We took the sleeper train from Chiang Mai arriving in Bangkok in the morning, and had to weave through the offers
for taxis, which were actually tuk-tuks at inflated prices. There were a few
people meeting the train that told us what the actual taxi fare should be, so
we forged ahead to the taxi line and insisted on one with a functioning meter.
The guesthouse was the least expensive we had on this trip and the least
inspiring as well. We
walked around the Khao San Rd area, which was just a touristy street and
meandered around the neighborhood after lunch.
 |
| Lucky Bhudda |
The following day we set out to visit the Royal Palace. We walked along
and a man standing by a scooter started talking to us. We read about it and
knew about it... AND we still got caught up in one of the top Bangkok scams. He
said it was much better to go to the Palace and the amulet market in the
afternoon and that we should go see the Standing Buddha and the Lucky Buddha with a
tuk-tuk (a lady driver just happened to walk over as he was showing us on a map). Supposedly, the government was supplementing tuk-tuks with petrol since it was a
holiday weekend. Duh! But I suppose it is all part of the Bangkok experience,
and I love riding in the tuk-tuks, so I enjoyed the experience more than I
might have otherwise. Hours and hours later, after the two Wats and several
gemstone and silk retailers, we finally were dropped off at our restaurant for a
late lunch. We were on our way again at 4PM, which was pretty late to see more
sights.
We did manage to squeak in a visit to the incredible Wat Pho, directly across from the Palace. It was opened until 6:30PM. It was simply magnificent! This was the most impressive Wat in all of its intricate splendor that we had seen so far. There was amazing mosaic work of tile and mirrors of all color along with the gold, all of which glittered and danced in the late afternoon sun.
The reclining Buddha was huge and quite impressive with mother-of-pearl inlays in the feet.
The following day we set out to visit the Royal Palace again, but this time we were determined not to be deterred! As we neared the Palace, a man called out and came over to tell us that the palace was closed in the morning to foreign tourists and that we should go see the Standing Buddha and the Lucky Buddha then come back in the afternoon. After indicating that we had done this route/scam the previous day, he ushered us to continue to the main entrance of the palace... :)
The Royal Palace is splendid, but the crowds, the cost and heat were as well. Also, many of the buildings were closed as it was a holiday weekend (Queen Sirikit's 82nd birthday) so we felt a little let down by the experience. The "Emerald Buddha", which is actually made of jade, was smaller-than-life and you couldn't get a good view of it perched high on its gilded platform.
The administrative buildings were also opulent and with topiary trees out front had somewhat of a Disney look.
One of the most impressive parts of the wat at the palace was the intricate and plentiful murals which decorated the walls... they were simply beautiful, portraying images of the gods as well as stories of war, love and life.
We left the palace, grabbed a bite of lunch then concluded our Bangkok stay with a little water-taxi ride... a mere $2 total round trip.
We had a wonderful trip and experience, but were now ready to head back home to our own boat and bed!
