November 6 is my birthday and last day of our Bangkok trip before we fly back to Singapore at night. Before anything else, remember to always check your plane ticket schedule if you don't want to screw things up. Coz what happened was i thought our flight was 2 hours earlier than actual departure time... Just imagine if I thought it was 2 hrs later???
So what happened was we checked out at Aravinda Home Living with our luggage by 9AM to go to MBK Centre. Why MBK Centre? It is because they have baggage drop counter at 6th floor Zone B! To get here, we took BTS from Ekkamai to National Stadium station, and walked to MBK Center.
MBK Center
actually stands for "Mah Boon Krong". This shopping mall is actually
popular to tourist, hence prices are steep, but you can always attempt
to use your bargaining skills. :) You may buy souvenirs, clothes,
gadget, or simply dine in here.
As for us, we dined at Sizzler for lunch. Sizzler invented this ‘casual dining’ concept where diners can choose their own Soup, Salad, Pasta, Fresh Fruit and Dessert Bar unlimited for every main course ordered. We ordered only 1 pork chicken combo and shared between the both of us :)
Then we had sundae for desserts at Swensens :)
If I have verified flight schedule, we could have spent our time to checked other malls nearby - Siam Paragon and perhaps had dinner and watch Muay Thai at MBK... *wasted*. FYI, there is free Muay Thai Show at MBK every wednesday nights from 6 - 9pm.
Anyways, so by 3 PM, we took BTS from National Stadium to Phaya Thai. Then we walked to Airport link Phaya Thai to go to airport. We looked for the check-in information as soon as we reached there and learned that flight is scheduled at 9 PM... @_@ Luckily, my partner has iPad and we just watched TV series while waiting for the check-in counter to open...
This ends our Bangkok Trip... Thanks for reading and till the next travel destination :)
Breakdown for Day 4:
- no title specified
Day
Time
Directions
Details
Cost (BKK)
Day 4: Wed (Nov 6)
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Checkout Aravinda Home Living to BTS National Stadium
Hello again readers! After 2 days of exploring modern Bangkok, it's now time to see the ancient city of Ayutthaya. There are actually alot of ways to travel to Ayutthaya, by bus, train, taxi, boat and minivan. We chose to go there via minivan. To know more about getting to Ayutthaya, please visit this site, and to know about various ways on exploring Ayutthaya, please visit this site.
Going there by minivan is easy, from our place we rode BTS from Ekkamai Station to Victory Monument Station. We arrived at the station around 8 AM. After tapping out, just turn right towards Exit 4 and go down to go to the minivan terminal. Minivan costs 60 Baht per person and travel time is approximately 2 hours depending on the traffic condition. Some passengers may opt to alight along the way.
We (my partner and 2 other caucasians) don't know where exactly we were dropped off by our van driver. But upon arriving, a guy (with his red tuktuk) immediately offered to take us around the major attractions in Ayutthaya. He was showing us photos of temples and showing his notebook with package quotations in japanese <he thought we are japanese...haha>... Seems we really look like tourists afterall!!! He was initially charging 2000 baht, but after some negotiations, we agreed to pay him 1000 Baht for 1 day tour.
First a brief history Ayutthaya. Its name originated from the Hindu "Ayodhya", city of the Hindu god Rama in the Ramayana. It was the ancient capital of the southern Kingdom of Siam from 1350 until 1767. Founded by King Rama Tibodi I. Ayutthaya absorbed Sukhothai, the older Thai kingdom, and destroyed much of the Cambodian Khmer kingdom. During the time of its greatness, it was known as one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world. In 1767, however, a final Burmese invasion destroyed the city and carried off most of its treasures and population to Burma. The city was left destroyed but the remains of the temples and palaces, which are now covered in plants and dirt are restored and still looks breathtaking.
Our Ayutthaya journey began with a visit to Wat Yai Chaimongkon. Also known as "Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory", it was built in the 1357 in the reign of King U-Thong, the first ruler of Ayutthaya. A large chedi was built in 1592 to celebrate King Naresuan's single-handed defeat of the then Burmese crown prince in a duel on elephants. We went up to see spectacular view of the surrounding area. Make sure you don't miss the Reclining Buddha, sadly in our case we weren't able to find it. We toured the place for 30 minutes and then went on to our next destination.
