As usual, we took the earliest flight in the morning so we would still have plenty of time to spend exploring Bangkok.
 |
| workmates ^0^/ |
 |
| seatmate |
 |
| I remember being super happy i could take a picture of this because i wasn't able to do it the first time. LOL |
 |
| This is the coin ticket. It is scanned when you enter and put in a coin slot when you go out of the station. |
 |
| At Phaya Thai station. We are walking to the interchange to BTS Sukhumvit line :) There are money exchange kiosks in between these two stations that has a better rate vs the airport. |
 |
| I really like these glass doors. Makes me feel safer. |
We traveled from Phaya Thai to Saphan Taksin station were our hotel is located. It was a 5-10 minute walk from the station. There was a 711 and Robinsons mall near our hotel. It was also a good location because the Sathorn Pier of Chao Praya River Express is located here and its also accessible by BTS (Saphan Taksin Station) . We stayed in Baan Glang Soi https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Hotel_Review-g293916-d5967472-Reviews-Baan_Glang_Soi-Bangkok.html . I like how it has a restobar downstairs with good food. We checked in and ate lunch at this restobar. The food is good and cheap!
 |
| I dont remember what this is called but it probably had noodles in the name. Yum! |
 |
| watermelon shake |
 |
| i brought my Thai translation book XD |
This is just one of the rooms. We had two rooms for 4 people on our floor. Our 3 other workmates stayed on another floor. We had our own living room and dining room on our floor.
After lunch, we headed to the ferry station (Chao Phraya River Express). Unlike my last trip, we used the ferry now. We paid 40 baht for the ticket. We alighted at N9 Tha Chang Pier and walked a little to the Grand Palace. This time i entered the Palace. ^o^/
It was so gorgeous inside the Grand Palace. Three hours weren't enough to go to every place inside the compound. I suggest taking a map so you wouldn't get lost inside. Wear comfortable clothes too and make sure to research the dress code for the temples. You can also borrow sarongs if you leave a deposit but sometimes there are so many people it would waste some minutes which you could have used for exploring. Grand Palace is open from 8:30 am-3:30 pm. The ticket costs 500 baht. Be careful of people outside of Grand Palace trying to sell stuff to foreigners. If you need to borrow clothes to enter the Grand Palace, do so at the building on the left side after you enter the gate of Grand Palace.
After exploring Grand Palace, we went back to ride the ferry to Khao San Road.We went off at N13 Phra Artit Pier and walked towards Khao San Road. There are many souvenirs for sale here and street food. There are many makeshift bars at the sides where many foreigners hang out. We ate at one restaurant that has a good review. As usual, i didnt take pictures of other people's food hahahaha. I took a picture of mine though.
 |
| Coconut Shake |
We walked around Khao san road and bought some souvenirs before catching a taxi back to our hotel. The taxi fare was so cheap! it was around 120 baht for 4 people. REMEMBER! Before getting on a taxi, you have to talk to the driver and make him agree to using meter. Some drivers try to give higher rates to foreigners.
DAY 2
Months later, I regretted going to some of the places i went to on this day of our trip. I am an animal lover. I like all kinds of animals except insects and rats. So when we had a chance to go to an elephant and tiger camps, i was ecstatic. I looked at the pictures of other people riding elephants and taking pictures with tigers and looked forward to it.
We left the hotel before 7 and traveled like 2-3 hours (i cant remember ToT) to the elephant camp. There, we saw some elephants and rode at the back of big elephants. We bought bananas for our elephants as a treat and gave it to them at the middle of our tour around the camp. They were so cute asking for the bananas ToT After the tour, they have a show performed by the smaller elephants. It was very entertaining and the elephants asked money from the guests to buy milk from their trainers. They danced around and acted cutely ToT
The reason why i said i regretted doing this is because months later, there were videos of how they trained these animals, mistreating them. It may not be in this particular camp but these elephants are not supposed to do tricks or carry people. Imagining how they were trained to follow their owner made me feel very uncomfortable.
Visit this link for more information why we shouldn't ride elephants: https://expertvagabond.com/elephants-in-thailand/
The fact that people go to these kind of places means there is a demand which will make people try to train these animals to earn money. So after finding about this, I always advise people not to do this.
