More than one night in Bangkok
Words by Monique Facon Images by Shane Clapson
This was our second time in Bangkok. Our first visit was for two days (one night) as a stopover so we didn’t get to see much of the city. This time would be different…we had a few more days to explore the most visited city in the world.
Our mission in Thailand was to do some serious shopping and Bangkok is undeniably a shopper’s haven. If you’re looking to find a bargain, steer away from the numerous malls and retail shops as bargaining and haggling is not applicable and head for the markets. The amount of cash that you will save depends on your bargaining skills. You can get as much as 10 to 40% less than the original price tag, so remember in the land of smiles the first price given is not the final price that you pay.
One extreme example of this concerned a Buddhist Singing Bowl that I rather fancied, having just toured through a remarkable temple. It was priced around 28,000 Baht (NZ$988.00) and after extensive haggling I was finally offered the bowl for about 2,000 Baht (NZ$80.00). The only problem with that is it left me feeling very uneasy about the origin of the bowl so I did not end up buying it. Probably wise to have an open mind about the varying quality of some of the products on offer too just quietly.
Only 5kms from our hotel (which we foolishly attempted walking to, not recommended due to extreme heat) was Chatuchak Market, which has more than 15,000 stalls set amongst 27 acres – it is massive. They sell all kinds of clothing, in fact you can buy nearly anything at this market.
There is even a diverse range of animals, including monkeys available for purchase and a terrific range of food on offer…primates not included.
There is both traditional Thai fashion and European designer clothing and heaps of it. Take water with you, as it is very busy and very hot especially in the maze of undercover stalls.
Go to a money changer and use local currencies when your are shopping. You won’t get as good a bargain if the vendors see your foreign currency. Show them your Baht and say that this is all that you have. Since different stalls offer different prices and many sell the same products, have a bit of a look around before buying an item immediately. The Chatuchak Market is open Friday evenings, and all day Saturday and Sunday until 6pm and was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Next up was the Chao Phraya River dinner cruise. There are several tour companies and even some hotels that offer dinner cruises along the Chao Phraya River. We picked the Chao Phraya River Princess Cruise at 1500 baht (around $60). It is really good value as the price includes the cruise, dinner, pick up and drop off, which took about an hour each way via mini-bus hurtling through the bustling Bangkok streets.
On arrival we were given instructions on what time to meet at the boat and until then we looked around the many touristy shops and eateries (very conveniently situated) in the River City wharf area.
Once on board the boat it felt like we had been time-warped back into the 1970s. It was medium sized, compared to others we saw, with about 100 - 130 passengers, two floors, with the top one being the most preferred for breeze and views. However, the seating is pre-designated and we were on the bottom floor, which wasn’t an issue for us…it was raining.
We were entertained by the cruise director who was also the entertainer. He was a middle-aged Thai gentleman who crooned European songs from…you guessed it, the 1970s and 80s, in English. I have to say he was very good. We were also treated to a traditional Thai dance performance, which is always very interesting.
The food was enjoyable and consisted of a very generous buffet with a wide variety of both traditional Thai dishes and European dishes including a vast array of seafood. The highlight of the cruise was definitely the views along the Chao Phraya River, with the many beautifully illuminated Thai temples that occupy the riverside. The cruise itself lasted about 2 hours and once safely back at the wharf we were picked up again and transported back to the hotel.
The Grand Palace is a definite must see in Bangkok. For 150 years the Palace complex was home to the King and the entire government, including the country’s war ministry and state departments. Thai Kings stopped living in the Palace around the turn of the 20th century.
To enter the temple you must be properly dressed, men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves, for women no see-through clothes, only long skirts or pants and no bare shoulders. This dress code is required if you visit any Buddhist temple.
Take lots of water with you, as you can’t buy any at the temple and in the long pants you get very hot. They do have clothes you can rent at a small charge if you forget to wear the appropriate clothing.
The ornately carved architecture of the Grand Palace is really quite amazing. Within the complex is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keow), the most famous Buddhist temple. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha consists of a series of courtyards containing numerous buildings in different sizes and colours. All have impressive architecture and much devotion has been given to the decoration. Some are in gold, and others beautifully decorated with thousands of coloured glass pieces, or patterns of broken porcelain.
At the heart of the temple is an incredible Buddha image, meticulously carved from one piece of Jade. There are also many guides available to hire to show you around. We didn’t do this! In hindsight, I think we should have, in order to help flesh out the history of the massive complex. Be careful of touts outside the palace who tell you it is closed, then suggest their own tour. Their ‘tour’ will be to shops where they get commissions on your purchases and the Palace will really be open! Admission fees are 400 baht (about $16) and the Grand Palace is open every day from 8:30 to 3:30, unless it’s being used for a state function.
We also attended the kick-boxing at Lumpinee Stadium and spent a lot of time wandering the busy stall packed streets, all of which is always entertaining. A fantastic way of getting around is by train and we quickly became frequent users of the BTS (Skytrain) which is a great way to get around the huge city with trains arriving and departing every few minutes, you can even catch it directly from the airport, which we unfortunately had to do the next day!