Part of the philosophy of this whole adventurous trip was to sometimes move out of our comfort zone and experience life differently. Everything so far in Bangkok is out of the ordinary for us. Up to this point, the cities we have visited have been very walkable. Bangkok on the other hand is so spread out that we have had to rely upon public transportation (i.e. The sky train - elevated train system -and the river water taxis). Even the weather here is different. Whereas Florence, Rome, and Istanbul tended to be a bit chilly and rainy, Bangkok has been sunny with temperatures in the 90's. Rome was the city of 2000 churches. Istanbul was the city of 2000 mosques. Bangkok appears to be the city of 2000 temples.
In that regard, one of the best known temple landmarks in Bangkok is the Buddist Temple Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). Located on the West Bank of the Chao Phraya River. It derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna (frequently personified as the rays of the rising sun).