Akanksha: In the afternoon, we decided to cross the Chao Phraya river to the west bank where Wat Arun was located. A shuttle boat took us from one side of the river to the other at a price of three bahts per person. Wat Arun is a must see, especially after sunset. After the fall of Ayyuthaya, King Taksin in the late 18th century, moved his capital to Thonburi, near Wat Arun. Also known as the Temple of Dawn (from the Sanskrit Arunodaya), this was when King Taksin first witnessed the temple. Although, we didn't get a chance to visit the temple at dawn, it is supposed to be remarkable at this time. Going back to the history, King Taksin then decided to change the name of the temple from Wat Makok to Wat Chaeng. King Rama II and King Rama III later made the central prang and the four spires around the temple. Originally, Wat Arun was the site of the Emerald Buddha, but this was later moved to Wat Phra Kaew located in the Grand Palace complex.
Sharat: The ferry is the cheapest and often the fastest way to cross the river. There are large bridges across the river, however if you are taking a taxi or tuk tuk the ride will involve a long detour. The barges are crowded during the day but if by evening they are a lot less crowded. We had planned to leave by 3pm or so but we were really tired and slept till 5.There are two ways to arrive at Wat Arun. If you arrive by road, then you have to enter through a narrow gully which is lined on either side by several small monastaries. The view from the boat is probably the better one. You get off at Wat Arun pier and then walk towards the inner portion of the temple. Reaching Wat Arun at around 5 or 5:30 in the evening has its advantages and disadvantages. The inner portion of the temple closes by 6pm so you get just about half an hour inside. However, there are a lot fewer tourists, and if you stick around long enough you do get to see the temple all lit up. We passed a few fierce looking stone statues guarding the temple and then we reached the ticket counter and bought our 50 Baht ticket from a fiercer looking Thai lady. Ticket in hand we entered the inner part of Wat Arun.
Akanksha: In order to get to the top balcony, we climbed steep steps which was a challenge going up but more so coming down. By the end of the trip, we were experts at climbing these kinds of steep and narrow steps because of our time spent in the Angkor Wat complex, but at this point the steps certainly looked scary. From the top of Wat Arun, we could see most of Bangkok, new and old. As we climbed down the steps, we decided to stay on the Wat Arun side of the river bank and explore what was around.
Sharat: As you leave the complex, you come across a series of Buddhist bells, which are supposed to ward off evil spirits. Feeling sufficiently armed, we decided to walk along the road that led out from Wat Arun and see where it led us. Most tourists think of Bangkok as a hot,happening city that parties till dawn. However, the traditional parts of Bangkok pretty much empties out after dark. What is a bustling street market by day, turns into a rather quiet road by night.
Sharat: The ferry is the cheapest and often the fastest way to cross the river. There are large bridges across the river, however if you are taking a taxi or tuk tuk the ride will involve a long detour. The barges are crowded during the day but if by evening they are a lot less crowded. We had planned to leave by 3pm or so but we were really tired and slept till 5.There are two ways to arrive at Wat Arun. If you arrive by road, then you have to enter through a narrow gully which is lined on either side by several small monastaries. The view from the boat is probably the better one. You get off at Wat Arun pier and then walk towards the inner portion of the temple. Reaching Wat Arun at around 5 or 5:30 in the evening has its advantages and disadvantages. The inner portion of the temple closes by 6pm so you get just about half an hour inside. However, there are a lot fewer tourists, and if you stick around long enough you do get to see the temple all lit up. We passed a few fierce looking stone statues guarding the temple and then we reached the ticket counter and bought our 50 Baht ticket from a fiercer looking Thai lady. Ticket in hand we entered the inner part of Wat Arun.
Akanksha: In order to get to the top balcony, we climbed steep steps which was a challenge going up but more so coming down. By the end of the trip, we were experts at climbing these kinds of steep and narrow steps because of our time spent in the Angkor Wat complex, but at this point the steps certainly looked scary. From the top of Wat Arun, we could see most of Bangkok, new and old. As we climbed down the steps, we decided to stay on the Wat Arun side of the river bank and explore what was around.
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| Walking down the steps of Arun Wat |
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| In front of the ordination hall |
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| Ringing the bells outside the Wat to ward off evil spirits |
Sharat: As you leave the complex, you come across a series of Buddhist bells, which are supposed to ward off evil spirits. Feeling sufficiently armed, we decided to walk along the road that led out from Wat Arun and see where it led us. Most tourists think of Bangkok as a hot,happening city that parties till dawn. However, the traditional parts of Bangkok pretty much empties out after dark. What is a bustling street market by day, turns into a rather quiet road by night.
Akanksha:We walked on a street parallel to Wat Arun. We saw a street
map indicating that if we turned left we would see government offices, a mosque
and a church. We decided to walk towards them, but as we walked, it didn’t seem
like we were reaching any of the original destinations we had set out to see.
So we turned back and headed the other way.We passed by a school where musical
instruments were made. As we walked
continued to walk under the highway, we passed by residential areas. We saw
residents sitting on the streets in summer chairs, Thai flags at almost every
house entrance and a small dog which seemed to be domesticated walking down the
street. We saw playgrounds for children built below the road above and rusty gym
equipment nearby for the residents.
It did not look like the safest place to be, so we hurriedly walked up
an open stairwell leading to the main road.
