Bangkok was once more commonly known as the Venice of the East due to the intricate network of waterways that crisscrossed the city in the 19th century CE. There were few roads in the 1800s CE so the city's inhabitants travelled and traded along the busy canals or khlongs on the Chao Phraya river - the major river of Thailand that flows through Bangkok.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1430/how-an-adventure-loving-american-saved-the-thai-si/.