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Bangkok
Grand
Palace
Grand Palace
represents an eclectic variety of various architecture styles ranging
from the Dusit Hall being a pure Thai castle to the Chakri Hall built
in Westernized Thai (or Thaified Western) style, the Dhebidorn Hall
which is influenced by Khmer art, and the Chinese Garden designed in
best traditions of the Middle Empire. The 945,000-sq-metre compound of
the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (official name:Wat Phra Si Ratana
Satsdaram) is rendered the main temple of the Kingdom and monks are
not allowed inside. This temple adjoins the Grand Palace on common
ground which was consecrated in 1782, the first year of the present
Chakri (Bangkok) dynasty. Three times a year (one time for every
season of the Thai year) the King changes garments covering the green
jade statue of the Emerald Buddha seized and brought to Bangkok
in the 19th century from Laos. Extremely colorful, the wat elements
combine gleaming, gilded chedis, polished orange and green roof tiles,
mosaic-encrusted pillars and rich marble pediments.Thai mural
paintings and pearl-in-laid door are good specimens of the style
reigning in the early Ratanakosin period.
The temple
of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)
Wat Pho was built
in the reign of King Rama III. Every structure in this temple was
built in square form with 12 angles There is also a big statue of the
reclining Buddha inside the temple. A long list of superlatives for
this one: the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok, it features the
largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images
in Thailand and was the earliest center for public education in
Thailand. As a temple site Wat Pho dates back to the 16th century,
but its current history really begins in 1781 with the renovation of
the original monastery. Wat Pho is the national headquarters for the
teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, particularly
Thai massage.
The temple is open to the public from 8 am to 5 pm daily; admission fee
for foreigners is 10B. The ticket booth is closed from noon to 1 pm.
Air-con bus No 6,8 and 12 stop near Wat Pho.The nearest Chao Phraya
Express pier is Tha Tien. Admission: less than 50 baht.
The
National Museum
Within walking
distance of the Grand Palace, across the Pramane Ground, is one of the
largest and most comprehensive museums in Southeast Asia. The National
Museum over one thousand artifacts ranging from neolithic times to the
present Bangkok period. The complex, also begun m in 1782, consists of
several old hut beautiful buildings of colourful Thai architectural
design.
Here is the largest collection of Thai art and artifacts in the
country, from Neolithic times to the present. Wednesday-Sunday 9
am-noon and 1-4 pm. Admission: 40 baht for foreigners, 20 baht for
Thais. Next to the National Theater and Thammasat University, 4 Na
Prathat Rd., phone 224-1333.
The National
Museum situated within walking distance of the Grand Palace, across
the Pramane Ground, is one of the largest and most comprehensive
museums in Southeast Asia. The National Museum houses over one
thousand artifacts ranging from Neolithic times to the present Bangkok
period. The complex, also begun in 1782, consists of several old but
beautiful buildings of colorful Thai architectural design.
The museum is open
every day, except Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays from 9.00 am.4.00
pm. Admission fee is 20 baht. Guided tours are provided in the
mornings as follows. They commence at 9.30 am. from the ticket
desk.
Jim Thompson's
Thai House
This remarkable
Thai-style house was the work of Mr. Jim Thompson an American who came
to Thailand at the end of the Second World War and revived the Thai
Silk industry. His later disappearance in [1968] in the Malaysian
jungles remains a mystery to this day. The house now a museum is at
the end of Soi Kasemsan 2 opposite the National Stadium on Rama I Road.
On permanent display are Mr.Thompson's collection of Asian artifacts
such as blue-while China ware Cambodian stone figures benjarong (a
multi-couloured porcelain made in China) wooden Burmese statues and
many other fabulous antiques. Jim Thompson's House is open from Monday
to Saturday inclusive from 9.00 a.m.- 4.30 p.m. Volunteer guides
explain the collection to visitors.
Admission is 100 baht for adults, 40 baht for children. Phone
215-0122.
