Destinations in Thailand: A Quick Trip of The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace, with its popularity and prominence as a tourist spot, often is the number one must-visit destination in Thailand. It’s almost sacrilegious for it to be a second choice, an afterthought… but it was, in our case, when our group of three first went out to explore temples. We decided to first go to Wat Ratchanatdaram simply because it’s the nearest “wat” to a khlong pier. Although, due to our need to find cover ups, our first temple adventure was halted until we found ourselves skirts while walking towards the Grand Palace.

This is me dealing with the heat while walking towards the direction of the Grand Palace... :p

How to Get There

The Grand Palace can be found at Na Phra Lan Rd, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand. If you find yourself exploring the tourist spots along Chao Phraya River, you may be able to visit The Grand Palace thru piers Maharaj and Tha Chang (N9). We came from Huai Kwang hence our fastest way was through Khlong Saen Saep from Asok Pier directly towards the last pier, Panfa Leelard. From there, the Grand Palace is 11 minutes away, 2.2 kilometers, by car.

The Grand Palace Schedule and Fees

When visiting the Grand Palace, expect to go with a huge crowd, locals and tourists alike. The entrance fee is 500 Baht and the tickets are being sold from 8:30AM-3:30PM. This includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall. 

What to Expect Once you Get In

This is the main entrance to the outer section of the palace. Once you enter this gate, you will see a huge crowd, both tourists and locals, queuing to get inside the inner gates.

There are guards left and right sides of the main entrance. This is aside from the other uniformed personnel dealing directly with visitors who are not following rules and regulations, for example, violating the dress code. All visitors are expected to dress modestly; females are expected to be covered down to at least below the knee and no sleeveless tops, males are also to wear trousers and no shorts allowed. My brother-in-law was one of those not granted entry due to him not wearing a long-enough trousers (he’s wearing long shorts), thus we decided to just see and take some photos inside the first gate and not to go through the whole tour. This is me posing for a photo despite of the crowd... :)

The outer part of the Grand Palace grounds... when visiting especially during the summer, make sure to bring your water and umbrella.

Here is a group of guards marching synchronously around the outer palace grounds...

I was told that this symbol was created by the citizens to show their love to their recently deceased royalty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. During this time, we saw a lot of women in black walking towards a venue where they pray for their beloved leader. We found this while walking just outside the palace walls on our way back to Wat Ratchanatdaram. 

Travel Date: July 10, 2017

Temples to Visit in Thailand: Wat Ratchanatdaram, TheTemple of the Royal Niece

The first temple we explored in Bangkok was Wat Ratchanatdaram. It means Temple of the Royal Niece. It was built for the princess granddaughter Somanass Waddhanawathy to the order of King Nangklao (Rama III) in 1846 (Wikipedia).

How to Go to Wat Ratchanatdaram

The temple can be found 500 meters away, approximately a 6-minute walk, from Panfa Leelard Pier of the Khlong Saen Seap Express Boat Service. It’s located at the intersection of Maha Chai and Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd, Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok. The easiest way to get to this temple is to go to the nearest Khlong Saen Seap Express Boat Pier/Terminal from your location and ride to the last Pier, Panfa Leelard, and commence walking from there.

Outside Wat Ratchanatdaram

Follow the Dress Code for Wat Visits

As we walked to the temple, I was thinking about how satisfied I am with my first Bangkok khlong adventure. It was convenient, fast and I must admit, gave me a teeny bit of excitement. After all, it’s not every day that I get to explore a new city through its rivers and canals. I wish we could also do that in Metro Manila to alleviate the traffic situation. Wishful thinking?

As we approached the gate, we noticed that, unfortunately, there were no vendors selling cover-ups… and we were wearing shorts! We’re aware of the rules common to most temples not to allow shorts or sleeveless however it was already a part of our plan to purchase cover-ups as a remembrance of our visit. Whilst we consider where to go next or where to find cover ups, we had some photos taken at the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin situated just right next to Wat Ratchanatdaram.

Off we went looking for vendors of skirts and trousers. I think we walked few hundred meters before we found not one, not two… but a whole street side-walk covered with skirt and fisherman trouser vendors! Jira and I got ourselves a skirt for THB 100 each. Then Jerome mentioned that since we’re already close to the Grand Palace, we should just go explore it first… so off we went. (I’ll have a separate blog post for the Grand Palace.)