Sharat: I suppose this might be the rough part town, but it did not seem very rough. All around us, the side-walk cafe's had turned into hang-outs for locals who were playing cards. Tuk-tuks seemed to have become mobile discos with songs blaring from their music systems. The smell of cheap whiskey wafted across from the shops on the street. We were pretty sure these were not the spirits the bells were designed to protect us from so we scooted out.
Akanksha:Whenever I visit a new place for the first time, I always feel a sense of excitement which is unlike any other feeling. I could feel that taking over me and I wanted to spend all my time with Sharat discovering the country. We spent the remainder of the evening walking past Wats and monasteries. As we walked back towards Wat Arun, we realized that we hadn't eaten much the entire day. I'm pretty much a vegetarian so finding food in Thailand was a bit challenging for me. We stopped by a 7-Eleven, (one of the first of many on this trip); we found this franchise almost everywhere in Thailand. I had a green tea idli-like dish (South Indian steamed rice cake) which had a filling inside.
Sharat: If you are a vegetarian, or someone who is particular about halal food, Thailand is a challenge. While the tourist districts will serve you all kinds of food, from Steaks to Shawarmas, getting off the tourist path you are left with precious few options. I always considered myself capable of consuming any kind of food, but the smells of Thai food can be pretty strong for the uninitiated. Another hard lesson one learns very quickly is that the food in Thailand tastes nothing like what passes off as "Thai" food in the West. In this scenario the menu at 7-eleven is a lifesaver. Filled up on rice dumplings and a cool drink, we walked back towards the shuttle boat. As you go back to Wat Arun pier, you cross the grounds of the temple and can see the temple lit up. The lit up silhouette of Wat Arun is visible from most of the river after dark, but actually walking across the grounds makes you appreciate the beauty of the place even better. Getting back to the hotel, we realized that we had to change our Dollars into Thai Baht. We were informed that we could get the best exchange rate at Khaosan road, so we set off to go see what this much talked about street was all about.
Akanksha: Khaosan Road is a well-known tourist attraction and is full of restaurants and bars. On the way to Khaosan Road, we passed by Santichaiprakarn Park and from one side of the park we saw the Grand Palace at night. Although, we didn't take pictures, it was a sight to see. If you're ever in Bangkok, definitely try to see the Grand Palace from here, it is memorable.
When we reached Khaosan Road, we were amazed by the level of activity. There were street vendors selling all kinds of clothes and souvenirs, bars filled with people from all parts of the world singing along to karaoke machines and live music. The middle of the street was the most active; we chose a restaurant towards the end of the street which was slightly quieter. We had a chilled drink and some hot food.
Sharat: We finished dinner by 11:30, Khaosan road was just getting warmed up but it had been a long day for us. It was hard to believe that just 24 hours ago were still in Bangalore waiting to board a flight to Thailand. We had seen a lot in one day and we walked back towards our hotel, exhausted.
Sharat: I suppose this might be the rough part town, but it did not seem very rough. All around us, the side-walk cafe's had turned into hang-outs for locals who were playing cards. Tuk-tuks seemed to have become mobile discos with songs blaring from their music systems. The smell of cheap whiskey wafted across from the shops on the street. We were pretty sure these were not the spirits the bells were designed to protect us from so we scooted out.
Akanksha:Whenever I visit a new place for the first time, I always feel a sense of excitement which is unlike any other feeling. I could feel that taking over me and I wanted to spend all my time with Sharat discovering the country. We spent the remainder of the evening walking past Wats and monasteries. As we walked back towards Wat Arun, we realized that we hadn't eaten much the entire day. I'm pretty much a vegetarian so finding food in Thailand was a bit challenging for me. We stopped by a 7-Eleven, (one of the first of many on this trip); we found this franchise almost everywhere in Thailand. I had a green tea idli-like dish (South Indian steamed rice cake) which had a filling inside.
Sharat: If you are a vegetarian, or someone who is particular about halal food, Thailand is a challenge. While the tourist districts will serve you all kinds of food, from Steaks to Shawarmas, getting off the tourist path you are left with precious few options. I always considered myself capable of consuming any kind of food, but the smells of Thai food can be pretty strong for the uninitiated. Another hard lesson one learns very quickly is that the food in Thailand tastes nothing like what passes off as "Thai" food in the West. In this scenario the menu at 7-eleven is a lifesaver. Filled up on rice dumplings and a cool drink, we walked back towards the shuttle boat. As you go back to Wat Arun pier, you cross the grounds of the temple and can see the temple lit up. The lit up silhouette of Wat Arun is visible from most of the river after dark, but actually walking across the grounds makes you appreciate the beauty of the place even better. Getting back to the hotel, we realized that we had to change our Dollars into Thai Baht. We were informed that we could get the best exchange rate at Khaosan road, so we set off to go see what this much talked about street was all about.
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| Wat Arun after sunset |
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| Ordination hall guarded by Yakshas |
When we reached Khaosan Road, we were amazed by the level of activity. There were street vendors selling all kinds of clothes and souvenirs, bars filled with people from all parts of the world singing along to karaoke machines and live music. The middle of the street was the most active; we chose a restaurant towards the end of the street which was slightly quieter. We had a chilled drink and some hot food.
Sharat: We finished dinner by 11:30, Khaosan road was just getting warmed up but it had been a long day for us. It was hard to believe that just 24 hours ago were still in Bangalore waiting to board a flight to Thailand. We had seen a lot in one day and we walked back towards our hotel, exhausted.
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