Travel

Bangkok Confidential Part 2: Wat Arun, Sky Bar at Lebua & Asiatique the Night Market

In my Previous Post I showed you the Canals of Thonburi and the Orchid Farms in Bangkok.

One question which often gets asked about Bangkok is which area to stay in. While the answer to that is more complex than I can tackle, I do feel that if one is going mostly for tourism purposes, it makes sense to stay by the riverside. The Chao Phraya river is an integral part of the local ecosystem, not just a scenic river which flows through the city.
I has booked myself in a Hotel / Apartment called The Chatrium Riverside and my suite was on the 32nd floor.It was more of an Apartment with several balconies and I thought the view from the apartment was stunning.

view from the 32nd floor of the Chatrium Riverside
view from the 32nd floor of the Chatrium Riverside
Asitique, Bangkok
Asitique Riverside Night Market , Bangkok

The evening I landed in Bangkok, I was scouting for places that were nearby where one could have decent food and also start seeing some local sights. I had read about a nearby night market called Asiatique . Now this is not really a night market in the sense of other temporary ones. Rather, Asiatique is a cross between a mall and a night market which is open from 4 pm to Midnight ( check timing before you go ) Nevertheless, I really loved the place as it had lot of hip stuff and it was not very expensive. It also had a very carnival type of vibe with lots of rides , cabarets, boxing shows, puppet show etc . Since it is situated by the riverside, it is easily accessible by boat.

you can have have a look at their website here if you want.

The next evening someone suggested The Sky Bar Lebua at the State Tower. This location has been Immortalized (??? ) by the movie The Hangover 2. The Sky Bar is a wonderful location and has amazing view over Bangkok.

One thing I must warn you about is that they are quite strict about the dress code. It is a somewhat formal sort of a a place and you can’t expect to walk in in your shorts and sandals. I did observe that they were more lenient about the dress code with females than males so there’s that. There is no entry fee or cover charge but I did order a couple of drinks which were not very expensive. The bar looks amazing, as does everything else so high up there.

the bar at the Sky Bar
bar at sky bar Lebua
bar at sky bar Lebua

Once place I had wanted to see long before I reached Bangkok is Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn.

Wat Arun , Bangkok
Wat Arun , Bangkok

Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn, is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. Situated on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, the legendary Wat Arun is one of the most striking riverside landmarks of Thailand.
This Wat or Buddhist temple is an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.
In the mythology of Tibetan Buddhism, Mount Meru is a place that simultaneously represents the center of the universe and the single-pointedness of mind sought by adepts.

Wat Arun
Wat Arun

From the inside, the temple seemed even more impressive and divine.

 

Entrance to Wat Arun

Wat Arun
Wat Arun

 

the Temple is flanked by very beautiful Zen Gardens.

Gardens of Wat Arun
Gardens of Wat Arun

I have seen many temples but was quite impressed by the Architecture, Ambience, Calm of the place..

You can see the entire sets of pictures in the gallery below, let me know in the comments if you like any of them:

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