Mission for Kimi

The puppet

A few days back I got a request via facebook from one of the drama teachers at my school.  It went like this
"let me know if you can help me pick up a few lightweight shadow puppets for MYP theatre classes. I saw them last time we were there and thought I'd see them somewhere else on our trip and never did"
My only clues on this were that they were around 250 Baht only seen at Wat Arun and I got a picture sent to me.
Many people may have replied no with an expletive added.  But as y'all know when a Southern Belle requests you to do something the only correct response is "Yes Ma'am".
So my Mission was to travel across Bangkok in 35 degrees temperature with humidity approaching 3000% to get some damn puppets!  Oh I would get to visit Wat Arun as well.

Sky Train

Sky Train inside

So yesterday I journeyed to Wat Arun to find the puppets.  The journey was via two Sky Train journeys, a trip on the river and a ferry across the river.  The return was the same.
The Sky Train is an impressive way of travelling across central Bangkok.  The air conditioning is super cool and things always work well.  From the outside it looks perfect.  From the inside it can be a little crowded.




The boat journey was similar.  A pleasant journey up the Chao Phraya river with a breeze blowing to keep you cool sounds great.  Reality slightly different.

Only seat left

River barge

River boats

Hotel boat

The Chao Phraya river goes right through the centre of Bangkok and is a major transportation link.  There are multiple passenger boats, many riverside hotels have their own boats, small freight boats and huge barges being towed down river.  Accidents do happen!  An accident in 1995 was due to one of the floating piers becoming overloaded with people and sinking into the mud.  The amount of boat traffic is huge.

Monks at the temple

Main temple with scaffold

Wat Arun is impressive.  It is one of the major landmarks in Bangkok.  It has at various times been a Buddhist and Hindu temple.  But with Thailand being overwhelmingly Buddhist the temple is seen as one of the major Buddhist temples in Bangkok.  There are always monks present.  At present the temple is being restored, with the porcelain that has been damaged being replaced and the entire temple complex being painted by hand.  This I would imagine will take years.

Painting the temple

A spire

Buddha in Wat Arun

Detail of painting

Hence much of the temple complex was closed and scaffolding surrounded much of the temple including the central spire.  There are a number of souvenir shops where I presumed those puppets would be found.

The temple is very well cared for with immaculate gardens.  

Souvenir shops - Yay!

Maybe a wall hanging

So after going through the temples I went looking for the puppets.  So after going down rows of souvenir shops (oh the excitement!), I could not locate any puppets.
 I even tried to ask someone which brought out the wonderful Thai smile of bemusement.  I found all those expected souvenir things but no puppets.

A buddha?

Some of these maybe

Lunch

The kitchen

So completely defeated I traveled back across the river and sat at a roadside stall for lunch.  Lunch was chicken and galangal in coconut soup with steamed rice.  Cost 90 Baht.  Invoice coming your way, Kimi.

Boat ride back

 The journey in return was the same only with more people as both the river boats and Sky Train are transport for school children who were now out of school for the day!

Few Singha beers have tasted as nice!