Thailand 2023, part 9 (Bangkok)
During my stay in Bangkok, I met up with Raša, a friend of a friend, who also turned out to be acquainted with a few more colleagues of mine. Raša is a sociable person, so this was no surprise. As he guided me through the Chinatown, we immediately started talking as if we had known each other for years. That means I felt extremely comfortable.
After a delightful lunch, we headed towards the Chao Phraya River, continuing our exploration of the Chinatown. Along the way, we passed by the Khuan Yim Shrine, a Chinese temple. The sunlight was intense, resulting in a somewhat faded photo of the temple facade, but the structure is clearly visible.
That’s why I took up a position in the shade for a moment and then the photo turned out better.
By the way, this temple is a part of the Thian Fa Foundation and Hospital. The foundation was established in 1902 by Chinese immigrants, aiming to provide medical assistance to impoverished patients using both modern and traditional Chinese medicine.
Both the foundation and the temple are located near two significant landmarks of Bangkok and its Chinatown. One is the Buddhist temple Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan and the other is the Chinatown Gate.
I saved the visit to this extremely significant temple for the end of my stay in Thailand, so I’ll write about that later on. As for the gate, it is of more recent origin and was built in 1999.
On the way to the river, we also passed by a small temple nestled between surrounding houses. The temple is called Siang Kong Shrine and was built in 1871 to serve the needs of Chinese immigrants who opened the first junkyard in Thailand, dealing with used engines.
It is especially interesting that there are still numerous shops dealing with scrap in this part of Bangkok and you can see this while walking through these streets. Here’s one of them:
Now it was about time to sit somewhere for a drink and where better than in one of the cafés in this part of the city next to the Chao Phraya River. There, Raša and I found a table in the relative shade and we just continued with our uninterrupted chatting.
Many buildings in this part of Bangkok appear quite derelict, but resourceful café owners have turned this to their advantage, blending these dilapidated parts with modern elements to create spaces that would be trendy in any Western capital.
But not all derelict parts can be turned into cafés. What happens then? It becomes a tourist attraction. Later on the map of Bangkok, I stumbled upon something that had caught my eye while passing here, labelled as “antique turtle car.” It turned out to be a Fiat 600, but certainly ancient.
In the immediate vicinity of the vintage Fiat, there is also a banyan tree for which I couldn’t decide whether it was a sanctuary or a convenient place to dump waste. Perhaps it serves a dual purpose.
Now, Raša took me to a truly notable structure, the So Heng Tai Mansion, built in the first half of the 19th century. It is a traditional Chinese house, among the last ones of its kind in Bangkok, organised as a plot of land surrounded by high walls. The gate leads to an inner courtyard around which residential buildings are arranged.
The house was built by a Chinese man who used to work in the field of finance and rose significantly within the Thai society. His numerous descendants are now prominent businessmen or politicians; one of them even served as the Thai Minister of Finance for several years. In any case, the house is still privately owned by a branch of this family. In 2004, they added a pool to the courtyard and, as I’ve read, there is a diving school organised here.
Continuing with our stroll, we passed by another café/restaurant and I couldn’t resist taking a peek – just to gather information in case I find myself in this area again.
And then Raša and I visited another temple. This time it was the Rong Kueak Shrine.
Like in the previously mentioned Chinese temples, we entered here as well, so here are a few photos capturing just a glimpse of the atmosphere inside the temple. It’s evident that the red colour dominates
However, what was additionally intriguing to me was that from the temple’s space, one could exit through octagonal passages that seemed to lead to private households. It might not be proper to peer into someone else’s home or workshop, but I simply couldn’t resist.
We walked a bit more and then Raša escorted me to a river pier since I had some time and decided to visit another famous temple on the opposite bank. Near the pier, there is another marvellous tree transformed into a shrine and there were very beautiful wooden swings instead of the usual benches.
Now came the time to part ways and I was truly grateful to Raša for the dedicated time, delightful company and the effort to show me as much as possible in this part of Bangkok. Certainly, there are many places left for “another time,” but that’s the nature of cities like Bangkok, full of impressive and interesting landmarks and details that keep visitors coming back.
