Walk 2: From Wat Arun to Siriraj Hospital
This walk continues on from Part I, and connects the beautiful and iconic Wat Arun with the huge Navy headquarters fronting the river, followed by a delightful local market and ending with an educational yet morbid curiosity in the heart of Siriraj.
When taking a ferry ride along the busy Chao Phraya river, Wat Arun’s striking beauty emerges along the riverbank like a beacon, unmissable when the thousands of broken porcelain lining the central prang reflects light from the midday sun. This Buddhist temple, named after the God Aruna, is probably one of Thailand’s most iconic and most-visited tourist spots after the Grand Palace.
History goes that a Buddhist temple named Wat Makok existed on this site since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which took its name from the neighbouring village called, you guessed it, Bang Makok. King Thaksin, in his quest to reestablish a new Kingdom along the banks of Thonburi, passed by Wat Mangkok at dawn and was so amazed at the sight that he vowed to restore the temple and dedicate it to Aruna, often personified as radiation of the rising sun (dawn).
A landmark that is inscribed on Thai currency and many a sketch artists’ pad, Wat Arun’s Khmer-inspired central prang – the highest in Thailand – is around 70m tall and decorated with many broken pieces of porcelain and seashells that were used as ballast from ships voyaging from China. It is supposed to symbolise Mount Meru of the Hindu cosmology. Wat Arun also has four surrounding prangs symbolising the four continents, and giving it the appearance of a structure with four bolts securing the base.
The temple’s significance was heightened when it once housed the emerald Buddha (rescued from the Burmese after they stole it from a temple in Ayutthaya) before it was moved across the river to Wat Phra Keow, within the Grand Palace and hence within King Rama I’s city walls. After a lengthy restoration from 2013 – 2017, in which the prangs were re-plastered and missing or broken porcelain restored, it was opened to visitors.
The entrance is along Thanon Wang Doem and a suite of food stands, costume rental and souvenir shops have sprung up to cater to the hoards of tourists that visit. The fee to enter is 100B per foreigner, and some of the exterior temple buildings functioning as religious schools are under renovation. An air-conditioned visitor centre at the compound entrance provides useful information on the history of the temple, its construction and refurbishment under the various Kings, as well as the meanings behind the statues, images and structures that comprise the ensemble. Most of all, it gives a welcome respite from the sweltering heat, and hence it is always crowded.
Visitors are allowed to climb up to the first terrace of the central prang via some very steep steps and walk the entire circumference. However, access to the middle and upper tiers have been blocked off. While this prevents the visitor from soliciting grander views higher up, it does keep the upper levels of the prang beautifully pristine and uncluttered.
Glancing up, the prang is split into three levels: the first plinths contain images of lions, giants and monkeys; the middle features sculptures of deities such as God Indra riding an elephant, and the mythical bird Garuda (also the emblem of Indonesia’s flag carrier). At the very top is the Chulamani Chedi of Tavatisma Heaven, which stores the relics from Buddha.
In front of the central prang are the original chapel and old Ordination Hall, said to be the location where King Taksin stayed for a brief period before his execution, resting on a modest bed that consisted of a teak slab that can still be found in the Hall. Mostly though, the Hall is filled with a queue of locals seeking blessings from the resident monk.
Just nearby is the holiest spot in the Wat: the Ordination Hall. Its entrance is flanked with two temple guardian figures welding swords, and the Hall is crowned with an intricately designed roof and decorated central spire. Inside are murals created during the reign of Rama V, and at the alter, some of Rama II’s ashes are buried beneath the base of the gold Buddha image.
Wat Arun is conveniently located along the banks of the Chao Phraya River, and a handy hop-on point for a ferry ride across to Tha Tian Pier and Wat Pho (5B, to the right of the Ordination Hall), or the orange / blue flagged local / tourist river boat to the Grand Palace or Chinatown along Yaowarat Road.
To continue exploring the old city of Thonburi, heading north from Wat Arun brings you to a large cluster of buildings that house the Thai Navy. This was once Siam’s naval shipbuilding facility, and it was instrumental to King Taksin’s success in regaining Siam’s independence. This mammoth complex facing the river houses living and training facilities, the Royal Navy Hospital, a large convention hall which was formerly Taksin’s Throne Hall, as well as the Royal Dockyard Museum.
However, getting to the museum isn’t very easy, as sentries guard every road leading into the base. We didn’t manage to gain access on account of the seemingly tight security, but checks online shows that the museum (Mon – Fri, 9am – 3pm), a two-story office with a grey roof constructed during the reign of Rama V, is housed in the former Directorate of Operations of the Naval Dockyard Department. This museum chronicles the history of the Royal Thai Navy and important sea battles, and displays miniature model ships such as the Royal Barges featured in King Rama V’s river processions.
Along the main road stands the Khrua Wan Worawihan Temple, said to house the most complete set of Jataka murals adorning the Ordination Hall. The Jataka murals are a collection of stories illustrating Buddha’s previous reincarnations, and scenes featuring Kings, villages and mythical creatures are beautifully painted on the walls of the Ordination Halls. In the grounds is a large white Chedi with a gold spire, but the entire complex was unfortunately closed. Just beside is the Royal Navy Crematorium, which was opened when we mistakenly wandered in (the ongoing funeral procession did give us some pause though).
Passing further along the road, one comes to a bridge with what seems like a disused conveyor belt mechanism that was once used to transport coal or other building materials from ships onto shore.
