Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Channel

The surface of the water can be reached two meters higher, from the dry to the rainy season.

The chosen name Darul Muttaqien refers to the pious people who are ever aware of God the Almighty. The jetty at the Khlong side looks like is not much used anymore.

In the center of the muslim urban area is also the area of a buddhist temple. The sign at the entrance warns about violating the strict ban of fishing (2,000 Baht punishment if violating the fishing ban). This is a temple area and the fish are belong to the temple. Buddhist and muslim societies often live side on side, the muslims aren't original Thais but much more integrated than in most European countries.

Fishing surely is the main occupation of all the residents living at the Khlong side. The freshwater fish out of this Khlong is very much liked by the Bangkokian people.

Very bizarre roots formations can be seen at the side of the Khlong. It does not need much fantasy to recognize soon a monster or a dragon.

Morning Glory also called water spinach and it is known to have been grown in Thailand for many hundred years and has not yet escaped cultivation. It is every where available in Thailand on all village markets. The rack above the water plants is simple used as a laundry drier.

Residents use the Khlong for fishing and crowing vegetable. The nets are a protection against snakes and monitors (big varans).

The pedestrian bridge over the side canal called Khlong Pracha Ruam Chai.

While we were passing the mosque we thought a female high voice shout out from the minaret ordering the believers to come and pray. A female Mullah lady? As we came closer the minaret we discovered that it was a young boy aged perhaps 10 years to exercise oneself the callout for the muslim community.

Most muslim people still remain beside the Khlong since the canal was built. During our Khlong-tour to the final point Nong Chok we passed some mosques and muslim colonies with all the necessary facilities like islamic schools, hospitals and cemeteries.

Once - a long time ago - the canal was the most important route for commerce and for the water transport for soldiers and weapons to Cambodia. At the present transporting on the road is much faster and easier, so the canal got useless, no commercial boats go the Khlong anymore. I almost can say that we were the only boat on the water for all this 25 km, sometimes a self made ferry crossed the Khlong to bring the townsfolk from one to the other side of the canal.

Compared to muslim girls and women in the south of Thailand here along the Saen Saeb Khlong they do wear bright scarfs, not the black scarfs as muslim girls usual forced to wear in the south of Thailand. Black scarfs take a bad serious beside effect, the girls suffer like feeling under a solar collector or heater. Schoolgirls in in their uniform Takua Pa south of Thailand, Photo captured in Jan. 2005 short time after Tsunami

Muslim pupil girls today are dressed with an headscarf, when I come to this place thirty years ago the Muslim women and girls seldom wear like this. Something has changed and it seems that the islamic dress code has turned to be more uniformed. The girl in the middle does wear only school dress.

Left and right the Khlong there are a lot of mosques, along the Khlong beside the footbridges are fixed loudspeakers shouting out the voice from the next mullah ordering the residents to come to pray in the mosque. The Khlong once was dug with the work of thousands of Khmer muslims and in the meantime after five generations the muslims still colonize the Khlongs area.

Like roadsigns in the city, every side canal has its name, an official plate shows the name in two languages.

A boy is trying to catch a catfish out of the Khlong. Some areas are strict covered with a prohibition of fishing due the lack of freshwater fish still live in this polluted Khlong water.

We turned to the right side into the main canal Khlong Saen Saeb. No other boats were seen on the water. The canal isn't used for boating anymore just local citizen use the Khlong for fishing.

Some huts are built only for a season until the next flood or the worker has his job at the nearby factory. But the term has traditionally referred to housing areas that were once relatively affluent but which deteriorated as the original dwellers moved on to newer and better parts of the city,