Bangkok is our staging site for Bhutan. We arrived in Bangkok about 11pm and although we could have taken the Druk Air flight to Bhutan early the next morning, we were advised to spend a day in Bangkok just in case. Only two airlines fly to Bhutan; the numbers of flights in and out of the country are carefully controlled by the government so planes are typically full. Should we miss our flight because of delays getting to Thailand, we might not get to Bhutan. This made the decision to stay in Bangkok and explore this vibrant, colorful city an easy one.
How to make the most of one day in Bangkok? Although we’d been to the city briefly fifteen years earlier, the Grand Palace was closed so of course this was a top priority. Temples were another must see although determining which of the over 400 wats to visit is harder than it seems. We also wanted to explore the Choa Phraya River and its many canals.
We started early for the hour drive to central Bangkok. First stop was Wat Benja, the Marble Temple built by King Rama V in 1900 with the finest Italian marble.
We sat inside the cool, breezy temple structure admiring the golden Buddha, then wandered the complex looking at the diversity of Buddhas – androgynous, masculine, protruding nose, long fingers, topnot, standing, sitting. Each Buddha was perched atop a concrete foundation that contained the ashes of deceased family members; surviving family members were responsible for the upkeep of the Bhudda and the tomb.
The temple courtyard was framed by bells that chimed softly in the wind and created a beautiful backdro to the chanting monks.
The complex was near a canal and a bridge connected the temple with the monastery where the monks resided.
Thailand like Cambodia and Burma practice Thervada Buddhism. This means that all male Buddhists must serve as a monk – the duration can be as short as seven days and as long as a lifetime. We saw monks of all ages in the temple and throughout the city, heads shaved with saffron robes and sandals.
Our next stop was Wat Pho, Temple of the Reclining Buddha. This temple houses the largest Buddha in Bangkok. The large stature, made of bronze but plated with gold, is 15 m high and 43 m long.
In addition to the reclining Buddha, Wat Pho has multiple tiled stupa that house the ashes of prominent families. It is also the center for teaching Thai massage. It was starting to get very warm as we left the temple; weather forecast was expected to top 100 degree F so we wandered the grounds for a bit and headed to our next stop.
We took a short water taxi ride across the Choa Phraya River to Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn. The temple complex was built in the 17th century and consists of two large towers or prangs surrounded by four smaller ones.
The towers themselves are similar to the Khmer style of architecture used in ancient Cambodia and are beautifully decorated with both tile and recycled ceramics from broken tableware imported from China. The ceramic facade causes the temple to sparkle and shimmer when bathed in sunlight.
We climbed to the upper level of the tower for a beautiful view of the river and the Grand Palace. Although a bit breezier up top, the day was getting extremely hot and we were ready to get on the river to cool down.
We hired a longboat for an hour ride through the canals that flow into the
Choa Phraya River. Longboats are low shallow curved bow boats about 50 feet long with the engine mounted up top; the skipper uses a long rod to steer an extended propeller that enables the boat to travel quickly in shallow water. Boats typically have multi-colored garlands of flowers hanging from the bow.
The canals are residential with lots of greenery; we saw everything from ramshackle shacks to large well maintained homes interspersed with the occasional ,temple school or government building. Longboats are synonymous with tourists and we saw old women in smaller boats hawking their goods to longboat passengers. We even passed a floating market although we were told more people drive by car now to shop than boat.
It was cooler on the river but we welcomed a stop for lunch at the air conditioned Supatra River House Restaurant. We gulped down several bottles of water to cool down and enjoyed a fixed menu luncheon of spring rolls, shrimp, curried chicken, sweet and sour pork, sea bass, vegetables, rice and fruit.
After lunch, the hotel’s water taxi shuttled us back across the river – it was amazing how rough the water was due to heavy boat traffic. We walked to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is actually comprised of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions and temples set amidst lovely grounds, gardens and courtyards. Although a large complex, the place was packed with hordes of Chinese tourists in huge groups. The crowds, plus the 100 deg temperatures, did not make for the most pleasant experience.
We waited in line for five minutes to enter the Wat Phra Kaew, Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The outside was beautiful with lots of gold and crystal but the inside, compared to other temples, was somewhat underwhelming – the jade Buddha was lovely but actually very small compared to the Buddhas we’d seen in the other temples. The murals hand painted on the walls depicting scenes from Buddha’s life were quite impressive.
Outside the temple we put our shoes back on for the last time. Everytime one enters a temple, shoes must be removed. I think at this point we had taken our shoes on and off at least seven times. We walked around the inner grounds admiring some of the gold statuary of various gods and demons.
Then we walked towards the middle buildings in the complex and saw the old parliament building, a lovely structure used today for entertaining state dignitaries rather than the conduct of government. King Rama I built the Grand Palace as both his home and government administrative center in 1782; however, the palace became a tourist attraction and ceremonial center in the early 1900’s when King Rama V built a new residence.
We saw the building where Thailand’s new king, Rama X will be officially crowned this May. The old king, his father, passed away in 2016, lay in state for a year and was cremated in the funerary building at the Grand Palace. Although Rama X has been acting king for several years (in Thailand like England this is a ceremonial position as an elected prime minister governs the county), his coronation could not take place until the buildings in the palace were readied.
Exhausted and tired we headed back to our hotel for a swim in the pool, dinner and bed. Tomorrow we need to be at the airport by 4:30am for an early flight to Bhutan.