Morning Walk in Bangkok

Last week, I conducted some research in Bangkok with a friend. Since I've lived in the city for about a year, give or take, I didn't plan on taking too many pictures or seeing too much new stuff.

This year, though, there were a number of interesting changes. Political unrest has crippled the city's transportation in places; I spent about 4 hours one day just trying to get to and from a meeting. Protests have camped in major intersections. Razor wire is draped around government ministries. All in all, it's an eventful time to be in the City of Angels (Krung Thep - Bangkok's Thai name).

The next few posts will include some pictures from the trip.

First, on Wednesday my appointments were changed to Thursday. This left me with some time to wander around the city. I headed down to the old part of town to take a walking tour. Here was my route, thanks to google maps:

I began at Point A, which is the last subway stop, Hua Lamphong Station.

I then walked to a Buddhist Wat nearby. On the map it's called the temple of the Golden Buddha.

It was early enough to catch the last of the monks out collecting rounds. 

Just at the corner of the temple grounds is the gate to Chinatown, which you'll see again in another post.

Crazy sidewalk traffic:

Yes, they were riding motorcycles on the sidewalk. Made for some close calls.

Then it was off to The Dragon Temple up Charoen Krung road.

It's a Chinese temple, which is a little different from the usual stuff you see in Thailand, but Thai Buddhism is quite willing to accept a variety of religious practices.

Floor mosaic. Appropriately it's a dragon. You know, cause of the Dragon Temple.

Anyways, I continued up the road toward the Giant Swing that sits in the old part of the city.

I actually think this is the first picture I've taken of the darn thing. It's only really used as a swing once a year for a ceremony. The rest of the year it features prominently in tourist photos.

I continued up the road toward the Grand Palace, passing government offices.

As you can see, the Ministry of the Interior is covered in razor wire to prevent protesters from breaking in.

The Ministry of Defense across the street is also heavily protected.

I then walked past both the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Both are a delight to visit but overpriced for foreigners. Since I've been inside many times, I skipped them this round.

I continued on to the river to take a look at one of my favorite views, Wat Arun. It's better in the evening and when Bangkok is less hazy.

Anywho, onward I marched. Here are a few political posters, which had been defaced by protesters.

I passed back into Chinatown to make my way down Samphaeng Street, a narrow alley which serves as an open market.

On my way out, I ran across some Lion dancers for Chinese New Year. I'll write more about that in the next posts.

I then wandered back to the subway to end my four-hour hike around Bangkok. I enjoyed it, but I probably wouldn't force anyone else to join me on my meandering path. I love walking so that I can see the lay of the land and the people, but it can get sweaty and gross.