How Much to Prepare for the Fees

After our Grand Palace tour, we tried to look for a cab to bring us back to Wat Ratchanatdaram. Be careful with getting a cab in the area and make sure to transact before getting in. Most of the cab drivers would not charge based on the meter but by a fixed (tourist) price. Since there’s three of us, we decided to go ahead with THB 100 although we’re sure the meter would’ve probably reached just around THB 60-70.

Again, we wrapped ourselves and entered the temple. No entrance fee on the main gate. Picture taking time! We took turns to take each other’s photos on the outer section of the temple grounds.

We went inside a prayer room with a golden seated Buddha. We had to take off our shoes before we could get in.

We then proceeded to the huge structure in the center of the compound. There’s also no entrance fee but there’s a donation box facing the front door. Our group was not ‘asked’ to donate but we observed that a woman intimated and somehow ‘forced’ another group of western tourists to donate.

The Structure of Wat Ratchanatdaram

The temple, also known as Loha Prasat meaning “iron castle”, has five towers of large iron spires. The iron spires signifies the 37 virtues required to reach enlightenment in Buddhism (Wikipedia). The spires used to be black, now it’s painted with gold and is more attractive.

We ascended a spiral staircase with several levels and each floor of the structure represents a particular type of meditation. At the top, we were able to appreciate the intricate design of the spires.

At the top, we found this. I was unsure of what I was looking at but it seemed important. Unfortunately, I might have missed a section in the tower that explained what it is. A symbol of enlightenment?

After our exploration and photo op, we proceeded to the restroom to freshen up. We then went to the store right next to the temple and enjoyed some fruity smoothies. If you’re travelling to Thailand, March to May are the hottest months. It would be a good idea to always bring your water to keep yourself hydrated. 

More photos before we went home...

On our way out, unknowingly, I was able to take a photo of a monk using a cellphone. They are not forbidden to enjoy technology but I still think it’s pretty cool.

Travel Date: July 10, 2017

Khlong (Canal) Saen Seap: Our Express Boat Adventure in Thailand

Twenty four hours after setting foot in Bangkok and we’re already prepping for our first "wat" (temple) adventure. Jerome, my brother-in-law, mentioned he's going to introduce me to Bangkok's Express Boats. 

It’s a national holiday in Thailand. As a result, he and his fiancée, Jira, were both free for the day to join me for a little exploration.

We started our day with a tasty breakfast in a cafeteria across the street of their condo village; khao man gai (rice and chicken), a huge container of milk tea with tons of ice all to myself and the crispy goodies with cream on top (forgot what it’s called I have to check again) for dessert.

After breakfast, we hailed ourselves a cab and started our day’s escapade in a pier; the Asoke-Petchaburi Pier which can be found near the MRT Petchaburi station and the old site of Japan Embassy.

Remarkably, Thailand takes advantage of its rivers and canals for transportation and Khlong Saen Seap Express Boat is just one of the boat services the people of Bangkok enjoys. It runs in the Saen Seap Khlong (meaning "canal"), a canal in Central Thailand. It is known to have two main lines; the Nida Line with 6 piers and Golden Mount Line with 23 piers. The Pratunam Pier is connecting the two lines and serves as a pier where commuters would transfer if the destination is being serviced by the other line.

We waited a little bit for the next boat to arrive. The interval is between 15-20 minutes. And finally, one arrived. As the boat slowly maneuvered its way to the side, two persons jumped to the pier to pull the boat closer and tie it securely so commuters could safely hop on. It might make you nervous at first so watch your step and hold on tight to the railings.

The ride was fast and got us nearer our destination less the agonizing traffic jam. On downside though, the water is not very clean hence the need for the plastic covers surrounding the boat. We even joked around that we need to close our mouths or the dirty water could cause our demise. Yup, it was that scary. :p On some instances, if all the seats were already taken, you might need to stand until some of the seats are freed up. The fare runs from THB 10-20 depending on the distance.

  

If you’re transferring to the other line, you can pay it during your first boat ride and just present your ticket when you transfer. That’s what we did. As the overlapping pier, we got off Pratunam and transferred to another motorboat that transported us to Panfa Leelard Pier, the end-most pier of the Golden Mount Line. It is situated behind the Mahakan fort, end of Ratchadamnoen Road, Old City.

 

Upon reaching the pier, we walked a few meters, crossed the road and reached our first temple destination; Wat Ratchanatdaram.