Writing in 1900, the American consul residing in Bangkok marveled that only 35 years earlier there had been no streets in the capital, that all traffic was carried by boats. Even now, he wrote, "numerous canals still compete with the street traffic."
More roads were being built yearly, however, and -- as the author of this interesting book writes -- "just in time, too, because by 1908 there were more than 300 cars crawling around the town."
There were also trams; since 1873, Bangkok was to be traveled by a large and elaborate system of trolleys, driven by "daredevils of the streets," who raced each other and bet on probable winners.