Bangkok - Of Temples (Wat Pho/Wat Arun) & Giant Baguettes ?!!

Continuation from Bangkok - Floating Market & Death Railway ....

The pier where the passengers are waiting for their "water taxis" to arrive

A lighter post for the weekend (Read : More pictures, less words. Happy?). Late in the afternoon, we took the water taxi to Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple also known as Temple of Dawn. Since this temple, and Wat Pho (another famous temple in the vicinity - across the river from Wat Arun. Wat Pho houses the gigantic reclining Buddha statue) are only few stops away from the Chao Phraya Express' Phra Arthit (Banglumpoo) stop, which in return, is within walking distance from Khao San Road.

Rocky ride side, the boat ride is a tad cheaper than your cabs, and tuk-tuks

For a mere 13baht/RM1.30 per person, we took the water taxi from Phra Arthit to Tha Tien, where Wat Pho is located. Do bear in mind that the boats can be a little uncomfortable, and it's not uncommon to see people standing around without seats. So if you're one who experiences seasickness easily, refrain from pushing your luck. The Thai people may not appreciate your vomits on their clothes, for sure.

Wat Pho aka The Temple of Reclining Buddha - Count them spikes!

Selling pork sausages by the road, and scenes around Wat Pho

To enter the hall with the reclining buddha, a fee of 50baht/RM5 per person is required. Since we've been there before, we abstained from viewing the large statue, and instead snapped pictures around the vicinity. There are more than enough shrines, halls, statues, etc for you to shoot, really.

Towering structures, golden statues, and a generally serene environment around Wat Pho

Wat Pho, also known as Wat Phra Chetuphon, is in fact a stone's throw away from that famous Grand Palace. A must-see attraction if it's your first time to Bangkok. Entrance fee back then (three years ago) was 250baht/RM25, but has since been increased to 350baht/RM35 this year. Source : Tourism Thailand.

Colourful wishes on a 'tree', Wat Arun from a distance, and the shrine nearby.

From Wat Pho, we took a connecting boat ride across the Chao Phraya river to the other side of the bank, a very short 5 minutes ride for 3baht/RM0.30 per person.

Wat Arun - The Temple of Dawn. Before the lighting up and all .....

Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn, is opened to the public for free. Except if one decides to enter the inner-gated area of the Temple, with the Prangs (the pyramid-like towers), whereby a minimal fee of 50baht/RM5 will be charged. Opens daily from 7.30am until 5.30pm.

Wat Arun come sundown .... Wait for this. By 7pm, the sky will be dark enough for memorable shots of the grand structures (Prang)

Highly recommended to come here late in the afternoon, and stay until nightfall. To get the best of both worlds, so to speak. A remarkable sight to behold, especially at the speck of dawn. Or dusk, since coming here before sunrise sounds rather absurd. =)

Spoilt for choice - Breakfast @ Soi Rambuttri, near Khao San Road

This post contains the bits and pieces, or remnants if you will, of our 2 days stay in Lamphu House on Soi Rambuttri, near to Khao San Road. On the last day, we decided to join the foreigners/backpackers (trust me, there were hundreds, or probably thousands of Westerners there!) for a hearty breakfast by the streets. You know, those stalls that serve a little bit of everything, from Pad Thai and Curry Rice to Pancakes, Muesli and Sandwiches.

Banana Pancake with Chocolate Sauce - 45baht/RM4.50

Delightful stuff! Decadent, with sweet yet not overly-cloying chocolate syrup, and a whole sliced banana, the surprisingly fluffy pancake was whipped up NOT by any Caucasians, but two petite Thai girls themselves!

Omelette Chamni Style - Bacons, Cheees and Vegetables @ 55baht/RM5.50

The appearance may be deceiving, but the thin crepe-like omelette was oozing with melted cheese, and topped with pork bacons and julienned vegetables. Light, yet hearty and filling enough for breakfast.

Baguette Sandwich with Ham & Cheese (top) and fillings of pan-fried chicken meat (bottom)

Since this was a make-shift stall of sorts (doubtful they ever move away though, given the rather amicable number of customers patronizing), the 'kitchen' space is certainly limiting, and the wait for one's food may be slightly longer than expected. Of course, you don't expect 3 Michelin stars type of service, or dining comfort.

The baguette came in shocking portions, and we were thankful we shared amongst the four of us. With generous filling of meat and vegetables, highly doubtful a small eater can stuff the whole sandwich by herself.

Wanna know how BIG exactly was the baguette?

BIG enough to cover half of their faces. No joke.

Breakfast for four came to 255 baht/RM25.50. And there are stalls such as these strewn everywhere on Soi Rambuttri. Alternatives include cafes at every corner of the Soi, as well as Khao San road, usually belonging to the same owner of the respective guesthouse/hotel. You won't miss them, trust me.

And with that, we parted ways with Khao San Road, felt almost like old friends bidding each other goodbyes.

So where to NEXT? =)