Bangkok is beginning to feel like a second home to me. Lisa, on the other hand, was a bit nervous about visiting. Assuring her that the political unrest had long since subsided, I tried to appease the situation by talking about Bangkok’s modernity. I brought up the speedy, air-conditioned SkyTrain, clean & efficient taxis and all the beautiful spots to stay in the downtown area. Though she was clearly still anxious, she took my word for it and started to get excited for the trip (at least I’d like to think she did). Thanks to our combined collection of Hilton Hotel points, we booked our stay at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, located right on the Chao Phraya riverside. The only down side to this gorgeous five-star stay is the fact that it’s not close to any convenient SkyTrain stop. This being so, I knew we’d have to taxi from the airport.
After we landed, got a pair of the cheap prepaid sim cards at Suvarnabhumi Airport, I reassured her that the taxi ride would be smooth, stress free, and around an hour long (taking some traffic into consideration). Well I guess all my talk about Bangkok’s modernity and efficiency totally backfired, because the ride in was a nightmare. My comfortable “hour taxi ride” turned into a gridlocked, stop-and-go, 2-hour taxi ride from hell. By the end of it we didn’t have to say anything; you could read the anguish on both our faces. From that point on, it was going to be all trains, boats or tuk-tuks.
With the both of us working remotely, we were able to enjoy the stunning Hilton scenery and amenities for a few days. Finally when the weekend came, we were ready to do some exploring.
The Chao Phraya River Express
As the Hilton is located right along the Chao Phraya River, they have a hotel shuttle boat that goes back and forth to the central Sathorn Pier. From this pier, we were able to catch the famed Bangkok water taxis to most our destinations. As you walk down to the pier, there are two separate boats you can take. The first is the “local” ferry, with tickets running around 15 baht (50 cents) per way (generally the more packed and less comfortable option)… Or the “Tourist Boat”, which charges over double the price (40 baht to be exact), but includes more space, and even a tour guide explaining all the passing sights. Trying to avert another taxi experience, I opted for the latter. We boated up the river a few stops and stopped off to explore the first batch of Thai temples.
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| A View of Wat Arun from the Water Taxi |
A Searing Tour of Wat Arun
As we stepped off the water taxi, we encountered our first real obstacle for the day: the heat. July in Bangkok is scorching hot. There’s no way around it. Covered in sunscreen and jumping for the shade, we finally made it to Wat Arun… which is where we encountered obstacle number two: the dress code. Despite 100+ degree temperatures and thick, jungle humidity, women were not allowed to wear shorts, short dresses or tank tops into the complex. Respecting the local customs, we “rented” a sarong for Lisa to wear, and made our way into the ancient grounds. Filled with grand stupas and colorful Buddhist icons, we battled the heat and explored the amazing 17th century “Temple of Dawn” on foot. At this particular complex, visitors are still allowed to climb the actual steps of the stupas, which is quite cool, but also where we met obstacle number three (don’t things come in threes?) :-) Lisa isn’t the worlds biggest fan of heights.
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| Lisa braving the climb in her rented purple sarong |
If you’ve ever visited any ancient temples in Southeast Asia, you know that they aren’t updated to modern safety regulations. The steps leading up to the top of the stupa were probably half the size of a normal, safe step, they were built ridiculously close together, practically vertical all the way up… and many of them don’t have handrails. I am sure many a tourist has taken a tumble on these stairs.
As we climbed the treacherous stairs and Lisa attempted to ignore the ever-increasing height, we finally reached the top with its stunning panoramic views. After a few photos, we commenced the descent, which was actually harder than the climb up. Lisa was fantastic about it all, though, and with help of a couple of European backpackers, we made it down without a single tumble! As you can see, we were beaming with delight.
As we climbed the treacherous stairs and Lisa attempted to ignore the ever-increasing height, we finally reached the top with its stunning panoramic views. After a few photos, we commenced the descent, which was actually harder than the climb up. Lisa was fantastic about it all, though, and with help of a couple of European backpackers, we made it down without a single tumble! As you can see, we were beaming with delight.
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| Made it up and down without a single tumble! |
After leaving Wat Arun, we headed back to the boat pier. We crossed the river and made our way to Wat Pho, home to the giant 43-meter reclining Buddha, which was absolutely breathtaking. The entire complex was beautifully built around this gigantic Buddha, with halls, shrines and stupas completely surrounding it. After gawking at this wonder, we made way to our final destination: The Grand Palace.
