PAUL BURGESS EXPLORES BANGKOK’S BEST-KEPT NATURAL SECRET

“THE THAI ONES ARE SMALL and sour, and the Vietnamese are larger and sweet,” explains Natcha Silrodom. But I am baffl ed – we have been traipsing among the outlandish dragon fruit trees for some time, and I am still struggling to distinguish the Vietnamese variety from their thai counterpart. the hot pink dragon fruits and their trees look like something rather mythical, and the wider setting around Natcha’s farm is very similar in nature – a moody swampland that lends itself to being all the more surreal, given the proximity and contrast to Bangkok. this place called Phra Pradaeng feels like another world – and before I visited, a friend had told me, “It is just across the river from central Bangkok, and yet this place feels like a quaint upcountry province.” that figurative leap can also be measured by the various disparate religious monuments seen in my wanderings. the largest is an elaborate shrine on the porch of a private house, all draped in white chiff on and guarded by wooden elephants rearing their trunk, erected every September to appease the multitude of spirits that lurk in the swamp. Never have I seen, in many years in thailand, an animist shrine so extravagant.

BEYOND BANGKOK

Natcha and her husband have always lived in Phra Pradaeng, and they cultivate dragon fruits – 400 trees in neatly lined rows that are skirted by water channels. the trees live for 15 years, and bear fruits between April and November. “Watch out for snakes,” Natcha warns me. “there are vipers and king cobras lurking in the grass among the trees.” Trees might be a misnomer; dragon fruits are, in fact, large bushels of gnarled cacti tentacles, and the flowers appear poised, as if about to strike. Natcha and her husband sell the fruits at a stall outside their house, and they are doing well, judging from the size and opulence of their house. “Bothour children are studying ceramics at Silpakorn University,” Natcha announces proudly. However, there is no sight of the kids. “It’s too far for them to live here, and they have to commute back and forthevery day, so that’s why they are renting a room in Bangkok,” their mother reveals. the distance is clearly a mental rather than physical one, as it is not too far at all – it would take an hour to get to Silpakorn University, and people who live further away commute every day for work or school. Phra Pradaeng may only be about 3km from Sukhumvit in central Bangkok, but the inhabitants refer to the city as if it is another country altogether. Another farmer, Wichit Sukamuan, who grows banana, betel nuts, rose apples and a decorative temple plant on her small plot, talked of Bangkok as a place to be avoided. I point out that she could almost double her income if she hopped across the river to sell the rose apples – which fetch 50 baht per kilo over there as opposed to 30 baht locally. “It’s too complicated and too much effort to go to Bangkok to sell my products,” she mutters, as she weighs the practical concerns.

THE LUNGS OF BANGKOK

Geographically, Phra Pradaeng is a spit of land, shaped like a pear, almost completely encircled by a bend of the Chao Phraya river in southern Bangkok. It is very nearly an island, and culturally, it has the insular air of one. this semi-natural swampland is only sparsely inhabited – the vista from high points is dominated by palm trees and cluttered with creepers, unkempt trees and reeds below. the place has a long history – there are descendants of the Mon people who had migrated from Myanmar hundreds of years ago, but habitations remained tentative in a morass prone to flooding, and is home to aggressive creatures such as red ants, sand-flies, mosquitoes and snakes. Bangkok’s inhabitants refer to Phra Pradaeng as “the lungs of Bangkok”, and the government bars buildings, especially commercial development, above a certain size to retain the area’s green character. Now it is getting greener still – many young people acquire an education and then go to work in central Bangkok, allowing the fruit orchards that their parents had painstakingly nurtured to revert to wild nature. this is likely to be the fate of Natcha’s farm, and Wichit’s too. Near the coastal strip of the peninsula, the houses are built on high stilts in a watery world. Colourful long-tail boats are docked outside, belonging to fishermen who fish with small nets in the Chao Phraya, catching catfish mostly. Further inland, the area is defined by two or three roads which run northto southand meet at the neck of the peninsula. Alleys branch off these roads, leading to a scattering of houses and orchards in the heart of the swamp. the alleys take the form of concrete pathways elevated above the murky waterlogged ground, cutting through the scenic watery forest. Only a few feet wide and with no railings, the meandering threads of concrete are unnerving on two wheels, as a minor distraction could see you plunge over the side. And it’s easy to be distracted: singing birds vie for your attention, especially the kingfishers with their high-pitched trills.

