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test their fortune at a shrine to the Chinese goddess of mercy, Kuan Im. Make a small donation then shake the numbered seeam see sticks until one falls to the floor. The piece of paper with the corresponding number gives a no-nonsense appraisal of your future in Thai, English and Chinese. It’s a fun diversion, but hopefully you receive a more positive prognosis than we did: ‘Lost items could never be recovered. Illness condition unfavourable. No lucks. Should be careful.’ We can happily report that the intervening period was not unduly unlucky, we don’t recall losing anything more than a USB flash drive, and our health seems fine. But one prediction was correct: ‘Forthcoming child shall be baby girl.’ When Thais are the subject of such a forecast (ahm, try not to shake out stick number 10) they burn it on the spot (the piece of paper, not the stick), or at least leave it at the temple.

If your fortune is so disturbing you feel the need to seek assistance from a higher power, it’s comforting to know that peaceful Wat Saket is just next door. In November there's a festival in the grounds that includes an enchanting candlelight procession up the Golden Mount, and a similar procession is held at Makha Bucha in February.

MAHAKAN FORT

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Th Ratchadamnoen Klang; 8.30am-6pm; air-con 79, 503 & 511, ordinary 2, 15, 49, 59, 60 & 70; klorng boat to Tha Phan Fah

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top picks

BANGLAMPHU

Th Khao San More than just freaks in dreadlocks and fisherman pants, this unique cultural melting pot has something for (almost) everyone.

Golden Mount & Wat Saket Take in the panoramic views and divine your future on this artificial mount.

Eating along Th Tanao Follow our trail of crumbs and stuff yourself silly in this classic Bangkok neighbourhood.

Banglamphu pub crawl So many bars, so little time…

Wat Suthat Sit and gaze at the huge Buddha and sky-high murals in this peaceful temple.

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TRANSPORT: BANGLAMPHU

Bus Air-con 44, 79, 503 & 511; ordinary 2, 15, 49, 59, 60, 69 & 70

Ferry Tha Phra Athit (Banglamphu, N13)

Klorng boat Tha Phan Fah, near the corner of Th Lan Luang and Th Ratchadamnoen Klang

Getting to and from Banglamphu by road can be a traffic nightmare, so using the river ferry (for Chinatown, Riverside and the Skytrain at Central Pier) is both fast and more fun. To or from the shopping megaplexes around Siam Sq, take a klorng boat via Tha Phan Fah. For the royal sights of Ko Ratanakosin, it’s easiest to just walk or take a túk-túk.

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The area around white-washed Mahakan Fort, one of two surviving citadels that defended the old walled city, has recently been converted into a small park overlooking Khlong Ong Ang. The octagonal fort is a picturesque, if brief and hot, stop en route to Golden Mount, but the neighbouring village is more interesting. This small community of wooden houses has been here for more than 100 years. But since the mid-1990s it has fought the Bangkok municipal government’s plan to demolish it and create a ‘tourist’ park. The community blocked progress and even proposed the development of another tourist attraction: a lí·gair museum honouring the dance tradition that traces its creation to a school located here in 1897. Some of the homes were eventually demolished, resulting in the park you see today. But behind the fort many others remain (for now). Visitors are welcome. Climb the ramparts (not for children) running away from the fort and walk to the far end, where stairs lead down and into the village.

MONK’S BOWL VILLAGE (BAN BAAT)

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Soi Ban Baat, Th Boriphat; ordinary 12 & 42, klorng boat to Tha Phan Fah

Ban Baat is the only remaining village of three established in Bangkok by Rama I for the purpose of handcrafting bàht (monk’s bowls), the ceremonial bowls used to collect alms from the faithful each morning. As cheaper factory-made bowls are now the norm, the artisanal tradition has shrunk to about half a dozen families. You can usually observe the process of hammering the bowls together from eight separate pieces of steel, said to represent Buddhism