The next thing was to focus on crossing to the other side of the Chao Phraya River and for that the best option was to use boats that are a part of Bangkok’s public transport, highly efficient and highly recommended. In the end, I was thrilled. I started by stepping onto the pontoon from which I later boarded the boat, enjoying the view of some modern parts of the city.
The boat arrived soon enough and I boarded, finding a suitable place for me.
In order to reach the temple I was heading to, I had to pass a few boat stops, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. On the one side, I had a beautiful view of different parts of Bangkok and on the other, the refreshing breeze from being on an open boat moving at a decent speed was quite pleasant.
The temple I wanted to visit now is called Wat Arun Ratchawararam, but everyone simply calls it Wat Arun, meaning the “Temple of Dawn.”
After the demise of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350-1767) and the capital of the same name, the future King Taksin the Great (b/r 1734/1767-1782), who was previously an aristocrat, managed to defeat the Burmese and liberate the territory of the Ayutthaya Kingdom within a few months. He then relocated his capital from the almost entirely destroyed city of Ayutthaya to Thonburi, establishing the Thonburi Kingdom. This new capital, Thonburi, was situated on the west (right) bank of the Chao Phraya River and is now part of Bangkok. King Taksin was the only ruler of this kingdom.
I have already mentioned before that in 1782, his long-time friend and military commander staged a coup, executed King Taksin and then assumed power as King Rama I. He founded the Chakri Dynasty that still reigns in Thailand today and relocated the capital to the opposite bank of the river. The new capital and the kingdom were named Rattanakosin. However, King Taksin was not erased; on the contrary, in gratitude for his deeds, they added an epithet to him and he became King Taksin the Great. So, first they overthrow you and then posthumously adorn you with epithets to appear magnanimous.
Be as it may, there used to be a temple on the site of today’s Wat Arun back in the 17th century, during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The story goes that King Taksin the Great, planning to establish his capital in Thonburi, sailed along the Chao Phraya River one dawn and spotted the old temple. The new temple was then named Wat Arun after the Hindu god Aruna, often associated with the rising sun, hence the “Temple of Dawn.” When he founded his kingdom and moved the capital to Thonburi, King Taksin the Great renovated the local temple and placed the Emerald Buddha inside (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/thailand-7/), while also building his royal palace within the temple grounds.
The temple gained significance, especially with the presence of the Emerald Buddha from 1779 to 1784 before being moved to Wat Phra Kaew. In the early 19th century, King Rama II initiated the construction of an impressive prang, a pointed tower, at Wat Arun, which was completed during the reign of Rama III.
I approached Wat Arun from the pier located right by the temple.
Although Wat Arun encompasses a multitude of structures, the main, most interesting and striking one is precisely that central prang. Various sources cite different heights for this prang, ranging from 67 m to 114 m. I suppose that’s not overly crucial.
Around this central prang, at the corners of the square base, four smaller prangs have been erected. All of them are adorned with pieces of ceramics, porcelain and some shells, shaping floral motifs or covering them with mythical animals and figures. I could appreciate all of this much better later, but while approaching it, the wealth of details adorning the main prang is evident.
During the construction of the prang, the Buddha’s relics were enshrined here, further adding significance to the temple. The overall architectural and decorative construction of the structure is considered exceptional, making it one of the most beautiful and impressive spire-like stupas from the Rattanakosin Kingdom period. However, it is essential to keep in mind that this is a spiritual structure, reflecting Buddhist ideology related to the universe. More precisely, the central prang symbolises Mount Meru, the centre of all physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.
In line with this, near the top of the prang, on all four sides, one can see figures of the god Indra riding his three-headed elephant Airavata or Erawan in Thai, as Mount Meru is the home of this god. This is particularly significant because the god Indra is considered the instigator of the establishment of Bangkok, i.e., Rattanakosin, as the capital of the kingdom led by the members of the Chakri Dynasty.
It is interesting that you can climb the prang of Wat Arun. Although when I was there, it was only possible to ascend to a certain level, the experience was still fantastic.
