THAILAND – BANGKOK – An Old Lady with a Backpack

JANUARY 20 – 26, 2026

We have gotten lazy (or smart) regarding transportation from the airport to our accommodation. On this trip, it has been cheaper to stay in hotels rather than Airbnb. When I make a reservation through Booking.com it gives me the option to book a taxi waiting at the airport and take us to our hotel. Considering we often arrive late at night and are already tired, it is much easier to have someone standing at the arrivals gate with our name. The driver will text me, via WhatsApp, to let us know exactly where he will be, often with pictures showing himself and the kiosk he is beside.

Bangkok was different. (I have always said, never assume.) When we touched down I texted our driver to let him know we had landed. He text back, “Have you found your name?” Curious…. I let him know we were not yet at the gate. Once we got past security, we followed his instructions on where to “find our name”. There were thousands of names strung across a long stretch of the concourse. Thankfully, I found my name quickly. I took it off the display and immediately had someone approach me to let me know they would call our driver, as he had to park 5 minutes away. We were told where to wait and what our car’s licence plate was. It was different than what you usually see at an airport, but it worked. Off we went to LAZY SUNDAY KHAOSAN HOTEL.

The next morning, as we were going for breakfast ‘Handsome Bill’ approached us and asked if we wanted to go to the Floating Market and Train Market. They were two places I had not been to on my previous trip to Thailand, 17 years ago. We told him we had no Baht and were hungry. Not a problem. He took us to a bank for some cash and then to McDonald’s for breakfast, as it was fast and on the way.

The car ride was about 90 minutes and super cheap. Later, I realized he got a commission for bringing people to the Floating Market. The FLOATING MARKET was a bit more than we were willing to pay, but when we started to walk away, they quickly lowered their price, which I am sure was still a rip off. When we got into the boat we asked if they would take a picture of us. Sure, no problem. They had their own photographer take pictures as well. When we checked later, there were no pictures. He made the motions of taking our picture with my camera, but did not take any. When we concluded our trip we were offered their photo, at a cost, of course. Again, we said no. They chased us all over the parking lot until they lowered the price to something that was acceptable. In hindsight, we should have made them chase us for the boat ride, too.

The longboat was fun. We went past lots of markets right along the canal. Our boat would pull up as the girls started shrieking in Thai. The merchant women never just talk. They shriek. Their language already had a nasal, high pitched shrill. When they are trying to sell you something it takes on a whole new level of annoying.

We did not buy anything from the plethora of junky souvenirs. We did, however, buy some coconut candy from some ladies who made it.

We went past a lot of residential homes along the canals, until we reached the actual market. Tour boats were squeezing past merchant boats. We were constantly being yelled at by our boat driver to keep our hands and elbows away from the edge of the boat. Many times we were scraping the next vessel. Fingers would definitely be damaged, if not lost, in the process. The yelling of the sellers, the sound of the boat engines and the laughter of the tourists made for a invigorating experience.

The lazy, slow ride to the market shifted to a high speed race up the canal. We were taken to WAT PROK CHAROEN. It was a pretty little temple where Pierre got his first glimpse of how different a Buddhist Temple is to a Hindu Temple. There was also an orange robed monk with a vow of silence. He had signs to point with. The signs were obviously a necessity for tourists asking questions.

Nearby was a cemetery. It was also different than the Hindu Temples we had visited in Malaysia.

After the floating market, we were taken to MAEKLONG RAILWAY MARKET. Although famous for the market practically on top of the railroad tracks, the market is actually much larger and extends back from the tracks in both directions.

The vendors push their carts back and raise their canopies. It is all done in a few swift, precise seconds and movements. One of the vendors told us a train comes through eight times a day. They know the exact schedule. There is also an announcement that lets the vendors and tourists know that the train is approaching and to get out of the way.

The train moves very slowly, most likely to avoid the tourists. The locals seem to get out of the way quickly. As the train moves past the shop, the canopy is dropped, the carts are pushed back to the tracks and it is business as usual once again.

staged picture while the train was still in the terminal

The next day we walked to the GRAND PALACE. It is a complex of building that was once the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. It held this position until 1925, when King Rama IX moved to a different palace. The Grand Palace is still used for official events, royal ceremonies and state functions. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand, with over eight million visitors each year. Dress code is strictly enforced. I had to have my shoulders covered, and Pierre had to have his knees covered. He bought a pair of pull on trousers on site, which he continued to carry in his back pack for future temple visits. My scarf and longer dress were admissible.

