Tag: Bangkok

After some hygiene fix (and without breakfast), we immediately boarded a Khlong boat at the Hua Chang station to see the first stop of our Day 3 Tour in Thailand, the Golden Mount (Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan or simply Wat Saket). Some Quick Facts and History Seating on an artificial man-made hill, the Golden Mount is one of Bangkok’s most popular landmark and sacred pilgrimage site. It features lush greeneries and overgrown trees on its foot and a 58-metre golden chedi that houses a Buddha relic on the summit. The temple was built during the Ayutthaya period as ... Read more

If you are going to the Golden Mount (Wat Saket), the Democracy Monument, the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, the Giant Swing (Sao Chingcha), and Wat Suthat, you can take the Golden Mount line of Khlong Boats of Saeh Seap canal. The Khlong boats operates daily from 05:30AM to 08:30PM (until 07:00PM only on weekends). A bridge near Hua Chang Pier 1.) The Hua Chang Station of the Khlong boats is just walking-distance away from the Ratchathewi, Siam Sqaure, or National Stadium stations of the Skytrain (BTS). If you walk from these stations, take the stairway going down to the lower portion ... Read more

We’d been awake the longest during our day 1 but we accomplished a lot on our day 2. We’d able to visit the major attractions of the two great cities; Bangkok and Ayutthaya, rode a 4-hour back-and-forth train, and made a late-night walkathon to check the newly-added attractions on our list – yes, we made some last minute revisions. [one_half] Lost in the Grand Palace (Photo by Roderick) [/one_half] [one_half_last] Wat Sukhothai Traimit (Golden Buddha Temple) [/one_half_last] Day 2 Stops (Top-left: Chao Phraya River; Top-right: THe Grand Palace; Bottom-right: Wat Phra Si Sanphet of Ayutthaya; Bottom-left: The Reclining Buddha of ... Read more

We never expected that our confoundment still had a part 2. The Grand Palace was already the perfect stunner but the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (commonly Wat Pho or officially Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan) still marveled us. Though not equally overwhelming and dazzling, the temple offered some great three-dimensional artwork and excellent masterpieces. The Reclining Buddha The most visited attraction within the Wat Pho compound is the Reclining Buddha (Phra Phuttha Saiyat or Phra Non). It depicts Buddha’s parinirvana which means the death of an enlightened being. The 46 meters long by 15 meters high Buddha image’s core ... Read more

After our sightseeing along the Chao Phraya River and a simple local breakfast at Tha Chang Port, we headed to the Grand Palace. Well, the reason why we took the boat was to reach the Grand Palace, and since cruising Chao Phraya River with locals is an awesome activity as well, I piled it to my list of activities completed. Important Reminders The Grand Palace opens daily at 8:30AM so be sure to be there before the mob rushes, because if that happens, you’ll find a hard time looking for an empty space for your photo ops. The palace closes ... Read more

The Erawan Shrine (ศาลพระพรหม or San Phra Phrom) seats at the intersection of Ratchaprasong and Ratchadamri Roads in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok. Unlike any other Thai temples in city, the image, which is a Thai depiction of the Hindu god of creation, isn’t sheltered with a big mondop. The shrine was built in 1956 by Erawan Hotel to counter the negative karma caused by laying the hotel’s foundations on a wrong date. The shrine was once a subject of great controversy when a man was killed by bystanders last March 21, 2006 after hammering the statue. The Erawan Shrine (ศาลพระพรหม or ... Read more

Our first stop for the day 2 of our Indochina tour was the Grand Palace. To reach the place, we boarded BTS at National Stadium station and got off at Saphan Taksin station. Sathorn Pier was just few steps away from the west exit of Saphan Taksin. We hopped on a boat, and then it turned into an instant cruise in Chao Phraya River. The fare was cheap at TH฿15/pax. We took the boat with the orange flag which we pre-determined to make a stop in Tha Chang Pier (N9), the closest pier to the Grand Palace entrance. (Boats with blue ... Read more

Before the walkathon in Bangkok, let us talk about our amazing race in the Philippines first. I did not go on leave a day prior to our trip. I took a mid-shift work schedule wherein I came to the office at 03:00PM and left at 12:00AM. I had all my stuff ready to make sure that by the time the last second ticks to midnight, I am ready to go and catch our 08:00AM flight. Our airport of departure was in Clark, and, as per my research days prior, we can take Victory Liner to Baguio or Five Star Bus Co. ... Read more

We stayed in Lub d Bangkok Siam Square on the first leg of our Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam tour. We spent three nights in the cozy hostel and the experience was totally great for us. Well, not mentioning the strategic location and a lot of freebies for guests, we shared memories with other travelers, and, of course, gained new friends. Lub d has two branches in Bangkok: one is located in Silom, a place for an excellent night out; and the other is in Siam Square, a shopping haven. For us, we chose to stay in the Siam Square branch. Its not that we ... Read more