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After much pondering if we should go ahead with our Bangkok trip in view of the spates of bombing, we decided to go for it. But just to be on the safe side, we made sure that we leave our red, yellow and pink clothes behind. Unfortunately I went and left all our baht behind as well.

Luckily we were still able to withdraw money from ATM (all it took was a call to activate the overseas withdrawal, whew!) and thus, the trip was saved. However, as we did not have the time to plan for the trip, we missed out on visiting:

• Ayutthaya – old city ruins about 2 hours from Bangkok city (which would have delighted the repressed historian in me)
• Muang Boran – outdoor ‘museum’ with replicas of important Thai buildings. I’ve been advised that the best way to explore this place would be on wheels so we had to give this place a miss as it was too late to make arrangements.We did however enjoy ourselves by indulging in some touristy activities and good old-fashioned shopping in Thailand’s shopping malls. Why shopping malls? Well, it was really hot and we needed to revive ourselves.

But what stands out for Thailand’s shopping malls like Siam Paragon, Siam Centre, CentralWorld are:

• Creative decor for the mall and shops – really inspiring to see them using materials that are not so typical
• Food court prices that are the same or cheaper than roadside shops or hawkers – a far cry from Malaysia where a bowl of wantan mee is RM2-3 at hawker centres but costs RM7.90 at one food court which I shall not named. Suffice to say that it has since gone out of business. The food court at CentralWorld and the card used
  
• Big, big bookshops especially B2S at CentralWorld with more variety at more affordable prices. Seriously, why are books so expensive in Malaysia?

On the opposite end is the Chatuchak market which is within walking distance from the Mo Chit MRT station which we visited as well. It’s like a big pasar malam (except that it’s open all day but only during weekends) and you can find clothes, accessories, food, home items, art pieces, crafts and massage service. It can get a little stuffy due to the crowd and hot weather so if you are claustrophobic, stick to the malls.
Chatuchak Market selling flowers, decorative items, food and more!
Two of the more interesting art stalls

There are tons of stalls and as they are quite near one another, sometimes you have to try to squeeze your way your through. I liked the art section more because the stalls here are set up to look like mini art galleries and some are even air-conditioned!

As for the touristy part of our trip, well, we went on the Chao Phraya express boat to visit Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. We took the BTS to Saphan Taksin station then walked a short distance to the pier where for 150 baht, you get unlimited rides on the blue, yellow, orange and white-flagged ferries at any of the piers along the river (also a guidebook advising you of the stops and the attractions).

If you plan on visiting the many attractions accessible via the river, you can consider this option. Otherwise, opt to pay for each ride as you go on board since these costs only about 14 to 16 baht. Take note though that for some attractions you will need to take a boat across the river from the pier and this costs 3 baht.

We decided to skip many of the stops and only visited Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. Wat Arun (also known as Temple of Dawn) is very colourful and has the typical shape of old Buddhist temples where there is a central tower with eight smaller ones surrounding it, one each for every compass point. Entrance is 50 baht but be prepared to climb up steps in order to enjoy the view from the towers. The steps are a bit steep but not overly difficult.

Wat Arun from a distance          Wat Arun up close and personal

For the Grand Palace, we stopped at the Mahraj pier and then had to walk about 5 minutes. Here, we were approached by a man telling us that the Grand Palace was closed for the day due to some ceremony but as I’ve already read on the Internet and friends have mentioned this, I know this to be a scam. So now I warn you too!

They may say it’s closed for cleaning or some holiday but the Grand Palace is opened every day from 8.30a.m. till 3.30p.m. and the entrance fee is 350 baht. It used to be 200 baht but with the revised price, you also get entrance tickets to Vimanmek Mansion Museum (valid for 7 days) and the Anantasamakom Throne Palace.

Be prepared to walk a lot as the area is really big and there are a lot of buildings to see. I must mention also that photography is not allowed in many of the buildings including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and that can be frustrating for photographers. Some of the buildings are also under renovation and one can easily see the skilled craftsmen at work.

The intricate pattern is pieced by hand.      The craftsman hard at work.

While I was awed by the buildings, I was most interested in the small-scale replica of Angkor Wat.  I am not sure if it’s a permanent fixture but I was happy to see it. It felt like seeing a familiar face in a strange place to me (having visited the actual one several years ago).

The replica of Angkor Wat

Other stops along the river are various other temples like Wat Kanlayanamit and Wat Pho, Chinatown, museums and forts.

When exploring, pace yourself so that you do not get tired quickly. If you do not want to develop temple fatigue, then choose to visit a select few instead of cramming all the temples.

Food-wise in Bangkok, there’s plenty to choose from for even the most fussy of eaters. We ate from small coffeshops, street-side stalls, restaurants and shopping mall food courts.

The first meal we had was at Witch’s Tavern where we had pasta and salad. Mine was broccoli with anchovy cream sauce while my partner has farfalle with mushroom and mozzarella cheese sauce. Look at the pictures, don’t they look yummy?

In case you are wondering, no, we did not try the six-legged kind of cuisine. I saw these being sold by the streets near the Nana BTS station but could not bring myself to even take a photo of it. We only went as far as trying local Thai cuisine like spicy rice noodle (which tasted a bit like our local curry mee but much spicier), braised duck noodle soup and fried rice noodle which is similar to Penang char koay teow minus the prawns and cockles.

Now that I am back, I guess I should start planning for my next trip!

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