There were lots of people wearing black when got there. The temperature was in the low 30s, so wearing black seemed a bit odd. We found out that they were there as part of the one-year mourning for the death of the Queen Mother, who died on October 24, 2025. Parts of the Palace were closed for dignitaries and mourners.

SIDE NOTE: There were miles and miles of this black and white fabric strung from, seemingly, every fence in Bangkok. It was part of the mourning ritual.

There was still lots to see on the grounds. There were, what I would compare to, cloisters around the perimeter of the temple area. The walls were one continuous mural depicting a story. The images were highlighted with gold leaf.

The temples and buildings in the middle were all very elaborately decorated, as is the style of all temples in Thailand. Bits of coloured glass are incorporated into the designs to make them sparkle in the sunlight. It was hard to take a picture to capture the size and magnificence of this place.

Everywhere we looked were details that blew our minds.

The EMERALD BUDDHA was in the main building. It is actually green jasper, not jade or emerald. It is only 66 cm (26 in) tall.

The Palace itself was not open due to the mourning period. All we saw was the exteriour.

As we were about to leave the grounds we saw a TEXTILE MUSEUM. I did not want to go, but Pierre threw my “never assume” back in my face. I am glad we went!

The first exhibit hall had three craftsmen working. One was chiseling a block of wood.

Another was weaving silk. The threads were so fine they were hard to see individually.

The third was a basket weaver. He said it takes 3 weeks to make one basket. He also had doll-sized purses, that take 2 weeks to make.

From there we went into a gallery that explained the culture of colours. Certain colours and colour combinations are to be worn on certain days and to invoke certain deities for help. It was rather confusing. The days of the week had 8 days, with Wednesday evening being its own day. (???)

We then went into a gallery that had the Queen Mother’s gowns, through decades of fashion. What I found most interesting is that there were beetle wings used like sequins.

On our way ‘home’ we stopped at the BANGKOK CITY PILLAR SHRINE, which was across the street from the palace. The shrine was the first building King Rama I built in his new capital in 1782. The palace and other buildings were constructed later. It serves as the spiritual foundation of a city, built according to ancient Brahman customs, to ensure protection and prosperity. It is made out of acacia wood and holds the horoscope to the city.

There are strict guidelines for praying at the shrine. Three incense sticks, one candle, gold foil, two lotus flowers, two flower garlands, and one three-colour taffeta are needed to worship at the shrine. All available for sale nearby.

QUESTION: If God, Shiva, Buddha, Allah, etc. are all knowing and ever present, if they know your thoughts and intensions, why do we have to pay for flowers, incense, and ribbons for Him to hear our prayers? What about the guy paralyzed in a hospital bed? Does God ignore him because he didn’t buy a candle? The vendors remind me of the money traders in the temple. (John 2:13-16) Just saying…..

I saw the vendors take these ribbons, refold and resell the same ones.

We walked to PHRA SUMEN FORT, one of 13 other forts to protect Bangkok. It is hexagonal in shape and sparkling white. The park around it is lovely, but the Fort itself was locked tight. We went by it several times in the next few days, it was always closed – even though the website says its open.

We carried on along the river and had nice view of RAMA VIII BRIDGE. It is a relatively new bridge that opened in 2002. It is 300 m (980 ft) long with an inverted Y that is 16 metres (520 ft) tall. There are 84 pairs of cables arranged in pairs on one side of the main span, and a single row on the other. The asymmetrical design was purely an economic one. In 2017 major structural issues were found – especially in the suspension cables.

We made our way to SIRIRAJ MEDICAL MUSEUM. It is within the SIRIRAJ HOSPITAL compound. It is the oldest and largest public hospital in Bangkok. The hospital was founded in 1888 by King Rama V, two years after a worldwide cholera outbreak. It was named after his 18 month-old son who died of dysentery one year before the hospital opened.

Today, the hospital has more than 2,000 beds. It accepts 250 medical students and over 100 postgraduate residency trainees each year. More than 3 million patients come through the doors each year. It is regarded as the final referral for complicated and rare diseases in Thailand.

