On the river boat, a girl named Swathi approached us. It turns out that Swathi is from Mississauga so we had lots in common. On the journey, she asked us if we were interested in taking a boat tour to the floating market. We hadn’t really thought about it, but decided to be spontaneous and go with her.
We got off the boat together and our first stop was to get some breakfast (now lunch). We went to a little artsy Thai restaurant where the decorating was great, but the service was horrible. After lunch we got a price for the tour and decided to take the 3 hour tour instead of the 1 ½ hour tour (Swathi thought this was a better choice).
When we finally got to the market, Jessie and I were thoroughly impressed. Although it wasn’t exactly what Swathi had expected, it was still very neat. Some vendors were selling goods in boats, but others were stationed on a floating mall of sorts that could be accessed by a bridge from the other side of the road. Either way, it was an interesting thing to see and a great way to spend the day.
Getting to and from the market was also very neat. Bangkok is called the Venice of the East because of all of the different waterways dispersed throughout the city. Having the view from the water gave a much different feel than driving on land. It was interesting to see into people’s backyards from the river. The views were much more lush and beautiful than I had expected for the huge city of Bangkok.
Following the market, Swathi, Jessie and myself went to the famous Wat Arun temple. Before we went in, Swathi had noticed an area where you can pay 200Bhat and dress up in traditional Thai clothing. We thought that would be a very cool experience, so we went ahead.
The ladies were very proficient in putting the clothing on us and in no time, we were dressed up like Thai princesses! I thought about how much our little cousin Emily would love to do this. The outfits came complete with long finger extensions and beautiful headpieces.
The women kindly took many photos of us sporting our royal looks. We noticed that many tourists walking by also stopped to take a few shots. Some asked if they could come up and pose with us (funny as we’re just as touristy as they are).
After we took off our beautiful costumes, we purchased tickets and went into Wat Arun. This temple is actually named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna (it is often called Temple of the Dawn).
Walking in, we were amazed by the architectural beauty. The highest spire (or praang) measures 82m and is actually covered with a mosaic of porceline tiles which were left behind by the Chinese merchant ships. The amount of detail and height of these tall spires impressed me beyond belief.
We were able to climb up the tallest spire (not right to the top, but fairly high up) and the steps were unbelievably steep and tall. The steps were all different sizes, but the tallest one was at least 1 ½ feet tall and I’d say that the incline was at least 80 degrees.
Seeing the view from up high was beautiful especially since it overlooked the river. We took many photos, signed our names on a banner and then made way for the very scary descending stairs down to the ground.
Overall the Wat Arun left me with a great impression. It’s definitely a must see in Bangkok.
Before heading home, Jessie and I stopped for another meal at a local restaurant. I must say that I’m thoroughly enjoying the food here. We also got a pineapple shake that was delicious. Yum!
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