Not far from Wat Asokaram, although there is no direct access from the temple, is a delightful stretch of riverbank, where there is a string of seafood restaurants and fabulous views of the river. It's the perfect spot to enjoy lunch and take a rest from sightseeing, or rather have the sights pass you by as you sit back and watch the ever-changing scenes of life along the Chao Phraya.
North of Samut Prakan town is the Thai Naval Museum, which chronicles the nation's naval history, exhibiting model ships ranging from royal barges to Thailand's first submarine, H.M.S. Matchanu. A more vivid insight into the past, however, lies back across the Chao Phraya at Chulachomklao Fort, which stands on the west bank close to the mouth of the river.
Meticulously preserved as a historical park, Chulachomklao Fort was built on the orders of HM King Chulalongkorn, who in the face of the West's mounting colonial interest in the region wished to strengthen and expand the fortifications along the Chao Phraya. Construction was begun in 1884 and completed
in 1893, just a couple of months before the fort saw action in the Pak Nam incident.
The main features of the fortifications are seven sunken gun emplacements linked by tunnels and supported by ammunition and storage bunkers. Each emplacement is armed with a six-inch, five-tonne Armstrong cannon. Known in Thailand as puen sua morb or "crouching tiger cannon", the guns were hidden behind a brick enclosure and raised by a hydraulic mechanism at the moment of firing. Inspecting the fort in 1893, Rolin-Jaequemyns remarked of the cannon, "The sight of this big, sly machine, which ambushes and takes aim like a brigand to hide immediately thereafter, has something ferocious about it." All seven cannon are still in working order.In front of the fort is a large standing statue of HM King Chulalongkorn, at the base of which is a small exhibition room, while moored at the riverbank is H.M.S. Mae Klong, a Japanese-designed warship with a 1,400-tonne displacement that was in service from 1937 to 1994. The ship is open to the public and, from the bridge, there is a fine view of the fort to the right and the river mouth dead ahead, a panorama that splendidly encapsulates the fascination of this little visited corner of Thailand.
North of Samut Prakan town is the Thai Naval Museum, which chronicles the nation's naval history, exhibiting model ships ranging from royal barges to Thailand's first submarine, H.M.S. Matchanu. A more vivid insight into the past, however, lies back across the Chao Phraya at Chulachomklao Fort, which stands on the west bank close to the mouth of the river.
Meticulously preserved as a historical park, Chulachomklao Fort was built on the orders of HM King Chulalongkorn, who in the face of the West's mounting colonial interest in the region wished to strengthen and expand the fortifications along the Chao Phraya. Construction was begun in 1884 and completed
in 1893, just a couple of months before the fort saw action in the Pak Nam incident.
The main features of the fortifications are seven sunken gun emplacements linked by tunnels and supported by ammunition and storage bunkers. Each emplacement is armed with a six-inch, five-tonne Armstrong cannon. Known in Thailand as puen sua morb or "crouching tiger cannon", the guns were hidden behind a brick enclosure and raised by a hydraulic mechanism at the moment of firing. Inspecting the fort in 1893, Rolin-Jaequemyns remarked of the cannon, "The sight of this big, sly machine, which ambushes and takes aim like a brigand to hide immediately thereafter, has something ferocious about it." All seven cannon are still in working order.In front of the fort is a large standing statue of HM King Chulalongkorn, at the base of which is a small exhibition room, while moored at the riverbank is H.M.S. Mae Klong, a Japanese-designed warship with a 1,400-tonne displacement that was in service from 1937 to 1994. The ship is open to the public and, from the bridge, there is a fine view of the fort to the right and the river mouth dead ahead, a panorama that splendidly encapsulates the fascination of this little visited corner of Thailand.