The Flower Market and the Drum Tower Shrine

I've been back in Bangkok and out of quarantine for about a month, and it's a good time to be back. The hottest parts of the year are over, and we are well and truly into our cooler and more comfortable rainy season. Things are quieter during the rainy season, and cozier.

The strictest COVID-19 restrictions, which were in place just as we were leaving Bangkok this summer, are beginning to be lifted, and life is slowly but steadily returning to normal. This weekend, I was able to join my walking tour group for the first time in several months!

I had been staying inside since getting back from the US. First, I had to spend two weeks in a hotel quarantine, and after that, I'd been working, studying, and taking care of chores and errands for the past month or so. When I finally had a half-day free on Saturday morning, I jumped at the chance for a walking adventure! This week, we were exploring Rattanakosin Island, the central heart of Bangkok's historic Old Town. We started at the old Flower Market.

The Flower Market, officially called Pak Khlong Talat, is one of the most interesting markets in Bangkok. Most exciting and vibrant before dawn (so I've been told), the market comes alive with the 4am flower deliveries, as workers begin setting up their shops and stalls.

During the reign of King Rama I in the earliest days of Bangkok, Pak Khlong Talat was a floating market. In fact, it's name literally means "Market at the Mouth of the Canal". Today, it's an indoor market, and the site of a bit of controversy. Though much beloved by Bangkok residents as a place of great cultural and historic value, the government worries that its location in the heart of the old town causes too much traffic, and has been trying to close down and move the Flower Market to a new location. I'm not sure what the current situation is with all of this, but for now, the Flower Market is alive and well. Part of me would love to take part in the quintessential experience of visiting the market super early in the morning but another, much more sensible part of me enjoys being asleep at 4am.

Leaving the market, we walked on to the nearby Drum Tower Shrine. The early days of Bangkok's history were tumultuous indeed. In the decades following the Fall of Ayutthaya, continued attacks by Burmese forces were a constant threat. Rattanakosin Island was guarded by large drum towers, some of which still stand near the Grand Palace to this day. One drum tower was a sort of public clock - a drum would be struck to tell the time. Another drum tower served as a warning. It would be struck to muster the troops in case of attack or invasion.

During the reign of King Rama I, the Burmese army attempted to invade Siam again. A drummer from the drum tower enlisted in the army to help defend the kingdom, and was killed in the battle, which ended in a Siamese victory. To honor the bravery and sacrifice of the drummer, King Rama I ordered the construction of a shrine near the drum tower where he had served.

Today, the original drum from that 18th century drum tower is enshrined at the Drum Tower Shrine. It is believed to be a sort of guardian talisman of Bangkok, protecting the city from enemies. Visitors to the shrine may enter the shrine hall and strike the drum nine times for good luck.

We passed through Saranrom Park on the way to our next stop. The park, on the grounds of the former Saranrom Palace is a small but quiet green space in the center of the bustling old town area. It was originally designed as a retirement palace for King Rama IV, who passed away before the palace could be completed. In the 1960s, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration turned it into a public park. In the middle of the park is a memorial to Queen Sunanda, beloved consort to King Rama V, who sadly drowned in 1880.

We made our way past the Royal Cemetery at Wat Rachabophit. Here, members of the Royal Family are entombed in a peaceful garden of beautiful mausoleum shrines. 

The temple itself is an extremely important royal-grade temple. Not only is it the site of the Royal Cemetery, it is also the home to the current Sangharaja, or Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.

It is fascinating to see the various architectural styles of the various memorials at the cemetery. Some are built in a traditional Ayutthaya style. Others look distinctly Gothic (almost certainly an influence from the period of King Rama V, who admired Western architecture). Yet other memorials were very much in the Khmer style, similar to the architecture of Lopburi or Angkor Wat.

No good walking adventure is complete without a stop for coffee! This week, Noi took us to the Antique Car Coffee, a tiny local coffee stall built inside a garage which specializes in fixing antique cars.

The garage itself is built inside what was once Bangkok's very first DMV office! Today, it's filled with classic and antique auto parts, and cool old cars in various stages of repair.

It's a super cool place to stop to cool off during an old town walking adventure, and the owners were incredibly friendly.

I had an iced Thai coffee. Even though it's a lot cooler now than it had been for many months, it's still pretty warm outside. An iced coffee is the perfect pick-me-up on a hot, muggy morning.

Since I work on weekends now, it's a little harder to make time to get out on my walking tours, but I'm going to try my best to attend once a month or so. It's important to have a good work-life balance, and these walks have been a big part in making Bangkok feel more and more like home over the past three years. I've gotten more familiar with the city than ever before just by exploring with this group of expat walking adventurers and our fearless leader, Mr. Noi!