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Bangkok, a cooking class, and a view of Wat Arun

Four days in Bangkok. I learned to make pad thai and watched the sun go down over the river.

April 30 to May 3, 2026Bangkok, Thailand3 min read

Bangkok was the longest stop of the trip. The first full day we walked around Pathum Wan, where some of the older buildings mix tiered Thai roofs with European columns. Bangkok taxis come in every colour. This one was on Phaya Thai Road.

White Thai-style buildings with tiered roofs in Pathum Wan, BangkokNaga statues guarding the steps of a white building
A yellow and green Bangkok taxi on Phaya Thai Road

The cooking class

That afternoon we did a cooking class in Silom. Each station had a burner, a wok, and everything already chopped, so the job was mostly heat control and timing. We made pad thai, a soup, and a few other dishes, then ate all of it.

A wok on a gas burner with prepped ingredients at a cooking class stationA plate of pad thai on a patterned tablecloth
A clay bowl of soup at the cooking classJeremy and his travel companion in blue aprons behind the dishes they cooked
The results, and the two cooks.

The river

We spent the rest of the time along the Chao Phraya, around Charoen Krung. The sunset on May 2 was the best one of the whole trip.

Towers along the Chao Phraya river in the afternoon
An orange sun setting over BangkokThe Bangkok skyline at night with lit towers along the river
Sunset at 6:21 PM, and the same view an hour later.

The last night we ate at a riverside restaurant in Tha Tien, right across from Wat Arun. The temple is lit gold at night and reflects off the water.

Wat Arun lit gold at night across the river