Wat Arun

When I have time, i've decided to do post's on some of Bangkok's Tourist sites, Most of the info I've blagged off other websites, all of the photo's are taken my me, so don't nick them without asking first!When visiting some of the sites in Bangkok there are a few things to remember, many of the Temples and any Royal Sites. You must have covered shoulders and legs, and if you wear sandals you not have opened toe's, you will have to wear socks. At most places if you turn up not dressed, you will be able to buy and rent suitable clothing at the entrance.
Thailand is very good in the fact that all sites are free to Thai people, unlike the UK where you have to pay £14 to go round The Tower of London, even though its part of UK history and you pay for its upkeep out of your taxes!
Anyway here's the first attraction:
(Wat Arun) The famous Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the best known landmarks and one of the most published images of Bangkok. It consists of a massive elongated prang (Tower), and is surrounded by four smaller prangs. The prang is described by the Tourism Authority of Thailand as 104m high, no way! More like around 80-85m. It is decorated by bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China; it was built in the reign of King Rama III. The Wat had a brief period as host of the celebrated Emerald Buddha, which now resides in nearby Wat Phra Kaew.
The Wat really looks better from a distance than close up, and you're not missing out too much even if you only view from across the river. At night the Wat is lit up and looks great. The grounds are fairly pleasant and peaceful though, with good murals and a main Buddha image supposedly designed by King Rama II. The mythical guardians here are also quite impressive. It is possible to walk a limited way up the (very steep) stairs of the main prang, which gives a reasonable view of the Chao Phraya river, but the steps are very steep, don’t look down!
There are some restaurants on the opposite side of the river that are good for viewing the whole Wat, though you'd be lucky to see the image of Wat Arun that's on all the postcards - that of the red sky sunset with the sun setting directly behind the temple. Sunset is around 6pm - 7pm all year round in Bangkok.
Wat Arun is a little unusual as it's really the only major tourist attraction on the Thornburi side of the river. It is open every day from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Officially, entrance to the Wat is 20Bht and the ferry crossing is 2Bht. Sometimes if you walk around the Wat grounds, you will be requested for a donation (with a book showing how everyone else gave 100-200Bht), and sometimes the staff at the pier will cite some excuse and charge another 10Bht or so to let you through.
Other attractions fairly easy to reach from here are Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew, the The National Museum, Chinatown the Ko Rattanakosin area, and the Banglamphu district.
Due to its location, by far the best and most common way to get to Wat Arun is on the river. The Tha Tien express boat pier, at the southwest corner of the Grand Palace / Wat Phra Kaew, is opposite Wat Arun and boats leave every few minutes. You can get to Tha Tien on the Chao Phraya River Express boats from any other pier, or take a taxi to it. Buses that go near Tha Tien are ordinary buses 1, 25, 44, 47, 62 and 91 which stop on Maharat road. There are also plenty ofThornburi canal tours that go here.