Thailand holiday: 3rd day, Bangkok center

Bangkok Center. I start this new day with a breakfast and then go to the pool. There are Japanese lounging on the sun loungers. I enter the water, it is super good. The sky is gray as since I arrived, no need for sunscreen. I go for a swim but stop very quickly because I lose my swimsuit bottom. Oops I hope nobody has seen!


Saturday day, short version

Bangkok Center.

Long version

I start this new day with a breakfast and then go to the pool. There are Japanese lounging on the sun loungers. I enter the water, it is super good. The sky is gray as since I arrived, no need for sunscreen. I go for a swim but stop very quickly because I lose my swimsuit bottom. Oops I hope nobody has seen!

Today I go to the center of Bangkok and start with Chinatown. It is quite different, it is very poor and frankly it does not smell very good.

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There are many workshops, tons of shops but not like back home, everything is open on the street and it's a bit of a mess. It looks pretty dirty and unhealthy. We feel that these people do with what they have and how they can.

I arrive at Wat Traimit, the temple of the Golden Buddha. I do not visit the temple but I return to the place where there is the golden Buddha. I think I have read somewhere that one should never point one's feet towards the Buddha and thus fold them under my chair in doubt. People come to pray, make a donation and be blessed by a monk who is there.

Wat Traimit in Bangkok - Temple of the Golden Buddha

They kneel in front of the monk who blesses them with a kind of bouquet of bamboo stalks and water, then he hangs a string around his wrist. It's for luck and protection, I think you have to keep the bracelet until it falls by itself.

Wat Traimit - Temple of the Golden Buddha - Bangkok For Visitors

I continue on Chinatown where there are many gold shops. The price of gold is displayed on a screen and there are plenty of Chinese inside; it's bubbling, there's agitation. Regularly on the way there is a person sitting on the ground with a big bag and just a little paper in the middle. I wonder what it may be .. Can be related to gold ?

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There is so much to see! I do not know where to look. A man is doing his dishes on the sidewalk, two others cut an octopus over a bowl. An elderly person is drying something on towels on the floor. She can not explain to me what it is, too bad. Further, one guy is fighting with his trolley, which is too busy, another sings while looking at his phone because he has no client. A gentleman has only the top of his body, I wonder how he does to get by each day. I can not even say he is sitting because his bust rests directly on a kind of wooden case. A fish merchant who makes restaurant says he sells shark and a woman puts away her toy shop made in china.

I see a man stop in front of an alley and make a wai (when greeting by clasping hands at face level). It intrigues me I'm going to see. At the end of the alley there is a school of monks. I do not linger too much, I would not want to be rude watching them like that. I buy mangos from a street vendor and decide to go to Wat Pho in tuktuk.

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I negotiate directly the price and I get there quickly. It's going fast, it shakes in all directions, my hair fly in all directions, it's super cool! The Wat Pho is one of the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, it is 8 hectares and houses the reclining Buddha (try to pronounce the official name: Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchaworamahawihan), a massage school and a school of traditional medicine.

Wat Pho - 46 meter gold plated Reclining Buddha Temple Bangkok
Wat Pho Buddhist temple complex

I am amazed, it's very pretty but it's pretty flashy. I love all the statuettes, they have great postures, I take the time to watch them all.

I see some cats here and there. They do not look healthy, are very small and have their tail cut. I caress one or two and they follow me. I find a stick and try to play with them. But they are not pets they do not understand what I do and look at me stupidly .... as they know how to do it so well. Suddenly a third appears and attacks! Yes. Good cat.

I had my daily dose I'm happy :) I lose them to continue the visit. I hear monks pray, I approach one of the temples. I put on a vest but a lady asks me to pull my skirt down as much as possible, it is a bit short. Too bad, I thought it would be fine. It's good the guard lets me in, I kneel like everyone else. The monks sit on a platform and they meditate.

I close my eyes and focus on singing. It's pretty bewitching I do not know how long I stayed there. When I get up, I miss falling, I can not feel my legs anymore. That's it, the blood circulates again! I continue the visit, it is extremely large. Ah, I think I've been here before, I do not know anymore.

