AMAZING THAILAND: Wat Arun or Temple of the Dawn

From Wat Pho, the lakwatsa continues as we walked a few steps to the port to cross Chao Praya river on a 3 baht (Php4.50) khlong (longtail boat) after to visit the Khmer styled towers of Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan or generally known as Wat Arun. This temple is named after the Indian God of Dawn Aruna and one of the most published images of Bangkok. Entrance is Thai baht 50 or Php 70 or USD 1.67.

Despite it's name (Temple of the Dawn), the temple is best viewed at sunset between 6-7 PM and we timed our visit for a supposedly sunset shoot but we haven't gone inside the temple yet, our luck has run out as the sky has opened up. Thunderstorms seemed too near that was an experience by itself forcing us to sprint on aching feet to the dry comforts of the khlong then to a cab.

We capped the day with a relaxing Thai foot massage at the most tourist infested area - Khao Sarn road. I’ve also read somewhere, that Khao Sarn holds the most number of unwashed humanities so we were careful not to breathe too much through the nostrils as we sat on a table with a clear view of the backpackers area watching people watching themselves.

 

This itinerary (GRAND PALACE, RECLINING BUDDHA, TEMPLE OF THE DAWN, KHAO SARN ROAD) can be done in a day even at an unhurried pace as these sights are close by each other and all within the city.

HOW TO GET THERE: The best way to get to Wat Arun is through the Chao Praya River.  The boat pier is just a short distance (less than 2 minutes walk) from Wat Pho, boats leave every few minutes.


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written by kim & mj