With the palace behind us, I (Justine) was dying for some authentic Pad Thai. I learned we have pretty good Thai food in PA, and Pad Thai in Thailand is much sweeter (it was not my favorite.)
Our next stop was the Temple of the Dawn. Mac had toured this years ago and told me about it as a must-do.
The Temple, built in 1843, sits at the point of the Peninsula and is an iconic image of Bangkok found everywhere. An interesting feature is the use of English China (Wedgwood etc.) in the mosaics.
As usual, the Asian focus on instagram selfies threatens to overwhelm the site. Here, a thriving business sells Thai royal costumes to the tourists for one time use.
After a whirlwind tour of the Dawn temple we boarded a long boat for a tour of the river and the canal systems. Along the way we had to transit through a few locks. Sadly the locks were a catch all for massive amounts of trash, mostly plastic. Thai people use a lot of plastic, and I image it would take a radical shift on their lifestyle to make a dent in the trash created.
Back to the long boat. They are all wood, approximately 30 feet long and propelled by what looked like a full size Mack truck motor with the prop on a 12 foot pole.. They are super noisy and contribute to the air pollution – but a lot of fun. The bow is decorated with artificial flowers as an offering to the spirit that provides safety at sea.
Along our way we saw several large monitor lizards sunbathing. We caught one 9 footer swimming to cross the canal to a sunnier spot .
Last time Mac was here the canals had floating markets where the locals sold fish, produce and trinkets. That has become a thing of the past because the canals are no longer used as a primary means of transportation. Many of the homes built on the canal were in disrepair or collapsing into the canal. Other properties had been replaced by canal-front condos, driving the locals out. Ghggg tr
One small village remains that is really a tourist trap. We bought a few small items to support local shops.
Along the way we passed the largest Buddha in Thailand, 69 meters tall!tytttt try
After saying farewell to our guide we sat by the beautiful 3 tiered pool at the Peninsula Hotel. Funny thing… it was buy one drink, get one free. But they delivered both at the same time, so we were double fisting white wine, or in Mac’s case, margaritas. It being 92 degrees, we HAD to slam our drinks or drink a lot of melted ice. I could have stayed there all night, but it’s Bangkok!
The Mandarin Orient was directly across the canal so we hopped on a boat to go to the iconic Bamboo Bar. Founded in 1953 it is regarded as one of the best bars in the WORLD. It did not disappoint! We ordered swanky drinks at $35 a piece and listened to amazing live jazz, it was warm and beautiful. I could live there.
We had a recommendation for a duck restaurant near the Bamboo Bar so we wandered around the busy streets searching for it. Ends up it’s a lunch spot. So a TukTuk back to Chinatown for street food. We never get tired of street food!
One more morning in Bangkok tomorrow, than a 27 hour marathon home to Kennet Square. We’re ready.
Mac and Juju explore Southeast Asia 