Bangkok Nov 5-8 2018

Bangkok 

- the land of  Golden Temples,

 Tom Yum and Sticky Mango rice (5-8 Nov 2018)

Landed and first thing after existing custom is getting a local sim card (8 days 5 Gb for 299 BTH) then we hopped onto Suvarnabhumi airport taxi and had a long ride (40min) passing two tolls and arrived at Pas Cher de Bangkok 500 BTH. The thought at that time is we will use Grab next rides onwards.  Throughout the trips we had only three times getting in a metered taxi.  One from the airport,  the other from Asiatique and the 3rd one from Centre Point hotel taxi stand. 

Some cab drivers struggled to locate this hotel. Direct them to enter from the Centre Point side entry. The counter staffs are friendly and extremely helpful in arranging tours 

Hotel's neighborhood include Robinson departmental store Centre Point on the left

Hotel Pas Cher de Bangkok with free breakfast. Its good waking up have breakfast handy then wandering around to look for one.  From the map the Calypso Cabaret is southwest. The Palace and Wat Pho are on the upper right 'S' bend. 

China town dinner@ Rut & Lek 770 BTH

Strolling close to the hotel came across eateries and this roasted piglet

Pomogrenade  

My favorite too - sweet pineapples

The China Town Gate - Chinese character on this side and Thais on the other.  Every China town had a gate all over the world. Singapore got?

China Town bridal streets shots and I might as well. If you are observant you can tell this is IN china town. Just look at the top left wordings.  Shark fins and birds nest restaurant lined the streets here.

In front of the reclining Budha - you can walk around it and look at the resting head from behind. Entrance fee is 100 BTH per pax

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Wat Pho and north of it  Temple of the Emerald Budha

Another Angle of the reclining buddha

Shoot from the giant feet

Head resting on pillows

Get your coins and walk along and dropped in the coins all the way

Definitely chendoh of some sort

Deserts and sweets in the making

Food stalls beginning to get busy for the day in Wat Pho compound

In Wat Pho ground

Mango mango mango

Majestic buildings

Magnificient architecture 

Gilded Angels ?

Close up  view of the statues 

Saw the dual Cobra like serpents guarding the stairs 

Wat Phra Kaew Emerald Buddha curved from a block of jasper.  66cm x48.3cms wide No photography allowed. This is taken from outside.

ENTRANCE FEE 500 BTH per pax

Vanishing point 

Supported by Deities

There are no open stalls  ( to discourage littering. This is Palace Ground ) so we ordered coffee and have afternoon tea and kueh instead.

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Traveling 100 km away from BKK and 1600BTH 2 pax

This is where you get on the boat

'KFC' on boat?

Fruits on sales

This is how you pass the ware and collecting the money$

Cute slow loris and python for picture taking. 

Buying spices here?

Try some tiger prawn perhaps

 Just looking

Pancakes anyone?

More wares to sell but few takers

The Ferris wheel @Asiatique The Riverfront - we were attending 2nd night Calypso Cabaret 2400 BTH x2 pas.  Show located in warehouse #3.

If you are tidbits lover you must come here the BIG C Supermarket ( opposite Central World shopping mall) and fill your big cart with munchies

Thais durian

Dried banana of many types

Serious this is one shopper cart - filled to the rim with tidbits

Dried mango is good ( watch out your sugar)

WE call the front desk to book us a Cab to Suvarnabhumi airport. 500 BTH.  The airport is huge and no less small than Changi. Then I saw this statue and had to stitch x3 frames to show all.

Bangkok  
Nov 5-8 2018

Pas Cher de Bangkok - a rather hard to find the location where taxi misses it. 

IT pays to walk around the vicinity where we found Centre Point Robinson/ dtac sim card top-up services. Couldn't do it in 7-11 and facing communication problem as none of the staff speaks English.

Taxi driver tactic is starting to quote 300BTH and most likely will take you 150BTH which can be x2 the normal metered taxi.  Most taxis don't use the meter while Grab problem is GPS. If you are not familiar with the road the taxi might arrive at a spot that is not your current supposedly GPS location.

 A taxi journey to my hotel 45 minutes away costs me 500THB or $20+ not cheap.  Traffic jam ... 


Wat Pho 
Very worthwhile to see this for 100Bht. We arrived early in the morning so only a few people. The reclining  Buddha is huge. You can walk around it and take at it at different angles. eg Head on the pillow,  the foot end of Buddha.  

There is a row of alms and for 20 Bath you can use the coins and drop one all the way to the end simulating donating your money to monks.

Outside tents were set up and the various preparation for 'yummylicious' finger foods.  We should have stayed behind a bit to savor them all. 


THen we walk to the Grand palace 10 minutes away. Priority is to see the emerald, Buddha... It was a grand site. Very pretty building glittering like gold. No photo allowed for the emerald buddha. It looks small and I was thinking of my Nikon p1000 shooting from outside

FLoating market - a tourist trap -  One and a half hours drive to come here. Half hour on the boat and while the rest signed up for tiger picture croc farm we need to wait 45 min before the whole jeangang back to the van.


yes, you are floating on a long-tail boat but gone were the picturesque postal card image of paddling sell ware/cookware. In its place is boats plying the river with sovereign hats, miniature statue and riverbank shops.  You could take photos with the python and 



Calypso show at AAsiaticthe Riverfront - yes must watch the boys and the 'girls' Initially seeing the earlier show dismissed and the girls lining up for photos were a  thrill. When our turn came to the 2nd 1hr15 min show later all initial attractions fizzled out. Only managed to quickly squeeze two frames with one. As a courtesy to the performer as she beckons us to have a foto taken. The return to hotel is by metered taxi 50 BTH