Our next stop is the Ayutthaya Floating Market. On the way we passed by Elephant Village. Here you can take a trip around the area on top of the elephant for 1500 Baht per person. The main attraction in this area is the floating market which is situated in a large pond with land mass in the middle. Here we see shops selling clothes, thai delicacies, and different souvenir items. It also has massage parlours if you want to have a Thai massage. It's now 11:30 AM, time to find something to eat. Good thing this place also have lots of food stalls to choose from. We decided to try Thai food this time.
After our delicious lunch, we have recovered our energy to explore more temples. Just a close distance from the floating market is another temple, Wat Mahathat. This temple complex is mainly in ruins and there are many impressive sites nearby that aren’t so damaged. The main attraction here is the Buddha’s head that has a tree growing around it. We walked around the area and explored the ruins which are still magnificent to look at. The place is so big infact most of our pictures are from this place.
Our tour guide next brought us to Wihan Phra Mongkol Bophit. This place is famous for its massive seated Buddha. Entrance is free, and you need to leave your shoes outside.
Nearby is Wat Phra Si Sanphet, which according to travel guides is the main attraction of Ayutthaya with its three stupas most often featured in postcards. However, we decided to skip this place since we have reach our limit of temple ruins for the day.
Our last stop for the trip is Wat Lokkayasutharam which features a 42 meter long Reclining Buddha. The statue is outdoor and there is no entrance fee.
Just nearby is another temple, Wat Thammikarat. We saw Buddhist monks around the temple area praying. It has a chedi which is encircled by a large number of lion figures (singh). And there are also rooster statues..
We then ask our tour guide to take us to the train station. Upon reaching we paid him the fee and thanked him for his services.
Train going back to Bangkok is relatively cheaper at 20 Baht per person. Train departure time is 3:00 PM so we waited awhile for the train to arrive. As soon as we saw the train coming we quickly went to the platform to be able to get good seats on the train. Journey was longer compared to mini van, around 2 hour and 45 minutes to be exact. It's because on some stations the train stops for 10-20 minutes. The last stop is Hua Lamphong railyway station.
We then took MRT going home but we made a short stop at Terminal 21 shopping mall since it is nearby Sukhumvit MRT station. Terminal 21 brings the dream of traveling the world to downtown Bangkok,
with its cutting-edge concept that places several world-famous cities
under one roof. Find yourself wandering around Rome (Ground floor), Carribean (LG floor), maze of shops in Tokyo
City (1st floor), sauntering down London’s Carnaby Street (2nd floor), bagging a bargain in an
Istanbul (3rd floor), and San Francisco (4th and 5th floor). They also have food court on 5th floor called Pier21. It is perhaps the best food court in town in terms of price, taste and variety. We ordered prawn fried rice, fried oyster, spaghetti shrimp sauce and coke, all for only 150 baht. For more info visit this site.
Welcome back! Today we continue with our Bangkok adventure. Our first stop for today is Chao Phraya River tour. From our place, the most convenient way to start with the tour is by going to Saphan Taksin BTS station. There you will find the first stop of the Chao Phraya tourist boat. The tourist boat cost 150 baht per person and it is ride all you can for one day. You can find more information from their website: Chao Praya River Express.
We boarded the tourist boat at Sathorn Pier. We then alighted at Tha Tien Pier for our first stop, Wat Arun. To go to Wat Arun, you need to take another 5-min boat ride for 3 baht to cross the river. Also known as Temple of the Dawn, Wat Arun is one of the most famous temple in Bangkok. With its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, it is a must see. It was envisioned by King Taksin in 1768 and is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. We climbed the central prang to see the view from the top. A disclaimer to those not very fit, it can be very hard to climb since the steps are very steep so be careful and climb slowly. The temple is open to the public daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and cost 50 baht for foreigners.
After spending an hour taking pictures, we continued to our next destination. To get to Wat Pho, we had to go back to Tha Tien Pier. From there it's a 5-min walk to Wat Pho. Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is famous for its giant reclining Buddha that measures 46 meters long and covered in gold. It's feet measures 5 meters long and is decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations. All visitors must wear appropriate clothing; this means no exposed shoulders or skin above the knee and shoes are not allowed inside. We also walk around the large temple complex which has alot of other Buddha statues and sculptors. Entrance fee is 100 baht and opens daily 08:00 - 17:00.