The National
Arts Gallery
This is on Chao Fa
Road opposite the National Theatre. It exhibits traditional and
contemporary works of art by Thai artists. The gallery is open to the
public everyday except Mondays Tuesdays and public holidays from 9.00
a.m.- 4.00 p.m. phone 281-2224.
The National
Theatre
Thailand's
National Theatre is on Na Phra Lan Road next to The National Museum.
Thai Classical dramas and other types of international arts are
periodically staged here. Current programmes can he checked at the
theatre (Tel. 2241342) on weekdays between 8.30 a.m. and4.30 p.m.
Special exhibition shows of Thai classical dancing and music are held
on the last Friday and Saturday of each month Please contact the
theatre for details.
Sanam Luang
This huge public
ground in front of the Grand Palace used to be the place where the
Weekend Market now moved to Suan Chatuchak on Phahonyothin Road was
held. Special activities or ceremonies such as the Royal Ploughing
Ceremony in May and the New Year Festival also take place here. At the
northern part of Sanam Luang opposite the Royal Hotel is a small
statue placed in small white pavillion. The Goddess of the Earth was
built during King Chulalongkorn's reign (1868-1910)t o provide public
drinking water.
Rajdamnoen
Avenue
This avenue is one
of the few designed streets in Bangkok. All the buildings on this
Avenue are built in the same style. Some find it resembling Champ
Elisee in Paris.
The Metal
Castle
The Metal Castle
or Loha Prasart is in the Rachanadda Temple near Wat Sraket. It is the
replica of the Loha Prasart that Nang Visakha built to honour Lord
Budha in India. The third replica is located in Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Wat
Mahathat
Founded in the
1700s, Wat Mahathat is a national center for the Mahanikai monastic
sect and houses one of Bangkok's two Buddhist universities, Mahathat
Rajavidyalaya. On weekends, a large produce market is held on the
grounds. Opposite the main entrance on the other side of Maharat Rd is a large religious amulet market.
Wat Traimit
The main
attraction of the Temple of the Golden Buddha is, of course, the
impressive three-meter tall, 5.5-ton solid gold barefoot Buddha image
with his footsoles decorated with laborious carvings.
The golden image
can be seen every day from 9 am to 5 pm, and admission is 10B. Wat
Traimit is near the intesectiun of Yaowarat and Chorine Rung Drs, near
Hualamphong station.
Wat Arun
The tall, 82-meter
prang (Khmer-style tower) was constructed during the first half of the
19th century by Rammer II and Rammer III. The unique design elongates
the typical Khmer prang into a distinctly Thai shape. It's brick core
has a plaster covering embedded with a mosaic of broken, multi-hued
Chinese porcelain; the use of broken porcelain for temple
ornamentation was common in the early Ratanakosin period when Chinese
ships calling at Bangkok used tones of old porcelain as ballast. Steep
stairs reach a lookout point about halfway up the prang from where you
can relish a fine view of the vicinity. During certain festivals,
hundreds of lights illuminate the outline of the prang at night.
Wat Run is open
daily from 8.30 am to 5 PM; admission is 10B. To reach Wat Run from
the Bangkok side, catch a cross-river ferry from Tha Tien at Thai Wang
Rd. Crossings are frequent and only cost 1B.
Wat
Benchamarachabophit
This wat of white
Carrara marble (hence its tourist name, 'Marble Temple') was built at the
turn of the century under King Chulalogkorn (Rama V) by a renown
architect Prince Narisaranuwatiwong. The large bot is a prime example
of modern Thai architecture.
The courtyard behind the bot exhibits 53 Buddha images (33 originals
and 20 copies), representing famous images ad styles from all over
Thailand and other Buddhist countries - an education in itself if
you're interested in Buddhist iconography.
It's open daily
and admission is 10B. Air-con no. 2 and bus no.72 stop near by.
Wat Saket
& the Golden Mount
Saket is an
undistinguished temple except for the Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) on
the west side of the grounds which provides good view of Bangkok
rooftops at the entrance of the Rachadamnoen Avenue. The artificial
hill was created when a large chedi under construction by Rama III
collapsed because the soft soil beneath would not support it.
