Kudi Jin (Santa Cruz Church)

The Santa Cruz Church was built in 1769, and given the local nickname of Kudi Jin, which means "The Chinese Church," which is what the local community is also called. This was Bangkok's first multi-cultural neighborhood, where Portuguese immigrants were given plots of land to settle on, and where Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians all lived together. The community was home to most of the Italian architects who were some of the first foreigners to live in Bangkok in the early 1900s, a period during which many of Bangkok's colonial architectural masterpieces were designed. Today the area is home to a Thai-Catholic community that descends from Portuguese ancestry, and you can even find a traditional Portuguese bakery near the church. Walking the old alleyways built above the river is quite atmospheric and a dramatic contrast to the glitzy shopping malls across the way.