Day 1: Wat Arun, a boat Ride and Asiatique Night Market

Finally we arrived at the hotel, but the rooms were not ready yet. So we decided to go for a coffee to my favorite café. Although it was still quite early, the sun was already blazing mercilessly from the sky.

After the coffee had given us some energy, we strolled through the alleys of the old town, past the small canals to famous Khaosan Road.

There we looked at the numerous colorful souvenir shops, and the scent of street food was in the air. For lunch, we ate at a nice little restaurant. Finally, I got my beloved Pad Thai again!

Afterwards, it was time to return to the hotel. We moved into our beautiful, spacious rooms and first went to the pool, where we spent the next two hours enjoying the warm rays of the sun and the cool water after the long, cold winter.

In the late afternoon, we made our way to the boat dock to take a boat to Wat Arun.

The boat was hopelessly overcrowded with tourists. Nevertheless, the ride along the river in the light of the slowly setting sun was incredibly beautiful.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, lies in a breathtaking location right on the Chao Phraya, one of the longest rivers in Asia. The temple is named after the god Aruna and impresses with artistically placed mosaic stones that glittered in the evening sun. Over numerous steps, we reached viewpoints where we were rewarded with a magnificent view over Bangkok.

After thoroughly exploring the temple, we took the boat to my favorite night market, Asiatique. The sun finally set, bathing sky and water in a color display of orange to purple hues in all shades.

There are many interesting, colorful night markets in Bangkok. Which one is the most beautiful is a matter of different tastes.

I love Asiatique because it has a bit of everything. From the giant Ferris wheel, you can enjoy a wonderful view over the river and modern Bangkok. The ghost train is unique in the city and quite amusing.

You can find everything a tourist’s heart desires, and the culinary offerings are not neglected either. There is delicious street food as well as restaurants in all imaginable price ranges from cheap to absolute luxury, from Asian to European to American cuisine — really everything is available.

Despite our tiredness, we spent several hours at this lively market of superlatives, enjoyed delicious Thai street food, and wandered through the shops.

Dead tired, we finally took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel and fell into a deep sleep.