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Published: March 26th 2014
When my friend messaged me and asked if I was up for a bit of exploring, I jumped at the opportunity. I love going on my own, but it's even more fun when you can share the experience. There was a wat she wanted to see and it was in the neighborhood near Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, an area I've been wanting to explore a bit more.
We took the ferry up the river and walked the rest of the way, briefly stopping at a park and to look in shop windows. There were lots of interesting little spots and scenes to take in. This city never fails to yield new surprises.
We finally arrived at the wat. Under the hot sun, the walk felt a lot longer than it was. But the wat was beautiful and quiet. We slowly made our way around, taking in the architecture and details of the design, before finding a shady place to rest and reflect. Eventually, we went inside the main building and sat on some chairs off to the side to watch and listen. Some people were using prayer books and some were simply chatting with friends. Floor to
ceiling murals covered the walls with more detail than I've seen in most. The Buddha smiled kindly down on everyone and the whole room felt peaceful.
After we left, we stopped at the giant swing outside. Or what's left of it. It was once used for religious ceremonies, but now just the frame stands.
My friend had never been to Khao San Road, so we made our way there for lunch. Along the way we met and chatted with a Thai woman (in both English and Thai) and when she found out we live here (instead of being tourists) she was just thrilled and insisted on shaking our hands like we were old friends. Eventually, we made it and were delighted to find the area was quiet and peaceful, perhaps because it's midday. I've stayed there a few times (when I was a tourist) and it was strange to be back. We sat in a shady restaurant that wasn't too overpriced and enjoyed coconuts, fruit shakes, and curries. There were birds singing and peddlers peddling. The wind blew softly and other diners talked softly, giving the restaurant a warm buzz and a nice breeze. It was easy to
pretend that we were on vacation, too.
On our way out, we stopped to double check with the waitress the way to the nearest pier. When she found out that I live here (almost our whole conversation was in Thai) she was overjoyed, shook my hands, and wished me lots and lots of luck. Then we made our way to the pier and home.
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samuel david
non-member comment
Good one
I do not know what I like about it, but it was a short and good one.