Inner Rattanakosin: secrets of the royal island

Two weeks ago, I signed up for an expat tour of a few nearby provinces. I had such a great time, that I signed up for the next walking tour with the group too. This time, it was in Bangkok's Old Town.

the tour group at the Rama I Memorial

Fourteen of us, all expats, met up at the Central Pier along the river bright and early (well, cloudy and early) on Saturday morning, and jumped on the pubic boat. I saw some of my new friends who I had met at the last tour, and we chatted for a while on the boat. We chugged slowly down the Chaophraya, past IconSiam, to Rattanakosin Island, the Old Town of Bangkok, formed by a curve of the river and a canal. There, we alighted at the monument to King Rama I.

King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok (Rama I), founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom

King Buddha Yodfa Chulalok, or Rama I, was the founder of the current Chakri Dynasty (the current king is Rama X). After the fall of Ayutthaya, a general named Taksin assumed the throne, and moved the capital to Thonburi. He was succeeded by Rama I, who moved the capital across the river to a sleepy fishing village called Ban Gok (which, of course, became Bangkok!). Thus was born the Rattanakosin kingdom of the Chakri Dynasty, which still rules Thailand to this day!

the memorial to King Rama I

Our guide, Noi, is super knowledgeable about Bangkok's history. As we walked through the Old Town, he pointed out various points of interest to us. I really enjoy his tours, because he takes us around the hidden corners of the city to the places that don't show up in the guide books.

The morning was cloudy and cool, and the sky threatened rain, though it was still dry as we walked past the canals, government offices, and century-old family shops of Rattanakosin. Presently, we came to Wat Dibayawari, which looked more like an office building than a Buddhist temple.

Bangkok's Vietnamese temple

The temple's full name, Wat Dibayavari Vihara, means "Holy Water Temple", but it is often called the "Temple of the Green Dragon". The temple dates back to 1776, during the Thonburi period, and has a really fascinating history.

Wat Dibayawari

Land along the bank of the river was given by the king to the Chinese and Vietnamese merchants who would settle and trade in Bangkok. The temple is in the Vietnamese style, and looks a lot like those that we saw last year when traveling in Hanoi. What's really unique about it is the color scheme. While the interior does make full use of the traditional red and gold, there's a lot more green and yellow than I've ever seen at a Buddhist temple... especially a Chinese one!

a woman praying at the temple

For a while in the late 19th century, the temple was nearly abandoned. For a time, there was a sole Chinese monk named Hai Son who cared for the temple and ministered to the city's Vietnamese and Chinese populations. Eventually, Hai Son was appointed abbot by King Rama V in 1909.

Chinese gods

The temple has been rebuilt and restored many times since its founding, and today is beautifully kept up. It's an important spot in the Chinese-Thai community, and becomes crowded during Chinese festivals like Lunar New Year and the annual Vegetarian Festival.

The temple is dedicated to the Chinese deity Qīnglóng, the Azure Dragon. The dragon is one of the symbols of China, and a symbol of Imperial authority. It appeared on the old flag of the Qing Dynasty, and is hugely popular in Chinese motifs. The Azure Dragon is the god of water, weather, and power.

porcelain shrine at the temple

After leaving the temple, we walked on to see the oldest department store in Bangkok, Nightingale-Olympic. The 7-story department store opened in 1930 and hasn't really changed since a renovation in 1966. It has a collection of old wooden tennis rackets and golf clubs, vintage clothes, antique furniture, and all sorts of retro board games and house goods. In fact, the store isn't even air-conditioned! As soon as you step through the door you are transported back in time to an earlier era of Bangkok.

Nightengale Olypmpig - Bangkok's oldest department store

It's odd, a little creepy, and super cool! There seems to be a heavy focus on sporting goods and musical instruments. In its day, Nightingale-Olympic was the Siam Paragon or IconSiam of its day. It was the first department store to kick off the city's shopping mall craze.

We left the mall and continued along the quiet streets of Bangkok. Rattanakosin is an old neighborhood. Though geographically close to the tourist spots of the Grand Palace area and Khao San Road, the streets we explored were silent and nearly empty. It felt like being in a completely different city.

walking through the old town

Instead of the usual businessmen, expats, tourists, and university students, this area had more family-run shops, quiet food stalls, and a few government offices. I had never seen this side of the city before!

listening to the tour

The next place that Noi took us to was Wat Rajapradit, a royal temple of the first grade.

