Exploring Bangkok with company

The Golden Buddha at Wat Mangini

1^st March 2018

I had arranged to have breakfast with Arlene at 8am, and after establishing with reception my next day’s airport transfer time as 3am … Arlene’s flight would be an hour later … over coffee and omelet I shared with her my thoughts for the day’s activities – she was happy to tag along with whatever I wanted to do.

As the 9am shuttle would be to the airport, we elected to walk to the station to take the train to Hua Lamphong, a journey that would involve one change.   We experienced an irritating western woman with scarlet hair who not only interrupted our use of the ticket machine with directions about its use, but then reached through us to get her ticket while Aileen was still collecting her change and the tickets. 

As always, deciding about which exit to take from the train station was a challenge, and not helped in this case by Google maps giving me the road names in Thai.  

Colourful traditional rooftops contrast the modern architecture

My request for assistance in reading these names was met with baffled looks – even when I pointed to the word and pointed to each possible direction….

We walked to Wat Mangini to see the Golden Buddah – several tons of solid gold – discovered under plaster some years ago. I was navigating with the paper map and my screen saved maps shortcuts on my phone.  A  “helpful” Tuk Tuk driver had already suggested all would be closed for Buddha day and we should go with him somewhere else.  

Wat Mangini

Another helpful gent on a corner, at which we paused to double check directions, told us that Wat Mangini was closed because the monks were eating, and instead we should go to another Wat, and another market …  no doubt with his cousin another tuk tuk driver….  Anyway, I smiled and said we would walk around the outside of Wat Mangini and then decide.

Finally, in the grounds of the Wat, we located a loo for Aileen, who had been a bit desperate for such a facility since we left the train station.

Inside the Wat, a couple of monks were offering blessing, tying blessing threads around people’s wrists and sprinkling them (very liberally) with holy water.  I decided that my knees were not up to shuffling forward for this and we sat for a while in contemplation, before going out to admire the colourful rooftops from the balconies.

A small temple off Yaowarat Road

We headed down to another couple of areas, of the wat, declining to purchase assorted goods from vendors in the grounds, and then headed out to our next destination.

Fortunately our helpful gent on the corner was busy making his suggestions to another tourist and we slipped past to walk through Chinatown.  We made our way down Yaowarat Road, and then diverted down some side streets and parallel streets, enjoying the colour and trying to avoid the incredible heat of the day. 

Back on Yaowarat road, we kept an eye open for somewhere with air conditioning where Aileen could get a cold drink, when we passed a couple of fabric shops.  I exercised great restraint and walked past, and we headed for a Starbucks to provide some comforts for Aileen.

Footpath on Yaowarat Road

Half an hour later, thoroughly refreshed, we left Starbucks and headed for Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, a Sikh temple nearby.  More fabric shops lined our route, one of which had only the traditional fabrics.  The temptation was too great, so we entered to admire and I succumbed to one rather lovely piece.  Machine woven and fairly inexpensive, it was nevertheless beautiful.  Once again, I was like a small kid in a lolly shop.  

I am not sure why, but the shop assistant inquired (non verbally) if I would like it cut.  Perhaps she thought I intended to wear it immediately?  As we left, we passed a lone English chap, waiting patiently for his wife.  When we returned half an hour later, he was still waiting patiently, but outside another shop….

Yaowarat Road

Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha was quite interesting and we donned the required (and provided) head scarves before proceeding into the main sanctum.  An attendant provided us with the blessed food which I consumed but Aileen discreetly disposed of a little later.

We walked on to the museum of Siam.  The main gate was closed for renovations, so we asked a traffic policeman if the museum was closed and he said yes.  Fortunately this turned out to be an Asian “Yes”.  Believing the museum to be closed, we decided to head for the flower market nearby and found the side gate entrance to the museum open, with the museum itself also open. 

Colours and flavours of Chinatown

Aileen, flagging, found somewhere to sit.  I got my free ticket and audio guide and headed off, but after a while decided I was also flagging - overheated, tired, dehydrated and neither the drinks vending machines nor the café could sell water.  It was “finished”.

We headed out, thinking to catch a river boat to region of Hua Lampong station, but instead allowed a tuk tuk driver to talk us into driving us to another station – on the basis that the traffic around Hua Lampong would be a major jam.  I agreed that would be the case!  I have seen that area before in the late afternoon.  He was most helpful and even took my money and went to buy me a bottle of water before we left. 

And who would not be at peace browsing a fabric shop?

The tuk tuk journey took quite a while but was not quite as heart stopping as that of the previous day and in due course we were deposited outside a station.  While it was not the station we expected, it would suffice.

Our return journey would involve 3 train station changes, and there were a number of possible options.  The advice of the lady at the ticket office helped and we purchased our first ticket.  Once at the change station, it seemed that we did not need to go out through a turnstile and back in to the next platform and I was uncertain how this might work when we got to the next station with the wrong ticket.  It turned out to be incredibly easy; we could not exit through the turnstile, but were redirected to a ticket office and requested to pay the fare difference of 4 baht each.  No fine for not having the correct ticket, just a civilized request to pay the difference. 

Irresistable!

So much temptation!

As we walked back from the train station at Lat Krabang, I purchased from the wide and delicious selection of street food outside the Lat Krabang temple. 

Street food for dinner

After sluicing off the day’s sweat and grime in the shower, and indulging in my delicacies, I thought about going out to see the candlelight circumambulations of the temple but was too tired.  The sound effects of the celebrations, loud music and prayer, well and truly pervaded but the air-conditioning and my earplugs pretty well drowned them out and I slept until my 2:30am alarm!