Hidden Bangkok

Garry’s decided to extend his time in Thailand. He’s booked a two week fitness and well being retreat in Koh Samui. As a result, I found myself alone in Bangkok for a night before flying home. Even better, I’d already cashed in some Amex loyalty points and booked us into the spectacular Peninsula Hotel, overlooking the Chao Phraya River.

I decided to fill my final hours in Bangkok with a few traditional Thai experiences. First, shortly after arriving at the hotel, I booked a 90-minute traditional Thai massage at the hotel spa. Our room booking included a USD100 in-house voucher which instantly made the indulgence more affordable.

For the next hour and half I had the most dainty Thai woman pummel, stretch and knead my limbs and knotted muscles into submission. It was an extraordinary workout that reminded me just how much tension I’ve carried for the last year or so.

The following morning I booked a small boat “hidden canal” tour. This involved a two hour cruise through some of Bangkok’s oldest canals watching the locals go about daily life. There were only three of us on the tour, plus our guide, making for a wonderfully relaxed excursion.

Our guide explained that local temples owned much of the land along the canal. As a result, people living there rarely owned a title to their home or the land it resided on. Likewise, privately owned tracts were expensive to buy and maintain. He explained that access to a site was generally by water. This meant that you had build a home and a pier, buy a boat, rent space for your boat at a land-side pier and purchase a land-side lot to house a car.

We made one stop for half an hour to explore the grounds of the colourful Wat Khuhasawan Worawiharn temple complex, and wander laneways in the surrounding “artist’s village”. However, unexpected highlights of our tour were the catfish, literally dozens of them, enjoying the morning sun in a side canal, plus numerous metre-long water monitors swimming across the canal. 

Our tour carried on past Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, famous for its giant golden bronze Buddha statue, and the neighbouring Wat Khun Chan, with its own giant gilded Buddha and other oversized deities. Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen is currently in the final stages of restoring its iconic 69 metre high Buddha. As a result, his body below the shoulders was still hidden from view by scaffolding. However, the partially covered statue was still an impressive sight.

Wat Khun Chan was an unexpected highlight. Its more modest Buddha (a mere 32 metres high) sits on a trio of giant white elephants. It’s also one of three towering statue within the temple complex. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Buddha posed atop an elephant. Interestingly, it was built in 1927, unlike its larger neighbour which was only completed in 2017.

Our tour concluded with a short ride up the Chao Phraya River, past the iconic Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan. I then caught a local ferry boat back down the river to Iconsiam, a massive multi-storey mall complex. Plenty of Prada handbags on offer, along with a myriad of other designer wares.

In the photo below, the white building is the Peninsula Hotel. My room is four floors from the top in the dark band of windows that’s second from the right. As you can it offers an uninterrupted view of the river. I’ve been watching long barges (controlled by a tugboat at either end), ferries and tour boats darting around all morning.