Chulachomklao Fort, Bangkok
When I lived in Bangkok, I did my fair share of exploring. A colleague told me about Chulachomklao Fort, around 29 km south of Bangkok. It sounded interesting, so I decided to visit.
Getting there was fun, I only knew that I had to take the 145 bus to Pak Nam market, then take a boat across the river. The boat chugged its way around a small island towards the pier in Phra Samut Chedi District. You’ll see lush greenery and birds gathering to grab whatever titbits they can from the local fishermen.
It always seems a bit of an adventure when you don’t really know the way, so I just went with the flow. I had to find a market on the other side which wasn’t too difficult after I’d asked a couple of people. From there, I had to locate a truck which would take me to the fort.
Chulachomklao Fort was built in 1884 during the reign of King Rama V. Its main purpose was to defend Thailand against enemies and those seeking to colonise.
I wandered around the gun park where you can see all the different types of artillery and other weapons that were used when the fort was active.
This proud statue of King Rama V stands at the front of the fort.
You’ll also see the entrance to the bunkers which house the disappearing guns.
Inside the bunker, there is a long open corridor..
with doors leading to low underground tunnels..
and the guns at the end.
The disappearing guns were used only once in 1893 when the fort protected the sovereignty of Thailand from French invasion.
They were designed to be hauled up by their hydro-pneumatic system for firing and lowered again afterwards.
Also at the fort is H.T.M.S Maeklong. She was in service for 60 years and deployed during WWII.
It’s fun to scamper about on her decks!
You get good views across the Gulf of Thailand too!
As you move around the park, you’ll come across this ordinary telegraph pole.
It was constructed in 1869 as the first telegraph cable between Bangkok and Paknam. Unfortunately, the service was unsuccessful. 6 years later, the Thai Department of Defence constructed an underwater telegraph line for messages concerning sea traffic to be transmitted.
There is also a lovely mangrove walk you can take.
With some Macaques for company.
If you ignore them, which you should, they won’t take a blind bit of notice of you.
There is more nature to be seen if you’re lucky.
After I’d seen everything, I made my way back to the pier and across the Chao Praya River towards home.
If you’re ever in Bangkok and want to see something just a bit different, Chulachomklao Fort is a fabulous place to visit for the day.
For more places to go in Bangkok, check out the following posts.