First Impressions of Bangkok

I awoke at 4am after just two hours of sleep and knew I wanted to see daybreak on my first ever day in Southeast Asia.

After a refreshing shower, and "arming" myself with the address of my hotel, my iPhone and some cash, I headed out onto the street.

I was soon greeted by an overly solicitous young lady who wanted to know how I was doing. Sort of...

After crossing the street, I soon encountered hardworking folks setting up their innumerable variety of wares.

I took this photo of these two ladies who had already cooked and set up this splendid Thai breakfast. And it was barely 5am!

I set out toward my destination, the languid Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok and is just a few blocks from my hotel in Chinatown.

A slight breeze was blowing along the river and it was good to be away from the already bustling streets.

I had the good fortune of sharing a few moments of peace with an elderly monk, who seemed as quietly interested in me as I was in him, as we both watched the giant carp (?) frolicking under the river lights.

I had learned that I might be rewarded in awakening early to see the sight of monks walking the street and collecting food from the faithful - and so I was...




Just prior to sunrise, I found these three dogs enjoying their sleep.

Daybreak soon brought some early rewards including this Ancient Wat.

First impression in summary?

This place is literally teaming with life!