Our itinerary was completely full for our second day in Bangkok. I wanted to see everything! I’m talking temples, trendy cafes, yummy food – gimme everything! To start our day, we walked to CUM Specialty Coffee. I discovered this place on Instagram (I’m far too neurotypical to deal with TikTok) and knew I had to visit while in town. CUM is located in a really neat community space called The Office Thonglor.
In addition to CUM, there’s Juicies juice bar, Bakies cookies and ice cream, and Popies snack foods. I grabbed a matcha latte and cinnamon roll for breakfast while my friends grabbed smoothies and fresh-pressed juices. Everything was so good that I bought a juice for the road.
Our next stop was Wat Arun or, if you want to get technical, Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan. This temple is a major Bangkok landmark – so much so that there are vendors waiting to dress visitors up in traditional Thai costumes for a quick photoshoot at the temple. We skipped this, choosing instead to visit the temple on our own. One thing to keep in mind when visiting temples in Thailand is the dress code. For Wat Arun, women must cover their shoulders and knees and avoid tight or revealing clothing. The dress code is similar for men, but usually knee-length shorts are acceptable in lieu of pants. Each temple has its own rules, so be sure to do your research before visiting. It’s impossible to put into words how beautiful Wat Arun is, so I’m not going to try 😊 Instead, take a look at the pictures and video below:
Photo Slideshow
Just a quick look of some of the beautiful sights at Wat Arun.
Monk Blessing
Inside one of the halls, there was a monk offering blessings to visitors kneeling before him.
After spending about an hour at Wat Arun, we hopped the ferry to cross the Chao Phraya River to reach our next destination – the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is just that – a grand complex of buildings that, in addition to many other functions, serve as the official residence for the Thai monarchy. In comparison to Wat Arun, it’s more expensive to visit and the dress code is stricter. Honestly, I preferred Wat Arun to the Grand Palace, but could be because my feet were starting to ache, the heat was creeping up and we were getting puckish. While it wasn’t my favorite, I did see some pretty cool stuff.
Next on our list was to visit Song Wat, a trendy neighborhood near Chinatown. While chilling in the shade at the Grand Palace, I found a cool-looking restaurant with a fun name: Hor Fun. It was open for lunch, it was nearby, and it had great reviews – I was sold! This was the cutest little restaurant on a quiet side street – exactly what we needed after spending all day in crowded, sweaty, tourist attractions. We ordered a bunch of food and everything came out quickly and beautiful. I wish I could have a gallon of this cocktail. These noodles were absolutely heaven-sent! I didn’t realize how hangry I had gotten until I started inhaling these perfect morsels.
With our bellies full and attitudes uplifted, we explored a bit of Chinatown, aimlessly walking wherever our hearts led us. Eventually, we stumbled upon a place playing 90s R&B music and knew we had to investigate further. What we found was a chill tea house, offering cold beers, trendy cocktails and the perfect riverside spot to enjoy the sunset. I really wish we had more time to spend in Song Wat, but we were on a tight schedule and had to get back to the hotel. Unlike the Grand Palace, I could easily see myself revisiting Song Wat during my next Bangkok trip.
Did you know that McDonald’s in Thailand sells bone-in fried chicken?! After a long day of sightseeing, we were too drained to go out for dinner, so we decided to try a twist on a familiar brand – McDonald’s fried chicken. It went . . . well . . . you can see how it went!
