Today’s the hot and sticky day of sightseeing I had planned with Jo. Hopefully it will be just half day.
Our hotel included a good set breakfast. That placed us in good stead for the explorations ahead. The easiest way to the Royal Palace & Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) area was by the Chao Phraya River Express, a boat system which operates like the bus/metro system in many cities. We needed some help to get to the pier but once that was sorted, the remaining directions were pretty clear.
Riverboats are an integral part of public transport in Bangkok and work in the same way as metros, having a set route with set stops.
It was a short but still hot walk from where we disembarked to Wat Phra Kaew. The crowds were pretty bad. Bangkok was very over-touristed by westerners and people from neighbouring countries and with Mainland Chinese added to the mix, it is bursting at the seams.
Jo and I weren’t adequately covered in the legs to enter the temple/palace area. The option of renting wraps was no longer available but instead we had to buy a wrap (THB100) or pants (THB200). The pants turned out quite comfy.
The temple entrance is now very pricey but still very worthwhile third time around (well-spaced with many years in between). Jo was quite stunned by the gold and the intricacy of the mosaic on the walls. We wandered around the various parts until we found the actual Emerald Buddha (which was supposed to be closed today according to the sign at the entrance).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
Detail at the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
Detail at the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
Detail at the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
Statue of guard at the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
At the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
We finished at Wat Phra Kaew and exited to the Royal Palace area before exiting to the road. While Wat Pho (the Reclining Buddha) was only next door on a map, it was a hot walk along the length of the Royal Palace walls before we got there. Again, it was an impressive sight even on my third visit.
Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is 46 m long.
Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is 46 m long.
Around Wat Pho.
Around Wat Pho.
Ordination Hall at Wat Pho.
Wat Arun as viewed from the river.
We took the boat back to the Khao San area, grabbed lunch before resting for a few hours. We treated ourselves to yet another massage after.
For tonight, I thought I could take Jo shopping for the grandchildren at Patpong Night Market. We reached there by boat, with a connection to the BTS monorail. We had dinner at a coffee-house called the Black Canyon (which is like Starbucks) but they did awesome meals. The Northern Style Pork Curry was a new flavour for Jo while the Tom Yum and Kai Lan were good renditions of well-tried favourites.
Out on the streets, Jo soon got the hang of bargaining prices down very well and we ended up with a whole bunch of goodies for the grandkids (headphones, undies, Muay Thai shorts etc). We taxied back to our area but due to one-way flow we had to be dropped at the far end of Khao San.
That necessitated a walk through the backpacker capital of the world. The sight and sound was an experience not seen before, even by a well-seasoned traveller as I more often go to uncharted territories. While I had been to Khao San before, it was only during the day.