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The tour begin by taking the long tail speedboat along the Chao Phya and its remote canals. As the canals are the primary mode of transportation for the locals and much of city's rural housing sits on the banks, it is here where life can be observed in its purest form. First, we will stop at Wat Arun; the temple of dawn, to have a glimpse of this stunningly ornamented temple. It is a beautiful Prang that is built over the smaller original temple, which marked the founding of the city that has become capital. On close examination the ceramic decorations are formed from broken or discarded Chinese porcelain dining ware that was used as ballast in the trading ships of that period. Next, we will visit the shed where several royal barges are displayed on the small Klong not far from Wat Arun. These barges were used on Royal and government occasions and formerly served war vessels. The most beautiful and well-known barge is "Suphanahong" used by the King only when he made his Royal Barges procession for the Gifts Giving Ceremony a Buddhist tradition of offering robes to monks usually during October or November. The Royal barges proceeded during the Bicentennial celebrations and the anniversary of 50 years the King on the throne. Each barge has an exquisitely unique design. Then we'll journey back into the heart of rural city via narrow channels and under backwater bridges. The locals use the canals to swim, bathe, and wash clothing & dishes - anything you can imagine. Perhaps most interesting are the women who paddle their small boats filled with all the tools for a mobile restaurant, shuttling from one house to another cooking savory dishes in their hull!
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