Exerpt - the Duke arrives in Bangkok 1883 and meets the King

 

Excerpt: 

On 26 April 1883, we left Singapore on the well appointed "Maha Vastrumhis", named after the Crown Prince¹ of Siam. The voyage was favoured by fine weather and we found the Captain, a native Dane, to be an exceptionally pleasant person.

For the first two days of the voyage, we were accompanied by the mountains of the Malay Peninsula (Malacca) in the West, whose rugged shapes stood out in the sky. On the evening of the 29th, Siam's coast appeared before us, and during the night we travelled up the Menam² River. When we woke up the next morning, we found ourselves in the middle of Siam's capital. 

Like Venice, Bangkok lies on marshy ground on both sides of the Menam River and is intersected by numerous canals.

The river and canals also form the main arteries of trade and public life.

Small, light vehicles propelled by quick oar strokes constantly rush across these waterways whose yellowish muddy colour also resembles a country road.

Small, light oars are usually used here which are moved from front to back while sitting on the ground of the boat.

Nobody was expecting me in Bangkok, as I had suddenly decided in Singapore to give up Java for the time being and go straight to Siam, and there was also no telegraph connection to Bangkok back then.

We went straight to the Consulate, where the Consul Herr von Krencki¹ received us most graciously until the afternoon. By then, the King had been informed of our arrival and the Lotus Palace was ready for our visit.