Wongwian Yai

Wongwian Yai is the last stop of the sky train on the west side of the river here in Bangkok.  It was long a quiet Bangkok suburb filled with day laborers and fisherman due to it's close proximity to the Chao Phrya River.  With the incorporation in to Bangkok and the arrival of the sky train station, Wongwian Yai is exploding with development.  Now there is this this really explicit and visible economic disparity popping up here.  Luxurious high rises are being built to accommodate the new upper class city workers moving in to the area who use the sky train to commute every day. Meanwhile families who have lived here for decades are staying put in their traditional homes while their backyards now face concrete walls and glass.  There is also the influx of migrant workers who are building the new condominiums and office buildings.  These people often live ("squat") in the very buildings they are working on tearing down to make room for the new condos they will they be building.  So, Wongwian Yai has turned in to this wild mix of Burmese immigrants, upper class financiers, and traditional market families all living in one place.  My apartment is located right at the entrance to the sky train with the "village" behind me.  I went for a walk around the area the other day and snapped a few pictures.  I was being a bit lazy so they aren't the best, but I think a couple are interesting.  Double click to enlarge. 

Monument of King Taksin The Great in the center of Wongwian Yai Circle

BKK

Taken at the abandoned Thai Royal Navy Police headquarters on the Chao Phaya River near Saphan Taksin, Bangkok.  As housing costs skyrocket in Bangkok more and more people are "squatting" in abandoned buildings such as these.