Travels in Thailand: Bangkok

Although in the end we spent a little over two weeks in Bangkok, we didn't really get to see much of it unfortunately. We first traveled there on January 13th to start our winter vacation, planning to only stay for a day and a half and then head south to the islands. We did squeeze some sightseeing into that short time, which was lucky, because when we eventually returned to Bangkok the Covid-19 outbreak was already well under way and it was necessary for us to do a 14 day self-quarantine there before heading back to our home countries (me to the US, Anna to the UK).

So our stay in Bangkok ended up being far from typical, but at least we got to enjoy the city a little bit at the beginning of the holiday. Here's some of what we got to see:

Our first night we went out for curry and papaya salad in a neighborhood near our hostel. The restaurants and bars in that area were nice in a way that felt more relaxed compared with the noisy crowds on Khaosan Road, where we went after dinner. Khaosan Road is one of Bangkok's major tourist destinations; it's really a whole warren of nightlife surrounding the main road, packed with people, bars, street food, souvenirs, and so on. It was loud and busy, but honestly, not that bad compared to similar nightlife spots in China. It's worth spending one evening experiencing the street food culture and picking up some cheap souvenirs there. 

A canal near our hostel

The first of many delicious meals in Thailand! Papaya salad and curry

Nightlife in the Khaosan Road area

The next day we thought we might visit the Grand Palace, but as we approached it, the hordes of tour buses, unbelievably long lines of people standing around in the heat, and getting bumped and shoved by pushy tourists just walking toward it made us re-think our plan. Instead, we spent our day walking along Bangkok's largest river and peeking into the quieter places that caught our eye.

We wandered through the Amulet Market on Maha Rat Road near the palace, where vendors have a wide variety of Buddhist charms on offer and then crossed the road to go into a small wat (a Thai Buddhist temple). There were very few people in the wat, which made walking around and taking in the tranquil atmosphere especially nice. If you visit a wat in Thailand, don't forget to wear long pants and long sleeves, or at least bring something to cover up with like a scarf. Some wats are more relaxed and just a t-shirt plus long pants/long skirt is fine, and some will even provide something to wrap up in during your visit (don't forget to leave a little money if you use it). 

Walking through a quiet temple near the Amulet Market

Pad Thai and yellow curry with shrimp for lunch

Looking at the Grand Palace from outside, headed toward the massive entry lines

The one big tourist attraction we did see was Wat Pho, one of Bangkok's oldest temples and the home to what might be the world's largest reclining Buddha statue (it measures 46 meters long). The temple was rebuilt on the site of an older complex by King Rama I in 1788, and then renovated by Rama III in 1832. In addition to being a temple it was also a school of traditional medicine and is considered the birthplace of traditional Thai massage (and I will forever be thankful to Wat Pho for giving the world Thai massage).

Wat Pho's 46 meter long reclining Buddha statue

The feet of the reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is quite large, so you will probably want to set aside an hour or two to walk around it. Thanks to its size and the fact that many tour groups are only interested in the reclining Buddha, many parts of the temple complex are surprisingly quiet and serene. We read a tip online that entering through the southern entrance on Cetuphon Road would be faster and avoid most of the crowds, and that definitely worked out well for us. The entrance fee cost 100 THB. Again, don't forget to be ready to cover up your legs when you enter. 

The reclining Buddha is the main attraction, and it is spectacular. But another impressive part of the temple are the chedis (a type of Buddhist structure also called a stupa which is used to hold relics, usually of monks or nuns). The four largest chedi are 42 meters high and contain the ashes of Thai kings. There are dozens of smaller ones around the temple, some of which contain the ashes of other royals and some are said to have relics of Buddha within them. The tile mosaics decorating the outside of the chedi are really stunning.

Some of the smaller chedi at Wat Pho

From a religious perspective, the most important building at Wat Pho is Phra Ubosot, or Ordination Hall. It was full of tourists and worshipers when we looked inside. The murals covering the walls and the large, golden statue of the Buddha gave the hall a truly impressive, solemn atmosphere.

Ordination Hall

And that, sadly, is all we really had time to see while in Bangkok. We had originally planned to see more at the end of our trip before returning to Nanning, but thanks to the virus outbreak those plans had to be changed. In the end we spent a lot of time on two of Thailand's southern islands, then crossed the border into Malaysia. I'll be updating with more posts about those travels soon. I definitely plan to return to Thailand someday, to see more of Bangkok and get a chance to explore the northern part of the country.