Matt and I took our time and then headed out so I could visit the ATM. Since we were already out we decided to walk and experience our neighborhood. It’s a happening place with lots of interesting things to see.
We found a natural medicine pharmacy and paid a visit. I have a bad cold that is disturbing my sleep. I got three different products to help me get rid of it. We realized we were both hungry so we headed inside the Terminal 21 mall near our Airbnb. We were in search of something we could grab and eat. The place is set up like it is an airplane terminal and every escalator ride to the next floor delivers you into another “city”. We visited Rome, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, San Francisco city, San Francisco Pier and the top level was Los Angeles/Hollywood where you could go to the movie theatre. It was kitsch at its finest.
We ate Japanese food at a little fast food spot where they give you a food server’s glove to eat your chicken wings. It wasn’t great but we were bordering on being hangry.
Matt has been wearing a pair of flip flops he left out in the rain and they shrunk. His heel hangs over the back of the shoe. So we went shoe shopping while in the mall. He found some shoes that will work well when we hit the beach in Krabi later this month. I think they look like robot shoes.
We traveled back down the escalators through the same travel destinations and headed back out into the heat. I had told Matt I would love to ride in a tuktuk since Yves was not with us. He bargained the driver down a bit and Matt hopped in. I would like to say that I hopped in, as well. I had no idea I would have to make a colossal step up while keeping my head down so as not to hit the roof of the tuktuk. My knee replacements did not leave me with great bending ability. I got onto the floor and with the help of Matt and the driver got my butt onto the seat. How embarrassing! But the ride was delicious! With the breeze through the open air vehicle it wasn’t unbearably hot. I wasn’t expecting the photos of half naked women on the ceiling of the tuktuk. That was a surprise.
When Melissa, Chinda and Yves returned we made plans for the rest of the day. We took a Grab to Wat Arun, when translated means Temple of the Dawn. It gets its name from the Hindu god Aruna. It is on the Chao Phraya River across from the Grand Palace.
Outside the gate of the temple are many stores where you can rent a traditional Thai outfit so you can take your Instagramable photos. Some people had even hired professional photographers.
The whole temple is covered with ceramic shards and ceramic designs.
Matt, Chinda and I climbed (I crawled) up the very steep stairs to the first level of the prang.
In several alcoves around the prang were statues of the Buddha, including this reclining Buddha.
We walked the circumference of the central prang so that we could enjoy it from every angle.
There were several higher levels but they were barricaded from climbing. I was glad I wasn’t tempted to try to climb (I mean crawl) any higher.
After Matt helped Chinda and I down the stairs, he and Melissa set off to enjoy this incredible place. When they returned they told us they had been blessed by a monk and had bracelets put on their wrists by the monk. Matt had crawled under the wooden bed of King Taksin, which will bring him good luck in the next life. So Chinda and I headed over to be blessed by the monk. We couldn’t kneel but Chinda spoke to the monk and he said we should just bow. After blessing us with holy water he put bracelets on our wrists. We are not to take them off. They must fall off. Next to the monk were these golden Buddhas.
We sat for a while longer enjoying the beauty of this place as the sun hit the prangs and we continued to people watch.
Back outside the wall we found a place to get a cool drink. I walked around just a bit and found these pictures of the current king (number 10), his wife and his mother.
There were bonsai trees everywhere.
By then we needed to scoot to get to our river cruise. Matt and Melissa had researched which one to take and settled on the Manohora river cruise. The boat was carved from teak with the traditional reua krachaeng canopy. Vessels like this were once the primary mode of transport on the river. They only seat 30 to 60 guests so we knew we weren’t going to travel down the river with hundreds of party goers listening to bad disco music.
Brett and Brendon had arrived in Bangkok in the early morning and we hadn’t yet seen them. They arrived and we were ushered onto our boat. They had come from getting Thai massages. Brendon said, “I’ve been broken” as he described how his masseuse had bent his knee to the side, sat on it and then dug into his back with her elbows.
The evening breeze was lovely, the food was so-so but incredibly presented and the views of the city were outstanding. I am so glad we did this excursion.
Chinda attended a Catholic school when she was a child and we passed it on the river.
We had planned to visit the Icon Siam mall today but never made it. Malls are a big deal here. We saw it from the river.
Wat Arun lit up at night was even more beautiful than what we experienced today.
We passed by the Grand Palace we had seen the day before.
We went under the Rama IX Bridge.
Yves fell asleep in Melissa’s arms.
The cruise lasted 2 1/2 hours with seven courses. We said goodbye to Brett and Brendon and called for a Grab. We got the same driver we had a couple days before. What are the odds? Back in our rental we all headed off to bed quickly. Another day filled with wonder.
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