The other Venice

Bangkok used to be referred to as "the Venice of the East" because of its canals, or "klongs", most of which are now sealed. The first three images are of the Royal Barge Procession which marked the 60th Anniversary of the Accession of the King of Thailand in 2006, and which on this and other occasions, takes place on the appropriately named "River of Kings", the Chao Phyra river, upon which the city was founded in 1782 by the first monarch of the existing Chakri dynasty, when the capital of Siam moved from neighbouring Thonburi, and prior to that from Ayutthaya.

With my recent references to Venice, I thought it might be interesting to share a comparison, which is more easily discernable in the Canaletto "A regatta on the Grand Canal" c.1733-4, from the Royal Collection (of Queen Elizabeth II), which includes 50 paintings and 150 drawings by Canaletto, purchased by George III in 1762, from the British merchant banker and later consul, Joseph Smith.