I'm a typical man - when I get lost I don't ask for help, I just wander around pretending like I always meant to take the scenic route. What started out as an attempt to see Wat Arun turned into a 5-mile stubborn-man walk in 95 degree heat that ended up in Chinatown. You can tell you're in Chinatown because everything starts to look different. The buildings are older, the sidewalks are more crowded and the signs have both kanji as well as Thai script.
What is it about the Chinese and crowding? No matter what Chinatown you're in: New York, Singapore, Bangkok - you're bound to feel crowded, with little space to walk. The vendors push their wares from doorfront to curb, forcing you to sidestep, duck and spin so as not to knock anything over.
Chinese New Year's decorations were up, as you would expect.
I caught a glimpse of a beautifully ornate temple at the end of a narrow street.
An unknown Wat stood above the fray of a busy Chinatown street.
At lower left, I got off the last stop of the skytrain and headed north towards the Chao Phraya river. You can see the words Wat Arun at the upper left, which I never got to. There was another Wat near the river that I visited, thinking it was Wat Arun. I then crossed over the river and got completely lost, wandering around Chinatown. Middle right, near the river, I was staring at my map and an old Thai gentleman came to my rescue. "Are you lost?" he asked. I hated to admit it, but yes, sir, can you point me to the nearest subway stop. He pointed in a direction I didn't think was possible. It made no sense, but I took his advice and was soon out of the hot sun and thankfully sitting in an icy subway seat on my way back to the hotel.
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