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Published: April 17th 2013
Wat Arun
Taken from the ferry.It's the beginning of another week and it promises to be a big one. Petra left this morning so I've had another sad farewell. It's been lovely having her company for the past five weeks. But, eventually we all have to pack up and return home, and her time has come. But, hopefully I'll see her again really soon...XX
So now I continue my travels alone for the next three months. A daunting but liberating thought.... Left to my own devices, it's time to take stock, repack, check the budget and prepare myself for a flight to New Delhi later in the week.
During the afternoon, I have decided to visit Wat Arun and Chinatown. Both places are best accessed from the river, so I walk the 500 metres to Thewet Pier, the closest to the guesthouse. Tickets can be purchased on board from the fare collector, usually a woman who walks between passengers shaking her tin money/ticket dispenser. Fares are ridiculously cheap, the most I've paid is 15 baht or .50c for a 45 minute trip, and so much more pleasant than a taxi.
River boats make stops very quickly and there's not a lot of time
Wat Arun
Buddha statues sit serenely along the wall. to get on and off, so you have to be ready to move when it stops. The boatman, who works the rear of the boat where passengers disembark, has a very high pitched whistle which he blows at every stop, in a series of distinctly different signals, which is obviously how he keeps in contact with the captain. A simple form of communication which seems to work very well.
I disembark at Tha Tien Pier, which is opposite Wat Arun but on the wrong side of the river. For 3 baht (.10c) I caught a ferry across the river to the pier right out front. Wat Aran, meaning Temple of the Dawn, is a Buddhist temple which sits majestically on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, and is one of the most striking riverside landmarks of Thailand. Entry set me back 50 baht ($1.65) and I enjoyed a leisurely walk around, took some photos and risked my neck to climb the rather steep steps to the top.
I'm always a little hesitant to climb temple steps as they are usually steep and narrow and require concentration. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was safely
Wat Arun
Novice monks entering the temple back on the ground again. Next stop is Chinatown and I had to cross the river again to Tha Tien pier and catch another boat to Ratchawong Pier, a 15 baht fare. I was a little early, I think, as many traders were closed until early evening. Never mind, I walked around for an hour or so and took more photos. There are lots of wholesale outlets here, mainly beads, toys, costume jewellery and beauty products. Another ferry ride got me back to Thewet pier and home again.
On Tuesday I have my final dentist appointment at 1.00pm. This appointment is in the Asok branch and not in Silom like the previous two were. I decide to head to Victory Monument first, and track down the Century Bus Office, and enquire about a day trip tomorrow.
So, I'm out on the street once again, flagging down taxis. Today must be my lucky day as the first one who stopped was happy to take me to Victory Monument and use his meter. He also dropped me right outside the bus office, which I appreciated. From Victory Monument, I headed to Siam on the Skytrain, as I wanted to visit
Wat Arun
Detail of the temple walls. an exhibition at the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre. Unfortunately they were closed for Songkran, so that idea is scrapped. As I still had a couple of hours to kill before my dentist appointment, I decided to visit the Siam Centre instead and get out of the midday sun.
The Siam Centre is a shopping centre, which has just undergone massive refurbishment and been reopened in January this year. It has a lot of competition, with Central World and Siam Paragon just around the corner. I'm not a great lover of shopping malls but this one impressed me. Every store individually designed with striking and innovative ideas. Simple things like chicken wire fencing, wire coat hangers and glass bottles all used with imagination, to create art within a retail store. In one of the jewellery stores I saw a stuffed beaver sitting on a shelf wearing a very expensive emerald necklace. The shop assistant refused to let me take a photo... Needless to say, I didn't part with my baht, I'm trying to create space within my suitcase, not buy more stuff.
After leaving here, it's back onto the Skytrain, next stop Asok, where my dentist is. Now,
Wat Arun
Temple statue. Notice the brass bells hanging from the walls. everyone knows my sense of direction makes no sense at all! No matter which way I held my dentist direction's map, I couldn't work out which way was up once I left the Skytrain station. So, to save myself stress, I hailed a taxi! Forty baht later ($1.30) I was deposited outside the dentists's door.
