Posts/June, 2008/

Bangkok: Grand Palace

Friday, June 27th, 2008

1:30am

Yesterday (meaning 1 1/2 hours ago) was a pretty good day.  We started off by switching rooms at the guest house.  We were in a room with a shower and toilet (650 baht/$20), now we are in a room with a shared shower + toilets (400 baht/$12).  I have to say that I miss the other room, but at least we found a wireless network here!  Nik is writing emails right now!!!
After changing rooms, we made our way to the water taxi which took us down river to the stop near the Grand Palace.  We wandered around the area in search for breakfast, and found ourselves on a small side street eating the best Pad Thai ever!!!  The portions were small, but so tasty.  This is the first Pad Thai I have ever had with the dried shrimp, which is the traditional method.  It is going to be so hard to eat American Thai food after this trip!
Next up was the Grand Palace.  The Palace  has a huge white wall completely surrounding the grounds with Stuppa-like gates on each side.  All streets and sidewalks in the area were covered with Thai nik-naks, tourists, tuk-tuks and tour buses.  You have never seen so many tuk-tuks!
Entry to the Palace was 250 baht/person ($7.50), which is pretty steep, but worth it.  Nearly every wall, ceiling and surface was covered with very colorful glass tiles.  And these weren’t large glass tiles, they were very small.  There were also a couple buildings that were covered in gold leaf glass tiles.  We took several sitting breaks to rest and people watch.
Also, the Emerald Buddha is on these grounds as well.  It is located in the largest religious building on site and the most ornate.  To enter the building we removed our shoes and sat along with the other tourists and devotees.  The shrine was breathtaking.  The image (this is what they call the statue) is seated on top of a lavish golden throne that is protected by two golden guards on either side.  Also, every wall is covered with colorful glass mosaics and the ceiling is painted a deep red with golden motifs.  We were also fortunate to witness a religious ceremony being performed in the Hor Phra Monthian Dharma.  The temple itself was closed to devotees only, but several were seated along its perimeter and the proceedings were broadcast on loudspeakers throughout the complex.  We happened to be close enough to hear the congregation respond, which was beautiful.
Beyond the shrines is the actual Royal Palace.  The grounds were meticulous and the buildings were impressive.  They were a funny combination of Romanesque porches, windows and columns with the more detailed roofs that are gilded like the Buddhist temple next door.
As we were leaving, we found heaven on wheels!  Close to the exit, there was a cold drinking water truck!  It was so delicious!!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  We had lunch at a little noodle shop near the university, took the water taxi back to the guest house, drank an iced coffee and took a “nap”.  We fell asleep around 2pm and woke up at midnight…which is why I am writing @ 1:30am!

Tuk-tuks lined up and ready to take advantage of any willing foreigner!!

Tuk-tuks lined up and ready to take advantage of any willing foreigner!!

Changing of the guard.  This is the 3rd time I have witnessed a changing of the guard.  First in Copenhagen, next in London and now in Bangkok.

Changing of the guard. This is the 3rd time I have witnessed a changing of the guard. First in Copenhagen, next in London and now in Bangkok.

Guard at the main entry to the temple

Guard at the main entry to the temple

Golden Chedi

Reliquary on the Upper Terrace

Detail

Reliquary: Detail

Ceiling of the main temple building

Ceiling of the Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha

Detail

Wall Detail of the Chapel Royal

Scaled model of Angkor Wat

Scaled model of Angkor Wat

Wall Detail

Wall Detail

Royal Palace guard

Guard in front of Chakri Maha Prasat Hall

For more information about the Grand Palace, click here.

Nik’s Blog: In Bangkok

First day in Bangkok

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Today was our first full day in Bangkok.  We intentionally avoided making plans so that we could wander around the city.  We woke up pretty early at 8:30 and took to the streets.  It was nice to see various vendors setting up their stalls for the day.  Everyone was peeling and cutting vegetables, washing meet, putting serving sized portions in plastic bags, etc.  Our first stop was breakfast.  Thais don’t really eat breakfast like we do in the US, but their meal is just like all the other meals of the day.  We stopped at a street cart that served a rice-porridge with egg, lemongrass and mystery meat.  The owner was very nice and showed us that we needed to break the egg first then stir so that the meal would cool down.  It was excellent, but I didn’t eat the meat.  Afterward, we continued to wander.  Then we took the water taxi over to Chinatown to wander there.  It is fascinating that this town can support so many shops….Maybe this is why all of the Americal car dealerships are always grouped on a “motor mile”.

After wandering through the mechanic section, we found Golden Mount.  We weren’t looking for it, so it was a nice surprise.  It is a small temple built on the overgrown rubble of a previous temple.  It didn’t excite me too much, but the view from the top was pretty good.  I am surprised by the number of high rises throughout the city.

Next, we headed to Chinatown.  I got turned around a few times while we were there because everything looks so similar.  We went through a larger market and the most fascinating thing was the boys delivering the produce from the loading dock to the stalls.  They were using these huge bamboo basket/wheelbarrows and moving very quickly.  We were in their way several times.  Also at the market we saw several women making flower wreaths that we think are part of a religious celebration.  Hopefully it is and we ‘ll see parts of it later this week or this weekend.

Then it was nap time…8 hours of nap time!!!

[Monks walking around in orange robes]

[Cats and Dogs everywhere]

For dinner we went to a nicer indoor place near the river.  It was good to be in air conditioning for an hour!  Then we walked around looking for fried bananas and found one of hte more touristy streets.  It was the first time we saw more “farangs” than locals.  Next we went to a park near the river to sit for a little bit before heading home for a game of double solitaire and research of what to do next.

Our Cathay Pacific plane that hosted us for 14 hours!!

Our Cathay Pacific plane that hosted us for 14 hours from Los Angeles to Hong Kong!!

We really are here.

We really are here.

Canal near the guest house.

Canal near the guest house.

Delivery boys at the Chinatown market

Delivery boys at the Chinatown market

Inside one of the market buildings.

Inside one of the market buildings.

We made it!

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Nik and I are in Bangkok. The city is hot, dirty and beautiful!! Food is great, and the people are always smiling and laughing. I love the laid back feeling.

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