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After an exciting tuktuk ride through Bangkok's old town, we arrived at the Golden Mount, also known as Wat Saket, wet but amused. This is located in the eastern part of the historic center. And if you're wondering why wet? Quite simply, we were in Bangkok for Songkran, the New Year celebrations. The tradition here is to douse yourself with water for symbolic cleansing. On the streets of Bangkok, however, this ritual ablution resembles real water fights, where everyone parades through the streets with water pistols or pick-ups with water canisters and 10 children on the back give pedestrians no chance. The exuberant festivities are a lot of fun and the locals don't shy away from dousing tourists with water.
At the entrance, which is open from 07:30 - 19:00, we picked up two tickets for 50 baht (~ €1.50) each. You then have to climb 318 steps to reach the top. But it was half as bad, the steps lead flat around the mountain and we could see the city from different angles. The path is also decorated with bells, exotic plants and mystical statues and, even if some sections are a little kitschy, you feel like you're in a small jungle in the middle of the city.
Once at the top, 79 meters above the city, we had a wonderful view of the surrounding temples, distant skyscrapers, but also of the corrugated iron shacks of the surrounding apartment blocks. There is also a golden chedi at the top of the man-made mountain, which houses relics of Buddha. Its history goes way back to the time when Ayutthaya was still the capital of the Siamese kingdom. The temple was located outside the city walls. In the 18th century, the site was used as a cremation site and later as a dumping ground for around 60,000 plague victims, which is why it was largely avoided for a long time. It was only when King Chulalongkorn came to power that the Golden Mount was freed from its reputation and transformed into this green oasis surrounded by gray houses.
We enjoyed the panorama, the skyline, the last views of the city that had enchanted us and slowly made our way to a new region. The ruins of Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, were already waiting for us!
