It was 5 in the morning, and the first pink glows of dawn were only beginning to grace the Bangkok sky. Already it was humid, though the sky looked clear save for a few large fluffy clouds.
While the city was beginning to wake, I was already in a taxi heading across town for my latest adventure: the chance of a lifetime to take a kayak tour on one of the famous canals of the "Venice of the Orient".
Bow, my friend and adventure guide, had sent me directions to a private dock deep within the twisting alleyways of a quiet neighborhood. The taxi dropped me off in front of a Chinese dumpling shop, then sped off, leaving me alone in the quiet dawn.
Fortunately the house wasn't hard to find, and I was soon sitting on the boat dock sipping hot coffee, which Bow had brought in a thermos, from a small plastic cup.
It was just 6am, I had already been up for an hour and a half, and I was grateful for the caffeine. I sat by the water, which moved slowly and quietly through the silent neighborhood. The only sounds to be heard were the singing of various tropical birds as they greeted the dawn.
We were very lucky to have the opportunity to go kayaking along this local canal, and Bow's tour company is the only one in the city that offers such an adventure.
During normal times it is too difficult to paddle along the canal due to tourist boats and other business along the waterway, but because the borders are still closed, there are still no tourists.
We had met at the home of a guy named Sun, a friend of Bow's who lives in a hundred year-old house along the canal, which was built by his ancestors when they arrived from China over a century ago.
For safety reasons, we were a small group: a family of three from India, two British ladies, and me, along with Bow and Sun.
We started the morning with some stretches and a warm-up, then the guides gave a brief orientation.
And then we packed up all of our belongings into waterproof bags, lowered ourselves into our kayaks, and began our adventure along Khlong Bangkok Yai, one of the most historic and storied khlongs (canals) in Bangkok.
Bangkok Yai Canal was built in the 1500s, when the King of Ayutthaya ordered a canal to cut across a large bend in the Chaophraya River, shortening a journey of a full day into one of just a few hours.
During the reign of King Taksin, when the capital was moved to Thonburi, Bangkok Yai was the site of many temples, palaces, and nobles, and gained the name Khlong Bang Luang, the Canal of the Nobles. Now, it is a sleepy historic neighborhood, but many remnants of its royal past remain.
Since I had been kayaking before (even though Boy Scouts was a long time ago), I got a 1-man kayak. That ended up being a good thing! Compared to my companions, I seemed to have the easiest time paddling.
On a side note, there is nothing funnier than two parents and their teenage daughter trying to paddle a three-man kayak together!
As we paddled down the Canal, we got a glimpse of local life. A garbage barge chugged along the water, picking up people's trash bags, and every house had a mailbox, implying that even the post is delivered by boat along the canal.
We passed a historic temple with an ancient cemetery , and every so often we stopped to watch the birds - some of which were quite rare - as they went about their life along the river.
About an hour and a half later, Bow slowed to a stop, and we all docked our kayaks at Wat Ratcha-orot, the royal temple of King Rama III.
We disembarked from our kayaks, and, being very careful not to fall in, stepped onto solid ground beneath a grove of beautiful tropical trees at the royal temple.
While we enjoyed our breakfast of crispy noodles with tamarind and bergamont with a side of fresh bananas and longan juice, we took a short break on the banks of the canal whilst Bow taught us about the history of this beautiful first-class royal-grade Buddhist temple.
During the wars with the Burmese, during which Ayutthaya was destroyed and the capital moved to Bangkok, a Thai prince was tasked with defending the frontier. He amassed his army at this temple.
The abbot of the temple performed an ancient Brahmin ceremony called Khon Tawan ("Blessing the Warriors on the Eve of the War"). The prince vowed that if he came back victorious from the war, he would renovate the temple.
When the eve of battle arrived, the Burmese did not show, rendering the Siamese forces victorious without a drop of blood being shed. The young prince eventually became King Rama III, and remembered his promise to restore the ancient temple.
The temple's name means "Temple of the King's Son", a symbol that the king had remembered his vows.
King Rama III was very influenced by Chinese art and culture, and his royal temple reflects that in an architectural design synthesizing both Thai and Chinese elements.
For example, these blessed tablets mark the entrance to holy temple grounds. At this temple, however, there are two identical tablets at each of the temple's four corners. The two tablets represent the two sects of Buddhism: Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), and Theravada (India, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka). The temple is a mix between the two.
In fact, this was the first temple in Thailand to be built in a Chinese style.
We spent some time at the temple, exploring the beautiful forested grounds and resting in the peaceful atmosphere.
The temple hall featured a large golden Buddha and a portrait of King Rama III.
The walls, unlike those of a traditional Thai temple which are generally decorated with scenes from the life of the Buddha, were instead painted with Chinese motifs.
The temple's exterior was also decorated with Chinese statuary, which had once served as ballast on the great merchant ships that sailed to Siam from the south of China.
The temple features a large reclining Buddha image.
Bow taught us that there are two types of reclining Buddha statues: if Buddha's eyes are open, the statue represents him in sleep. If they are closed, it represents him in death and enlightenment.
While most of the temple was renovated during the reign of King Rama III (1788 – 1851), a few parts of the temple grounds maintain their original structure. There, the crumbling stone gates show how ancient this temple truly is.
After visiting the temple, we walked across a bridge, over a historic train track, and through a tunnel in the trees made from the local trains chugging past, to a very good local coffee shop.
After an hour or so hanging out and resting at the coffee shop, it was time to head back.
We had been waiting for the city to close the locks and reverse the flow of the canal, but it turned out that they had decided to flush the canal that day. In the end, we would have to paddle past the, albeit relatively smooth, course of the khlong.
By the time we had arrived back at the dock, my arms, back, and shoulders ached from the exertion. It was great exercise, and though it was just late morning, I felt exhausted.
What an adventure!
I got the rare chance to see Bangkok as it was in the past, to row along a canal that is normally off-limits, and to see a part of the city that I have never been to before.
I got home just before noon, and spend the rest of the day studying and resting.
It was a beautiful morning and a brilliant experience.
Here's a short video of a view along the khlong:
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