In Photos: An afternoon cruise in Bangkok

River cruise in Bangkok, Thailand

I came with no expectations. Mostly because I was in town for just four nights with all my daytime hours consumed by TBEX Asia and the last thing on my mind was a river cruise in Bangkok. But I had a few hours before a dinner reception and connected with my friend Pamela of Savior Faire Abroad who currently lives in Bangkok.

I only had one request… “Take me wherever you recommend”.

Beyond exploring Bangkok together, it was more of an opportunity to catch up with my friend so we explored town at a leisurely pace, swinging by a temple and grabbing some street food at a local market before heading down to Sathorn Pier. The very same Sathorn Pier that had recently made international news.

Because life moves on amidst unsettling news. Bangkok was back to its beehive-levels of activity.

We arrived to a busy pier with people waiting to board local ferries as well as the touristy hop on-hop off ferry down the Chao Phraya River. There are several companies that run dinner cruises down the Chao Phraya River and a quick Google search will turn up dozens of legit companies.

But for just 150 baht (roughly $4), you can ride the tourist ferry roundtrip all day long and hop off at some of Bangkok’s iconic sites such as Wat Arun, Grand Place, Wat Pho, and Chinatown. The ferry departs every 30 minutes.

We opted to just stay on the boat and soak up the gentle afternoon breeze as the ferry cut through thick beds of water lilies, zigzagging across Chao Phraya to drop off passengers here and there. A much needed respite from the maddening yet organized chaos that rules Bangkok’s streets.

We were still on the river as the sun began to set for the day and its golden rays washed all over the city, giving us beautiful light…

View more photos from Bangkok, Thailand, in my image bank.