Cruising the Chao Phraya

I spent my first two hours in Bangkok stuck in crosstown traffic. With precious vacation time ticking away, I swore off wheeled transport and decided to take boats from then on. For most of Bangkok's 220-year history, boats were the only way to get around the Thai capital, which straddles both the Chao Phraya River and a tangled network of klongs, or canals. Even though many of the old waterways have been paved over, most of the city's major attractions can be reached by boat. The Chao Phraya Express serves the river like a public bus, stopping at selected piers,...