Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [53]
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TRANSPORT: THONBURI
Bus Air-con 507 & 509, ordinary 21, 42 & 82
Ferry A tour of Thonburi by longtail boat is fun and easy, but for a more local experience consider taking the public ferries. Bang Yai–bound boats from Tha Chang leave every 30 minutes between 6am and 8am, every hour from 8am to 3pm, and depart when the boat is full between 3pm and 9pm. The main Chao Phraya Express ferries stop at a few key Thonburi piers, most notably Wang Lang (Siriraj, N10), Thonburi Railway (N11) and Saphan Phra Pin Klao (N12). Several cross-river ferries also connect to Bangkok piers.
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The central feature is the 82m-high Khmer-style Ъrahng (spire), constructed during the first half of the 19th century by Rama II (King Phraphutthaloetla Naphalai; r 1809–24), now immortalised in a riverfront statue with three elephants, and Rama III (King Phranangklao; r 1824–51). From the river it is not apparent that this corn-cob-shaped steeple is adorned with colourful floral murals made of glazed porcelain, a common temple ornamentation in the early Ratanakosin period, when Chinese ships calling at Bangkok used porcelain as ballast.
Also worth a look is the interior of the bòht. The main Buddha image is said to have been designed by Rama II, whose ashes are interred beneath. The murals date to the reign of Rama V (King Chulalongkorn; r 1868–1910). Particularly impressive is one depicting Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha) encountering examples of birth, old age, sickness and death outside his palace walls, an experience that led him to abandon the worldly life.
Wat Arun is directly across from Wat Pho, on the Thonburi side of the river. A lot of people visit the wát on expensive river tours, but it’s dead easy and more rewarding to just jump on the 3B cross-river ferry from Tha Tien. For our money, visiting Wat Arun in the late afternoon is best, with the sun shining from the west lighting up the Ъrahng and the river behind it. If you come earlier, consider taking a stroll away from the river on Th Wang Doem, a quiet tiled street of wooden shophouses.
You must wear appropriate clothing (see Click here) to climb on Wat Arun. If you are flashing too much flesh you’ll have to rent a sarong for 20B.
CHURCH OF SANTA CRUZ
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0 2466 0347; Soi Kuti Jiin, Thonburi; Sat & Sun; from Tha Pak Talat/Atsadang
Centuries before Sukhumvit became the international district, the Portuguese claimed fá·ráng (Western) supremacy and built the Church of Santa Cruz in the 1700s. The land was a gift from King Taksin in appreciation for the loyalty the Portuguese community had displayed after the fall of Ayuthaya. The surviving church dates to 1913. Very little activity occurs on the grounds itself, but small village streets break off from the main courtyard into the area known as Kuti Jiin, the local name for the church. On Soi Kuti Jiin 3, several houses sell Portuguese-inspired cakes.
ROYAL BARGES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Map
0 2424 0004; Khlong Bangkok Noi or 80/1 Th Arun Amarin; admission 100B, camera/video 100/200B; 9.30am-5pm; air-con 503, 507, 509 & 511, ordinary 19, 57, 79, 81, 124 & 149; Tha Saphan Phra Pin Klao (N12)
Every foreign country has its famous religious monuments and museums, but how many have their own fleet of royal boats on display? The curiously named royal barges were once used daily by the royal family to get about their realm, but are now used only for grand ceremonies. They are not barges like those wide, lumbering vessels you’ll see hauling sand and produce up and down Mae Nam Chao Phraya. These barges are slender like their mainstream cousins, the longtail boats, and fantastically ornamented with religious symbolism. The largest is more than 45m long and requires a rowing crew of 50 men, plus seven umbrella bearers, two helmsmen and two navigators, as well as a flag bearer, rhythm keeper and chanter.
Suphannahong, or ‘Golden Swan’, is the king’s personal barge. Built on the orders of Rama I after an earlier version had been destroyed in the sacking of Ayuthaya, Suphannahong is made from a single piece of timber,