Christopher Wise
Bangkoks first boundary was described in water.
InBangkok, one is never far from water.
Visitors toThailandcan still find that old way of life on a canal tour of the Thon Buri district.
Cruising the canals in Bangkok’s Thon Buri district.Credit:Christopher Wise
Next was the Artist House, a bohemian cafe and gallery.
They had water buffalo, a charcoal stove, and a new puppy.
But the Thailand that the storybook siblings grew up in doesnt square with the present most of us inhabit.
Many of the waterways have now been filled in, paved over, or hidden from view.
A recent example: the closure of the Scala Cinema, Bangkoks last stand-alone movie theater.
My regular badminton hall was converted from another movie theater.
The hand-painted posters forCleopatraandMackennas Goldremained on the walls until, in 2018, it was finally bulldozed.
Now they, too, are gone.
But a city thats bad at preservation is also proving to be good at reinvention.
The trend isnt exclusive to the oldest sections of the city.
