egypt and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. In Europe, the Danube river cuts through four capital cities: Vienna Austria, Budapest Hungary, Belgrade Serbia, and Bratislava Slovakia. In the East, the river of myth and legend, the Yamuna, flows through Delhi India. In Bangkok, it is the Chao Praya.
TRAVEL TIP: A memorable way of seeing Bangkok is on the ferries that criss-cross the waterway or on the water buses that traverse the Chao Praya. There are also boats the travel the narrow canals (khlongs) that connect to the city’s main river.
For the more adventurous, there are always the longtail boats of James Bond fame.
Fortunately for our tour group, a boat ride along the most important river in the Land of Smiles was already included in the vacation package. The tour leader regaled us with a folk tale as we slowed to a particular spot on the river bank. The story went that the nearby temple had emanated such spiritual energy that fish had begun congregating near it. People in the area noticed this strange phenomenon and began believing that the flailing creatures were ancestors worshiping at the wat. Since then monks and locals have been feeding these sacred animals; catching them is considered illegal, in spite of catfish being a staple of Thai cuisine.
