The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: Exploring Old Town

I have the habit of falling into a routine. I've developed a pretty comfortable life in Bangkok, and nowadays I don't get out of my neighborhood very often.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I really need to get out and explore the city more. After six years, there are still so many places I haven't seen and so many things I haven't done. There are entire neighborhoods that are part of the classic Bangkok expat experience that I've just missed out on. I've always lived in more residential and less popular parts of town (which is a completely different and amazing experience), but there's a whole side of BKK that I really just haven't seen.

That changes now!

Now that I'm working more online, I want to take more time to explore Bangkok on foot, just like I did when I was in Hanoi.

So, this past week, I took the metro all the way to Hua Lampong Station in the Old Town, put on some podcasts, and just began wandering. I didn't have any sort of goal, I just let my feet lead the way through a part of town that I'm wholly unfamiliar with.

Hua Lampong Station, built in 1916, is the main railway station in Bangkok.

Starting off at Hua Lampong Station, I headed south along one of the quieter side streets along a canal, away from the major road which would have taken me into Chinatown. This was a part of the city I had never seen before! First, I came across a small Chinese-style temple.

Thai Hua Shrine

I wish I knew the history! Either way, it was an interesting little shrine. To me, though, the most interesting part were the doors, all of which were painted in incredible Chinese motifs.

Chinese-style doors

Nobody was there, not even a monk. This temple looks a lot like the types that we saw when we were in Vietnam! I'm not sure if this is a Buddhist temple (Taoist, maybe?), just a local shrine for the Chinese-Thai community, or even a Chinese guild hall or clan house.

the Chinese shrine

Two of the big outer doors were painted with the images of Lok and Siu, two of a trio of Chinese deities known as Fu, Lo, and Shou (the Three Star Gods of Chinese mythology).

In Thai, these immortals/sages are known as Hok, Lok, and Siu, and they represent the aspects of Prosperity, Status, and Longevity. They are rarely worshiped in Thailand outside of the Chinese-Thai community. Thailand practices mainly Theravada Buddhism (much more heavily influenced by Hinduism), although it's not at all uncommon to see statues of the three in a shop or business.

Hok, Lok, and Siu

A little further on I came to a quiet Buddhist temple. Inside, I was shocked and intrigued to find the mummy of a monk, preserved and placed inside a glass coffin, still wrapped in his robes. Buddhist mummies are rare, but not completely unheard of. It is believed by some that certain especially holy monks are able to enter a deep state of meditation upon death, in which their bodies are mortified, preserving them as a sort of relic. This isn't the first time I've seen this, but it's not a super common thing to come across. I didn't include a photo of the abbot because it's a bit creepy... Maybe for Halloween??

Wat Maha Pruettharam

This temple was home to a large Reclining Buddha statue. It wasn't as big as the really famous one at Wat Pho, but it was still impressive. I hadn't been to a Thai temple in months, so it was nice to get out and experience it again. This temple was especially nice, as it maybe isn't as well known. There weren't any crowds of tourists. In fact, except for me, it was nearly deserted. It sure is nice to go exploring on a Monday afternoon!

Reclining Buddha

I kept walking down Charoenkrung Road. This was the first modern road in Thailand. For some reason, even though it's a major part of the city, I had never walked down that way before! The Old Town really isn't that hard to get to. It's a little out of my way, but in my first several years in Bangkok, I relied way too much on the metro. I should trust my feet more!

Old Town wall relief

Down Charoenkrung Road, almost to the river, I finally came to one of the places in Bangkok that I've been meaning to visit for years and years: the cathedral!

Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok

Assumption Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok. I took a lot of pictures, and I think that the cathedral and its history is interesting enough to warrant its own post. Stay tuned! That's coming soon!

Pope Saint John Paul II

After hours of walking, I was hot and my legs were tired. Passing between the famous Oriental Hotel and Peninsula Hotel, I made my way to a famous expat dive called Jack's Bar.

the famous Jack's Bar

I'm a little embarrassed to have been an expat for over six years and to never have set foot in Jack's! Or, "on" Jack's, as I should say, since the whole restaurant is built on a pier out over the Chaophraya River. Jack's is nothing fancy, but it's home to super cheap beer, famously delicious pad thai, and some of the best river views in Bangkok.

sitting along the river

I did as one must at Jack's, and ordered a bottle of Leo Beer and a big plate of shrimp pad thai. The air was growing cooler and the barometer was dropping! As the wind picked up, I could tell that a big storm was heading our way! It is the monsoon season, after all.

Jack's bar

I sat and watched the hotel shuttles, river taxis, bus boats, and shipping barges cruise up and down the river, as big fat raindrops began falling from the sky. I was nice and dry under the tin roof at Jack's, though! How in the world did I miss this place!

a storm was coming in!

I decided that I need to get out to the river more often. Across the river is a town known as Thonburi, which was the capital of Thailand for the reign of one king (King Taksin of Thonburi) after the fall of Ayutthaya. When King Rama I ascended the throne, he moved the capital across the river to Bangkok. Thonburi is more or less considered just a part of Bangkok, but it's a part of the city I rarely visit. In fact, the entire riverside has always been just a place that I visit when I have someone to show around. I'm not really sure why that is. I really do need to make more of an effort to get out to see and do new things every week.

enjoying a cold Leo on a hot, muggy, about-to-rain afternoon

Let this be a challenge to myself! Once a week, if I can, I should try to wander somewhere in Bangkok. I'll just set out on foot with my podcasts and my camera, and see where my feet take me. Who knows what kinds of gems I might find? This city is always mysterious. There's never any telling what sorts of secrets you might stumble upon if you just take a chance!