Bangkok

We had a fun four days in Bangkok, 26 years since the last time we were there.

Some of it has changed; for example there are very few tuk tuks now that there is an extensive metro system, but of course the Chao Phraya River still weaves its brown path through the city, providing transport for freight, commuters and we tourists.

We used the efficient but packed public transport to make our way in from the airport, an experience in zero personal space if ever there was one, and the river for most of our sightseeing. The Blue Flag tourist boat, hop on hop off all day for a whopping eight Australian dollars, was a great way to get around.

Wat Arun - the Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan to give it its full name - was one of the highlights our stay, and we were looking forward to the Grand Palace as well, only to find it was closed due to a public holiday.

Adjoining the Grand Palace, fortunately, was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, so our walk in the heat wasn’t in vain. Thailand’s most venerated temple, it was indeed beautiful and worth taking your shoes off several times for.

Some stuff ups with boat timings and opening hours, and a bit of sickness on our part meant we didn’t see as much as we might have, and the heat and humidity took a bit of adjustment, but it was a great start to the trip.

We stayed on the river, across from the ICONSIAM shopping centre - another change from 26 years ago, with a market-style ground floor selling interesting food and handcrafts and another half dozen above housing Cartier, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and all those other shops that normal people never enter. It looked good lit up at night, though, especially as a background for the constant stream of gaudy party boats that doof doofed their way up and down the river.Read more