Down the road and making a left at Trok Watrakhang Alley, sits Wat Rakhang Kositaram Woramahawihan, the Temple of the Bell. Formerly known as Wat Bang Wa Yai and situated near King Taksin’s palace, it was here that a particularly huge melodious bell was found during renovation works. During the reign of Rama I, the King had this bell shipped across the river to the Grand Palace’s Wat Phra Kaew to be replaced with five new bells, and also had the temple renamed to its current Wat Rakhang.
Being called the Temple of the Bell, bells naturally feature prominently around the temple. In the forecourt facing the river, two intricately design blue and gold bells hang in front of a large gold bell statue, which is a replica of the huge bell that once adorned the temple.
The temple is free to enter, and the Ordination Hall is an oasis of peace during the day. Near the prayer halls, a row of plastic monk figurines stand in a line, quiet and still, each with a donation box collecting alms. Each box is wired to a speaker, so that blessings would be incanted when money was stuffed into the slot. Nearby is the belfry that houses the five new replacement bells. Local belief holds that the sounding of bells in a temple delivers to the ringer good fame and reputation. For this reason, many temples have different variations of bells for visitors to ring and donate money.
Just outside and opposite the golden bell, is the large bronze statue to honour Somdet To, said to be one of the most revered and wisest monks in Thailand during the Rattanakosin era. He was especially noted for his skill of preaching and use of Thai poetry to depict the beauty of Buddhism. His amulets, called Somdej, are widely sought after.
Heading up Sala Ton Chan Alley and a five-minute walk in, one comes to Wang Lang Market. This gem-of-a-find, true Thai street market, covers a few streets and has both shops and food carts selling traditional snacks, clothes, and household items. It mainly caters to the local crowd, although some fancy snackstalls do pop up occasionally. Wang Lang is just starting to get noticed by the tourist crowd, but it still retains a local vibe, the food options are aplenty and generally much cheaper than other markets.
As we wandered around, we picked up some of the local snacks such as Sakoo Sai Moo – steamed tapioca balls filled with seasoned minced pork, pickled radish and peanut. These were going at a very reasonable rate of 20B for a small packet of 6 balls and served with green chilis and coriander. The skins were soft and the fillings were crunchy and flavourful.
Nearby, Wang Lang Bakery sells freshly baked bread with many different kinds of flavours. As we were a little late, most of the variety were sold out but we did manage to bag a fresh, hot loaf that had just come out of the oven.
Wrapped in a takeaway transparent bag, the bread was soft yet dense, chewy yet crunchy with carrot bits, and mouthwateringly good with the mayonnaise and ham.
Another must have is this steamed pandan layer cake that comes in green or blue (butterfly pea flower), that is soft and chewy, like a mochi, and only costs 15B (50 cents).
Besides the above, there are other snacks such as pandan hot cakes, crispy Thai pancakes filled with meringue and grated coconuts known as Khanon Buang or Krok, grilled sweet bananas, sour sausage links known as Sai Grok Isaan, mango sticky rice, and my favourite, Moo Bing, or meat skewers grilled above charcoal.
Besides the food stalls selling tantalising and fresh snacks, there are also very cheap clothing markets selling both new and used tops, bottoms, shoes and bags, with some being sold for less than $10.
Just beside Wang Lang Market is the large and sprawling Siriraj Hospital. It sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, just a few stops upstream from the Grand Palace. Besides being the medical facility that served the late Thai King Rama IX, Siriraj is the largest and oldest hospital in Thailand, founded by King Chulalongkorn in 1888 after a devastating Cholera outbreak in 1881, and after his son, Prince Siriraj Kakutabhundu, died of dysentery in 1887. Since then, it has grown under the generosity of every Thai King and royalty, and incorporated four faculties, including the faculty of medicine, from Chulalongkorn University.
However, the reason for making this trip up here is to visit the seven museums scattered around the complex. One of my favourite, and probably amongst the most unusual and creepiest in the world, is the Congdon Anatomical Museum, established by visiting Professor Edgar Davidson Congdon. In a few small rooms on a single floor, it displays the anatomical parts and organs of human donors, housed in many glass containers stacked on every creaking shelf and every inch of counter space. In another section, deformed babies and foetuses in suspiciously leaky glass cases are displayed, while another room houses bones and complete skeletons hanging on a coatrack with identifier tags. Perhaps the most remarkable displays are those containing the human nervous system pinned to follow the human body, spread out in a large glass exhibit and resembling Christmas tree lights, as well as the preserved dissected corpses of a man and woman. It’s like stepping into a mad scientist’s experimental workshop, and since the museum is usually quiet during the day, it really does mean that you are sometimes alone with all the corpses.
If that doesn’t creep you out, you can check out the other museums such as the Ellis Pathological Museum, which showcases diseased human specimens, useful for seeing what cancer, heart disease and other illness do to your organs; the Parasitology Museum, which displays all forms of parasites extracted from the human body; and the Songkran Niyomsan Forensic Medicine Museum, dedicated to the identification of the unnatural causes of death. The exhibits include displays of skulls and various body parts of murdered victims, and also contains photos of the crime scene, and when we were there, photos and some wax figures of victims from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
For something more mainstream, head outside to the pier and explore the Siriraj Bimukstan Museum, which details the history of the hospital and the contributions and development by various Kings, as well as the practice of medicine and surgery in Thailand. It also includes exhibits on ancient medical tools used for surgery, including an operating theatre setup. In another building is the formal Thonburi Railway Station (before shifting to its current location). Inside, the spacious building recreates the history of Bangkok Noi Community, as well as its centrepiece, a gigantic, 24-meter “Ancient Boat” made from wood.
