April 11th.
3 forms of transport (underground, skytrain and river boat) successfully negotiated our way to Wat Arun on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, although I'm pretty sure we bought a ticket for the public boat and accidentally got on the (triple the price) tourist boat instead.
The Wat Arun temple is stunning with a tiled tower and many statues in the alcoves. That's the tourist bit and we almost missed the actual active Buddhist temple just next door, but we saw it on our way to the public pier. It was so hot the ground burned our feet as we took off our shoes to go in. Dominated by a huge statue of Buddha, the space was mainly floor for people to sit on, with a raised platform for the one Buddhist monk who was blessing people with water, although we didn't stay for that.
We returned across the river by local ferry at 4baht (10p) each! From there we walked to the flower market where there were many orange coloured flower arrangements and garlands for sale as Buddhist offerings.
After tensions were raised over lack of food, too much walking in the heat rather than catching a boat back down the river we went to the local food court and were the only white people there. This was a positive sign as the food was good quality and great value.
Strengthened by lunch we walked another 2km to the nearest metro station, passing through China town with its many jewellery stores, fabric shops and food stalls in the street.
The underground was a bargain at 33baht each for 10 stops (Just over £1.50) and we were relieved to be back at the apartment and able to cool down with the air con.
A swim early eve to cool down was very welcome and then Jon, Joanne and Matthew returned to the night market whilst Peter and Toby chose to gave an early night as they were not feeling too good.
Bargains at the night market included a watch for £2.50. I wonder how long that will last in Toby's care?!
Returning to the condo late evening we are looking forward to our long awaited trip to the elephant sanctuary tomorrow.
Lessons learnt 1: The underground system in Bangkok does not cover the whole city and it's often a long walk to the nearest station.
Lessons learnt 2: The priority seat on the underground is for the elderly, disabled, pregnant women or Buddhist monks, with a special orange colour on the info to denote the Buddhist monk.
No comments:
Post a Comment