The resulting mud-and-bick hill was left to sprout weeds until Rama IV
built a small chedi on its crest.
Admission to Wat
Saket is free except for the final approach to the summit of the
Golden Mount, which costs 5B.
China Town
(Sampeng)
Bangkok's China
Town is an old business center covering a large area around Yaowarat
Road and Charoen Krung Road (New Road). There are many small streets
and alleys full of shops selling all types of goods. The area is
always lively, and market stalls abound. It has been the main center
for trading by the Chinese since they were moved from their old site
some 200 years ago to make way for the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha
complex.
Chinatown is situated to the southeast of the old town. The gold shop
street and the Temple of the Gold Buddha are located here.
If you have the energy, Chinatown can be fun to visit, with its
beautiful traditional Chinese temples, multitudes of shops and
constant activity. This is one of the busiest parts of Bangkok: Many
of the roads narrow to one lane and crisscross the canals, and there
aren't many traffic lights, so be careful when crossing the street.
For a quick walk-through, begin at the intersection of Pahurat and Ban
Mo Roads, just south of Wat Po, and walk east until your feet get
tired. Chances are you'll run out of steam before Chinatown runs out
of streets. The pink-tinged Nancy Chandler map includes a detailed map
of Chinatown's delights.
Pinklao
A bridge was built
across the Chao Phraya River near the Grand Palace in 1973. It was
named Pin Klao in memory of the last but one deputy king, whose palace
was nearby. Now the area on the western side of the river has become
one of the most newly developed areas in Bangkok with several
department stores, many restaurants and nightlife establishments.
Ratchadaphisek
Ratchadaphisek is
the name of the new sections of the inner ring road of Bangkok but is
usually used to refer to the short section between the Lat Phrao
intersection and the Rama IX Road intersection. This section is being
developed into a new commercial district containing several big
department stores, office buildings, hotels and a large number of
restaurants, A little way off the road is Thailand Cultural Centre,
where shows and exhibitions are held from time to time.
Ramkhamhaeng
When Ramkhamhaeng
University was founded on Bangkok's eastern outskirts as Thailand's
first open university in 1970, the area was rather remote and
underdeveloped. However, as the university's yearly enrolments
increased rapidly to 100,000, the area soon became a new satellite
city of Bangkok with ever-increasing shop-houses, apartment buildings,
restaurants, cinema houses, department stores, hotels and places of
entertainment.
Siam -
Ratchadamri
This is one of the
biggest and busiest shopping districts in Bangkok. A huge commercial
complex, including a 62-storey World Trade
Centre opposite Ratchadamri Arcade, is partly completed.
Located in the area are several large department stores, shopping
arcades, cinema theatres, and countless smaller shops. So you can
satisfy all your needs if you stay in one of over a dozen first-class
hotels in the area.
Sukhumwit - New
Phetburi
In the section
from the Soi Nana crossroads to
Soi Sukhumwit 21 (Asok Intersection), there are many shops catering to
foreign tourists, where jewellery, leather goods, ready-made garments
and souvenirs are sold and tailoring, car rent and other service are
offered. Inside the lanes (soi) off the road, there are numerous
fashionable residences, hotels, apartment houses, and some really good
restaurants.
To the north of Sukhumwit Road is the extension of Phetburi Road which
does not have many pedestrians in the daytime. After dark, however,
the long street is brightened with colourful neon signs and enlivened
by people going out to enjoy themselves in dozens of entertainment
Places along the street.
Silom - Surawong
This district has
transformed in half a century from paddy fields into the most
important business and financial centre of Bangkok . Today, from end
to end, these two parallel streets are full of big blocks of
multistory buildings, in which are banks, finance firms, insurance
companies, export-import houses, hotels, airlines offices,
restaurants, shopping arcades, department stores, and entertainment
establishments.
A small area in this district known as Patpong, is famous for various
kinds of entertainment--wine, beer, music, dancing, etc.
Bang Lamphu
A shopping area
once frequented solely by local people has become a popular place for
tourists. This area offers various inexpensive items, especially ready
made clothes, handbags, men's and lady's shoes, cosmetics and curios.