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| Wat Pho's Giant Reclining Buddha |
Tuk Tuk, Touts and the Grand Palace Scam Artists
As we made our way from Wat Pho to the Grand Palace, we quickly realized we were on the opposite side of where we wanted to be. The giant complex has one main entrance, and we were at least a quarter mile away from that. As the sun literally burned us and we were struggling with how thick the humidity felt, we were approached by a Thai local.
<Quick flip of an official tourist/Grand Palace volunteer badge>
Volunteer: “I’m sorry, the Grand Palace is closed today”
Us: “REALLY?!”
Volunteer: “Yes, there’s an assembly of 1,000 Buddhist monks coming in town this afternoon, and the whole complex is strictly open for devout Buddhists only. No foreigners or tourists allowed.”
Well that stinks, we thought to ourselves! What now?? But before I could even get my next thought out, the “volunteer” continued on…
“However, these three sites are open to visitors today (pointing to an official map)… I can help you hire a tuk tuk to bring you around to them, yes?”
I politely declined his "help" and we kept on walking. Even if we couldn’t go in, we’d at least get to see the entrance and maybe get a couple of pictures if the gate was open.
A second time before reaching the main entrance, we were approached by more “volunteer Grand Palace workers”. We also noticed a handful of other hot, sweat-ridden tourists getting approached by these “helpers”, some of which opted for the tuk tuk ride. As we crept closer to the “closed” palace entrance, we started hearing a loudspeaker blaring in English (as if it was talking directly to us): “The Grand Palace is open everyday from 8:30 to 4:30. Beware if you are approached by hawkers in front of the palace saying the palace is closed.”
We just sort of looked at each other and laughed. We wondered how many poor, overheating tourists those scammers have duped into overpriced, high-commissioned tuk tuk rides.
As we turned into the Grand Palace entrance, we were greeted by the greatest sign of all:
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| It really is open EVERY day!! |
Wandering through the Grand Palace, we were overcome by its sheer beauty. It is by far the most ornate, impressive palace complex in Bangkok (and probably in all of Thailand!)… There was even a full replica of the Angkor Wat temple inside the Palace walls! Really cool.
One of the most amazing aspects of the Palace though is Wat Phra Kaew (AKA, the Emerald Buddha Temple). Tucked safely inside this golden temple is one of the world’s few emerald Buddha statues, sitting well protected and far from even a camera’s reach- though I tried my best with my 200mm lens ;-)
One of the most amazing aspects of the Palace though is Wat Phra Kaew (AKA, the Emerald Buddha Temple). Tucked safely inside this golden temple is one of the world’s few emerald Buddha statues, sitting well protected and far from even a camera’s reach- though I tried my best with my 200mm lens ;-)
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| My photo of the elusive emerald Buddha! |
Ayutthaya Round Two
The following day, after talking Ayutthaya up to Lisa so much, we hopped the same mini bus I rode before and headed for the ancient kingdom. She was excited to see all the cool sites I had mentioned, and I had a few new spots I wanted to see as well.
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| Pimped Out Tuk Tuks Round Two |
As we arrived at the street corner where the minibuses drop-off, we were picked up (yet again) in a pimped-out tuk tuk: colors, speakers, fake chrome and all. We hit all the same spots I visited a few weeks ago, but this time headed to Wat Yai Chaimongkhol as well.
Home to another giant reclining Buddha, this Wat, like so many others in the kingdom, was surrounded by dozens of seated Buddha statues. However, there was one big difference that I was happy to see: these Buddhas were not beheaded like the others I saw on the previous trip! It was great to see a beautiful, historic Thai Wat in the form that it was meant to be seen- unspoiled, undefiled and in perfect (yet weathered) condition. We wrapped up our Ayutthaya and Bangkok trip on this positive note, and happily headed back home to Singapore this "second mini-honeymoon".
Home to another giant reclining Buddha, this Wat, like so many others in the kingdom, was surrounded by dozens of seated Buddha statues. However, there was one big difference that I was happy to see: these Buddhas were not beheaded like the others I saw on the previous trip! It was great to see a beautiful, historic Thai Wat in the form that it was meant to be seen- unspoiled, undefiled and in perfect (yet weathered) condition. We wrapped up our Ayutthaya and Bangkok trip on this positive note, and happily headed back home to Singapore this "second mini-honeymoon".
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| A Buddha statue with a replacement head |
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| Buddha statues with their heads; the way every wat should look! |
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Lisa and I at the Grand Palace
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