Akanksha: When we first left the hotel in the afternoon, we had no particular agenda in mind. Tuk-tuk drivers approached us, telling us that they'd give us a tour of a few temples for a very cheap rate, even for free. The catch was that they would take you to temples and shops that give them a certain cut (for example, gas allowance for bringing people; at times they don't get the cut unless you buy something at the store). There was plenty to see around Tha-Tien, easily accessible by foot. As we started heading back in the direction of the pier, we heard tuk-tuk drivers misleading us, telling us that there was nothing in the direction that we were going. But, we were willing to take our chances and followed map directions, which led us to Wat Pho, almost opposite the Tha-Tien pier.
Sharat: This was not my first time in Bangkok. The last time I was here I made the mistake of staying in the urban part of the city. Many travelers to Bangkok prefer to stay in the Sukhomvit area. New swanky hotels and easy access to the nightlife may be one of the charms of Bangkok but for anyone interested in History, the Phra Nakon district is where you should stay. Old buildings converted into hostels, guesthouses and even hotels give the area a charm of its own . The streets are filled with bustling bazaars in the daytime and there are plenty of eating options for the foodie. The smell of roasting chicken, fish and pork greets you wherever you go. If you want to sit down there are sidewalk cafes and plenty of restaurants. Here again, the smart thing to do (if you haven't already done so at the airport) is to get a free tourist map of the area from any of the hotels or cafes at the area. Our hotel gave us a printed copy with directions on how to get back. The great thing about these maps is that they are bilingual. So if you get lost you can always point to where you want to get to in English and the person you are asking can read it in Thai. Armed with a bottle of water and maps with directions we set out to explore the historical district of Phra-Nakhon. Stepping out of the tiny gully in which our guest house was located the first stop on our agenda was Wat Pho - the home of the giant reclining Buddha.
Akanksha: Located in the Phra Nakhon district, Wat Pho lies just across the street from the Grand Palace. It is also called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho has within its compound, one of the first Thai medicinal massage schools. We walked towards the entrance leading to the Reclining Buddha. Before we entered the shrine, we were to take off our shoes and carried them in small jute bags along with us. That was a first for me, but they did it apparently to prevent the shoes from being stolen. The Buddha in the central shine left me speechless; it was massive. On the soles of Buddha's feet, there were 108 intricately carved panels, all depicting Buddha in some form. As we put our shoes back on, we sat down and admired how wonderful the Wat Pho complex was. We walked towards the chedis, four of which were large and contained the ashes of the remains of Chakri kings. The 71 remaining stupas contain the remains of Thai royalty.
Sharat: This was not my first time in Bangkok. The last time I was here I made the mistake of staying in the urban part of the city. Many travelers to Bangkok prefer to stay in the Sukhomvit area. New swanky hotels and easy access to the nightlife may be one of the charms of Bangkok but for anyone interested in History, the Phra Nakon district is where you should stay. Old buildings converted into hostels, guesthouses and even hotels give the area a charm of its own . The streets are filled with bustling bazaars in the daytime and there are plenty of eating options for the foodie. The smell of roasting chicken, fish and pork greets you wherever you go. If you want to sit down there are sidewalk cafes and plenty of restaurants. Here again, the smart thing to do (if you haven't already done so at the airport) is to get a free tourist map of the area from any of the hotels or cafes at the area. Our hotel gave us a printed copy with directions on how to get back. The great thing about these maps is that they are bilingual. So if you get lost you can always point to where you want to get to in English and the person you are asking can read it in Thai. Armed with a bottle of water and maps with directions we set out to explore the historical district of Phra-Nakhon. Stepping out of the tiny gully in which our guest house was located the first stop on our agenda was Wat Pho - the home of the giant reclining Buddha.
Akanksha: Located in the Phra Nakhon district, Wat Pho lies just across the street from the Grand Palace. It is also called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho has within its compound, one of the first Thai medicinal massage schools. We walked towards the entrance leading to the Reclining Buddha. Before we entered the shrine, we were to take off our shoes and carried them in small jute bags along with us. That was a first for me, but they did it apparently to prevent the shoes from being stolen. The Buddha in the central shine left me speechless; it was massive. On the soles of Buddha's feet, there were 108 intricately carved panels, all depicting Buddha in some form. As we put our shoes back on, we sat down and admired how wonderful the Wat Pho complex was. We walked towards the chedis, four of which were large and contained the ashes of the remains of Chakri kings. The 71 remaining stupas contain the remains of Thai royalty.
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| Chedis (stupas) located in the Wat Pho complex |
Sharat: As you go around the buddha you see inside the Wat a series of 108 metal bowls. These bowls, like the carvings on the feet of the Buddha, correspond to the 108 auspicious characteristics of the Buddha. The more devout among the visitors (or is it the more superstitious) can be seen dropping coins, one in each bowl, to bring them good luck. As numerous as these devout/superstitious visitors is the army of tourists who take pictures on their phones, cameras to record this unique sight. The next logical stop for most tourists is the Grand Palace. I had done the Grand Palace on a previous visit and honestly it is not worth the 400 Baht entry fee for foreign tourists. I was debating the merits (rather the demerits) with Akanksha when, quite by chance, we stumbled across something that would escape the notice of most tourists.
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| Tourists are evenly split - the devout are interspersed by an equal number of shutterbugs |
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| Entrance to Saranrom Garden |
Akanksha: As we left Wat Pho, we walked towards the Grand Palace. Across from the Grand Palace, was a lovely park; we decided to explore it. We had to choose between going to the Grand Palace and the park right next to it, and we chose the park. Saranrom Garden was built in the 19th century by King Rama IV, as a place for him to stay when his son took over his reign. We had stumbled across this park and it was well worth the visit. We were the only tourists in the park, much to our delight. There was a gazebo close to the entrance of the park, and as we sat down, near us we saw an elderly lady reading a Thai book, deep in thought. As we looked at the ponds around the garden, we saw emerging from them what seemed to be huge iguanas. From a distance, I was the least bit bothered. I was enjoying the well preserved landscape and bridges across the ponds. It was a pleasant respite after our hectic start.
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| In the midst of all the tourist activity, Saranorm garden offers an almost surreal escape |
Sharat: Walking out of the garden you are left walking down a bustling street, filled with noisy cars, noisier two-wheelers and the noisiest tuk-tuks. Unlike the more touristy Grand Palace, when you come out of the garden you are spared the "helpful suggestions" of the tuk-tuk drivers.
Akanksha: We made a quick visit on foot to the old city proper, past the temples and gardens. We crossed a canal and just as we entered the city we realized that it was time to head back to our hotel. We decided that we'd explore the city some other time.
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| Canal at the entrance of the old city |
Sharat: As we stood across this beautiful canal we realized that the last meal we had eaten was on the airplane (not counting our cold coffee at McDonalds), so we decided to head back to our hotel and get something to eat at one of the numerous side-walk cafes. We found one on the main road just a couple of hundred meters from our hotel. As we ate and sipped our chilled drink sleep gently took over. All we wanted to do next was head back to the room and snooze
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