The construction of the Khlong Saen Saeb canal started in 1837 and was completed in 1840. The construction was ordered by King Rama III to transport weapons and soldiers to a conflict zone in Cambodia.
The main purpose of the canal today is the public transport by boat. About 60.000 people commute on this canal daily. The route is about 18 km. long and tickets are 8 to 18 Baht per trip.
To cross from one side to another people can either use one of the many bridges, or alternatively the old style ferries. The manually operated ferry takes you across for 2 Baht. Here we see one of the operators, cycling the ferry from one side to another.
The boat service is fast and convenient, but there are some safety issues. At all of the 23 piers people basically have to jump on and off the speeding boats. Sometimes people fall into the dirty water and need to be hospitalized. There are even several fatalities on the canal every year.
Here one lady lost one of her shoes while disembarking the boat. One of the service men on the boat was left behind on the pier to help her retrieve her shoe out of the water.
Khlong Saen Saeb used to be very clean and full of lotus flowers and life. Now only people who don't have any choice are going into these murky waters. Like this man repairing one of the boats.
The main pier of the canal is located at Pratunam. Here one can transit from the eastern route to the western route. It is also the place where boats get repaired and cleaned.
The old canal now crosses right through modern Bangkok. Even though it has changed its original purpose, it is still vital to many of the Bangkokians.
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