14th November, 2023: Another day in Bangkok: I woke up at 08:30 to find my mother cleaning the house, and after twenty minutes, breakfast was ready. I spent the next twenty minutes looking through the “Lonely Planet Bangkok” guidebook to find more tourist attractions, and I made a rough list in my head that we followed throughout the day.

• Wat Arun
• Wat Pho
• Golden Mount
• Jim Thompson House Museum
• Asiatique Riverfront

And at 09:00 hours, we left our apartment and went to Sathorn Pier, by bus (number 1, which goes to Sanam Luang) and a short walk to the pier. I took two tickets to Wat Arun (N-8 pier), with the Chao Phraya Express Boat (blue-flagged) and sat in the waiting area. We waited for about half-an-hour for the boat to arrive and sat on the chairs in the upper deck, to have a beautiful view of the Chao Phraya River, once again.

At 10:00 a.m., we arrived at the Wat Arun Complex in the Thonburi neighborhood. The entrance fee is 100 baht per person. You cannot enter if you are wearing a sleeveless garment or shorts (you can be issued a sarong to cover them; renting one is free but a deposit is required). When entering the “wihan” (sanctuary) or “ubosot” (ordination hall), you must remove your shoes and enter without touching the door sill or threshold. You are not required to sit, but if you do, point your feet backwards rather than towards the Buddha image, as this is considered highly offensive.

Wat Arun: Before being renamed Wat Phra Kaew after the god of dawn (Aruna), the complex housed a royal palace and a temple to house the Emerald Buddha. Taksin gave it the name Wat Arun. However, King Rama I relocated the palace to the river’s eastern bank. It was abandoned until King Rama II began construction of the Wat’s main attraction, the Khmer-style pagoda (prang), which was completed during King Rama III’s reign. The mosaics that adorn the structures of this temple are made of broken Chinese porcelain (apparently from Chinese ships that called in Bangkok and discarded old porcelain as ballast) and tropical sea shells. The ubosot’s Buddha image was designed by King Rama II (its base houses King Rama II’s ashes), and the murals inside were created during King Rama V’s reign. When viewing the prang in detail, one can notice the soldiers, Buddhist mythological figures, and yakshas that make up its base.

When I visited this magnificent temple, the wihan and ubosot were spectacular, and climbing the tower was simple. I was able to photograph the prang, which houses Hindu mythological figures such as Indra (god of the sky) sitting on Airavata (elephant) and the nymphs. There were many tourists, but not nearly as many as at the Wat Pho temple.

Mum did not come in. I spent 45 minutes exploring this temple before rejoining her outside. We took the ferry across the river to explore Wat Pho. (Pier Tha Tien). It costs ten baht per user. There were few tourists on board the ferry, which took ten minutes to arrive at this pier. Mum informed me that she would wait outside the Wat Pho complex once we arrived. I entered the Wat Pho complex after purchasing a 100-baht ticket. There were more visitors here. In my opinion, if there’s one spot not to be missed in Bangkok, it’s the Wat Pho!

Wat Pho: Known as Wat Pho Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, the temple complex is approximately 9 hectares in size and houses the “reclining Buddha” as well as the country’s largest collection of Buddha images. Not only that, but it also serves as the headquarters for Thai medicine (preservation and education). It is Bangkok’s oldest temple, located next to the Grand Palace.

Take a look at this site design. Because it is a large complex, if you are short on time, you can concentrate on the main attractions (the temple of the reclining Buddha, ubosot, and the four chedis). I spent two hours exploring the entire complex. I entered through the gate directly facing the temple of the reclining Buddha, so that was the first thing I saw. A pavilion near the temple contains information about the Wat Pho’s history. The Wat Pho complex was built during the reign of King Phetracha of the Ayutthaya dynasty and was renovated and expanded during the reigns of King Rama I and III.

The reclining Buddha temple is 15 meters high and 46 meters long, built with bricks and finished in gold leaf and plaster. This attitude is reminiscent of nirvana (the death of Buddha). Walk all the way to the end to see the Mother-of-pearls inlay etched on the Buddha’s feet soles. It depicts the Buddha’s physical characteristics. (A total of 108)

After turning right from the Temple, I moved onto the Phra Mondop (which houses the ho trai, the temple’s library) and proceeded to the Sala Karnparien (meant for its function as a meditation hall), which is adjacent to a small garden known as the Crocodile Pond.

