Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SNAPPING WAT ARUN
Sublime sunset views of Wat Arun can be caught from across the river at the riverfront warehouses and docks off
Th Maha Rat, although some enterprising locals have taken to charging a 20B 'fee'. Another great - and free,
with the purchase of a drink, that is - viewpoint is from Amorosa (
Click here
), the rooftop bar at Arun Residence.
Chinatown & Phahurat
Bangkok's Chinatown (called Yaowarat after its main thoroughfare, Th Yaowarat) is the
urban explorer's equivalent of the Amazon Basin. The highlights here aren't necessarily
tidy temples or museums, but rather a complicated web of tiny alleyways, crowded mar-
kets and delicious street stalls. Unlike other Chinatowns around the world, Bangkok's is
defiantly ungentrified, and getting lost in it is probably the best thing that you could do.
The neighbourhood dates back to 1782 when Bangkok's Chinese population, many of
whom were labourers hired to build the new capital, were moved here from today's Ko
Ratanakosin area by the royal rulers. Relatively little has changed since then, and you can
still catch conversations in various Chinese dialects, buy Chinese herbal cures, and taste
Chinese dishes not available elsewhere in Thailand.
Getting in and out of Chinatown is hindered by horrendous traffic. The river ferry stop
at Tha Ratchawong was previously the easiest way to reach the district; however, the ad-
vent of the MRT has put the area a brief walk from Hualamphong Train Station.
At the western edge of Chinatown is a small but thriving Indian district, generally
called Phahurat. It's a seemingly endless bazaar uniting flamboyant Bollywood fabric,
photogenic vendors selling
paan
(betel nut for chewing), several shops stocked with deli-
cious northern Indian-style sweets and dozens of Indian-owned stores selling all kinds of
fabric and clothes.
