Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Soi Kuti Jiin; 7am-noon Sat & Sun; river-crossing ferry from Tha Pak Talat, Atsadang)
F
Centuries be-
fore Sukhumvit became Bangkok's international district, the Portuguese claimed
fa·ra
̀
ng
(Western) supremacy and built the Church of Santa Cruz in the 1700s. The land was a gift
from King Taksin in appreciation for the loyalty the Portuguese community had displayed
after the fall of Ayuthaya. The surviving church dates to 1913.
Very little activity occurs on the grounds itself, but small and fascinating village streets
break off from the main courtyard into the area known as Kuti Jiin, the local name for the
church. On Soi Kuti Jiin 3, several houses sell Portuguese-inspired cakes and sweets.
SAMPENG LANE
(Soi Wanit 1 (Sampeng Lane); 8am-6pm; Tha Ratchawong, Hua Lamphong exit 1 & taxi)
Sampeng
Lane is a narrow artery running parallel to Th Yaowarat and bisecting the commercial
areas of Chinatown and Phahurat. The Chinatown portion is lined with wholesale shops of
hair accessories, pens, stickers, household wares and beeping, flashing knick-knacks. Near
Th Chakrawat, gem and jewellery shops abound. Weekends are horribly crowded, and it
takes a gymnast's flexibility to squeeze past the pushcarts, motorcycles and other roadb-
locks.
MARKET
SAPHAN PHUT NIGHT BAZAAR
(Th Saphan Phut; 8pm-midnight Tue-Sun; Tha Saphan Phut, Memorial Bridge)
On the Bangkok side of
Tha Saphan Phut, this night market has bucketloads of cheap clothes, late-night snacking
and a lot of people-watching. As Chatuchak Weekend Market (
Click here
)
becomes more
design-orientated, Saphan Phut has begun filling the closets of fashion-forward, baht-chal-
lenged teenagers.
MARKET
HOLY ROSARY CHURCH
(Th Yotha; Mass 7.30pm Mon-Sat, 8am, 10am & 7.30pm Sun; Tha Marine Department)
F
Portuguese
seafarers were among the first Europeans to establish diplomatic ties with Siam, and their
influence in the kingdom was rewarded with prime riverside real estate. When a Por-
tuguese contingent moved across the river to the present-day Talat Noi area of Chinatown
in 1787, they were given this piece of land and built the Holy Rosary Church, known in
Thai as Wat Kalawan, from the Portuguese 'Calvario'.
Over the years the Portuguese community dispersed and the church fell into disrepair.
However, Vietnamese and Cambodian Catholics displaced by the Indochina wars adopted
CHURCH
