Bangkok day 1

While planning our Bangkok activities I never knew if we’d be docking at the Khlong Toei Nok pier, which is right in the city, or in the more remote large port. CD Bryn informed us yesterday that we would be at Khlong Toei Nok, which was good news! Our arrival time was at 10:00, which gave us ample time to enjoy the cruise upriver to the dock. We passed by working wharves and docks, houses built on stilts over the river, temples and shrines, and lush green spaces. We also went under a pair of bridges, which is always a kick. It was probably the most interesting dock approach of the trip to date.

Our plan for the day was the “Imperial Treasures of Bangkok” excursion. I had in my notes that this was a 5 ½ hour trip, from 10:30 to 4:00. But the Currents showed it as running until 6:15 and including a stop at a “gem factory” that I hadn’t planned on. Oh well. Visits to the Golden Buddha, Emerald Buddha, and the Grand Palace were all worthwhile. The Grand Palace was especially fascinating and would warrant a full day’s exploration. The heat was oppressive, but the site was so interesting that we didn’t really mind.

We then had a fairly short river cruise on a longtail boat. This gave us a view of the massive Wat Arun (temple of the dawn) temple from the river. We then sailed up a small tributary of the Chao Phraya river and saw where the royal barges are kept. There was a lot of traffic on the river, which was interesting to watch. Barges carrying sand for construction, longtail boats, and ferries with commuters were all going about their business.

After the river we had the obligatory shopping stop, this time at the “gem factory.” We’d been held up along the way a couple of times when our guide lost track of some of our group and we had to wait around, so we were late in getting to the gem factory. You could see where there were workstations that I assume would have been occupied earlier in the day, but they were all empty. All that was available was a showroom where the usual hard sell took place. I’m never a fan of these forced shopping stops, but they’re a staple of the organized tours. Like everything, it’s a tradeoff. When you are new to a city it’s nice to have a tour that takes you to the must-see places. But then you’re a captive to the itinerary and pace of the tour. We enjoyed the places we visited, but the tour itself was a bit chaotic.Read more