***
The surprise, it turned out, was a private tour of the city's historic Old Town by electric scooter, something that I had never done before, but had always wanted to try. It was such a fun experience! Two guides met us at the pier, and guided us onto the public boat which would carry us to our starting point.
Despite its sometimes undeserved reputation as a dirty and polluted city, Bangkok has been making huge efforts in clean energy and is on track to become the "electric boat capital of the world". With ongoing expansions of the already excellent public transportation system, the recent and upcoming inauguration of several new city parks and green spaces, and even a fleet of electric tuk-tuks now on the street, Bangkok is fast becoming a green city of the future.
Read more about the new electric canal service in the Bangkok Post:>>
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2026495/electric-boat-service-starts-on-bangkok-canal
The electric boats move slowly but steadily down the river. They are silent, unlike the noisy and stinking canal boats which chug along the Saen Saep Canal, belching out smoke and oil slicks on the way to the Golden Mount. I really hope the electric boats come to Saen Saep soon... at one point the canal we were on crossed at an intersection with the Saen Saep Canal, and the familiar and unpleasant smell of the famously stinky canal hit me.
We disembarked at Wat Devarajkunchon, a beautiful old temple near the riverfront. First, the guides brought us to a statue of a Hindu god (I'm almost certain that it's Indra, but it could be Shiva... to be honest, I don't know much about Hinduism). The guides led us to receive a blessing for good luck and fortune.
First, the guides told us, take two 20 baht notes. Roll the banknotes up, and place them into the statue's outstretched hand.
Then, stand before the statue, place your forehead against the tip of his finger, and make a wish. One of the 20 baht notes was then placed into an offering box. The second note was stamped with a blessing from a stamp and ink pad kept at the shrine.
"Keep it in your wallet, and don't spend it", the guide said, "and good fortune and wealth will come to you." It can't hurt, right?
After a few minutes of instruction and practice on the electric scooters, it was time to set off!
Also at the temple is a wooden villa. This was the palace of King Rama V's wife. After her death, the villa was restored and moved to the temple as a museum and monument.
The main temple hall is a beautiful Khmer-style construction that takes its inspiration from modern Cambodian temple architecture. The unique temple's design was built over the top of a much older existing temple.
We entered the temple hall to pay our respects, but were interrupted by a big lazy temple cat who flopped down on the rich carpet inside the prayer hall and demanded attention.
The temple hall is unlike any other that I've seen in Thailand. While murals inside temples aren't uncommon, these were distinctly European, and looked like something out of a Buddhist Sistine Chapel.
This is because the walls of this temple, rather than being painted in a typical mural, are frescos, painted by an Italian artist. Even the figures on the walls look more European than you would expect in a Thai temple, with distinctly Western-style halos around their heads like a Catholic saint.
The guides led us behind the main shrine to a room in the back of the temple where a sole monk was sitting in quiet meditation. This room was older; the original chapel around which the more modern temple was constructed.
A trio of large golden Buddha statues sat against a cracked plaster wall. They dated back to the Ayutthaya era, the guide explained. This era of Siamese history was one of near constant war, in the forms of both internal power struggles and external threats from the invading Burmese. Though the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–1767) was a powerful one, life during that time wasn't easy.
We drove our little e-scooters across the road to a small Buddhist chapel. This one held relics and statues of two monks. The monk on the left lived during the Ayutthaya Period, and the monk on the right lived during the Rattanakosin Period (the early decades of the current kingdom). Both monks have legends ascribed to them. The monk on the left, for example, was said to be able to step his foot on a jar of salt water and transform it into drinking water.
People come from all over the city to make a wish at this shrine and to pay their respects at the statue of King Rama IV which sits in the chapel.
Even though the day was bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky, it wasn't hot. There was a beautiful cool breeze, making it the perfect day to be scootering around the Old Town. We really got lucky with the weather.
Before leaving the temple complex, we pulled over at a nearby pier to look out over the Chaophraya River. One of the city's great bridges spanned the wide river in the distance, and a few official boats painted in white carried royal officers up and down the river about their business.
Being a tourist in your own city is fun! Tour companies are really struggling right now due to COVID-19 and the big lack of tourists. They are having to adapt and come up with cool and interesting tours and experiences that would appeal to locals and expats instead. Riding an e-scooter is a very different way of seeing the city! It's really fun to zoom along tiny alleyways so narrow that even a motorbike can hardly pass by.
We took one such narrow passageway, and arrived at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Nearby, stood the Church of St. Francis Xavier, another beautiful old Catholic church with a fascinating history.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were not allowed to enter the church itself, but we were permitted to look inside the beautiful and bright building from the front doors. The sanctuary is light and cheerful, painted white with a ceiling spangled in golden stars.
Soon, we were back on the road, looping once again through the back roads of the Dusit neighborhood towards the river. Near the water, we came to the Chaomae Thaptim Shrine, a 19th century "Joss House", or Chinese shrine. The small temple is dedicated to the goddess Chaomae Thaptim, which translates to "Ruby Grandmother".
