AIM House, Bangkok, Day 3

Today the plan is to do some sightseeing. We feel it would be wrong to visit Bangkok and not see some pf the major temples so we plan to pay them a visit today. Unfortunately, as it is boiling hot (feels like 38) this means I have to wear long trousers. I reluctantly pull them on and we head out.
Our first stop is Wat Arun. To get there we take the skytrain for one stop and walk to the pier. The plan is to take a boat down the river which drops us off right outside the temple. We are looking for the orange flag boat, and there is 20 minutes of intense sweating until a huge crowd of us shuffle onto the small boat. The water is very choppy but the views are great as we chug our way through Bangkok. There is also a breeze which is delightful.
We soon see Wat Arun looming in the distance, and we hop off the boat and buy some tickets before heading in. The temple is very impressive from a distance, but even more so when you get up close and see the intricate paintings and carvinga that cover it from the floor right to the incredibly high top. There are four smaller monuments surrounding the one massive one, and we spend around half an housr wandering around the temple and taking a good look. We try and sit but as soon as you stop moving the heat surrounds you, so we have to keep walking to try and create some breeze. All I can think of is the shorts in my bag that are going on as soon as we leave the next temple.
That temple is the grand palace. We hop onto a small boat that takes us across the river and we head inside the walls. This is the second time we have been here. The first was when Helen and me got in but Amy's long shorts were deemed too shorts. This time we have taken no chances and walk in with no problem. Just like last time it is packed full with people, and we soon decide the 500 baht entrance fee isn't worth it to walk around some temples with hundreds of other people. We leave the Grand Palace for the second time on this trip without seeing one temple. I find a toilet and take off my chinos. It is lovely to get some breeze onto my legs, and we celebrate with a lovely pad thai and a beer by the river.
After eating we head for the Golden mount. This is a temple we saw on a show called 'somebody feed phil' and apparently offers great sunset views over Bangkok. The walk is around 45 minutes, and we stop for half an hour on the way in a lovely park that we find. A man is feeding squirrels and he goves Amy a nut that is soon nibbled from her fingers. He seems to be some kind of squirrel whisperer as he makes noises and they all run over. We sit in the shade and drink some water to make up for the gallons of sweat we have lost in the ridiculous heat.
We head off again, walking past the giant swing. It is a big red swing that is unfortunately lacking a seat to swing on. I'm not really sure the purpose of it but it is something cool to see on the journey. When we reach the Golden mount we realise we are really early for the sunset so we sit for a coffee under two fans. It is great to relax as we both feel pretty drained, and when we are ready to go, we feel revitalised and ready to climb the steps to the top.
There is around 400 steps but they go really quickly as there are lots of cool places on the way up. People bang big gongs, ring rows of bells, and stare out as we get higher and higher and the views over Bangkok get further and further. We reach the top in no time and we can see right over Bangkok. It is amazing to see this crazy city from above, with the skyscrapers looking down on the temples and shops. The buildings go for as far as we can see, with only a few bits of green sticking through. We find a spot of shade and sit. There is a very large Golden stupor on the middle of the roof and people walk round it praying. A Polish guy named Dan talks to us as he flies his drone over the city, before being told rather assertively to stop as it is against the law to fly one within 5 miles of the Grand Palace.
We sit on top of the mount until the sun sets. The view just gets better and better as the sun gets lower and a red tint forms over the building. We waited on the roof for two hours, and right now it feels very justified. We head down at 6.30 and try and find a way home. We aren't near a skytrain station, and the ferries have stopped, so we are slighlty worried, until we manage to find a cheap uber.
After a very tiring day, we are starving. We stop off at a cool bar called the 14th barrel that is next door to our hotel. We have a couple and try and find a takeaway but we are unsuccesful (I hate trying to spell that word) so end up eating a surprisingly tasty meal on the side of the road from a van.
It has been over 30 degrees all day, and we left the room at 11am. It is now nearly 10pm, and we are exhausted and ready to make the most of the air con and comfort our room offers. We get in and finally relax, chuffed that all the sights we wanted to see have been covered, and well aware we are both falling in love with this mad city.Meer informatie