Tonight after getting off the hop on tour, we met up with Gabby and another friend of MJ’s at the Bangkok train station.
Gabby adores trains, and it was right next to the spot where she had selected to take the free ferry up the canal. It was another way to see the city, and it was free.
The train station, where we will come tomorrow to catch a ride to Ayutthaya is an old fashioned station, with old fashioned trains providing service throughout Thailand.
No, the train behind me is a relic museum piece (I think). The ones we will ride on tomorrow are more 1970’s era.
But open air, old fashioned terminal was fun to see.
Across the street was the free ferry stop. It is another way people in Bangkok get around to avoid the traffic. This stop to the end of the line will take us through the streets and to Thewes Pier, where we will pay less than a dollar to ride another boat up the river, past all the sites, and hopefully at sunset.
The canal ride was a colorful place, but it also showed the darker side of Bangkok. Today, that appears to be the theme. The colorful buildings give way quickly to tents and tarp covered frames not for vendors, but where people are living. Lots of them. Strategically, almost purposefully, right across from government buildings. It was an interesting clash of visual senses.
We arrived at the pier after a short walk from the canal, and had drinks before we were ready to head for the boat. The river is an extremely busy place with everything from full barges to ferries, to sight seeing tour boats and several other vessels mixed in.
The ferries and barges finish service at 6 according to Gabby, which is when the dinner cruises take over the river. We think that is a way to keep the dinner cruise boats in business, because everyone was wising up to the fact they could cruise down the river for less than a dollar when the dinner cruises were charging 50 or more.
I imagine there is a level of truth to those thoughts, but I do not have facts.
After our cruise ended, we stopped off for dinner at one of Gabby’s favorite places. Mazzaro has a wide variety of food and drinks at a reasonable price, sit down restaurant.
I was not as adventurous as the others, but the food was good and the company wonderful. MJ and Miri spent time catching up, and Gabby and I got to know each other better. It was a good evening. Thanks Gabby for planning a great night in Bangkok.
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