After visiting the elephant camp, we dropped by a buffet restaurant where we ate our tummies full. There were atleast 8-10 dishes, i think, and some fruits <3
While driving to our next destination, we saw a couple of vans parked at the side of the road. We decided to check it out and we found monkeys. So many monkeys!
After a short stop with the monkeys, we went to the second place i regretted going to. We went to the tiger temple. By now, as i am writing this entry, the tiger temple has already been closed down by the government. I will provide links below about what happened to this place.
When we arrived, they ushered us to a place where they had a talk of what we would be doing and warnings like don't move suddenly, don't make noises etc. We were asked to fall in line as a monk came near one of the tigers. He stood at the right side of the tiger while the tourists stand at the left side of the tiger. When the tiger starts walking, the people take turns holding the leash of the tiger like walking a dog. Some people will ask for your camera or phone to take your picture while walking the tiger for a few seconds. At the end of the walk, we reached an enclosure where there are several tigers who are supposedly napping because its their nap time as explained by one of the trainers. We were given instructions like don't wear things that can be pulled like scarf or necklaces, walked slowly, don't make peace signs because of the monk (idk why and i totally forgot about not making peace sign ToT).
Months after going to tiger temple, there was an article about why people shouldn't go here and of course I was saddened because I already went ToT. Anyways here are some links about tiger temple.
After these, we drove back to the city and it was so traffic because they were celebrating the birthday of the former king. May he rest in peace. We were late for the pre-show of Siam Niramit. They have like a mini Thailand according to their website where you can wear costumes, take pictures with elephants, watch mini performances and try traditional sweets. They have a dinner buffet before the show and we went straight there because we were late and if we didn't eat dinner right away, the show will be starting and they will close the buffet. The cultural show was a visual spectacular! It was so awesome and visually stimulating. After the show, some of the actors were at the grounds and you can take pictures with them. Since we purchased the tickets from the tour company together with the elephant camp and tiger temple, we got discounted tickets for Siam Niramit.
We were all dead tired and stinky when we got back to the hotel. We slept after washing up.
DAY 3
Our hotel is very near to a lot of food stalls. So for breakfast, we decided to try some noodles. It was cheap and yummy!
After eating breakfast, it was time to shop!!!!! We went first to Chinatown via Chao Praya River Express <3 We went down at N5 Rachawongse. At first, we were in a big group but later we just dispersed and shopped on our own hoping we would find each other at the end. LOL.
After some shopping, we went back to our hotel via ferry again. We put down the stuff that we bought and headed to MBK via BTS.
 |
| MBK is a big mall. Something like Tutuban. |
 |
| a sweet dessert we found inside MBK |
After shopping the whole day, we headed back to the hotel. On our way though, we spotted some unfamiliar street food and decided to buy some. While waiting for the vendor to finish making it, it rained so we took shelter in 711. The rain was taking so long and kept getting stronger so we were trapped in 711 ToT. Then, we found some raincoats for a cheap price.
 |
| When it rains, wear rain coat. |
Our shoes got really wet but our bodies and goodies were all dry. Thanks cheap raincoats <3
Before sleeping, we decided to hang out in the restobar downstairs and have some drinks :)
DAY 4
Day 4 was still shopping day. We went to Platinum and went around and around for hours. Platinum is a mall with lots of stuff like clothes, shoes and accessories that looks good but cheap. Walking around made my feet hurt so I got a massage from this machine to soothe my aching feet.
Some workmates decided to stay in Platinum for a few more hours. Some decided to go back to the hotel and rest before our flight. I joined them halfway and got off at Siam Paragon to look for the KPOP shop i went to last February during my first BKK trip. The only thing i remember about it is, its in an alleyway near Hard Rock Bangkok.
 |
| found it! |
 |
| I got these and a photo book for my friend. |
In summary:
Day 1: Grand Palace, Khaosan Road
Day 2: elephant camp, tiger temple, Siam Niramit
Day 3: Chinatown, MBK
Day 4: Platinum mall, Siam Paragon, KPOP shop
No comments:
Post a Comment