July 8, 2012
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Bangkok 25 Nov 2011 (E)
It was a very tough flight, doing a 5 days pattern Hong Kong-Bangkok-Karachi-Bangkok-Hong Kong. However, flying with my lovely classmate Don made my life much easier. I was packed with activities in Bangkok either with him or by myself. It was a nice stay.
26th Nov
After operating Bangkok flight more than 10 times, I finally got a Sunday morning in Bangkok and got a chance for Chautuchak weekend market. It was a huge market with tons of items. I was not very impressed with the market as I was always lost inside. Most items in the shops are very similar, not so fun to shop there. However, I still prefer this market than the boring shopping mall.
After walking in Chatuchak, I headed back to hotel and took a nap. The flight from Bangkok to Karachi on that night was really crazy. Passengers fought for overhead locker during boarding. So, they are offloaded.
Not the baggage, I mean the passengers.27 Nov
It was a midnight turnaround from Bangkok to Karachi back to Bangkok. I was terribly tired. Got some sleep at the hotel, then met Don and his friends for dinner. Powat and M are Don’s close Thai friends and they are both very funny to talk to. I learned so much about some specific aspects from them and get to know some Thai culture too. What a pity it cannot be shared here.
Powat
M and Don28 Nov
My adventure day alone again! Got a whole day in Bangkok, so I decided to explore the Grand Palace and the area around it. I have read some information about this old district in the past, so I had my targets and most of them were completed on that day. I had a long walking and sweating day, but I was happy to see some old neighborhood in Bangkok.
One thing quite special is that Bangkok was still in the flood at that time. So, I could see people doing business and hanging out in the park on the water. Of course it was sad to see that and it indicated how hard is the life during natural disaster.
My big surprise from this trip is to find Phra Athit Road and my favorite spot in Bangkok- Phra Sumen Fort. DO NOT MISS IT when you come to Bangkok. It is not a famous fort but definitely a nice one with a little park at the back and nice cafe in the front. Most importantly, I love this fort, it is just beautiful.
My first stop is an old restaurant with 57 years history of its Hainan chicken rice. The owner’s grandfather was a worker from Hainan to Thailand. He then opened this restaurant selling almost exclusively Hainan chicken rice.
I did not think it was amazingly delicious, however I really love the old charm of the restaurant. The very plain and simple design of the restaurant make me feel like eating a home cook meal.Mongkol Chai
314 Samsen Road, Phranakorn, Banglamphu, Bangkok
Opening hours: 7am-1:30pm
After finishing my breakfast, I told the owner that I would like to go to the Grand Palace. He instructed me to take a bus there. So, I had my first bus experience in Bangkok. It was exciting. The only problem was that I did not know how to pay and no one seemed to pay for the bus.
I asked a young girl where to get off and she showed me the way with very clear instructions.
I got off from the bus and slowly walked to Grand Palace. It was very hot, but I got a beautiful sunny sky.
Grand Palace
Opening hours: 10:30am-4:30pm
Dress code: You have to cover your legs and upper arm with your clothing, no sandalsGrand Palace is no doubt a very impressive complex of building in different styles, including Thai, Western, Indian, etc. It was home of Thai King for 150 years. Although the Thai King no longer live here, it is still the symbol of the King’s family. The Grand Palace also included the Wat Phra Kaew, which is one of the most important temple in Thailand.
I joined a free English tour which operated at 10am, 10:30am, 1:30pm and 2:00pm everyday. It gave a great introduction of the history and stories on the wall in the Palace. Highly recommend this tour as a start of the visit.
Can you imagine how many tourists were there?
The wall painting all carries stories of this monkey which protect the Queen.
Wat Phra Kaew
I love this one most
What a fun group
The expensive entrance fee is for maintenance like this, I hope
It is the time to explore the old neighborhood after visiting the Grand Palace. This part of Bangkok has no BTS (their Metro), so it was not developed as fast as other parts. I got to see a lot of interesting stores and local life there.
The flood was still there when I visited, so I saw people like them doing business in the water.
I was following the map and tried to get to Phra Sumen Fort. In the mid-way, I passed a university and even talked to some university students in the campus.
Phra Athit Road and Phra Sumen Fort
Along Phra Athit Road, there are many Prince Palaces and Noblemen Houses. I tried to get in some of these houses or Palaces, but they are all for private use now. UNICEF is set up here too.
I like it this way, no reasonAt the end of Phra Athit Road, it is the Phra Sumen Fort.
Phra Sumen Fort
It was one of 14 forts that was constructed in the reign of King Rama I and 12 of them were demolished. When Bangkok was established as the new capital, forts were built to cover the Chao Phraya River. The defensive rings of canals protected the old city to the east. The fort has two levels of battlements where cannons are deployed and an observation tower. It covers the bend of the Chao Phraya River at the northern end of Rattanakosin Island. The old cannons are still in place.
I really like the old black dirt on the white fort. It told the age and the long history of it.
The grey bird is well hidden here
The Santichaiprakarn Park lies between the old fort and the river. It is a place for the locals to relax.
A large part of the park was covered by the flood water as it was right at the river bank. People were somehow still enjoying it in their own ways.
Interesting how these 2 kids were sitting on the bench like no flood was there.I have heard that there are a lot of nice music pub and bar in front of the fort. I was there too early, so I instead picked a very nice cafe for a coffee and cake.
The Gingerbread House got a perfect view of the fort and it got a nice atmosphere for a lazy afternoon.
The Gingerbread HousePhra Athit Road is just 2 streets away from the most famous street in Bangkok- Khao San Road. So I quickly walked there before taking the ferry back.
The shop was building this to stop the flood water getting in the shop
Khao San Road
Full of hostels, internet cafes, stores, everything you can name basically- A backpacker paradise. Kind of messy and annoying though.Then I walked to the ferry pier of Chaophraya Express Boat to get to the BTS station. I waited for a long time but the sunset was amazingly beautiful.
It was a much better experience to take the boat than the taxi in Bangkok. At least, no traffic jam.
I took the boat to Marine Dept stop and walked to Hua Lamphong Metro station. From there, I took the metro back to my hotel.
A perfect day in Bangkok. Good night!