Moving on to the four royal chedis, which represent the four kings of the current Chakri dynasty, King Rama I – IV, and are decorated in various colored tiles, and then on to the Phra Rabiang (cloisters), which house various Buddha images. King Rama I was able to bring many statues from various regions of Thailand, with varying attitudes and styles, to the cloister. It’s also linked to the four main wihans. (One of them offers 108 coins at 20 baht, where each coin is dropped in the 108 monk bowls; thought to be for good fortune). The cloisters house educational materials about the temple’s history, the construction of a Buddha statue and mural, and information about various Buddha attitudes.

The cloister surrounds the larger ubosot, which houses the Phra Phuttha Theva Patimakorn (a three-tiered pedestal with the Buddha image and a nine-tiered umbrella), as well as King Rama I’s ashes. Ramakien’s murals can be found on the exteriors of this ubosot.

While walking through this complex, an elderly American couple approached me and asked if I was Thai, as they wanted their photograph taken against the complex’s backdrop. (They ran into me again at the Jim Thompson House Museum, and the woman told my mother, “You have a wonderful son!” I left the temple, rejoined my mother, and went to a nearby restaurant (The Gate) for lunch. The restaurant was packed, but we were fortunate to find a seat in a corner. And, of course, I ate my favorite Thai dish, “pad thai.”

Wat Saket, also known as the Golden Mount, was the next stop. I had planned to take the bus (using Google Maps), but the GPS in my phone malfunctioned, so we couldn’t get to a bus stop (it was sending us in circles). Mum was frustrated and angry as the temperature rose. I was agitated because I was attempting to get a “tuk-tuk” to our destination for 100 baht per user. When one of the drivers yelled at me to leave, I snapped in response to my mother’s rage. I had it, as my mother observes, a “wild, animal-like” behavior that does not go away quickly. I yelled back at her and threatened not to “disrespect” me, warning her that if she continued to lash out at me, I would go insane. The rest of the trip is what changed our equations.

We eventually got a Grab taxi to Wat Saket. We arrived after a ten-minute journey. While Mum stayed behind, I paid 50 baht for the ascent to the Golden Mount.

Wat Saket: It’s an artificial hill built during King Rama III’s reign after a large stupa collapsed. A small stupa was built during the reign of King Rama IV. The British government presented a Buddha relic to the government of Siam, which is now housed here. The crest is reached via 344 steps. From here, one can get a good view of the Bangkok skyline. While descending, one can see “The Vultures of Sraket Temple” statues, which depict the story of a cholera epidemic that occurred.

The original plan was to visit the Bangkok National Museum, but because it was a Tuesday (it is closed on Tuesdays), I had to change my plans to include the Jim Thompson House Museum. We arrived at the museum at 13:45 p.m. (after a short walk and a bus ride from Wat Saket).

Jim Thompson House Museum: This museum is named after the eponymous American silk entrepreneur, Jim Thompson, and houses a jungly-looking compound that served as the American’s residence, the Oss Bar, the Jim Thompson Restuarant, the Silk Cafe (which sells overpriced bakeries and confectionaries), and a clothes store selling his creations (silk clothes). This museum cannot be visited on one’s own; compulsory tour guides in various languages cost 200 baht. The Thai government currently owns the museum.

Who exactly is Jim Thompson? He was born in Delaware, USA, and served in Thailand with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the precursor to the current Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)) during WWII. He chose to return to Thailand after it ended. His house is made of teak wood salvaged from dilapidated Thai homes (mostly from Ayutthaya; he had them shipped along the khlongs (canals) for construction). Personal belongings and a small Thai art collection, including Buddha statues and paintings, are displayed in his home. He mysteriously vanished in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands in 1967, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since.

The guide explained the significance of each item succinctly (I was the only Indian on this guided tour). “Why is there a door sill/threshold at the entrance of every room?” asked many of them (Westerners). Her response was that this was done to keep evil spirits out. Inside, photography was permitted, but the guide explicitly warned against photographing people, including the guide herself. After taking us through various rooms, the guide led us to an exhibition hall and then exited. The hall is informative, going into greater detail about Jim Thompson’s life, Thai silk (which he perfected and is considered one of Thailand’s finest silk), and collaborations with other silk entrepreneurs. As you walk downstairs, you will come across a shop selling silk clothing.