I hear a lot of French. I see one that leans on the head of a statuette he nearly sits on it. It annoys me and it bothers me to ask him to show a little more respect. Think monk Helen, think zen, breathe. We must accept everyone and maybe it is a good guy. Not being the guardian of the temple I stay in my place and move on. Besides it is not far from 6pm, it is Saturday but if I want to see something else I have to take off. Once outside I realize that I zapped to go see the reclining Buddha. Heum ... too bad huh.

I decide to go to the amulets market. To go there I see a large park with huge trees in front. There is no entrance on this side apparently, so I go along looking at the gates.

Ah! It's a Gym Parc, a kind of fitness trail. I see many people running in groups and exercising. Suddenly a little man comes out of nowhere and starts the conversation. He asks me if he can go part of the way with me because he is also going in that direction. We get to know each other but I have trouble understanding it. Many Thai people in Bangkok speak English but they have such an accent that we do not understand anything. I am embarrassed to make him repeat three times each of his sentences.

He offers me to eat in Chinatown but I tell him that I do not want to go back because I have other things to see. He insists but freezes at once. Well, are you all right, sir? Yes yes, in fact a music sounds this is the national anthem (I imagine), we are in front of the Ministry of Defense with a large portrait of the new king. There is a ceremony and the military is coming down and putting the flag very carefully. The little gentleman then leaves because he soon arrived at his destination.

Ministry of Defense Building - Bangkok for visitors

A tuktuk asks me what I am looking for. Ah the market is over, I'm coming too late. I show him points of interest that I pre-recorded in maps.me (thank you Céline :)) and ask him for his opinion. He takes me to the flower market. Olala it smells so good here!

It's very lively people are busy, it prepares, it wears, it loads, it makes flower necklaces. I ask a lady the name of the flowers she is preparing. It looks like small artichokes I have never seen before. She does not understand but she seems very happy that I'm interested in her.

Pak Khlong Talat: Bangkok's iconic 24-hour flower market - Expique

I venture a little further to the khlong, it's dark. And gloomy. It's hardly illuminated. There are bare-chested men resting on their handcarts. I do not see women here. It worries me a bit, it does not seem to be a place where you walk in the evening. Well I am already here so let’s have a look. It smells like fish everywhere, guys carry huge blocks of ice and stuff. I go back to the streets lit, I'm hungry and I think I am walking without really taking a break for 7 hours. My feet hurt and I am far from the metro. As luck would have you no tuktuk or taxi on the horizon! No choice to keep walking but I have a lot of pain, it must obvious because someone offers to give me his shoes as a joke.

My legs do not carry me anymore. A tuktuk there! I'm so happy I want to high him 5 but he does not know the give me five. I see in his eyes that he was scared when I approached my hand, he must take me for a crazy one. In the subway there is an old lady eating date fruits next to me. She is so small that her feet do not touch the ground. I wish I could do the same at this moment! Small shower at the hotel and I go back to the restaurant from the first night. I do not have the strength to look for another place and I forget even my phone at the hotel. I can not say what I ate, it was good, spice and pork. Not knowing what time it is I am trying to find an open massage center. It is 23:45 they all close at midnight, no problem. I tell myself that I am going to explore another corner of the neighborhood but I feel very bad and very weak at once. I think I'm not far from the discomfort so I go back to the hotel. It is surely the side effect of these three days of strolling. Finally it's not bad, after all tomorrow I fly to the jungle!

Thailand to Phuket

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key attractions and activities in the center of Bangkok, and how can travelers make the most of their visit?
Key attractions in Bangkok's center include shopping at MBK or Siam Paragon, visiting Erawan Shrine, and exploring Lumpini Park. Travelers can make the most of their visit by using public transport like the BTS Skytrain for convenient travel and experiencing a mix of modern and traditional Bangkok.

Michel Pinson
About the author - Michel Pinson
Michel Pinson is a Travel enthusiast and Content Creator. Merging passion for education and exploration, he iscommitted to sharing knowledge and inspiring others through captivating educational content. Bringing the world closer together by empowering individuals with global expertise and a sense of wanderlust.



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