A slightly different Bangkok

My image of Bangkok has significantly improved in the last 2 days. I have discovered the perfect mode of transportation for myself: The Chao Phraya Express Boat. It bypasses all the traffic in the city center and provides a beautiful boat tour as well.
So, together with a Brazilian and a Polish woman, I have been exploring the city for the past 2 days.

The first day was dedicated to visiting temples. We visited 3 temples in total. First, the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, then Wat Pho, and finally Wat Arun. These Buddhist temples are definitely unlike anything I have seen before. They are very ornate, with approximately 5000 Buddha statues per temple, all adorned with lots of gold. The architectural designs definitely have some similarities. Most of the temples are symmetrical and have a relatively tall and narrow peak. Laura (the Brazilian woman) has studied Buddhism for a year, so she was able to enlighten us a bit about the meanings behind the different elements, but I still don't have a complete understanding. In Wat Pho, there is the largest reclining Buddha, although its feet were undergoing restoration at the time :D And these restoration scaffolds are really interesting! They are made of wood, without any platforms to stand on. I would definitely fall down immediately. In the evening, we took a detour to a park near the hostel and joined a public Zumba workout (or at least we tried) before heading to a bar.

Today, we visited Chinatown. Like in any other Chinatown and in most parts of Bangkok, it is full of stalls and markets. Afterwards, we passed by another temple where 5 Thai students interviewed us and took a picture with us. The students are somehow everywhere here. In the temples, in public spaces, at all times of the day. Their blue pants/skirts and white shirts make them easily recognizable.
For relaxation in Bangkok, I can definitely recommend Lumpini Park. We spent an hour by the lake, just enjoying ourselves! We also visited one last temple (Wat Saket). However, first we had to climb up 300 steps, but it was worth it to finally get a view of Bangkok. From there, you could see how the different sides of Bangkok come together. The poorer houses, the golden temples, and the skyscrapers surrounding Bangkok. It is definitely a very diverse cityscape. We had dinner near Khao San Road, probably the most popular tourist/backpacker street. However, it was also expensive and crowded 😉

All in all, I found Bangkok to be not as bad as I initially feared! It has its disadvantages, but also very beautiful places, even though they are quite touristy. I am glad to have experienced it, but I don't need to come back again :D It is definitely (except for the temple entrance fees) very affordable. A meal in a restaurant today only cost me €2.70...I won't get anything that cheap in Australia anytime soon. Tomorrow, I will visit the Floating Market and then head to Melbourne 😊