SAWADIKA BANGKOK: PART 3 - WAT AN ADVENTURE

Part three of my Bangkok adventure takes us to Wat Arun, one of the most beautiful temples in Bangkok according to the locals.

That morning, we challenged ourselves to wake up early after a late night. It was not easy for lazy bums like myself, but I'm glad there were people pushing me to go. I almost gave in to a few more hours with my bed.

So 8am saw me up and about, scouting for my first taste of coffee for that morning and I am so glad I found a good one at the Sky Train station. The tiny store name is called "Up to You" - talk about a 'teasing' factor for a store name. My decision was a cup of my favourite iced Mocha; it was delicious  (I went back the next day) but my two other companions were not as lucky with their choice of hot beverage. Apparently their coffee and milk green tea were only so-so, if not contradicting the liking of their taste buds. 

THE KING'S RIDE

Our destination that day - Saphan Taksin to catch the boat ride. 

We had no problems reaching our destination as we were given clear directions and the signage were very helpful. The Sky Train made our travels so easy because we can practically go anywhere if we know the nearest station. And we don't need to wait or travel for very long. 

By 9am we were already at the pier looking for breakfast.

There were not much choices and so I went for 2 drumsticks for breakfast. What I noticed when I was eating by the roadside were the beautiful and big dogs around the area. As scary as they are, these dogs are really beautiful and I then realised that there are funds collected to take care of these dogs, to make sure that they are clean and healthy. No wonder! 

After our simple breakfast, we were ready for our boat ride. Our challenge was to get the cheapest boat ride - but we got the wrong one for 150 baht (app. RM 15), which was the Tourist boat ride. We were advised to not take the 'Tourist' ride, but to take the express boat ride that the locals use to travel on to move around.

However, after I traveled on the boat, I realised that we were actually lucky to be on the Tourist Boat ride because if not, we would not have known the different stops and the attractions nearby each of the pier stops. Of course, I believe if we had done some research, we would know and would be able to save up a few bucks (for shopping hahah)...but we didn't and so we did have to learn the expensive way. Also, the RM15 covered unlimited rides, so it was good because it catered for our mistakes 

Nevertheless, we got a hang of it later and now, I can say that I more or less know which stop leads us to which tourist attraction. 

There are altogether 8 stops if you take the Tourist Boat Ride. Anything beyond the last stop, we'll have to pay for another ticket. 

Each and every stop leads you to a special tourist attraction and so you will need to listen to the tour guide's instructions. We, however, only went to the Wat Arun since we heard that's the best one. If I had time in future, I'd pay a visit to the Grand Palace as well as Wat Po. We didn't go to the floating market as we heard that it is overpriced. 

#1 Sathorn Pier 

This pier is connected to the Saphan Taksin station, so this is the where we embarked on our journey.

Here is where we bought our tickets

The Sathorn Pier

#2 Oriental Pier (N1)

Our second stop is the Oriental Pier, we passed by Shangri-La hotel and stopped at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

#3 Si Phraya Pier (N3)

#4 Rajchawong Pier (N5)

#5 Tha Tien Pier (N8)

Here is where we were supposed to disembark and switch to another boat to sail to Wat Arun. 

However, we missed the stop, and so we got off the next stop and sail back to the previous pier to take the boat. All was still good because of our unlimited passes hehe! 

#6 Maharaj Pier (N *)

#7 Wang Lang Pier (N10)

#8 Phra Arthit Pier (N13)

If you want to go to Kaosan Road, a place for beer and party, you disembark here for the fun! Alternatively, you can also take a Sky Train or a cab (like we did).

Map Source: http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/tourist/

There is also a large route map at the pier for your reference, just in case.

Also a map reference on the tickets

Also available is the timetable so that you can keep track of the timing and how long you need to wait. Basically it is two minutes between each pier, at the intervals of 30-minutes per boat road at the Central station

Just a taste of the boat ride

THE WAT

If there is one word to describe Wat Arun, I'd say that it is "traditional".

Spot Wat Arun?

Besides the ancient architecture and features of a temple, you'll appreciate the mosaic tiles art used to ornament the walls of this elaborated building. There are cracks here and there but it's amazing how the flowers and designs are all made by tiles.

The entrance of Wat Arun - greeted by the ancient Siamese warriors 

 

The most interesting thing were the statues with both Chinese and Siamese influence

Chipped off but still rocks!

Then there was the climb and the view.

Like Miley say, "It's the climb"

The stairs were steep, no doubt, but I guess it was not too bad for me although I had to do it in a 2-inch high pair of slippers. All these factors in, still it is really not as scary as my SkyTrek experience.

My advice though, if you ever visit the Wat Arun, you'll need to challenge yourself to get up there! 

Once you are up, you'll enjoy a great view of the river among other things. 

However it's a bit tight up there, so you might not get to stay long. 

The view from up there

Climbing down can be scarier but there are rails on the side for assistance and if you take it slow, avoid eye-contact with the below, you'll do just fine. I think it is better than Skytrex because at least you are in control when you hold onto the rails. But Skytrex, if you fall from 6 feet above ground, you really have nothing to hold on to, except grabbing the atmosphere...which, might be slightly pointless hahaha..

Another thing to check out at Wat Arun is of course their temples. There are two huge Buddha idols there for your worshiping purpose. The murals were also super amazing - it's like various stories pieced together in one. If only someone could explain the meaning behind those inks to me.

A glimpse of the mural

But the thing I love most about temples is how peaceful they are.
Being in there help me release myself from stress...and now, I need that more than ever, when I am lost in life without a direction. I'm glad that I managed to pray and express gratitude during my visit to the temple. Perhaps it's similar to church or slightly different, but I just feel I need to thank and feel grateful for - someone like angels, God or Gods.

We were super tired that day but rewarded our 'hard work' with a head and shoulder massage.
Heavenly!

That's why I love vacations!

Love and Cheers,
TammyC