Along the River

Monday 11/30/2009

We took the train down to the Chao Phraya river.  Our plan was to take the ferry to see some of the famous temples in the area.  The ferries were actually a bit challenging to figure out.  There were two docks next to each other.  Some of the ferries were tourist ferries, others were local ferries, and other were express boats that were meant for commuters.  We boarded the boat and rode to our first stop -- Wat Po.

Wat Po temple was very colorful.  There were a number of large statues wearing top hats dotting the premises.  These farangi or westerners were brought over as ballast on Chinese ships.  They serve to scare away any evil spirits.

The reclining Buddha was the biggest draw of the temple.

Lines of tourists flocked to the entrance, took off their shoes in an orderly fashion, paraded past the Buddha, and then exited on the far side, reclaimed their shoes and moved on.  The Buddha was enormous and quite impressive.

The massage school is another major attraction at Wat Po.  For a mere 220 Baht (<$7.50), we were treated to a 30 minute Thai massage.  Once we paid our fee, we were led by our massage therapists to a large room filled with simple beds.  Each was covered in yellow sheets and pillows.  We were instructed to lie down on the bed and the therapist went to work.  The treatment was firm but very relaxing.  I highly recommend taking part if you're ever in this part of the world.

Our next stop was Wat Arun.  The ferry boat runs mostly up one side of the river but a cross river boat will take you from Wat Po to Wat Arun for a mere 3 Baht.

Wat Arun was also very colorful and was comprised of a number of prangs.  The prangs were decorated with broken porcelain -- once again ballast from the Chinese merchant ships.  We climbed a series of very steep steps and were rewarded with a spectacular river view.

We took the boat back across the river to the Wat Po dock and stopped for lunch along the river.  The service was a little surly but the atmosphere and views were nice and the food tasted quite good.

We continued on the ferry to the Grand Palace.  It was really hot as we walked the grounds of the palace.  The signage was rather strict and called for a very precise dress code.  Shorts, capris, and short skirts were not allowed.  Shoulders must be covered.  On the bright side, tourists who dressed inappropriately because they weren't aware of the dress code could borrow proper attire for free.  It was amusing to watch men and women walking around in ill fitting batik patterned pants.

The Palace offered a free tour in English and we learned a lot about the royal family, the revered King Rama IX, as well as the property itself.

The royal family doesn't live here anymore but the grounds are often used as accommodations during visits by heads of state.

Our guide was excellent and had a fantastic sense of humor.