It's Sunday and there's a tempting football fixture in town this evening, a local derby in fact, to add to the fixture at BG Stadium on Friday. It's at a venue I've been to a few times but there are reasons it's not my favourite. One was having to queue for tickets and I remember that fateful day when I arrived to find them sold out. However, today is different as I secure tickets online. Another issue is that while I can reach the stadium in 30 minutes, I need to use the tollway which works out more than a ticket for the game. Crazy! All said and done we can now leave quite late to reach the stadium as we did on Friday but I have another idea to turn this into a mini-tour. We leave at lunchtime for an exotic meal which has been missing of late.
It's a bit like dropping a pin on a map, but I see something of interest which is also convenient for the stadium as we make our way to the bank of the Chao Phraya River and Chomchon Restaurant. I'm expecting this restaurant to be much the same as a hundred other seafood restaurants along the Chao Phraya River but on arrival, I'm in for a surprise. Not for the first time, we are on government owned land run by the Royal Thai Navy. It's not surprising to learn that the restaurant is staffed by students of the naval academy and what a brilliant idea. Projects like this minimise tax-payer's money and help to keep a strong military force. It's little surprise that this force is double the size it is in the UK but let's just concentrate on food. The location is ideal to gaze across the Chao Phraya which is nearly 600 metres wide at this point and a kilometre from the open sea. At Chomchon Restaurant there is a huge variety of speciality seafood dishes on offer and we end up with crab, prawns and oysters. This ensures that I will end the day with an empty wallet. By the time we finish the meal it's around 2:30 pm, still plenty of time left in the day before we need to make our way to the stadium. I accept that the area I am now in is unfamiliar to me so I leave planning the rest of the afternoon to my partner. We now proceed west heading for the Rama 9 bridge.
the Rama 9 bridge is an attraction in itself. Here the flow of the Chao Phraya River forms a massive loop turning back on itself. At the neck is a canal just 600 metres wide, known as the Lat Pho Canal which turns the land inside the loop into an island known as Bang Kachao. This area is affectionately known as the lung of Bangkok which consists mainly of mangrove and has never been part of the urban sprawl of Bangkok. The choke point at the Lat Pho Canal had split the province of Samut Prakan from it access to Bangkok but in 1987, a bridge was constructed to cross both the entrance and exit of the loop created by the Chao Phraya being named the Rama IX Bridge. Then, due to increased traffic volumes, a new bridge was built in two sections known as Rama 9 Bridges 1 and 2. This bridge has only recently opened and as well as being a marvel of engineering, it is an iconic landmark in itself. Now we cross one of these bridges in search of a temple.
Wat Songtham Worawihan is a white, red & gold temple in Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan from the reign of King Rama III, housing an image of Buddha's footprint. Phra Pradaeng is a melting pot of Thai, Chinese and Mon cutlures. The temple is a second-rank temple and also an old Mon-Buddhist temple. The huge three-layer Phra Raman Chedi was built in Mon style and the building is made mostly with bricks and cement while the decoration however, is done mainly using teak. Most importantly, this royal temple houses the replica Buddha footprint, which is revered among locals.
The stop here allow Katoon to make an offering but also to collect valuable information on what else there is nearby.
We next arrive at the Phra Pradaeng City Pillar Shrine which is tucked away in an allyway. The small Thai/Chinese shrine certainly brings into focus how things were in the early Rattanakosin (Bangkok) period along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It clearly was an important trading hub.
We arrived at the shrine on foot but notice there are still samlors (three-wheeled bicycles) here. Believing these were obsolete, I'm surprised to see a few still in service. Clearly they die hard in these narrow streets and it's fitting that we take a ride back to Wat Songtham Worawihan before this type of transport disappears forever.
Back at the temple, I wander across to the riverbank to get an amazing view of the Rama 9 Bridge then head off to find another little piece of Thai history.
The Phlaeng Faifa Fortress is at the end of another alleyway but all there is to see is an old gate and wall, part of a fortress constructed in the reign of Rama II. Unfortunately there's no access beyond the gate and there is a danger that this fortification is lost to history as there is very little information that I can find about it. As history has shown the Chao Phraya River provided an opportunity for invasion. particulary by the French at the end of the 19th Century
It's now after 5:00 pm and time to reach our entertainment venue for the evening as we head for Khlong Toei and PAT Stadium. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to find a parking space but there is a good hour before the game kicks off.
The game today is between Port FC and True Bangkok United so there is local rivalry. As we take our seats, one of the things that is an issue with the stadium is congested space. PAT Stadium is owned by the Port Authority of Thailand and is hemed in on all sides. Given the status of the team, it's surprising that an alternative venue has not been found. It really is claustrophobic in here where clambering over bodies for relief is a major headache. The best option is to plan ahead and stay put for the entire game. OK so the stadium is not gonna feature much in the future but let's just concentrate on the game today.
With Port lying 5th and Bangkok United 2nd in the Thai Premier League, there is not a great deal to choose between the two teams although the away team must have the edge. As the game keeps kicks off at 17.00, I'm looking for one of the teams to grasp the initiative but it doesn't come. Instead there is a slogging match back and forth between two heavyweights. Unfortunately, points scores mean nothing in football, it's all about scoring goals and while both teams continued to probe for a weakness there just isn't any as defences are dominating. The first half ends goaless. Will the second half provide an improvement?
The second-half begins and turns out to be a carbon copy of the first. In football there are always periods of ebb and flow but this game is bucking the trend. It's as if there's an impenetrable brick wall at either end of the ground. The sats reveal that True Bangkok have had the greater possession but Port were good on the break. The game produced a dismal two shots on goal during the entire game, one for each side. The result means that Port benefit by moving up to 4th in the table but the loss of two points by Bangkok means that with few games left in season, the top three places seem to be fixed. In terms of my visit to PAT stadium today, I continue to be unimpressed by the venue and it will take a lot to persuade me to return.

Source: Visit