Yaowarat

Welcome to Chinatown

My weekend search for zongzi took me to Yaowarat Road, one of Asia's most prominent and affluent Chinatown neighborhoods. At the end of the MRT line and just past Hua Lampong National Railway station, Yaowarat is the heart of Chinese culture and community in Bangkok.

a quiet street entering Chinatown

I had been to Yaowarat only twice before, but neither time did I take many photos. I think it's worth writing about though, because it's such an important neighborhood in Bangkok.

One of the first places that you pass as you walk through Chinatown is a free Chinese hospital with an ornate chapel devoted to Avalokitesvara, bodhisattva (Buddhist saint) of compassion.

Yaowarat Roat

After finding the zongzi, I spent a little while wandering through Chinatown's twisting alleyway markets, stumbling upon quiet and little-known Chinese and Thai temples.

a Chinese-style temple

The first time I went to Chinatown was the evening of the day when I visited the Snake Farm. After the prison fiasco, we stopped in for dinner at the famous and historic Shanghai Mansion Hotel's restaurant.

the famous Shanghai Mansion Hotel

Another time I visited Chinatown was to go to a famous temple called Wat Traimit, the Temple of the Golden Buddha. It's an unmistakable landmark in this neighborhood, and the golden spire towers over the surrounding buildings. The temple closes in the evening, and I was too late to go inside this time. I'll write more about Wat Traimit in another post.

Wat Traimit