Bargaining is recommended.
Weekend Market
at Chatuchak Park
This large open
public ground covers approximately 35 acres opposite the Northern Bus
Station on Phahonyothin Road. Known as Suan Chatuchak, it hosts the
popular Weekend Market where people buy and sell a thousand local
products. Items range from exotic fresh fruits, vegetables,
handicrafts, dress materials, clothing shoes, toys, domestic utensils
and pets. There is a particularly fine section for plants.
But by common consent, the greatest of them all is the two-day Weekend
Market at Chatuchak Park, just off
the road leading to the airport. In the old days this was held at
Sanam Luang, the oval field acrossfrom the Grand Palace, and when
congestion finally became hopeless many doubted that it could survive
the transfer from such a spectacular setting to what was then regarded
as a relatively remote and uninteresting site. The market's unique
vitality proved stronger than nostalgia, however, and now it is bigger
than ever, covering some 31 acres and filled with more than 5,000
stalls. Where you go in the immense maze, of course, depends on what
you are looking for. You may, for example, have a specific need for a
friendly baby python, a woodcarving from Chiang Mai, a dinner set of
blue and white China, or a delectable out-of-season durian. But the
casual visitor will probably most enjoy just wandering around and
letting serendipity perform its magic. Almost everything Thailand
grows, makes, or imports can be found there, not just all the items
mentioned above but also toys, rattan furniture, readymade clothing,
hybrid orchids, a dozen different kinds of chilli peppers, bantam
chickens, traditional Thai musical instruments, army surplus, baskets
for every conceivable purpose, used books and magazines, Nepalese
jewelry, antique silks from Laos and Cambodia, and just about anything
else that might strike your fancy.
You may get tired
(sit down and have some chilled coconut juice), you may be bewildered
(what culinary use could all those spices possibly have?), you may
even become upset (at the sight, for instance, of rare birds
fluttering around in cramped cages); but you will never, for an
instant, be bored.
This authentic
Asian-style bazaar offers handicrafts, clothes, antiques and plenty of
delicious food. Periodically Chatuchak is raided by authorities for
the sale of endangered animal species. The colorful Nancy Chandler map
includes a map of this market that reveals all the treasure sites.
This huge expanse of landscaped grounds, with a jogging track and a
large lake where you can rent rowboats, is a great place to visit
before or after shopping at the Weekend Market.
The
Weekend Market is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 7.00 a.m. - p.m.
6.00.
Floating
Market
Despite the
growing number of shopping centers and malls, the floating market
persists as a Thai phenomenon. Merchants' paddleboats floating down
canals and winding rivers are loaded with vegetables, fruit and
flowers.
Several waterside markets can be found along the Chao Phraya River.
Talaat
Thaywait, a plant and flower market open all week, is in
the north end of town on Sam Sen Road near the National Library.
The Pratunam
Market next to the Indra Arcade, is worth visiting if you
want to broaden your field of vision. It is also the market of
garments for export.
Banglampoo
Market is on Chakrapong near Sanam Luang and the Democracy
Monument, and Talaat Bangrak is on New Road, near the Taksin Sathorn
Bridge at the south end of town. Another floating market is located
west of Highway 338 on Klong Chak Phra. All are reachable by boat or
taxi.
A similar market
assembles Sundays at Wat Mahat, near the river between the
Grand Palace and Thammasat University. 7 am-5 or 6 pm.
Near the Memorial
Bridge (Saphan Phut) is Phak
Klong Talaat. Fresh produce and flowers are brought there
by boat every morning from the farms of Thonburi.
But the most
famous floating market by far is Damnoem
Saduak, which keeps outgrowing locations and moving on.
It's now outside of town, 65 mi/105 km south in Ratchaburi
Province. It's overwhelmed by tourists but is considered
better or perhaps more photogenic than floating markets closer to town.
Bus tours can be booked in Bangkok. They leave early enough to beat
the traffic and stop in various locations to let you take pictures. If
you plan to spend a few days in Kanchanaburi, it's quicker to take a
Damnoen Saduak tour from there.