The Museum was in more than one building. Each one specialized in a different aspect. There was anatomy, pathology, parasites, and forensics. It was gruesomely fantastic! There were formaldehyde babies with severe birth defects such as intestines that grew on the outside of the body, born with no brain, cyclopia, conjoined twins joined at various parts of the body. The forensic gallery had actual skulls of gun shot founds. The entry hole is small, the exit wound not so small. There was an amputated hand that was involved in defensive wounds from a stabbing. There were pictures of actual bodies (or what was left of a body) after a grenade blast. There were skulls and other mangled bones of victims of traffic accidents. There were skeletons of giants, dwarfs, rickets, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (which my friend Julie has – she was thrilled to see what her skeleton must look.) I did take pictures, but none that I feel I should post.

There was another display that reminded me of Body Worlds, the exposition of dissected human bodies and animals that have been preserved through the process of plastination. There were various organs that had coloured dye in them so we could see the veins, nerves and openings, like this lung.

The last part we saw was about traditional Thai medicine: the body, mind, spirit aspect. It stressed that our mental state will affect our physical body. Our physical will affect our mental. Our environment will affect physical and mental. When we are out of balance we often turn to the spiritual. It pointed out the Western medicine throws pills at the symptoms, but ancient medicine believes there is a better way.

There was a side exhibit of an old boat that was found when excavating for a new wing of the hospital. It is thought to have been in use in the early 1800s.

Part of the hospital museum is housed in the old Bangkok Noi Railway Station. The clock tower and old train commemorate this fact.

From the hospital and museum, we walked to WAT ARUN RATCHAWARARAM (TEMPLE OF DAWN). We could see the prang (spire) from the hospital, so it was easy to navigate toward. It was built before 1656, as it was recorded at that time on a French map. The main prang was constructed in 1851. Its height is between 66.8 m (219 ft) and 86 m (282 ft), sources differ. It is surrounded by four smaller prang, although they are huge in their own right.

It is decorated with colourful porcelain, that looks like broken dishes.

We climbed as high as we were allowed, which was not to the top.

The next day we went to JIM THOMPSON’S HOUSE. Jim Thompson was an American who served in WWII and decided to stay in Thailand after the war. He started the Thai Silk Company Ltd in 1948. He moved and reassembled six traditional Thai houses across the river from the silk weavers to be his own home.

His promotion of Thai silk saw its way to the big screen in the King and I, staring Yul Brenner. He mysteriously disappeared in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967. His body was never found. One theory is, since he served in the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor to the CIA) during WWII, his many travels to acquire his vast collection of Asian art was just a cover for covert operations. His disappearance may have been intentional by his own accord or diabolical means. Or maybe he just fell off a cliff in the Highlands…..

The house was surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Some interesting artifacts were this Chinese heated garden stool. Hot stones were placed inside and the heat rose through vents at the top.

This saki pitcher did not have a lid. The liquid was inserted through a long spout at the bottom. When turned right side up, the spout was deep inside the pitcher which prevented the liquor to drain out.

This mouse house was live entertainment.

It was very eclectic and wonderful.

I went to see a chiropractor one day. I had been having headaches, and from past experience knew I needed a small adjustment. I found a chiropractor through Google. When I arrived, I found that the doctor spoke excellent English. When he finished assessing me and giving me an adjustment, I was sent to another room for a full massage. Then to a physio therapist to give me exercises to strengthen my neck muscles to prevent another mishap. Total bill $120.

Afterwards, we went to CAVE FANTASY. It is a place where the walls, floors and ceiling are all mirrored, and depth perception is altered. We had to wear little booties over our shoes so as not to leave any tell-tale tracks as we went through. It was silly and fun.

One day we went for a walk, just to see what we could see. We came across LOHA PRASAT (METAL CASTLE) WAT RATCHANATDARAM WOROVIHAN. The temple was the brain child of King Rama III for his granddaughter in 1846, but for some reason was not completed until 1960, under King Rama IX. The 37 spires of the temple have a metallic finish giving the entire structure a metal like look and hence the name. The 37 spires represent the 37 Bodhipakkhiya Dharma in Buddhism. Each floor of the temple had writings about the different levels of enlightenment and the teachings of Buddha. It was pretty, yet informative.

