THAILAND : 2 Nights in BANGKOK

On to our last leg of the 3 country tour but just the 1st part of my backpacking INDOCHINA goal, Thailand proved that the "same same but different" statement remains true among these three Southeast Asian nations. They have similar features but distinct differences in such a way you'll easily recognize a Vietnamese, a Khmer, and a Thai. They used the same herbs and ingredients in cooking but each taste is distinctly unique. If you ask me which food I enjoyed the most, I'd say Vietnam cuisine and if you want to know, who I find the nicest, certainly the Khmers.

Since we only have 2 nights left of the 8 day Indochina tour we've planned, our itinerary in Thailand concentrated mostly in Bangkok. We temple hop around the city, indulged in gustatory debauchery of Thai cuisine, and then went night shopping around Pratunam.

Also Read : INDOCHINA Itinerary

Grand Palace

Grand Palace was our 2nd stop from the Bangkok city tour we scheduled for the 2nd day. We hired a tuktuk ride for 100 bahts and he brought us first to this jewelry shop. We didn't mind since my cousin is really planning to buy some jewelry for her forthcoming birthday and she did. 

There's a dress code when you enter this impressive and massive complex and it's strictly enforced. However, if you are not appropriately dressed like me who is in sleeveless, there's this area near the entrance where you can borrow a piece of clothing with a corresponding deposit fee which is refundable once you return the item.

We didn't realize that checking out the whole place will probably take us 3 hours the least and we already informed ahead our tuktuk ride to pick us up after an hour. We decided to forgo the plan and just roam around the free area, took lots of photos and save the 500 bahts entrance fee for shopping later. We also grabbed some postcards and send them to friends right away.

 

WAT PHO

Just adjacent to the Grand Palace, we headed to Wat Pho to witness the temple of the reclining Buddha. For 100 bahts you can go around the complex and see a thousand images of Buddha and marvel at the huge (160ft long) reclining Buddha.

WAT PHO aside from being a Buddhist monastery is home to one of the earliest Thai massage schools that taught medicine and traditional Thai massage through murals and sculptures. On the walls, you'll see diagrams like the photo below showing therapeutic points and energy pathways with medical inscriptions carved on the walls.

Also Read : How Much We Spent While In Indochina

GOLDEN BUDDHA

We wanted to see the world's largest solid gold statue of Buddha and for 40 bahts entrance fee, we had the chance. It is located at the temple of Wat Traimit, in the Chinatown district of Bangkok. The origin of the statue is uncertain but many believed it was made during the Sukhothai period between the 13th to 14th centuries. The 18 karat gold statue is estimated to be worth 250 million dollars.

MALL HOPPING

After seeing 3 temples, we can all hear our stomach growling. At 4:30pm, we asked to be dropped off at Isetan Mall where we planned to eat. The last time we ate was at 9am at the cute Hello Kitty inspired Mc Donalds.

To satisfy our craving for something our taste buds are used to, we went to  Sizzler for an eat all you can pasta and salad with soup and desert included.

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For less than 200 bahts the taste is surprisingly expensive. I have several servings of different kinds of salads and they're all good. We all agreed this is the best deal in town. Unfortunately, they dont allow photo-taking, so I have to stop and concentrate on eating which served me well, hahaha.

Afterward, we walked to Big C Supermarket to buy homecoming gifts.

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And then went bargain hunting at night.

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STREET FOOD

Street food abound, go pick some of your liking. It got me interested to try that colorful jelly-fruity items at the bottom and the inside tasted like rice cakes.

Bangkok Street Food

Also Read : Crossing Borders - Cambodia to Thailand

We were all dying to get a Thai massage after a very tiring but productive day but we can't move our feet any further to go and check out those that were still open. Our beds were calling us and we have an early flight to catch and things to pack. We stayed at one unit of Juldis Mansion which is just walking distance from where we roamed during the night. You'll hear more of our affordable accommodation while in Bangkok, Thailand for 2 nights in my next post.

Now Read : Bangkok Accommodation - LC Accommodations