The waves lift up highly and as I sit directly behind the captain, I get wet and hide my head behind another passenger. The long speedboat with the orange flag must plow through a turbulent river today. Outside the sights of Bangkok go by and carefully I pull out my phone for a photo. This kind of sightseing tour on the Chao Praya River is always fun.
A whistle gives the captain the signal to stop at the next pier. The boat rocks, the pier rocks and a young guy jumps on land to put the rope around a bollard. “Pier Number Nine, Tha Chang Pier”, he shouts against the roaring engine and the boat gets empty. Here Bangkok visitors will find the most popular attraction in town, the colorful Royal Palace. The boat passes the Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn.
A few minutes later I get off at the central pier and climb into one of the boats of the Peninsula Hotel. The captain in his white suit is kindly waving to me and starts the engine immediately. He lets the speedboat with the orange flag drive by, crosses the Chao Praya and stops directly at the hotel jetty. Eager assistants immediately take care of my luggage and I can check in directly in my room.
The Peninsula has 370 rooms and suites, all with separate living and sleeping area, separate dressing room, a marble bathroom and spectacular views of the city. Through the large windows I look at the bustling life on the river and could go on for hours watching how the little boats meander around the heavily laden barges.
However, the recommendation at check-in was to visit the Asiatique shopping center only a few boat-minutes away. One of the four Peninsula boats brings me back across the river to the central pier, here also starts the shuttle boat to Asiatique.
The old warehouses along the river were polished to a high gloss, the lights of the white ferris wheel are blinking. Restaurants line up at the River Walk, a shop joins on to the next. I stroll through the brightly lit streets and buy a lot of souvenirs for my friends. The offer is of much higher quality than at the backpacker district. I buy small carvings, pictures, T-shirts with brand new designs and a huge tapestry for my living room. Price discussions and negotiating work here as as good as in the Khao San Road.
The next morning I plan to visit the Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. So I sit quite early on the hotel terrace right on the river. While enjoying croissants and fresh fruits long speedboats tubes passing on the river, tugboat pulling heavily laden barges slowly. In between the four Peninsula boats cross the river again and bring guests to the central pier. In the afternoon, it is time to relax from the noise of the big city and so I went over to the three-stage, 60 meter pool area of the Peninsula. 
This text has been translated to the best of my knowledge into English.
Note: This trip was supported by the Hotel Peninsula. The report represents our own opinions.
