Dividing Bangkok in two is the Chao Phraya River, which seperates Bangkok proper from the previous capital city, Thonburi. The river is much like the Bangkok streets, busy and bustling, and when we were there, this sense was added to by the fact that the river was in flood. After some initial hesitation, we decided to take a ferry ride up the river, which was actually quite a pleasant, and safe, experience.

	Thailand is a country of temples, or wats as they are called in Thai, and Bangkok has its fair share. Most of the temples are Buddhist (top and above left and right), but there are also a number of Chinese, Taoist, temples (left), like those in Taiwan. It is easy to spot the differences between the two, the most prominent being the tall sharp spires and the comparitively plain roof of the Buddhist temple, as opposed to the more ornate "Chinese" roof of the Taoist temple. What they do have in common is the multi-tiered roof structure and decorative designs which make Christian churches look like morgues by comparison.
The fact that the river is thoroughfare, like any other street in Bangkok, is emphasised by the river-front houses, against which the flooding river laps threateningly.	Despite the apparent threat from the river, domestic life in these houses seems to continue unabated as washing is hung out to dry and satellite dishes beam in the soapies.

Dion Marc Delport

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