Other thing that Bangkok is famous for are its street food. Before continuing with our tour, we saw a lady selling hot noodles on the street. We bought one bowl each since we it's already lunch time. After having our lunch and taking a short break, we walked to our next destination.
A trip to Bangkok won't be complete without going to one of the most beautiful attaction in the city, the Grand Palace. Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace is a large complex made up of several impressive architecture including the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Chakri Maha Prasat hall and many other Royal Reception halls.
Wat Phra Kaew (officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is regarded as one of the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. This temple houses the Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha),a Buddha image in the meditating position in the style of the Lanna school of the north, dating from the 15th century AD. A brief history, the construction of the temple started when King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) moved the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok in 1785. Other attractions surrounding the temple include a model of Angkor Wat, and Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn (The Royal Pantheon).
Tickets sold from 8:30 - 15:30 and cost 500 baht to visit the whole of Grand Palace complex.
Time check, it's now 2 o'clock. Just near the Grand Palace is Maharaj Pier where we took another boat ride to go to our next destination. For the last stop of our Chao Phraya river tour, we alighted at Phra Arthit Pier. In this stop we will visit a famous place for tourist and backpackers, Khaosan Road. From wikipedia, "Khaosan" translates as "milled rice", a reminder that in former times the street was a major Bangkok rice market. It has alot of hotels, backpacker's inn, bar and restaurants. You can also book tours to different places in Bangkok from travel agents stations around the area. Most probably it would get busy on late afternoons...
We are now done with Chao Phraya River tour. Our last agenda for the day is the Siam Niramit cultural show. To go there we must take another boat ride and then a train ride. We went back to Phra Arthit Pier and this time alighted at Si Phraya Pier. From here, we had our first and only Tuk Tuk ride. Before taking a ride, do remember to negotiate first with the driver and bargain for cheaper fare. The driver quoted 80 baht to take us to Hua Lamphong MRT station. From Hua Lamphong MRT, it's 9 stops to Thailand Cultural Center MRT. We asked directions to Siam Niramit and we were informed that a Shuttle bus will be available to take us to the venue. We waited for about 45 minutes and around 5:15 PM, the Shuttle bus arrived.
Upon arrival at Siam Niramit, we were greeted by two huge elephants. People can feed them or they can take an elephant ride around the compound.
We then went on tour of the replica of different villages around Thailand.
After taking pictures and walking around, we proceed to have our buffet dinner which is inclusive of the ticket we purchased. It was a mix of International and Thai cuisine. There were a lot of variety. In the middle of the room stands the salad and desserts station. In the corners are those cooked food.
At around 7 PM, the outdoor pre-show started with several dance numbers. In one of the segment, they asked for volunteers to join them in the dance.
Gates to the Siam Niramit show opened at 7:30 PM. Please note that digital cameras and tablets are not allowed inside, so you have to leave them at collection booth.
Siam Niramit is spectacular show of Thai arts and culture with great special effects. It has a gigantic and stunning stage listed in the Guinness World Records and it features over 100 performers with beautiful designed costumes. One of my favorite scene would be when they created an illusion making the whole stage an ocean floor, and a man dove to harvest a pearl. I don't want to spoil everything, you have to see it for yourself. Show duration is 80 minutes without intermission and starts at 8 PM. After the show we proceed to get back our cameras and waited for the shuttle bus to take us back to Thailand Cultural Center MRT Station. From there, it's going home time.
Breakdown for Day 2:
- no title specified
Day
Time
Directions
Details
Cost (BKK)
Day 2: Mon (Nov 4)
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Aravinda Living home to Saphan Thaksin BTS Station
Walk to BTS Ekkamai Station, then train to BTS Saphan Thaksin station
45
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Chao Raya River Express to Wat Arun
Chao Raya River Express - 150 baht
Boat to Wat Arun and vv - 3 baht/way
156
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Wat Arun
50
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Wat Pho
100
11:30 AM - 12 NN
Pork Noodle Soup
50
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Chakri Maha Prasat hall
500
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Khao San Road
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Khao San Road to Hua Lamphong MRT Station
Tuktuk - 80 baht
40
4:00 PM - 4:20 PM
Hua Lamphong MRT Station to Thailand Cultural Center MRT
34
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Siam Niramit
Siam Niramit Show + Buffet
1500
9:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Thailand Cultural Center MRT to Aravinda Living Home
Thailand Cultural Center MRT to Sukhumvit MRT - 20 baht
Sukhumvit MRT to Soi Cowboy
BTS Asok Station to BTS Ekkamai Station - 25 baht
Today, we travel back to Nov 3, and revisit Taling Chan Floating Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Jim Thompson’s House, Baiyoke Tower and more.
