Nestled within a large bend in the Chao Phraya River, a short hop from busy Sukhumvit, Green Lung, place known to the locals as Bang Kra Jao, is located in the outskirt district of Phra Pradaeng, and is an absolutely fantastic place for Bangkok shore excursions within the city limits to explore.
This amazing wilderness in Bangkok can only be reached by boat as no bridges span this part of the river, and incredibly it has been left untouched by developers. It has the feel of a tiny country village. All the roads are small, and rarely see much traffic. There are no large buildings, as the whole area is a heritage site. Lining the streets you’ll see lovely little traditional wooden houses and shops dotted in and amongst the many palm trees and flowers. Besides the fact that you’ll be filling your lungs with clean air, the whole area itself closely resembles a green lung when you look at it from above. Open up a satellite image of Bangkok and see if you can spot it.
You’ll also see some raised concrete paths that run off into the jungle from time to time on either side of the road. If you aren’t an experienced cyclist, you should definitely jump off your bicycle before venturing down one of these. They are only about a meter wide, quite high off the ground, and a lot of the times don’t have fences which makes them rather treacherous for the newbies. Of course, the experienced locals happily drive their motorcycles along these paths. There are a few nearby locations of note that are also worth visiting. The closest place to check out is the Siamese Fighting Fish Gallery. If you are expecting these fish to be large and violent, then you might be in for a bit of a letdown as they are quite the opposite, though they are very colorful. The gallery is located below a traditional Thai stilt building in a large, well-maintained garden. There is plenty of shade and a good playground for children. Best of all, it’s completely free.
