Bangkok 's nickname is the 'Venice of the Orient' due to it's many canals. These canals are spawned by the mighty 'River of Kings', the Chao Phraya River. The word for canal in Thai is 'klong'. Spend a few hours as part of the frenetic life of the main river and also the serene atmosphere along the klongs. Enjoy a long tail boat journey in Bangkok. Meet your guide at River City Shopping mall and visit the old city of Thonburi, an independent province until it was merged with Bangkok in 1971. Experience the local way of living, rarely seen from the other side of town. Historically, the Thai capital Bangkok was crisscrossed by klongs (canals), and gained the nickname "Venice of the East". Klongs were used for transportation and for floating markets, but also for sewage disposal. Today, most of the khlongs of Bangkok have been filled in, although the Thonburi side of Bangkok (covering areas west of Chao Phraya River) still retains several of its larger khlongs.