Nevertheless, before climbing, I started by taking photos of various parts and details from the courtyard level around the prang. For example, in the middle of the next photo, you can see one of the smaller prangs, followed by a picture showcasing some details from one of the smaller prangs.
But then my attention inevitably returned to the central prang and its spectacular decoration.
While I was wandering around the prang of Wat Arun, I saw many young people dressed in traditional clothing. They were taking pictures of each other and I offered to take photos for them using their phones, also asking if I could capture them with my camera. They kindly agreed.
As I understood it, these were also foreign tourists. One of the things offered to visitors in Bangkok is the opportunity to dress in traditional clothing and then explore some parts of the city dressed like that.
After taking these photos, I climbed up to the platform at the central prang, from which you can ascend even higher via stairs.
Wat Arun temple, the central prang, a detail
The climbing allowed me to get an even closer look at the details of the decoration.
From above I could also take photos of one of the smaller prangs more effectively.
And then I circled around the prang, walking along the circumambulatory passage.
There, along the way, I came across a girl willing to pose for me. From the elevated position, I could also observe a performance organised at the foot of the prang. I think I got here towards the end of the performance, but if there were still ongoing, I wouldn’t linger too long, as I wanted to explore more of the Wat Arun temple complex.
Still, before descending, from the narrow terrace circling around the prang, I took a photo of the view towards the Chao Phraya River and the rooftops of the Grand Palace. After that, I was ready to continue exploring.
As I’ve mentioned, within the Wat Arun temple, there are numerous different structures and two are particularly interesting. However, there’s a problem with regards to these. When you look at them on the map, they are very close, practically parallel and roughly the same size in terms of their ground plan. Yet, when I explored various sources, they consistently refer to (an) “ordination hall” or ubosot located to the side of the prang, and then within those sources discussing this ubosot, the photos of the two structures and the details mentioned overlap. Both house an impressive Buddha statue and I visited one, while in the case of the other, I could only see the ceremonial entrance as it was already closed. Wat Arun, as I’ve mentioned, is most renowned for its prang, so perhaps people don’t find it necessary to present properly the other important parts of the temple. Or maybe they aren’t as obsessive as I am.
So, in the immediate vicinity of the prang, the first large chapel is precisely the one visible in the following photo and inside there is an impressive Buddha statue.
Next to this structure, there are also four smaller chedis, two on each side of the pavilion seen in the following photo. The photo also shows the roof of the other larger structure where there is also a Buddha statue, but it wasn’t accessible during my visit.
What I did was to stroll around a bit and that’s how I reached the ceremonial entrance of the other structure, which was closed during my visit. This place is known for a pair of yakshas, a term used for gigantic demon guardians.
Now I slowly headed towards the pier, taking photo along the way of yet another couple, presumably tourists, posing in the traditional local costumes.
I also captured the prang with the sun gently setting behind it and, of course, I couldn’t resist taking another shot of the intricate decoration details.
At the pier, I waited for a while and then boarded one of the boats used for public transportation, which took me to the pier relatively close to the hotel where I stayed during my time in Bangkok. As in the first part, towards Wat Arun, I thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride along the river.
The impressions are especially beautiful when seen in a video format.
From the pier, I easily reached the hotel because I had walked in that part of the city a couple of days earlier. I knew both the main route and the shortcuts, and since I had spotted some food I had liked back then, I decided to have dinner on the way.
After the delightful dinner, I walked again along the street that is very popular among tourists. I preferred “my” place.
When the tourist offerings are rich, there’s a lot of competition, so everyone tries to be “different.” Thus I saw grilled alligator at one place. Still, I was confident that “my” place and “my” dinner were better.
Sometime later, I returned to the hotel, relatively tired but extremely satisfied.
In the meantime, I had come up with a plan for the next day – an excursion to Ayutthaya, with idea that if I had the time on the way back, I would visit another important temple in Bangkok and go to the train station to inquire about the exact train schedule for the day after tomorrow. This was how I had planned to start exploring Thailand.
But, as a reminder, here is a map showing the places and sites I visited in Bangkok: