The Kudi Chin Community is the settlement of the Thai-Portuguese in Bangkok which has a very interesting history since the 16th century. Many Thai cultures you see today, especially in the Thai cuisine and desserts are influenced by the people from this community. Before we move on to the highlights and activities inside this community, here is the brief history.
Brief History of Kudi Chin
The Kudi Chin Community originated from the settlement of Portuguese people during the Ayutthaya period. The history of the community has been traced back since the second fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Portuguese settlement has joined King Taksin the Great in fighting against the invading army and helped establish a new capital of Siam (the former name of Thailand) in Thonburi, which is located just across the river from the current Grand Palace. After the successful establishment of the new capital, the Portuguese were granted land to settle in the area nearby and continue to live in the community until today.
Inside the community, here are the highlights and activities you can do inside the Kudi Chin Community.
Experience the Authentic Sense of Community in Bangkok
The Kudi Chin Community is alive and remains the authentic sense of community. There are many communities in Bangkok which are dying, full of old people, no activity or even commercialized to be a shopping district, which is not the case here at the Kudi Chin Community.
I recommend starting from the Santa Cruz Church, which is located at the heart of the community. Here upon walking along the narrow street straight from the Santa Cruz Church, you will start experiencing the vibe of a community in Bangkok.
Narrow streets Google maps could not detect. Old half wooden houses located next to each other in rows. Simple household businesses with kiosks in front of each house, offering unique food or desserts you cannot find anywhere else in the world!
I really recommend you to try the notable dessert from the Kudi Chin Community is called Khanom Farang, a cake-like baked dessert mixed with Chinese-style dried fruits, resulting in a unique sweet that is exclusively found here. Feel free to stop by at any shop you like, as well as have a few conversations with people in the community.
What I also like about this community is you can bike. I am not a fan of biking, but if you do, feel free to bring your bike and bike around the community.
There are parts of the community which are located by the riverside. Here you can always sit and chill around to witness the sunset of Bangkok as well. This part of the community is a bit commercialized with a serious dining in a restaurant or coffee shop format. There is also a nice walkway by the river bank which connects you to Wat Kalaya and other places outside the community.
Learn Thai-Portuguese Culture
The history of the community since the 16th century is well preserved in the community museum called Baan Kudichin Museum. Just walk along a small alley called “Soi 3” from Santa Cruz Church.
You will feel surprised that Portuguese culture has perfectly blended with local Thai culture and has been widely spread and embraced across the country for a very long time, particularly in the culinary realm. For example, traditional Thai desserts such as Thong Yip which is a Portuguese dessert Touxas das Caldas. It was brought over and popularized by the Portuguese settlers. Over time, they became so deeply rooted in Thai culture that they are now commonly referred to as “Thai desserts,” despite their foreign origin.
I highly recommend you visit the museum first and spend some time here before you explore the community, so you can have a better overview picture about the community and enjoy more of what is being offered around the community.
Explore Nice Architecture Around
Apart from the authentic community vibe, there are also many nice architecture around the community you can take a photo with.
Baan Windsor, for example, is an old house in a unique Thai-Colonial style which is rare to find.
The Kudi Chin Community is notable for its harmonious coexistence of different religious groups. The Christians whose faith came with the Portuguese and is widely practiced within the community, local Buddhists, and Muslims from nearby neighborhoods. You are able to observe places of worship for all three religions located in close proximity within and around the Kudi Chin area and those places have a very stunning architecture.
Santa Cruz Church is located at the heart of the community with its standing western style of building. Wat Prayurawongsawas or Wat Prayoon, a Buddhist temple with unique white chedi structure which won the Award of Excellence from UNESCO. Wat Kalayanamitr or Wat Kalaya, a Buddhist temple which has one of the biggest sitting buddha statues in Bangkok.
There is also a mosque located around the community as well but I had no chance to visit until now. Let me know your experience if you had a chance to visit all 3 sacred places inside the community.
How To Get There?
By Car
There is a parking lot inside the Wat Kalayanamitr. You can enter the temple from Arun Amarin Road. However, you need to pay the parking fee of 20 THB per car.
After you park the car at Wat Kalayanamitr, you can use a riverside walkway which connects to Santa Cruz Church. It is recommended to start from Santa Cruz Church as it is the center of the community.
The riverside walkway is open from 5:00 until 22:00.
By Boat
There will be a so-called ‘temple tour boat’ where the ticket costs 40 THB per person. You can hop-on-hop-off between 3 temples: Wat Kalayanamitr, Wat Arun and Wat Rakang. You can hop on from any temple. The boat will come every 20-30 minutes. 1 Ticket will be used for your whole trip. No need to buy a new ticket.
For the Chaophraya Express Boat or crossing ferry, unfortunately they stopped the service to Wat Kalayanamitr Pier already.
After you arrive at Wat Kalayanamitr, you can use a riverside walkway which connects to many places in the Kudi Chin Community (The explanation of the riverside walkway has been described under the transportation by car)