The temple was built by HM King Rama IV in 1864 for the Buddhist denomination of Dhammayutika Nikaya (which the website of the Tourist Authority refers to as 'an austere order of Buddhism').

lotus flowers

The beautiful old temple is built on land that was once part of a coffee plantation located near the Grand Palace. The soil was soft and the land was poor, and the king had the brilliant idea of using broken ceramics and pottery to build a sturdy foundation for the construction of a royal temple. Brilliant recycling!

Wat Rajapradit

The temple is built of grey stone bricks, an unusual style of Thai Buddhist architecture. A tall stone chedi stands in front of the prayer hall, also built of the same stone bricks.

the royal temple of King Rama IV

King Rama IV (of "The King and I" fame) was devoutly religious, and at the same time very interested in science. While his son, King Rama V, is seen as the monarch who modernized the kingdom, King Rama IV really started a lot of the work. He's still widely respected as "the Father of Science and Technology" in Thailand.

(And, as a side note, the real-life King Rama IV was significantly less bald than Yul Brynner. Also, I probably shouldn't be talking about Yul Brynner, since "The King and I" is banned here in Thailand...)

exploring the temple as the sky grows dark

The temple was locked up; it wasn't vising hours. Regardless, we explored the grounds. Our little group of urban explorers were the only ones there save a few temple dogs and two women who were sitting on the steps of the prayer hall reading Buddhist scripture.

We left the temple and headed to the famous Tiger Shrine, an old temple that is important to the Chinese-Thai community. Unfortunately photos aren't allowed, but I'll do my best to describe it:

The air inside the dim interior of the temple was thick with incense and the smoke of hundreds of huge, several foot-tall red candles that dripped wax all over the floor. Dozens of people were crowded inside, chanting, praying, and burning incense and paper in offering.

Before it was time to leave the Tiger Shrine, though, the heavens opened and unleashed a deluge upon the City of Angels. A few brave souls collected some cash from the rest of us, and made a mad sprint across the already flooding street to the nearby 7-Eleven.

Thank God for convenience stores! Here in Thailand, they are always stocked with cheap umbrellas and flimsy plastic rain ponchos for an emergency monsoon!

it started raining heavily while we were at the Tiger Shrine

Later, bedecked in rain ponchos, but already wading ankle-deep through the flooded streets, we gathered ourselves and pressed on.

The rain would let up for a bit... but not for long.

We next came to an old palace. Well, the ruins of an old palace.

Now, what remains of the old palace is managed by some Thai government office. It's still beautiful, in a slightly haunted way.

now, the old palace is owned by a government office

Further on, Noi led us down a twisting side street, so narrow that even a motorbike would have trouble getting by. Here we found the Garuda Shrine, dedicated to the Hindu bird god. Garuda is the King of the Eagles, and the vehicle of the god Vishnu. As the monarch of Thailand is seen as an incarnation of Vishnu, the Garuda is a symbol of Thai royal and governmental authority. The shrine was small; barely closet-sized, and built into the side of a wall.

Garuda Shrine

Down the street, we came upon a tall, impressive gate. The stained-glass windows at the top mark the gate as the last remaining structure of what had once been yet another royal palace, the home to three sons of one of the Thai kings of the past. The palace was destroyed, but the gate was so beautiful that it was left standing.

By now, it was well and truly pouring. The ponchos were fighting an admirable fight, but were losing. I was wearing sandals (which was lucky), but also khaki slacks (which was most unlucky). I was up to mid-calf in cold water!

And it was cold! Now the hot season is behind us. When it rains, it can be a bit cool, and when you are soaking, it's downright chilly!

This didn't stop us, though. With much laughter over lunch, we all agreed that the rain, thunder, and trudging through flooded streets made our day all the more an adventure.

we all had to buy umbrellas and rain ponchos... thankfully there is a 7-eleven on every corner of the city!

Finally, as the rain thundered down and the streets flooded around us, we hustled in to a warm and cozy little restaurant in Bangkok's Little India. Royal India is the oldest Indian restaurant in Bangkok. Though tiny and a bit cramped, it's well-known throughout the city. We were soaking wet and rather bedraggled after our experience with the monsoon, but that's nothing that a big plate of Indian food can't fix!

lunch at Bangkok's oldest Indian restaurant

And you know what? I'm going on another walking tour with the same group next weekend!

I'm very happy to have discovered this fun, wholesome, pleasant group of like-minded adventurers here in Bangkok.