Market
Almost overnight,
it seemed, the great Pratunam food market
disappeared not long ago. A vast new building will rise on the
valuable site, and while another market is supposed to return on the
lower levels it will surely lack the adventurous spirit of the old one,
with its pungent aisles and unexpected discoveries. But no matter:
Bangkok has other markets, plenty of them, with enough atmosphere to
satisfy anyone who wants to experience what is perhaps the truest
expression of the city's vigor and variety.
There is, for
instance, Sampheng Lane in the
heart of Chinatown, the oldest trading center in the capital. This is
a long, narrow alley, covered in places, open in others, extending for
seven blocks on either side of Ratchawong Road and offering an
extraordinary range of wares: gold chains and fishing supplies,
wedding souvenirs and labels for designer clothes, esoteric cooking
equipment and plastic flowers, chinaware and camouflage cloth.
When you emerge
from Sampheng and cross Chakphet Road, you enter the Pahurat
Indian Cloth Market, almost as old and just as crowded,
where everything from batik sarongs to English tweeds are to be found.
Not too far away,
on Maharaj Road, is another renowned center, Pak
Klong Talad,
Bangkok's main wholesale market. The best time to go is very early
morning, when boats on the Chao Phraya River and trucks from nearby
provinces arrive with immense quantities of fresh cut flowers,
vegetables, spices, and fruits, all piled high inside the market and
along nearby streets.
Nakhon
Kasem, popularly known among foreign residents as the Thieves
Market, is in the same general area. Its narrow streets
once boasted the best antique shops in the city, but while these have
largely gone now to more accessible locations, you can still find a
wealth of oddities such as windup record players, ships'lamps,
old-fashioned ice cream makers, and vintage musical instruments.
Other popular
markets else where in the city include Bobay,
along Klong Padung Krung Kasem, noted for second-hand clothing; Theves, near the river, which sells
ornamental plants as well as food and household goods; Klong
Toey, on Rama IV Road, where people go for the best
bargains in electronic goods; and Bangrak,
on New Road, which has lost a good deal of its old ambience through
reconstruction but which is still a major source of traditional floral
wreaths and garlands.
Khao
San Rd in Banglamphu is the traditional budget-traveller
centre, but the Sukhumvit Rd area
has a better selection of mid-range hotels. Banglamphu and
neighbouring Thewet are the best spots for budget eating. If you want
to go for a city stroll and experience day-to-day Bangkok, head for Chinatown
and Pahurat, the busy Chinese and Indian market districts.
Parks, Gardens and Zoos
Lumpini
Park. Bangkok's foremost park offers profuse exotic
greenery to shade you from the afternoon heat. Jogging track and two
lakes with rowboat rentals (40 baht per hour). Daily 5 am-8 pm. Free.
Rama IV Road.
Out toward the
airport is Chatuchak Park.
This huge expanse of landscaped grounds, with a jogging track and a
large lake where you can rent rowboats (40 baht per hour), is a great
place to visit before or after shopping at the Weekend Market. Daily 5
am-9 pm. Free. Phahalyothin Road.
Sanam
Luang. These large, oval, open grounds are best enjoyed in
the evening. Aside from a ring of trees around its perimeter, the park
offers little escape from the afternoon sun. Kite flying and watching
sunsets over the gilded Grand Palace are favorite activities. Across
from the Grand Palace.
King
Rama IX Royal Park. Set on 200 acres/80 hectares, this park
was opened to commemorate the current king's 60th birthday. It offers
botanical gardens and great spots for picnicking. Lying 15 mi/24 km
outside the city center, it's a bit inconvenient but worth the drive
if you're yearning for cleaner air, and it's far less crowded than the
three listed above. Daily 6 am-6 pm. Admission: 10 baht. Soi Sukhumvit
103.
Amusements or
theme parks
Except for Magic
Land and the Snake Farm, all the destinations listed below can be
reached by daily bus tours from hotels and agencies all over town.
