Nang Loeng and Northern Rattanakosin Island

This weekend, my walking adventure took me back to the old town to the northern part of Rattanakosin Island, the royal island in the Chaophraya River where the Grand Palace and many of the oldest temples are located. As usual, my tour group met up at Saphan Taksin Station, then boarded the orange-flag public boat up the river to the old town.

cruising past the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel

This neighborhood is called Bang Lamphu. "Bang" means "village", and "lamphu" is a type of tree (called "mangrove apple" in English). This area backs up against the (in)famous Khao San Road, a backpacker's paradise which is way too grungy for my taste. I generally avoid this part of town, which is a shame, because away from the backpack travelers, it's actually a really nice, quiet traditional neighborhood.

lamphu tree growing in the public park

We alighted at Santichaiprakarn Park, a small but lovely green space right along the river. It was a quiet morning, and there weren't too many people out and about. The park offers pretty views of the river, and is home to a royal pavilion built to celebrate the late king's birthday.

a sala, or traditional Thai-style pavilion, in Santichaiprakarn Park near the river

The park is also home to Phra Sume Fort, one of the two remaining fortresses which once guarded Bangkok's city walls and protected the capital from invasion. The other fort that remains standing is located not too far away near the Golden Mount Temple.

one of the old forts which once defended the city

The forts were built in the late 1700s, and gradually fell into disrepair as the city expanded and river invasion was no longer a concern. All of the forts had collapsed by the late 19th century, but two were rebuilt to be preserved in 1981 for the celebration of Bangkok's bicentennial celebration.

You can't go up into the fort, but you can get up close to it. It's amazing to see how thick the old city wall once was. Though it's not practical to build the city inside the wall anymore, parts of Bangkok's old wall can still be seen throughout the old town area.

Phra Sumen Fort

As we moved on past the park, Noi (our guide) led us onward to a famous old Thai music school which teaches traditional instruments and classical dance. When we poked our heads in, some young students were learning how to dance in the classical style to old Thai music. Music and dance is a huge part of Thai culture, and is seen not only as an art form, but also as a sort of sacred ritual.

a famous classical Thai dance school

We left the main stretch of Bang Lamphu, and headed deep into the twisting alleyways of northern Rattanakosin. We ventured deeper and deeper into the neighborhoods, to alleyways and sois too narrow for cars to drive down, where people still preserve a fairly traditional and quiet Bangkok lifestyle.

street art depicting Buddha

A local woman was stuffing leaves with rice and skewering them onto a stick to be boiled into a tasty Thai dessert. The snack, Noi told us, would be a sort of sticky rice custard to be served with fresh jackfruit.

a local woman making a snack of rice wrapped in leaves, which she will steam and serve with jackfruit

Further on, we passed the imposing structure of the Bank of Thailand headquarters. Once, this land belonged to Bang Khun Phrom Palace, one of Bangkok's several royal palaces. During a coup in the 1930s, the land was seized by the People's Party. The coup was the catalyst for the evolution of the Thai monarchy into a constitutional monarchy, and led to the introduction of democracy in Thailand. The original palace still stands, and is built in a German Art Nouveau style, and now is home to the Bank of Thailand Museum, which I have yet to visit.

the Bank of Thailand HQ

It was mid-morning, and we were feeling a little bit tired after walking so far in the heat. Time for a snack! We stopped at a local convenience store for a cold drink, then took a break for coffee and roasted bananas from a lady with a cart set up on the sidewalk.

grilled bananas

The woman served two types of skewered bananas, which she roasted over charcoal. These bananas are one of my favorite Thai desserts! Thailand has a ton of different types of bananas... way more varieties than I ever knew existed!

We walked on, past the United Nations building to an area that I'm actually kind of familiar with! We walked into the Dusit district near Chitralada Palace, and stopped in at Wat Makut.

Wat Makut Temple

I've actually been to this royal temple for two funerals in the past several years, but never had the chance to look around and explore.

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2015/07/farewell-ajarn-my-first-thai-funeral.html

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2019/10/royal-fire-700th-post.html

the main Buddha image inside the temple hall

The temple was constructed by HM King Rama IV as his personal royal temple, and is situated along the city's canal in a custom dating back to the Ayutthaya Period. The interior of the temple's prayer hall is stunning; the walls and pillars are covered in detailed murals depicting life and stories from the early days of Bangkok's Rattanakosin Period.

Just down the road is another royal temple, Wat Sumanat Wihan. King Rama IV built this temple to honor his wife who sadly died quite young. Today, this temple is maintained by the Thai Army, and is used for army funerals and cremations.

a temple built for the queen

The most remarkable feature of this royal temple is its huge and impressive copper-colored chedi (reliquary) which towers above the temple, pointing towards the sky.

a towering golden chedi

The chedi is situated away from the main temple buildings and is surrounded by its own wall, the interior of which is lined in dozens of golden Buddha images, each in a different symbolic posture.

dozens of golden Buddha images inside the temple

As we passed through the gate in the chedi's wall and removed our shoes, we had to be silent. A sign asked all visitors not to speak inside.

I climbed the stone steps leading up to the chedi, and followed the walkway which encircled the towering structure.

walking around the golden chedi

The walled courtyard with the huge chedi reminded me a bit of Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, although the layout isn't uncommon for larger temples in Thailand.

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2017/03/doi-suthep.html

By then, it was just about lunchtime. As usual, Mr. Noi knew just the place to lead us! Nang Loeng Market is one of Bangkok's oldest and most famous, dating back to the year 1900. It's famous for its delicious food!

noodles with red pork

I ordered a bowl of rice noodles with barbecued red pork and sprinkled a little bit of hot chili on top. I'm getting so much better at eating spicy food these days.

Nang Loeng Market

After lunch we were nearing the end of our walk, but we still had a few sights to see. Just outside of the market we passed a 100 year-old cinema, one of the very first in the country. It's closed now, but there are plans to restore it.

one of the oldest cinemas in Thailand

We would end our walk near the Golden Mount Temple. On the way through the quiet neighborhoods on Rattanakosin Island, we passed some of Bangkok's more atmospheric neighborhoods. These old houses show a glimpse of what Bangkok once looked like before the shopping malls and metro lines crossed the city. Rattanakosin, though the heart of the city, still manages to keep its old town charm.

walking through some neighborhoods in Bangkok's old town

We ended our tour at the Rama VII Museum, which is dedicated to the life of the monarch as well as to the democracy movement which flourished during his reign (1925-1935). HM King Rama VII was the last absolute monarch of Siam, and his abdication in favor of his nephew led to the institution of the constitutional monarchy, which is celebrated by the nearby Democracy Monument.

King Rama VII Museum

The walk ended near the Golden Mount Temple, one of my favorite spots in Bangkok. I could have taken a taxi or a bus back to my neighborhood, but I decided to go by canal boat. It may take a bit longer, but it's a lot more fun to get across the city that way.

the Golden Mount

visiting the royal temple