Mum did not accompany us on the tour. Despite the fact that we arrived at 13:45, the English tour was scheduled for 15:30. She mocked me for it, saying it was a waste of an hour and a half (during which time I dozed off on the bench). As we walked out of the museum, I told Mum that I had “changed my behavior and am thus a new person.” That, however, was a lie. We decided to go to MBK Centre because Mum wanted to eat snacks. Despite the fact that I was not scammed by any individuals or private groups during my trip to Thailand, I did lose sixty baht to the government. We arrived at the Metro Station BTS National Stadium. I decided to top up my Rabbit card through an orange kiosk for a change. The instructions, however, were all in Thai. I was able to load the sixty baht using Google Lens (the minimum requirement was fifty baht). Soon after, a Thai pop-up message appeared and quickly vanished. When I swiped the card at the turnstile, it refused to let me in because I had a negative balance.

I requested assistance from the BTS officers. The lady officer, on the other hand, did not assist me, prompting me to return to the kiosk and call the helpline. When I did this, the operator could only speak Thai. I expressed my complaints, to which she simply nodded and did not respond. When I realized this was a government-sponsored scam (Mum, by the way, had taken a one-time card and was waiting for me on the other side of the turnstiles, motioning me to hurry), I called the tourist police for assistance. The operator instructed me to hand it over to the officers, and the lady officer spoke up. She motioned for the security guard to assist me, but when he saw the kiosk, he returned. Unfortunately, that was ineffective. Mum became enraged and yelled at me. Her eyes welled up with tears. That’s all I had to say. After I got a one-time card and swiped it, I yelled at Mum (really loudly, everyone in the metro station was staring at us) and smashed my sling bag and spectacles (which were damaged).

The tourist police called me back. Since they were unable to assist me, I yelled back at the operator through my phone (later realizing that I had overreacted): “Stop scamming the tourists.” You should be ashamed of yourself!” and hung up the phone. I was sobbing uncontrollably. And my spectacles were shattered. Mum immediately consoled me and had to guide my steps because I was blind without my spectacles. She was upset with me. We soon arrived at the MBK Centre. (We first arrived at Top Charoen spectacles store. They were prepared to prepare my spectacles in an hour, but it would be expensive. As a result, we abandoned this and relocated to the 1331 Optics store in the MBK Centre). It costed 1,500 baht for the spectacles. At this point, Mum and I complained to Dad via video call and informed him that we would not be future travel companions. We had a lot of emotional hostility between us. We went upstairs for our snack-meal after I composed myself (got my spectacles).

That day was unlike any other. I’ll never forget it. At 19:30, we returned to BTS Saphan Taksin Station and boarded a ferry to the Asiatique Riverfront. Even though the Chao Phraya ferry service ends at 18:00 hours, the Sathorn Pier was still open. The ferry ride was complimentary. It was downstream (as opposed to other piers that were upstream) and took twenty minutes to reach. We passed by some dinner cruise ferries on the way.

It is an open-air mall on Charoen Krung Road in the Bang Kho Laem neighborhood. It is owned by the AWC (Asset World Corporation) and faces the Chao Phraya River. It is divided into four sections known as districts. The districts are further subdivided into warehouses. It is home to Bangkok’s tallest Ferris wheel (Asiatique Sky), the Mystery House, the Calypso Cabaret show (a ticket for the show also includes dinner), carousels, the Srimahannop Tall Ship (docked at pier 1; the ferry to and from Sathorn Pier uses pier 2; security guards do not allow tourists to take selfies or group pictures at pier 2), and venues for Muay Thai and Thai Puppetry. We walked along, despite the emotional drain between us, and explored several lanes, the majority of which sold clothes. The organization was fantastic. This is one of Bangkok’s liveliest neighborhoods.

We looked at the menus of some of the restaurants in the Asiatique, including Kodang Talay, The Rosewood, Happy Fish, and The Crystal Grill, but we decided on Epia, an Isan-cuisine restaurant. The restaurant was well-lit, with elaborate designs on the roof, floor, and staircase. The server was extremely friendly, and I was able to customize my meals (no ajinomoto, no MSG, no soy sauce, less salt). The food is delicious! Finally, before leaving, I took a photo with the server.

It was 22:45 when we boarded the same ferry back to Sathorn Pier from the Asiatique. We did not ride the Ferris wheel or see the Calypso Show. I wouldn’t call it a “must-see,” but it is worth seeing. We arrived at our apartment at 23:15 hours and went to bed. It was our final evening in Bangkok.

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