They're often in combinations. One popular package, for example, will
take you to the Saduak Damnoen Floating Market, the Rose Garden and
Samphran Elephant Grounds.
Magic
Land. Some good rides and games for kids. Daily 10 am-6 pm.
Admission: 60 baht adults, 50 baht children. On the north side of town,
out toward the airport, 72 Phahloyothin Rd., phone 579-0806.
Samphran
Elephant Grounds & Zoo. Set within landscaped gardens
and ponds on the outskirts of Bangkok, this is the best place in
Thailand to see elephants in action. Daily shows feature everything
from the reenactment of an 18th-century Thai battle with soldiers and
armored elephants to circus-style antics and elephant-polo matches.
Also see a crocodile show, a small zoo and an orchid farm. Shows start
at 10 am weekdays, 12:45 pm on weekends. Daily 8 am-6 pm. Admission:
220 baht adults, 120 baht children. Petchkasem Road, near the Rose
Garden, phone 284-1873.
Rose
Garden. A beautifully landscaped resort with orchid and
rose gardens, aviaries and a re-created Thai village. Offers a
spectacular one-hour cultural show with all the Thai trimmings --
dance, martial arts, religious ceremonies and elephants. Open daily 8
am-6 pm. Admission: 200 baht. 20 mi/32 km west of Bangkok.
Crocodile
Farm. Every taxi driver assumes that the crocodile farm is
the one reason you came to Bangkok and will pester you to death about
it. If you yearn to see crocodiles, the Crocodile Farm has more than
30,000 of them. Daily shows and lots of interesting exhibits. Open
every day 7 am-6 pm. Admission: 300 baht. Samut Prakarn, phone
387-1166.
The
Snake Farm, near the city center, is great fun for kids and
adults alike. Run by the Red Cross as a center for collecting venom (to
make antitoxin), you can watch as handlers milk poison from cobras,
black mambas and other fearsome snakes. Daily shows 10:30 am and 2 pm.
30 baht adults, children free. Adjacent to the Red Cross Building,
corner of Rama IV and Henri Dunant Roads, phone 252-0161 or 252-0162.
Safari
World. Twenty minutes outside of Bangkok, Safari World
contains two smaller parks: Marine Park and Safari Park. Safari Park
offers drive-through viewing of Asian and African animals as well as
daily shows (at 9 am, 1 pm and 4 pm) featuring birds, orangutans and
elephants.
Marine
Park has dolphins and sea lions. Daily 9 am-5 pm. Admission
to Safari World: 400 baht for foreign adults, 280 baht for Thai adults,
300 baht for foreign children, 180 baht for Thai children. Admission
to Marine Park: 240 baht. Admission to Safari Park: 160 baht plus 400
baht for a show. 99 Raminda 1 Rd., Minburi, phone 518-1000, ext. 232.
Additional
experiences
Chao Phraya River
and Canals. See another side of Bangkok by exploring its waterways.
Small waterside markets and countless homes line the banks of these
busy channels. Charter boats are plentiful. You can hire them
independently or book them through reliable tour companies. The docks
(tha) close to the Royal Orchid Sheraton and the Shangri-La, as well
as Tha Tien -- close to the Royal Palace -- are good places to hire
them. Fares depend on your bargaining power, but 300 baht for a tour
of a few hours would be a good price, no matter the number of
passengers. Klong Bangkok Noi, Klong Chak Phra and Klong Sanam Chair,
Wat Arun and the royal barges are worth exploring. Other
transportation choices are water taxis and long-tailed boats.
If you have the
energy, Chinatown can be fun to visit, with its beautiful traditional
Chinese temples, multitudes of shops and constant activity. This is
one of the busiest parts of Bangkok: Many of the roads narrow to one
lane and crisscross the canals, and there aren't many traffic lights,
so be careful when crossing the street. For a quick walk-through,
begin at the intersection of Pahurat and Ban Mo Roads, just south of
Wat Po, and walk east until your feet get tired. Chances are you'll
run out of steam before Chinatown runs out of streets. The pink-tinged
Nancy Chandler map includes a detailed map of Chinatown's delights.
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