Every so often, when walking, driving or speeding around Bangkok on a train, bus, car or even motorcycle, you may have come across a muddy looking canal running straight through the center of the city.  Now, there are many canals that do this, however, the Saen Saep canal is famous! It’s the one that always seems to be overflowing its banks and host to those big, long commuter boats shuttling Thais across the city for a quick commute.  The canal has a number of ‘boat stops’ along its length and is a truly local and quick way to travel over long distances without the traffic. You just may need to handle a very crowded boat and a bit of water splashing, in return!

So, one day, whilst walking along the main road near BTS Ratchathewi, I crossed over the canal next to the Hua Chang hotel and the noise of the boat passing by caught my attention.  I watched it pass under, spraying water and whisking customers to their next stop when I noticed that you could actually walk along the canal on both sides down below! Not only this but in this area, the walls were covered with brilliant graffiti!

All you need to do is walk down under the bridge and you can access this canal network, whether to take the boat at the Saphan Hua Chang pier OR just to take a walk!  Down there you will also find a bit of local life, street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers taking a nap, small shrines and all sorts of hidden Bangkok moments! Check out these beautiful shots of the area down there around Hua Chang bridge: