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2 Days in Bangkok

  • March 24, 2016
  • By 50 Shades
  • 10 Comments
Grand Palace Bangkok

Grand Palace Bangkok

My recent holidays included a two day stay in Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, a city I have never visited before despite having travelled to Thailand on three prior occasions. I guess I had an image of Bangkok as being a large, overpopulated, chaotic, unsanitary and seedy city, but I was soon proven otherwise.

Views of Grand Palace from River

Views of the Grand Palace from River

Yes it is a large sprawling city with a population of over 8 million people; yes it is chaotic on the streets; yes there are some seedy areas like Patpong and yes the brown-coloured waters of the Chao Phraya River that runs through the city are a bit polluted. However I discovered that this international city gave me a rush of sensory stimulation with its exotic sights, world-class shopping centres, centuries old temples and palaces, the boat-filled congested Chao Phraya River and the state-of-the-art public transport system.

River Boat in Bangkok

River Boat on the Chao Phraya River

I arrived in this bustling city with my group of girlfriends (AKA WINOEs) and we checked into our very central hotel, Novotel Siam Square, in the early evening. As most of us were tired from our long flight we had a quick drink and bite to eat at the hotel and then retired for the night. We decided we would reconvene the following morning to work out a plan for the day.

Novotel Siam Square Pool Area

Novotel Siam Square Pool Area

After a quick visit to the tour desk in the hotel we decided to spend the day sightseeing in the city by catching the Skyrail and then purchasing a day pass on the river ferry which goes up and down the river all day and night. This way you can get off and on the ferry at designated tourist attractions at your leisure which are mainly located along the river or within a close walking distance. We found the Skyrail a wonderful inexpensive and efficient way to get around the bustling city, rather than taking a cab.

Some of the sights we visited were:

The Grand Palace

Grand Palace Bangkok

Grand Palace Bangkok

Probably one of the most visited tourist attractions in Bangkok, The Grand Palace was once the royal residence of the Kings of Siam since the 1700s. It is an amazing sight! The opulent Grand Palace encompasses the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century.

Shots from the Grand Palace

Shots from the Grand Palace

Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the twentieth century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings. Nowadays its impressive interior is used for important ceremonial occasions like coronations. It also contains the antique throne, used before the Western style one presently in use.

More of the Grand Palace

More of the Grand Palace

You will simply be in awe of the Grand Palace with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. You could spend the whole day here exploring every nook and cranny if you wanted to.

Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)

Reclining Buddha Bangkok

Reclining Buddha Bangkok

Located behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha), one of the largest temple complexes in the city and famed for its giant reclining Buddha that measures 46 metres long and is covered in gold leaf.

Wat Pho Temple

Wat Pho Temple

The site also includes four chapels that contain 394 gilded Buddha images, long lines of golden statues from different parts of Thailand sitting in the lotus position. Wat Pho is often considered the leading school of massage in Thailand and is a great place to get a traditional Thai massage.

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

Wat Bangkok

Wat Arun Bangkok

Wat Arun, locally known as Wat Chaeng, is situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is easily one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok, not only because of its riverside location, but also because the design is very different to the other temples you can visit in Bangkok. Wat Arun (or Temple of the Dawn) is partly made up of colourfully decorated spires and stands majestically over the water. It makes for a spectacular photo at sunset or of a night time.

Steep Steps up to top of Wat Arun

Steep Steps up to top of Wat Arun

You can climb the central prang if you so feel inclined, but the steps are very steep, however there is a railing to balance yourself. When you reach the highest point you can see the winding Chao Phraya River and the Grand Palace and Wat Pho opposite. Along the base of this central tower there are sculptures of Chinese soldiers and animals.

Chao Phraya River Cruise

Really a river cruise is a must do in Bangkok as the riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night: water-taxis and heavily laden rice barges chugging upstream, set against a backdrop of glittering temples and luxury hotels. The areas from Wat Arun to Phra Sumeru Fortress are home to some of the oldest settlements in Bangkok, particularly Bangkok Noi and its charming ambience of stilt houses flanking the complex waterways.

Chao Phraya River

Chao Phraya River

Five public boat lines, all operated by the Chao Phraya Express Boat company, ply the same 21km route along the river. Operating between 6am and 7:30pm each is identifiable by the coloured flag hanging off its rear. It is a great way to see a majority of the tourist attractions or just sit back and relax and take in the sights along the bustling riverside.

Dining Cruise Bangkok

Dining Cruise Bangkok

Of an evening you can select from a number of dinner cruises that offer International and Thai cuisine buffet dinners, beverages, onboard entertainment and even dancing whilst you cruise along the river taking in the wondrous sites of Bangkok lit up at night. We chose to take one of these dinner cruises with Chaophraya Cruises, after spending the day going up and down the river, and it was an entirely different experience by night.

Bangkok Markets

Markets around Bangkok offer fascinating shopping experiences. Compared to air-conditioned malls, though, they are hot and sticky mazes with alleys after alleys of shops selling everything from one-off fashion accessories to knock-off kitsches to farm-fresh flowers and agricultural produce.

Bangkok Markets

Bangkok Markets

We chose to visit the Flower Markets which weren’t too far away from the river stop off the ferry. We initially walked through a maze of fresh produce markets which sold a large array of fruits, vegetables, fish and meats.

Bangkok Flower Markets

Bangkok Flower Markets

Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad) is the biggest wholesale and retail fresh flower market in Bangkok. The market has all kinds of popular flowers and flora-related items, including roses, forget me nots, orchids, lilies and more. We purchased a dozen glorious red roses for our wonderful tour desk assistant for as little $10 AUD.

Day two in Bangkok, with the assistance of the hotel’s tour desk assistant, we designed our own day tour out of the city which took us to the following:

Chang Puak Elephant Camp

Although not scheduled on our day trip, a visit to Thailand would never be complete without visiting an elephant camp. We stopped briefly at Chang Puak Elephant Camp in Hat Yai where you can engage in numerous wildlife experiences like elephant trekking, elephant shows, monkey shows, feed the baby elephant, have your photo taken with a number of the animals including a baby white lion, which I was brave enough to do!

Chang Puak Park

Chang Puak Elephant Camp

Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets

The market is over an hour outside Bangkok. You are taken to the pier to hop onto decorated long-tail boats that are waiting to take you to the market. The boat motors down the narrow canals, where there are small wooden houses on stilts fringing the banks and you get a brief glimpse of life on the river. The journey takes around 20 minutes and it’s great to enjoy the peace before the hectic pace of the market.

Floating Markets

Damnoen Saduak Floating Villages

The most famous floating market in Thailand can feel a little commercialised and overcrowded but if you walk further, you will find the food-sellers, who not only look more photogenic, but also have some far tastier goods. Unlike most of the other floating markets, the popularity of Damnoen Saduak attracts many fruit sellers rowing their boats along the narrow canals, and there is plenty of tasty food to try along the docks, from freshly-made mini coconut pancakes to boat noodles in their rich meaty broth.

Floating Markets

Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets

You can hire another small boat with local elderly Thai women at the helm, who are not only physically fit enough to row 4 passengers through the markets, but are as feisty as hell! I wouldn’t dare cross them! They row you around the floating markets stopping at different market stalls who try to push their wares into your face. The colour and vibrancy of these markets are an experience like no other.

Thai Handicraft Factory

Following the frenetic pace of the Floating Markets we were whisked away to amble through the woodcraft and handicraft factory nearby. We were able to watch craftsmen carve intricate detail into large slabs of wood and then browse the large showroom full of handmade wooden furniture, statues, artwork and ornaments.

Thailand Handicraft Factory

Thai Handicraft Factory

River Kwai

Something I have always wanted to do is visit the famous Bridge over the River Kwai which was painstakingly built by POWs captured by the Japanese Army during the Second World War. The River Kwai is located in Kanchanaburi, 130 Kms west of Bangkok and depending on traffic can take 2 to 3 hours by car.

