Bangkok: Cruising Around the City

Bangkok is no place for baby backpackers. After some rest, Louise and I quickly got our bearings because the city demands street smarts, efficiency and energy. Bangkok is old and new and wild and sacred. Spending three days in the city was the perfect amount of time to see gorgeous temples, try authentic Thai street food, and explore the markets along the region’s rivers. Afterwards, though, we felt anxious to travel north to cooler climates and laid-back lifestyles. 
 

Rivers to the Rescue

We started our second day in Bangkok by choosing a little cafe for breakfast. There were no tourists there, and nothing was in English. We pointed and smiled and hoped for the best when our food was served. Rice for breakfast is something we’re getting used to, and whatever was on it tasted delicious. Louise is a world-class slow eater, and adding chopsticks to the situation means that we were lapped four times by patrons cycling through the restaurant. 

Craving some breeze and beauty, Louise and I walked to a pier on the Chao Praya River to hop on the Thai Express Boat. We toured the river and got off at Chinatown, Wat Arun, and the Flower Market. 

The emptiest our boat transportation got. The Express Boat was usually packed, and they only dock for maybe one minute. It's a madhouse trying to get on and off. 

Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, from the water. 

The Lego-looking building in the background is MahaNakhon. Completed less than one year ago, MahaNakhon is now the tallest building in Thailand. The skyline in Bangkok is unique, but this building in particular blew my mind with its odd cubical spiral. I'm obsessed. 

"Look at that building!" - Me, to Louise at least five times a day. My only regret of this trip so far is that I do not have more pictures of MahaNakhon. 

Nearly 25% of Bangkok residents are at least partly Chinese, and Chinatown is a huge area of the city right off the river. We sampled sticky buns for lunch. 

Blessing bells at Wat Arun. Writing your name on something and attaching it to a chain reminds me of the thousands of Love Locks on bridges in Paris or the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Humans can be so wistful that it almost hurts. 

Wat Arun turned has been our favorite temple complex so far. We spent many hours exploring!

Roses at the Bangkok Flower Market. We arrived as millions of flowers were delivered to the city and vendors set up their stands, unloading grass baskets, cutting stems, and arranging bouquets. I wish we could have stayed later to see the bustle and bravado, but Louise and I were still jet lagged and headed back to our hostel. 

Frenzy at the Famous Markets

The two most famous markets in Bangkok are the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Maeklong Railway Market. Both are actually located outside the city, and depending on traffic, it can take more than two hours to drive there. We arose early to meet our driver, but “due to traffic jam,” he was two hours late arriving to our hostel. Standstill traffic halted our progress, too, and it took more than two hours of nauseating stop-and-go driving to get there.

Luckily, our non-English-speaking driver had an amazing, karaoke-worthy CD for us, filled with 90s American love songs. Was this the CD he plays for all female tourists he drives around? Or is this the music he actually listens to? Either way, it was ridiculously fun to sing to All-4-One’s “I Swear,” Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be,” and Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply,” all while our driver’s little Emerald Buddha swung from his rearview mirror. 

Louise at the Floating Market.

The little brownish-purple, circular fruits are called mangosteens, and I was delighted to find them here. I fell in love with mangosteens during my last trip to Thailand. 

Coconut-fried banana and sweet potato from this lady was heaven. You tossed 50 Baht in the little plastic container and she would pass the goods to you from her boat.  

Photo by Louise Heffernan.

We rode from the Floating Market down the river to get closer to the Railway Market, but we hit another traffic jam on the water. The long-tail boats are tough to navigate around the narrow canals. 

Louise's favorite part of the trip. This is the face of pure joy. 

Our driver after the chaos of the market. Steering these boats is a physically-demanding task. 

The Railway Market, pre-train.

The market is ancient, and vendors refused to move locations even when train tracks cut through the center. Now, the train runs through it multiple times a day, and vendors briefly pack up before setting up shop again. 

The train blows its horn, signaling vendors to close canopies and move baskets of food aside.

I may or may not have tripped on the track. This guy tells me to get out of the way! It's quite a narrow corridor, and there's no room for funny business.

Immediately after the train passes, the market resumes. 

By Mel Grau