Taling Chan Floating Market is the nearest floating market and most accessible from Bangkok without joining a tour. However it is not as famous as Damnoen Floating Market where tourists would flock to for wonderful photos. To reach there, you can ride the BTS until the last station 'Wongwian Yai' then ride a taxi for about 30 minutes. Please note that taxi drivers might not know where this is, so please prepare your map or even better if you bring Thai directions on how to go there.
The taxi driver will drop you at Taling Chan District Office, from here it is a short walk to the entrance of the market. You will pass by stalls selling plants and gardening stuff but beyond is the real market with all kinds or sweets, fruits and fun snacks you should really try. Traveling without eating is missing half the pleasure.
Past a small bridge, you can't miss all the wooden boats moored along the riverbank, most of them cooking huge prawns on small barbecues, blue crabs, large fish, and other seafood. Eating by the river is such a fun experience, you should really try it. The food here is cheap!!! We ordered 1 grilled sea bass (180 baht), grilled prawn (200 baht), rice (20 baht), and cockles (40 baht) for brunch. Look at this photo, this whole meal is only 440 baht and we were really full!
After eating and looking around the floating market, we went back to the entrance and raced against other tourists for taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market (ตลาดจตุจักร). Feels like amazing race huh! Chatuchak (Jatujak) Weekend Market opens only on weekends from 7 am to 6pm, it is Bangkok's biggest and most famous market. Below are maps of the market.
You will find everything here, whether clothing, handicraft, Thai style décor and furniture, plants, exotic pets, collectors' items, art, used books, souvenirs and literally anything you can dream up – all at bargained prices.
We tried their famous Mango Sticky Rice and Coconut Ice Cream while shopping. Perfect for a dry and very hot day!!!
From here, we visited the Chatuchak Park before we hopped on to BTS Mo Chit Station to go to BTS National Stadium. When you exit this station, you will see the Prathunam Stadium, this is Thailand’s main arena for soccer and other sporting events. MBK Center is also nearby; it a 8 stories high shopping mall in Bangkok connecting Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon shopping mall by elevated walkways.
With National Stadium on your right, walk along Rama I Rd and turn left into Soi Kasem San 2. Jim Thompson’s house will be on your left at the end of this narrow laneway. It is open from 9am to 5pm daily, guided tour compulsory and no photography in some parts of the house. In the tour group they will roughly introduced you the owner of the house and the different artifacts and design in this house. Jim Thompson, the owner of this house, was born in Delaware, USA in 1906. He had worked as an Architect in New York before coming to Thailand in 1945 as the Bangkok head of the Office of Strategic Services. In 1948, he founded the Thai Silk Company.
After here, we went to MBK Center to buy grocery for breakfast and dinner before we headed home to rest a bit.
After freshening up, we headed to Baiyoke Tower to meet with my dear teacher for catch up. We took BTS Ekkamai to BTS Chit Lom, then walked towards Baiyoke Tower. Baiyoke Tower II is an 85-storey, 304 m (997 ft) skyscraper hotel at 222 Ratchaprarop Road in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok, Thailand. It is the tallest building in the city, and comprises the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia and the fourth-tallest all-hotel structure in the world. We had complementary buffet dinner at 84th floor if not mistaken from my dear teacher. Thanks a lot!!! :) Unfortunately forgot to take photos of food... :(
After dinner we went to the observation deck and took fantastic view of Bangkok’s skyline.
There's more! Check out other floors in the building where you can snap up good photos.
Breakdown for Day 1:
- no title specified
Day
Time
Directions
Details
Cost (BKK)
Day 1: Sun (Nov 3)
7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Aravinda Living home to Taling Chan Floating Market
BTS One day pass - 130 baht
BTS Ekkamai to BTS Wongwian Yai - approx 1 hr
Taxi from BTS Wongwian Yai to Taling Chan Floating Market - approx 30 mins - 115 baht
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