So far, most of my sight-seeing has been ad hoc, just wandering around and finding things to keep me entertained. After two weeks of being in the country I figured it was about time I experienced some of Thailand’s rich culture.
Wat Phra Kaew
My accommodation in Si Lom was right beside the metro station so I got up early and took the Blue Line train to Sanam Chai which is just a short stroll away from the entrance of the Grand Palace & Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew).
Sanam Chai Station—even the metro station out there is fancy
Unusual for me but I managed to get to The Grand Palace about ten minutes before it opened. A small crowd was there at this time and when we did get in and paid the 500 Baht I was one of the first in. I took the opportunity to do a TimeWarp video—it looks a bit overcast but it was absolutely roasting and I’m delighted I went early!
After my lap with the GoPro I went back to have a more thorough look around. It’s a stunning place with a lot to see and plenty of photo opportunities. Despite it being mroe commonly known as The Grand Palace, it’s the Temple of the Emerald Buddha that is the more impressive part imo.
I probably should have taken a tour as I don’t have any details or facts about the place and know none of the history… but sure isn’t that’s what Wikipedia is for hey! I also picked up a pamphlet so must check that out at some point.
The Emerald Buddha
As impressive as The Emerald Buddha is, I felt I could relate more to The Bronze Hermit.
The Bronze Hermit
The walls of the temple corridors are covered in art depicting a story (I think, again, I didn’t actually check) which is class.
Big fan of the art style
Wat Pho
Right beside The Grand Palace is another Wat (temple), one of many this neck of the woods it seems. I didn’t know much about this, other than hearing about the ‘Reclining Buddha’ inside, so got a huge surprise when I walked in and saw the size of it! Definitely one of the more impressive things I’ve seen—you can see a vid of me wandering around it on YouTube.
The Reclining Buddha. Shoe size: 19 UK
Museum Siam
The midday heat was taking it’s toll on my Irish body so I opted to do something inside with that sweet, sweet air con. Fortunately for me there’s a museum across the road. This whole area is full to the brim with things to do and see.
Museum Siam is a quality, one of the best I’ve been to (not quite on the level of Sligo, but what is?). I had headphones on and each room told a different story about the history and periods of Thailand and different things like culture and education. For those that weren’t aware, Siam is what Thailand was called up until 1939—happy to have retained some knowledge from the tour.
It’s a very interactive museum and in one of the rooms there is a great display with different blocks rising and falling as the story unfolds. This was something I hadn’t seen before and it was pretty cool.
Interactive display going over the history of Siam (Thailand)
Khaosan Road
Lots of things to see within walking distance of this part of BKK
Walked up the famous (infamous?) Khaosan Road. I thought about staying a night there for the experience but I wasn’t arsed when I got there so headed back to Si Lom, near to my beloved Lumphini Park. Khaosan really caters for the younger backpacker and I didn’t really feel like slumming it to that level.
I may check it out whenever I’m back in Bangkok but I had enough action for today.
Walking towards Khaosan
DavAI SummAIriser
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