BIRDS OF PARADISE

there are five species of kingfishers in Phra Pradaeng, according to Yodsaphol Wonglertwit, a 24-year-old “twitcher” who lives across the river in Bangkok. “It’s full of birds,” Yodsaphol describes, “and it’s also a quiet natural place.” Since early 2006, Yodsaphol has been keeping a log of birds that he has sighted at Suan Nakorn Kuenkan Park, a large 24-hectare public park in the heart of Phra Pradaeng. the park has various tranquil lagoons surrounded by lawn near the entrance, but most of it has been left as natural swampy habitat accessed by footpaths. In just six visits, Yodsaphol has recorded 72 species; several large spectacular breeds of water birds (herons, egrets, cormorants, and even the rare Cinnamon Bittern), four species of woodpeckers, three kinds of raptors, and many others, including colourful orioles, rollers, and cuckoos. the birds of prey are the easiest to spot, soaring and reconnoitring for prey above the tree-tops, especially the large and common Brahminy Kite, a majestic bird with brown and cream plumage. “I think Brahminy Kites prefer to nest further down the river and use Phra Pradaeng only as a feeding area,” Yodsaphol says. “My favourite birds are the Pink-necked Pigeon, Vinous-breasted Pigeon, and Stork-billed Kingfisher. they are all very beautiful and rare, hardly unseen elsewhere in Bangkok, so in my opinion, they are the stars of Phra Pradaeng.” However, you don’t need to be an ornithologist to appreciate the uniqueness and natural beauty of this unspoilt area. Phra Pradaeng has many other “stars” to look out for too; the hot pink dragon fruits, the dramatic tuft y stands of betel nut palms, the colourful fish in the canals and two gigantic Buddha statues – plus an ability to make one get lost in thought and forget that you are anywhere near a city for a few wonderful hours.

VISITING PHRA PRADAENG

the best way to take in this relatively large area is by bike – unless you limit yourself to a small patch such as Suan Nakorn Kuenkan Park. the park is a 10-minute walk from the local boat pier, or a few minutes on a motorbike taxi. there are two companies that offer all-inclusive bicycle tours. Real Asia (tel +66 (0)2 665-6364, www.realasia.net, email info@realasia.net) have two daily tours that take four hours to clock 20km and cost 1,500 baht on a weekday (longer tours on weekends cost 2,000 baht). Spice Roads (tel +66 (0)2 712-5305, www.spiceroads.com, email info@spiceroads.com) also run daily tours that cover 25km in four hours for 1,000 baht. Boththese companies are based in Sukhumvit Soi 26, and the tours start from their base straight towards the river and then across. Another option is to tour independently; you can either rent a mountain bike from Spice Roads for 400 baht daily, or cross the river and rent a bike on the Phra Pradaeng side for 250 baht daily (Plawith Khoucha, the owner of bike rental there, can be contacted at tel +66 (0)8 3004-2568; he also does guided tours for 950 baht). To get across the river is easy: boats shuttle across from tha Klongtoei to tha Bangkacao (the name of the main pier in Phra Pradaeng) for five baht per person. Don’t worry should you get lost in the maze of elevated pathways – all alleyways eventually connect to the main roads and, by heading north, back to the pier.

CENTRAL SPACES

If you fancy a jaunt in a green area with in Bangkok’s centre, head for the city’s largest two parks. Most central is Lumpini Park, which has large ponds that harbour monitor lizards, and where paddle boats or canoes can be rented for a cruise on the water. At sunrise and sunset, hundreds of people flock towards its entrance for the daily ritual of aerobic exercises. In northern Bangkok, Chatuchak Park is the city’s largest and most lush – it can take an hour or more to cross the park on foot, and you’ll probably get lost in the inner areas that have dense groves of trees. Featuring waterways and lagoons, as well as a football pitch, it’s another good spot for bird-watching, especially between November and February when migratory birds pass through thailand in their search for hotter climates.