River Kwai Bridge

River Kwai Bridge

You actually get to walk over the infamous railway bridge, or you can even take a short train journey on the Death Railway, learning about the hardship and challenges that faced the POWs during the construction of the railway. After a lovely lunch overlooking the picturesque river we were take to the Death Railway Museum to learn more about the sombre history of the POW’s way of life and then a stroll through the War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi to view tover 7,000 graves of POWs that were sacrificed for the greed of the Japanese campaign to construct a railway from Thailand into Burma.

River Kwai

River Kwai Kanchanaburi

This day was probably the highlight of my visit to Bangkok as it was a time to reflect on the hardships of World War II, the Japanese invasion and the atrocities of war as a POW.

It was back into the mini bus for a well earned “nanna nap” during our 3 hour return trip to Bangkok. Although we were all exhausted after such a big day a couple of us managed a little retail therapy at a couple of shopping centres close to our hotel, which are all open until 10pm at night.

Siam Paragon Shopping Mall

Siam Paragon Shopping Mall

We visited the very upmarket Siam Paragon Shopping Centre, Siam Square and then the market-style shops at MBK Shopping Centre for bargains galore. These malls are where you’ll find the city’s finest fashion stores, global brands, book shops, speciality stores, accessories stands and all kinds of luxury designer lifestyle goods. A shopper’s heaven really!

We all agreed that two days in Bangkok wasn’t near enough to touch the surface. We never had time to explore some of the other great tourist attractions like Erawan, Trimurati and Ganesh shrines; National Museum; Wat Benchama Bophit (Marble Temple); Wimanmek Palace; Chatuchak Weekend Markets; nor the nightlife areas of Patpong or Khao San Road.

There maybe another girl’s holiday to Bangkok in the woodwork!

Linking up with Travel Photo Thursday

 

 

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By 50 Shades, March 24, 2016 Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
  • 10

50 Shades

Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.

10 Comments
  • raehilhorst
    March 24, 2016

    What a fantastic post Kathy, you crammed a lot in such a short stay. So rich in history, a must see for me. I have been to China, Singapore and Hong Kong, I understand the heat x

    • Kathy
      March 24, 2016

      Thanks Rae. We did undertake a lot of activities during our two days in Bangkok. We were so exhausted we had to go to Krabi for 7 days and do absolutely nothing to recover! :)

  • budgettraveltalk
    March 24, 2016

    You managed to see and do so much Kathy. I am much more slothlike!

    • Kathy
      March 24, 2016

      I think we probably tried to cram too much in. I didn’t realise that there would be so much to see and do in this massive city. I could certainly return to see more! :)

  • Rhonda Albom
    March 24, 2016

    I had the same impression of Bangkok that you had before you got there. Great post. Those steps at Wat Arun look incredibly steep. I think they would be difficult even with the rail.

    • Kathy
      March 24, 2016

      I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy Bangkok. It was a wonderful surprise. I have to confess that I never scaled those steep steps at Wat Arun. It was far too hot on that particular day to do so!

  • JustGoPlaces (@justgo_places1)
    March 27, 2016

    Wow! I did many of these things 20 years ago when I was in Thailand. The floating village, Kanchanamburi etc. and it doesn’t have seemed to change. I’d love to go back with my kids one day. And, this time get digital photos :-)

    • Kathy
      March 28, 2016

      Bangkok was full of surprises, with so much to do and see and also some great day trips out of the city. I could definitely return. Thanks for dropping by my blog. :)

  • Ruth
    March 29, 2016

    Followed your adventures thru Instagram! I love Bangkok. I would mind going back and staying for a long period. We did half of what you have posted in here. We couldn’t go to a lot of the markets since there were violence problems when we visited.

    • Kathy
      March 29, 2016

      Instagram is ideal for this. Bangkok was surprisingly better than I initially thought it would be. It really is a sophisticated cosmopolitan city with so much on offer tourist attraction wise. :)

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