The temple was established by the maritime trading Thai-Chinese community which settled in Bangkok in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the past, merchants would pray for safety on the sea, and the temple used to host large Chinese opera performances. Now, it's one of the neighborhood's hidden gems, and I was really lucky that we got to discover it.
The "Ruby Grandmother" fit her name. She was decorated in pearls and gems, and there were offerings of several more large pearls sitting on a plate before her.
After making a wish for good fortune and posing for a few photos (one of the benefits of having a private tour is that the guides double as private photographers!), it was time for lunch. Being out in the sun all day had made me hungry!
We ate at a noodle shop in the temple's courtyard. The two guides ordered their favorite bowls of Chinese pork noodles, and we decided to follow their lead and order the same.
The thick rice noodles were served with big chunks of tender pork in a rich and sweet Chinese gravy. The dish was topped with chopped green onions, cilantro, boiled peanuts, and sesame seeds. I hadn't ever had any kind of noodles like this before, but I really enjoyed them. The flavors all went together so incredibly well!
Our final stop before we said goodbye to our two excellent guides was The Artist's House. This villa in the Dusit neighborhood was once home to Professor Silpa Bhirasri (born Corrado Feroci), an Italian-born artist who is considered to be the father of modern art in Thailand.
Renowned for his designs of the Democracy Monument and the Victory Monument, Professor Silpa was also the founder of Silpakorn University (a very famous fine arts university in Thailand). Today, his home has been converted into an art museum and coffee shop. Tired from the fun day, we ordered a cold coffee and relaxed before heading home.
Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem is a narrow canal which once served as a defensive moat around the city. Today, it's one of the lesser-traveled routes in the city's extensive canal boat lines, but Bangkok made big news recently by launching its first fleet of all-electric boats serving passengers up and down the canal.
Despite its sometimes undeserved reputation as a dirty and polluted city, Bangkok has been making huge efforts in clean energy and is on track to become the "electric boat capital of the world". With ongoing expansions of the already excellent public transportation system, the recent and upcoming inauguration of several new city parks and green spaces, and even a fleet of electric tuk-tuks now on the street, Bangkok is fast becoming a green city of the future.
Read more about the new electric canal service in the Bangkok Post:>>
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2026495/electric-boat-service-starts-on-bangkok-canal
The electric boats move slowly but steadily down the river. They are silent, unlike the noisy and stinking canal boats which chug along the Saen Saep Canal, belching out smoke and oil slicks on the way to the Golden Mount. I really hope the electric boats come to Saen Saep soon... at one point the canal we were on crossed at an intersection with the Saen Saep Canal, and the familiar and unpleasant smell of the famously stinky canal hit me.
We disembarked at Wat Devarajkunchon, a beautiful old temple near the riverfront. First, the guides brought us to a statue of a Hindu god (I'm almost certain that it's Indra, but it could be Shiva... to be honest, I don't know much about Hinduism). The guides led us to receive a blessing for good luck and fortune.
"Keep it in your wallet, and don't spend it", the guide said, "and good fortune and wealth will come to you." It can't hurt, right?
After a few minutes of instruction and practice on the electric scooters, it was time to set off!
The scooters were pretty cool! The right handlebar had a throttle and the left had a break. I'm not 100% sure how fast they can go, but I think the top speed I noticed on my scooter's little digital speedometer was around 18 kph (about 11 mph).
Leaving the temple, we made our first stop at the National Library of Thailand. Established in 1905 with the merger of three royal libraries, the National Library is the legal depository and copyright library for the kingdom.
Further on, after winding our way through a series of twisting side streets and narrow alleyways, we came to Wat Rajathiwatwihan, a Buddhist temple where the prince who would become King Mongkut (King Rama IV) spent decades of his life as a monk before becoming king. King Mongkut is known in Thailand as the "Father of Science and Technology" in addition to his religious studies, and was recognized as an academic with an exceptional command of both Latin and English.
Leaving the temple, we made our first stop at the National Library of Thailand. Established in 1905 with the merger of three royal libraries, the National Library is the legal depository and copyright library for the kingdom.
Further on, after winding our way through a series of twisting side streets and narrow alleyways, we came to Wat Rajathiwatwihan, a Buddhist temple where the prince who would become King Mongkut (King Rama IV) spent decades of his life as a monk before becoming king. King Mongkut is known in Thailand as the "Father of Science and Technology" in addition to his religious studies, and was recognized as an academic with an exceptional command of both Latin and English.
In the West, he is best known as the king portrayed by Yul Brynner in "The King and I". The small stone castle-looking structure is a monk's hut, the same hut where the king used to live as a monk.
The main temple hall is a beautiful Khmer-style construction that takes its inspiration from modern Cambodian temple architecture. The unique temple's design was built over the top of a much older existing temple.
We entered the temple hall to pay our respects, but were interrupted by a big lazy temple cat who flopped down on the rich carpet inside the prayer hall and demanded attention.
The temple hall is unlike any other that I've seen in Thailand. While murals inside temples aren't uncommon, these were distinctly European, and looked like something out of a Buddhist Sistine Chapel.