From there we walked along a canal until we came to the GOLDEN MOUNT (WAT SAKET). The temple was built pre-1737 when King Rama I stopped here to wash his hair before entering the inner city. The large man-made mountain in the centre of the temple compound collapsed under its own weight, but has since been reinforced with cement. It was 344 steps to the top.

A modern temple was built with Carrara marble in the early 20th century. There is a large stupa at the top.

On one side of the stupa were a number of small ropes strung across the front with hundreds of bills of baht stapled to the rope. Most temples are free to enter, and only ask for donations. There are always lots of donation boxes. Many of the boxes are designated for certain charities, and labeled as such: a certain school, a women’s shelter, animals, etc. This was the first time I saw the money flapping in the wind.

What made this temple so interesting was it was once where dead bodies were left for the buzzards to eat. The Siamese had a tradition of not cremating people within the city walls. Wat Saket was located outside of the walls and became a site for the funerals. In 1820 a cholera outbreak claimed over 30,000 souls. The sheer number of bodies was more than the crematoriums could handle. Many bodies were left exposed, which attracted flocks of vultures. The scene was commemorated in a gruesome memorial.

The TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN BUDDHA (WAT TRAIMIT) has a solid gold Buddha that weighs 5500 kg (12,125 lbs). It’s age is not known, although it was referred to in a 13th century stele. It was covered with stucco and inlaid glass prior to the Burmese attack on Ayutthaya in 1767 to prevent it from being stolen. It remained among the ruins for nearly 100 years. Thousands of Buddha images were relocated to the new capital of Bangkok in the 1800s. It was housed in a small Wat (temple) until the temple fell into disrepair, at which time it was moved, again, to its present location. It was too big to put in the temple, so it was housed under a simple tin roof. In 1955 it was being moved, again, when some plaster chipped off. Lo and behold, the shining gold was revealed. The Guinness World Records says that this is the world’s largest solid gold sculpture and the most valuable, both in gold value and as an object of religion. At current gold prices, it is worth over 1 billion dollars Canadian. How the hell did they move it around without modern cranes?

The Buddha statue was understandably incredible, but the decorations around it were also amazing. There were two seven-headed naga on either side of the Buddha that were woven out of bamboo leaves. Nagas protect Buddhist temples (wats), stupas, and treasures, warding off evil. They were so intricate I cannot imagine the time and skill to create it.

WAT PHO is one of the oldest and largest in Bangkok. It is home to over 1000 Buddha images, including the 46 metres (151 ft) long 15 m (9 ft) high RECLINING BUDDHA.

The Buddha has a solid brick core and is covered in plaster then gold gild. The right arm of Buddha supports his head, which rests on two pillows covered in glass mosaics.

The soles of the feet of the Buddha are 3 m (10 ft) high and 4.5 m (14.5 ft) long, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are each divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified. To say it is HUGE would be an understatement. People were queued to take pictures at various points along the length of the body. I was really lucky to get this one with no people in front.

The temple complex also contain four great chedis (stupas), 91 small chedis, two belfries (clock towers), a bot (central shrine), a number of viharas (halls) and various buildings such as pavilions, as well as gardens and a small temple museum.

The temple is also one of the earliest centres for public education. It still houses a school of Thai medicine and is known as the birthplace of traditional Thai Massage, which is still taught and practiced at the temple. I should have gotten a massage….

SIDE NOTE: As I mentioned earlier, there was a long queue of people to snap a picture of the reclining buddha. Obviously people wanted selfies. However, there should be an unwritten (or possibly written and enforceable) law that says you have 20 seconds to take your selfie. There are always those people (mostly young women) who pose in the most unnatural position and facial expression, then insist on looking at the photo, while still blocking everyone’s view, only to take a bunch more shots. This was the case at the reclining Buddha. One young man stepped forward and told the fashionista that many people were waiting and to move along. Everyone cheered his bravery. She still took a few more shots. I hope she gets fat, has premature wrinkles and goes bald.

The MARBLE TEMPLE (Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram) was built in 1899 and built from Italian marble. Even the courtyard and guarding lions are made of marble.