I began my day covering some Hindu shrines in Sukhumvit before walking to Phetchaburi Road via Ratchdamri Road. My plan now was to head to Wat Saket, a popular temple in Bangkok that I had never been to before.
The fastest and cheapest way to get from the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok to Wat Saket is to take the San Saeb canal boat taxi service. I boarded a boat from Pratunam pier.
See the video blog at the end for instructions on how to get to the boat station
A ticket from Pratunam pier to the Wat Saket stop costs ฿14 (₹31/$0.38/€35)
The boat made stops at a few stations but each stop is barely a minute long
It took just around 15 minutes to get to my destination
Taking a taxi post lunch, on any day, would have easily taken you more than 30 minutes — just to get out of the Sukhumvit traffic. So I highly recommend taking the canal boat service to get to the Old Bangkok side!
As for why there are so many shrines for Hindu gods in Bangkok, it’s historical. Thailand used to be part of the Khmer empire, which was heavily influenced by Indian culture and Hinduism. See my Cambodia series and visits to Angkor Wat to know more about that.
I had bought some pastries the night before, to have as breakfast
I only stayed this side of town only because I had to visit DJI’s service center (see previous post). I moved to a hotel in an area that I had not stayed in before. I took the BTS to Phrom Phong, in Watthana district, which is not too far from the core Sukhumvit stretch.
I had booked at Retro39 which is a very shot walk from the Phrom Phong BTS station. That’s a Mercure Bangkok Sukhumvit 24 across the road, if you want something more luxurious.
There’s a Lawson convenience store right next to Retro39, and it’s open 24/7
Retro39 is a simple hotel. No breakfast buffet on offer and little in terms of amenities. Just a small hotel that isn’t too old, with clean and well-kept rooms, just a few steps away from Phrom Phong BTS station — which is just one stop after the Asok/Sukhumvit interchange stations. So a very good location as far as I am concerned.
My Superior Double Room cost ฿3,381 (₹7,792/$93/€86) for 4 nights, which was a pretty good price given the location
The only thing I did not like was the bed. Not that it lacked comfort. The mattress was very nice to sleep on and the sheets were clean — but the bed was on wheels. So as I sat on my bed to work, with my back to the cushioned wall, the bed would move forward slowly. It was annoying for someone who often sits on the bed to work!
There are two eateries serving the ‘essentials’ of Thai food at affordable prices right near the BTS station
This seafood fried rice was quite yum. Cost ฿90 (₹207/$2.4/€2.2)
Just a stone’s throw away from Phrom Phong BTS station is EmQuartier, a new mall housing ZARA, Uniqlo, H&M, Sephora, and other major brands
I’m stunned to see how many malls still keep coming up in Bangkok! The Sukhumvit Road stretch must have some 10 malls by now.
And across the road is Benchasiri Park, a nice green space to go jogging or just sit on grass for a while
I decided to explore the area a bit more as this was my first time in this part of Bangkok.
