One Day in Bangkok

Ever since our river tour of the city I had wanted to take a trip to the Temple of Dawn, Watt Arun. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Thailand with its incredably steep sides. Michele and Justin had booked us a hostel in Khao San Road, a back packer hub in the Thai capital. We had a lot of trouble convincing eager taxi drivers and insistant money makers that we intended to walk ourselves and were in no need of a pricey ride or service.

It was a little odd adapting from the sleepy vibe of Koh Panghnan to the hustle and bustle of ultra modern Bangkok but eventually we navigated the busy roundabouts and ferry docks to skirt other temples and cross the river to the Temple of Dawn.

The temple itself was quite crowded because it’s at the top of the list for short visits in Bangkok like ours. We took a few laps around the perimeter, climbed the angled stairs and squeezed past other sight seers to get a view of the river. What we hadn’t noticed at first was that the creamy white sides of the Wat were decorated with pottery and shell mosaics. Pieces of detailed dining plates were cut into large flowers and designs.

We couldn’t stay long because Bangkok is HOT with a capital H! We had to stop and hydrate with coconut drinks and ice tea throughout the day and it still wasn’t enough! A full day of bus travel to the Cambodian border was in store for the following day so we decided to turn in early.

We have had such a wonderful time in Thailand, everyone was sad to leave green papaya salad, white sand beaches, fresh fruit, Pad Thai and friendly calls of “Sawadee Ca!” (Hello in Thai) behind.
New updates from the Kingdom of the Khmer coming soon!