January 22,2025 continued.

After lunch we strolled the back streets to the waterfront to catch a long tail boat for a cruise down the ChaoPhraya River.

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That’s the Wat Arun temple across the river…it dominates the landscape.

We waited on the dock for our boat to arrive. Pok made the arrangements the night before, and called the boats owner when we arrived at the dock.

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The area around the dock is a tangle of buildings…homes and warehouses.

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As our boat arrived, Pok assisted the owner as he tied up. It’s a one man show… there are no additional folks around to assist visitors on and off.

So yes it was a challenge for us to board… but with Pok’s help we did fine.

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We crossed the wide river and entered the canals of Thonburi, one of Bangkok’s oldest neighborhoods. Traditional teak houses on stilts lined the canal. The ride was peaceful and serene. We marveled at the contrast to modern Bangkok.

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We encountered many other longboats…transporting both visitors and local people.

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Some homes are small and basic…

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…others are large and lovely

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In addition to homes, we saw restaurants and shops

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Local people selling food and produce from their boats

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Yes, a slide into a swimming pool…

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After a restful hour, we disembarked and headed to Wat Arun and it’s porcelain studded towers.

The requisite selfie

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The scale is truly enormous

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While at the temple, we had a chance to give alms and participate in a blessing ceremony.

Pok chanted with the monk.

Then he assisted me in offering a small box of alms.

Timmy poured water into a bowl…

Then I poured the holy water on a nearby tree

The ceremony was sweet and simple and I was grateful for the experience.

We were supposed to walk around a bit more… but we were both very tired…

We took a commuter ferry back across the river.

Walked through another neighborhood…

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And decided to stop for refreshments at a roof top bar in a cute boutique hotel.

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The hotel lobby

The rooftop

Those neck fans were working overtime …trying to abate the almost 90 degree heat.

Timmy ordered beer on Pok’s recommendation

I had a refreshing Mai Tai

We needed to rest and Pok found the perfick place with a wonderful view. We didn’t visit Baan Silapin, an Artists home…but that’s the beauty of having a private guide…when we’re done…we are done. We relaxed, enjoying the view and Tim tried a different beer.

We were kind of mesmerized by the river traffic.

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As we left the rooftop, we decided to call it a day and Pok called Sayan to pick us up.

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Waiting for our car

Asia Concierge is the company that Pok works for.

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We drove through Chinatown on our way to our hotel.

So a very long day for us. We are not used to such sustained activity over such a long day, but we know we might not have another opportunity to visit Bangkok, so we tried to pace ourselves and with the guidance of our wonderful new friend Pok, we experienced a truly wonderful day. Thanks for following along…next up: our evening in Bangkok. 🩵