This is because the walls of this temple, rather than being painted in a typical mural, are frescos, painted by an Italian artist. Even the figures on the walls look more European than you would expect in a Thai temple, with distinctly Western-style halos around their heads like a Catholic saint.
The frescos are in remarkable condition, despite their age and the harsh, humid climate. It's a really beautiful temple.
A trio of large golden Buddha statues sat against a cracked plaster wall. They dated back to the Ayutthaya era, the guide explained. This era of Siamese history was one of near constant war, in the forms of both internal power struggles and external threats from the invading Burmese. Though the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350–1767) was a powerful one, life during that time wasn't easy.
Buddha statues dating back to this time period reflect the history of the old kingdom. The statues depict a stronger and more muscular Buddha with a serious face. In comparison, earlier Buddhist art from the more peaceful and prosperous Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438) depicts a less muscular and slightly plumper Buddha with a more peaceful expression and happier smile on his face.
We drove our little e-scooters across the road to a small Buddhist chapel. This one held relics and statues of two monks. The monk on the left lived during the Ayutthaya Period, and the monk on the right lived during the Rattanakosin Period (the early decades of the current kingdom). Both monks have legends ascribed to them. The monk on the left, for example, was said to be able to step his foot on a jar of salt water and transform it into drinking water.
Even though the day was bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky, it wasn't hot. There was a beautiful cool breeze, making it the perfect day to be scootering around the Old Town. We really got lucky with the weather.
Before leaving the temple complex, we pulled over at a nearby pier to look out over the Chaophraya River. One of the city's great bridges spanned the wide river in the distance, and a few official boats painted in white carried royal officers up and down the river about their business.
Being a tourist in your own city is fun! Tour companies are really struggling right now due to COVID-19 and the big lack of tourists. They are having to adapt and come up with cool and interesting tours and experiences that would appeal to locals and expats instead. Riding an e-scooter is a very different way of seeing the city! It's really fun to zoom along tiny alleyways so narrow that even a motorbike can hardly pass by.
We took one such narrow passageway, and arrived at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Immaculate Conception is the oldest Christian church in Thailand, and dates back to the mid 17th century. Over the centuries, the old Portuguese church has been rebuilt and expanded several times, and has become a spiritual haven for refugees from neighboring Cambodia and Vietnam.
The first Christian missionaries arrived in Siam in 1567, and King Narai of Ayutthaya granted the Portuguese some land along the Chaophraya River in Bangkok to build the first church in the kingdom in 1674.
In 1785, the church opened its doors to some 500 Khmer refugees who were fleeing an ongoing civil war in Cambodia. The refugees joined the community and helped grow the church and congregation. The church was given a nickname: Bot Baan Khmen, the Cambodian Village Church.
Later, the church's association with refugees continued. In 1832, a large number of Vietnamese refugees fled religious persecution by a Buddhist-Nationalist emperor and joined the congregation at Immaculate Conception. It gained yet another nickname: Bot Ban Yuan, the Vietnamese Village Church.
Nearby, stood the Church of St. Francis Xavier, another beautiful old Catholic church with a fascinating history.
During his extensive tours of Europe, the beloved King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) discovered a statue of Jesus healing the blind man in Germany. An admirer of Western art, architecture, and culture, King Rama V purchased the statue and had it shipped back to Thailand. During his reign, the king kept the statue at the Grand Palace, and after his death, donated it to Bangkok's Catholic community.
Today, the historic old statue sits outside the Church of St. Francis Xavier.
Soon, we were back on the road, looping once again through the back roads of the Dusit neighborhood towards the river. Near the water, we came to the Chaomae Thaptim Shrine, a 19th century "Joss House", or Chinese shrine. The small temple is dedicated to the goddess Chaomae Thaptim, which translates to "Ruby Grandmother".
The temple was established by the maritime trading Thai-Chinese community which settled in Bangkok in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the past, merchants would pray for safety on the sea, and the temple used to host large Chinese opera performances. Now, it's one of the neighborhood's hidden gems, and I was really lucky that we got to discover it.
The "Ruby Grandmother" fit her name. She was decorated in pearls and gems, and there were offerings of several more large pearls sitting on a plate before her.
After making a wish for good fortune and posing for a few photos (one of the benefits of having a private tour is that the guides double as private photographers!), it was time for lunch. Being out in the sun all day had made me hungry!
We ate at a noodle shop in the temple's courtyard. The two guides ordered their favorite bowls of Chinese pork noodles, and we decided to follow their lead and order the same.
The thick rice noodles were served with big chunks of tender pork in a rich and sweet Chinese gravy. The dish was topped with chopped green onions, cilantro, boiled peanuts, and sesame seeds. I hadn't ever had any kind of noodles like this before, but I really enjoyed them. The flavors all went together so incredibly well!
Renowned for his designs of the Democracy Monument and the Victory Monument, Professor Silpa was also the founder of Silpakorn University (a very famous fine arts university in Thailand). Today, his home has been converted into an art museum and coffee shop. Tired from the fun day, we ordered a cold coffee and relaxed before heading home.
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