Just Go With it: An Unexpected Joyride

Amber and I had it all planned out: wake up bright and early on Sunday morning, catch a taxi to the bus terminal, hop on bus number 73 and arrive at the floating market just in time to beat the tourists who were on a mission to check the floating markets off their to-do lists – or so we thought. When Amber’s alarm went off, she turned to me and said, “If we want to go, best get up NOW.” I interpreted that as I had at least another half an hour of sleep – which ended in both of us rolling back over in our cozy beds and sleeping through the market. As Sara headed out for a family day, Amber and I realized we had to face the city on our own and live up our last couple of days in Bangkok. As I flipped through the guide book, a new plan materialized: the National Museum, of course! We both got ready and sat in the guest house, waiting for the strong rain to let up. We finally grabbed our umbrellas and headed out the door – ready for the adventure that awaited us.

After getting off the Sky Train, we jumped on a boat heading up the Chao Phraya River. We got off at the right pier (with a little help), walked down an alleyway painted with graffiti and were spit out in the middle of the street. “Left or right, we thought?” Our question was quickly answered by a friendly Thai man who probably felt obligated to help the two bewildered farangs who stood before him. “Where are you going, madam?” he asked me. I told him our plan of heading to the National Museum, and he assured us that tomorrow would be much better for visiting it. He then proceeded to write the Thai name of another temple nearby which we could take a tuk-tuk to visit instead. We thanked him for his advice, but headed in our original direction – the National Museum! We were not giving up that easily.
On the way, we were stopped by a tuk-tuk driver who assured us he could bring us to the National Museum, take us to the Golden Mount, and then take us to a shopping district for “two minutes,” to peruse jewelry stalls while he loaded up on free gas – all for 50 baht. We thought this was an odd plan, so declined and kept walking.

Upon entering the museum we realized it was already 3:30 and it closed at 4:00. We sulked for a bit, then picked ourselves up and headed out, desperate to find any local attraction that would make our long journey seem worthwhile. Before we knew it, we were waved over by another tuk-tuk driver, spouting the same “free gas” plan that we had heard earlier - only this time, he wanted to take us to a tailor shop. It was not until the next day that Sara informed us of the warning on our map:

Beware! Many very convincing touts work Bangkok’s top tourist attractions. Posting as helpful students or friendly “tuk tuk” drivers, they may tell you the temple or shop you are going to is closed, then suggest you visit a ‘respected’ gem shop or tailor for a special ‘one day only’ sale. Don’t be fooled! They get ‘tea money’ just for bringing you there and commission son anything you buy. Then again, you can work this to your advantage: Clever friends got free transport around the city for exchange for ‘browsing’ in a few select shops!

Since our plans had all failed miserably, Amber and I decided to simply go with the flow. We jumped into the tuk-tuk and embraced the mysteriousness of our next move.
Within seconds, Amber and I looked at each other with bulging eyes wondering what we had gotten ourselves into. We realized that we had chosen quite the colorful tuk-tuk driver – his high pitched voice belted over the traffic asking us where we had come from, while giving us energetic salutes which required taking one hand off the wheel and grinning to us in the rear view mirror. This move obviously frightened us, especially as we joined the sea of zooming tuk-tuks and a crash seemed imminent. After learning we were from America, the driver exclaimed: “Ahh..California! Las Vegas! New York!” and laughed maniacally to himself. Amber and I chuckled along – expressing a combination of uneasiness and unexpected thrill. We continued to weave through the streets and entered what appeared to be a massive drag race of Bangkok tuk-tuks. The tuk-tuks roared past one another – and Amber and I tightened our grip on the side railing, hoping not to spill out. We noticed tuk-tuks to our left and right. Their colorful seats blurred in my peripheral vision, reminding me of a carousel that left its passengers dizzy. I turned to Amber and she let out an exhausted breath. "Just go with it," she said - so I did.

After our speed racer experience we finally arrived at Wat Sakhet, also known as the Golden Mount. We said goodbye to our tuk-tuk driver, who waited at the bottom of the wat while we made our way to what we perceived as the entrance to the Golden Mount. To our right, we passed a gigantic golden Buddha and a small shrine in the front which was showered in lotus flowers, burning incense and candles. As we continued up the steep stone walkway, we passed mini waterfalls, elegant elephant statues and droves of people coming down. It didn’t dawn on us that we were walking up the designated exit path until we passed more people and finally a monk whose presence jolted our consciences. We turned around and proceeded in the correction direction.

We climbed the winding stairs and paused periodically to catch a glimpse of the beautiful view over the city. We finally made it up to the very top, took our shoes off and entered the temple. Inside, many people sat in front of shrines, praying and chanting – their peaceful auras contagious. We reached the very top of the wat – and the infamous Golden Mount was revealed. It towered over those walking around it, including one family that walked in a slow, single file line as they prayed. Amber and I walked around the golden structure and peered over the edge of the balcony, breathing in humid air and taking in the visual stimulation of wats and the myriad of buildings which stretched across the city. Satisfied that we had made it to the top, Amber and I headed back down the Golden Mount and found our tuk-tuk driver who was excited about our next stop – the tailor! We hopped in and headed out. We passed a train station and sure enough, ended at a row of shops. “You look for two minutes!” he exclaimed. Amber and I looked at each other with a smile and headed in. The tailor shop was filled with colorful fabrics, clothing and silk ties. I had not intended to purchase anything, but found a green silk tie which reminded me of my dad. I gave in and purchased the tie – later realizing that the tuk-tuk driver was probably ecstatic over his commission. After our fun joyride, we arrived back to the pier and paid our tuk-tuk driver 5 baht each. We proved ourselves to be “clever friends” who darted around the city for practically free.