The appointment only took an hour, and the work comes with a two year guarantee which I've never received before. But, then again, I've never had dental work done in Bangkok before. I can't recommend Silom Smile and Bangkok Smile Dental Surgeries highly enough. Now I understand why so many westerners come here to have dental treatment, at a very reasonable price.
It's time to head back to the guesthouse, and hailing a taxi doesn't appeal today. I decide to catch the Skytrain back to Siam where I can connect to Saphan Taskin station, which is right next door to Central Pier. A half hour river boat ride back to Thewet Pier, and a short walk to the guesthouse will be much more enjoyable. The total cost of my fares today was around $6.00, which included two taxis, three skytrain tickets and a
Wat Arun
Bangkok skyline taken from the top of the temple. The Royal Palace in across the river. river boat ride. Not bad at all!
Wednesday is my final day in Bangkok. I decide against taking any day trips, as there are still places I haven't visited within the city. I checked out early, put my luggage in the guesthouse storeroom, and headed out on the street to catch a taxi. I wanted to visit Wat Saket, or as it's better known - The Temple of The Golden Mount.
Wat Saket is not generally considered a notable temple in its own right, and most visitors come for the Golden Mount. However, it is interesting for its long history and its use as a cremation and dumping site for around 60,000 plague victims. To the reach the top of the Golden Mount, you must ascend 318 steps. It's not a hard climb as they are shallow steps and wind their way around the building. The lower steps are surrounded in greenery with small waterfalls and buddha figurines. There is a great view from the top over the rooftops of Bangkok. I took some photos and returned to ground level.
On the way out of the grounds, I passed a very ordinary looking building, part
Wat Arun
Another view from the top of the temple. of Wat Saket, which had a sign out front saying 'Fortune Buddha'. I obviously walked past this same building when I entered the grounds and didn't give it a second glance. Thankfully, this time I paused long enough to decide to have a look inside. It was a big empty room except for the 'fortune buddha' sitting against the wall at one end. He was sitting on a resin base which was lit up from behind with changing colours. Different in itself, to the dozens of buddhas I have seen in the past months, but what took my breath away was the work of art on the wall behind him and the opposite wall at the other end of the room.
It was stunning, and the most detailed and intricate work I have ever seen on such a large scale. I have included some photos in this blog. I didn't take photos of the entire walls as it wouldn't do them justice.
From Wat Saket, I decided to walk as I had the whole day to fill and wasn't in any hurry. I crossed over a canal, and passed Fort Mahakarn.This fort is part of the rings
Chinatown
Street scene with lots of Chinese signs. of forts that used to defend the eastern wall of old Rattanakosin. Next I passed Democracy Monument and just knew I wasn't going in the right direction. I wanted to head towards Kao San Road, but my lousy sense of direction has let me down again. So I hailed another cab to take me to Wat Suthat, the next stop on my list.
Wat Suthat is best known for its fine murals, dating from the 19th century, and expansive collection of Buddha images, the most important being Thailand's largest cast bronze image that is believed to have been created in 1361. Just out front of Wat Suthat, on it's own traffic island, is the Giant Swing. It is over 21 metres high, painted red, and is a landmark of Bangkok. The giant swing was built only two years after the establishment of Bangkok as the new capital in 1782. Of course, it has been renovated and replaced over the years but still stands proud. The swing was originally used to celebrate and thank Shiva for a bountiful rice harvest and to ask for the god's blessing on the next.
An ice cream seller appeared in front of me,
Chinatown
Produce for sale. pushing his little cart along the street. I purchased a cone of home made ice cream from him for 10 baht (.30c) and continued my walk. I walked down a random street (if I get lost or tired, all I've got to do is hail a cab) and ended up back at Kao San Road from a different direction. I bought myself a delicious lunch from a street stand, roast meat and salad in a wrap for $2, which I ate whilst walking. Eventually I called it a day, and bantered with a tuk tuk driver for a 60 baht ($2) fare back to the guesthouse. I collected my luggage from the storeroom and had them phone a taxi for me. Tonight I'm staying at the Floral Shire Resort near the airport as my flight to Delhi departs at 8.40am in the morning. India - here I come!
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