Railroad Walk in Talat Phlu

Now that life in Bangkok has more or less returned to normal, most of the city's meetup groups have resumed their activities. After so many weeks indoors, all of the city's residents are anxious for adventure.

On Sunday evening, I joined my friend Bow and her hiking group for an evening urban hike on the outskirts of Bangkok.

This weekend, our urban hike took us across the river to Thonburi, the former capital of Siam and Bangkok's quieter and more laid-back twin city. Our evening walk would take us through quiet neighborhoods, across a historic train track, and past sleepy temples, in a part of the city where a foreign face is still an unexpected sight.

The area is called Talat Phlu. Talat is a Thai word that means "market", and phlu means "betel", a type of leaf that people chewed in the past, similar to tobacco. Although betel was outlawed in Thailand in the 1940s, the name stuck.

We set off through the oppressive heat and humidity of the tropical evening. Bow led us along a set of train tracks - one of the oldest lines in the country! In fact, while most tresses have been replaced with concrete, a few hardwood tresses remain, dating back over a century!

Bow had arranged for us to be at just the right spots to watch three State Railway of Thailand trains chug past. These were not the fancy new night trains like the one my family and I took to Chiang Mai a couple of years ago, but rather the slower, older, and more photogenic local commuter trains that the SRT runs in and around Bangkok.

We walked through a quiet neighborhood, where old men sipped beer on their porches, kids played with toy guns around the railroad tracks, and tiny local shops still sold Coca-Cola in the traditional Thai way - served over ice in a plastic bag with a straw.

 

As we walked, I chatted with the other adventurers about the Coronavirus and how they and their countries have been affected. Though we are safe in Thailand, there are a lot of places around the world - including my country - that are still suffering. 

We came to a scenic spot, and Bow suggested that we stop and sit. This was one of the most photogenic spots along our walk, and she wanted us to be able to see the train going past.

Just as Bow had warned us, we were apparently an odd sight! This huge ragtag group of expats from all around the world drew a lot of eyes! As we waited for the train to pass, a young girl ran up to our group.

"She is a fangirl of this tour", Bow explained. "Whenever I run this trip, she wants to take a photo with the group."

The girl was quite bossy, too! She kept instructing us to back us so as to avoid the approaching train.

After the train had passed, we continued along the tracks towards the local station.

The Talat Phlu railway station was a beautiful historic building. We took a seat on old wooden benches as Bow taught us about the history of the neighborhood. The station was painted in royal purple, and a large portrait of Her Majesty Queen Suthida, the new queen of Thailand, hung on the wall in honor of her birthday month.

In the past, Thonburi was the very short-lived capital of Siam. After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, General Taksin declared himself king and moved the capital to Thonburi. The reign of Taksin of Thonburi was rocky. Though he saved the kingdom from the invading Burmese, he succumbed to a religious mania, believing himself to be the Future Buddha.

At that point, Taksin the Great was overthrown by King Rama I in 1782 who established the Chakri Dynasty and the current Rattanakosin Kingdom, and moved the capital across the river to Bangkok.

Back when Thonburi was the capital of the kingdom, Talat Phlu was a lively, bustling downtown. Portuguese diplomats, Chinese merchants, and Muslim-Malay traders all settled in this neighborhood, each adding to its unique culinary and cultural heritage.

Today, the neighborhood is quiet, though the Chinese shrines, mosques, and European-style shophouses still reflect its history. 

Several houses and shops that we walked past in the mazelike warren of sois had Chinese-style shrines and offerings out front.

The neighborhood was peaceful and silent, and Bow taught us about its history as we moved through the narrow alleys.

Later that night, we stopped in front of a beautiful temple for a snack. Bow had ordered several local specialties for us.

First, we tasted a sort of pink rice dumpling stuffed with chives.

Next, we has a ball of sweet and sour crispy fried noodles which had been cooked with a tamarind paste.

Lastly, we walked to Pad Thai Mr Hui, a local Pad Thai restaurant that is famous in the neighborhood. Mr. Hui still makes Pad Thai in a traditional way, and adds several elements that make his dish so special.

- He cooks in pork fat instead of vegetable oil.

- He cooks over charcoal instead of gas.

- He uses duck eggs instead of regular chicken eggs.

The resulting Pad Thai dish is richer, smokier, and tastier than a standard Pad Thai!

Finally, for dessert, Mr. Hui and his family served us each a small box with a variety of old-fashioned local Thai desserts, mostly made from egg yolk and a sugary syrup. 

Coming soon: the eclipse shrine and the big Buddha!