Holiday (Day 2) — Temples, Khao San Road & Free Muay Thai Fights!!
Still reeling from the prior day’s adventures, I decided to see if I could push the boundaries even more. I rode the BTS/MRT to Hua Lamphong station and hopped on a Tuk Tuk to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). I walked through the temple absorbing the history and overwhelming presence of the reclining buddha. After a couple of hours, I took another Tuk Tuk ride to Wat Urun (Temple of Dawn) and reacquainted myself with the Temple of the Dawn. There is something about taking in these temples a second time. I found myself slowing down while feeling confident in the present moment to reexamine each nook and cranny. Additionally, I located a larger temple complex that I had missed the first time and was part of Wat Urun. What happened was I exited the gate leading towards the canal (south) and then walked east looking for a ferry ride. While observing the various sites, I noticed two large statues standing guard in front of what appeared to be another temple that was adjacent to Wat Urun. I didn’t notice many people in the area so I walked through the temple gate and stumbled into a beautiful complex lined with Buddha statues with a large worship area.
Part of Wat Urun 
My energy level seemed to be peaking so I headed to the street and walked east through the neighborhood. I found myself wandering through areas were devoid of tourists and the locals were quite inquisitive about why I was there. The Thai people are very welcoming to foreigners and will make every attempt to bridge the language barrier if you reciprocate respect and a harmonious attitude. Approximately one or two miles into my trek, I found Wat Khua Wan Worawihan. I entered the gates, walked past the large stupas and found the main worship hall. There was a monk outside who gave me a quizzical look and then motioned me to enter. I unknowingly had stumbled into a monk ordination that was a semi-private ceremony attended by the monk’s mother, another relative, and five other monks. I sat cross legged at the back and was privileged to watch the entire process. To be honest, I had to endure some odd looks from the monks and snickering but the mother expressed gratitude to me that I was there watching her son so it made the whole experience worth it.
Once the ceremony was done, I found another temple along the canal near the Tha Chang ferry crossing.
I took the orange ferry boat across the canal for 3.50Baht (that is not a typo!) and continued my journey towards Khao San Road.
In my younger days, Khao San Road would have been the first destination point. I had heard through various teachers that it was a young persons hangout, a place for backpackers to find cheap hostels, and maybe not an area I would want to visit. I would definitively say that I would’ve missed a great opportunity had I not checked out it for myself. Khao San Road was a short road filled with exotic sights, food stalls, restaurants, aggressive suit salesmen, and tattoo artists standing outside their stores trying to convince me to get one more tattoo!
Khao San Road 
One suggestion I would make is if you are feeling energetic, walk to the next street over from Khao San Road and you will find a tree lined alley/street that is teeming with restaurants that cater to the traveler who is seeking to relax on lounge chairs and couches.
At this point, I thought I would be done for the day. The heat and humidity was pounding my physical body but inside I was overflowing with excitement and boundless energy. I went with how I was feeling inside, bought a bunch of water at 7-11, and continued exploring.
I hit one more temple complex called Wat Bowonniwetwiharn Ratchaworawiharn which was absolutely breathtaking. There weren’t a lot of people there giving me the opportunity to meditate in the shrine area.
Earlier, I had wanted to watch the Muay Thai fights that occur every Sunday night at Rajadamnern Stadium but I didn’t want to pay the 1800Baht entrance fee. A higher power was looking out for me and decided to intercede on my behalf. While walking through the surrounding neighborhood, I noticed people funneling into an alleyway aptly named Muay Thai Alleyway. It’s close enough to walk to from Khao San Road and I included a snap shot of the location if you are ever in the area.
Or you can Google “Super 8” televised fights that happen every Sunday at 6:30PM. It is FREE entry (Score!!!!) and fortunately, I arrived at 5:45PM so I had no problem finding a seat. Those that arrived any later, either had to stand near the entrance or wait for a seat to open. There was a mix of foreigners and local Thai’s and the fight lineup included eight fights.
