THAILAND TRAVEL BLOG: THE GRAND PALACE

_{The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), currently resides at Chitralada Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. (Source: Wikipedia)}

_{Yes! I am here at one of the most popular tourist spots in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the 2nd day of our Thailand Vacation and we plan to visit the temples today. We left our hotel early and headed straight to the BTS Station - Ratchathewi.} 

_{The cheapest way to go here in my opinion is take the BTS. From your point of origin, get down in Saphan Taksim which is on the Silom Line. Ratchethewi is on the Sukhumvit line so we need to transfer. Cost = 37 Baht each}

_{From Saphan Taksim, you need to walk and then ride the boat to Tha Chang (Pier 9). You need to turn left and get on the Chao Phraya Express Boat which will only cost you around 15 Baht - the only downside is that it is very crowded. We then decided to ride the tourist boat that charges 100 baht each and only 5 of us are in a long boat.}

WAT ARUN -
Temple of Dawn

_{Once in Pier 9, it will only take 5 - 10 minute walk to reach the Palace. Make sure that you go directly on the palace entrance and do not believe anyone saying that the palace is closed (that's a scam).} 

_{We reach the Grand Palace at almost 11am, and headed to the entrance to buy the ticket which cost 500 baht each for foreigners. If you're a local, then it’s free. I know it’s pricey but this is the most revered site in Bangkok and you just can't miss going here.}

_{Oh! One more thing before I further proceed and show you the pictures - Dress Appropriately! My skirt is above the knee so I need to use a 'sarong' which is OK because I think it came out cute! :)}

_{*One sad thing happened while we are roaming around though. My boyfriend kept on pointing on a different direction not knowing that it was already the exit, we went out because he thought that it is still a part of the palace. Unfortunately, when we came back to the gate, we were not allowed to enter anymore since our ticket is already used. So there, I was not able to see Wat Phra Kaew anymore.} 

_{There's nothing we can do and I don't want to spend another 1000 baht to go inside. So the rule is - DO NOT GO OUTSIDE unless you are done or else, you can't enter anymore.} 

_{Overall, it was a worthwhile experience. The palace is so beautiful; I literally want to cry because of joy. From the neatly manicured plants and trees, magnificent paintings all over, to the detailed and flawless architecture, it is truly a place worthwhile to visit.} 

_{The Grand Palace is open from 8:30am - 3:30pm.}

_{Next Stop? Wat Pho (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha)}

THAILAND TRAVEL BLOG: SIAM CENTER, SIAM PARAGON, CENTRAL WORLD, BIG C SUPERMARKET AND MY FIRST STREET FOOD EXPERIENCE IN BANGKOK

_{So after settling and fixing our things in the hotel, we headed straight to Siam Center to eat lunch. From the hotel, take the BTS and get down in Siam. It costs 15 Baht each. The station has a link directly to the mall.}

_{NOTE:  Change your notes into coins because the train station here is not like in Manila. It is a self serve ticketing system like in Hongkong.}

BTS Ratchathewi

So organize and clean BTS system

BTS Station Guide

_{Siam Center has one of the nicest food courts I’ve ever seen. The standard of their so called “food court” is on a different level.} 

_{First, you need to buy a Food Debit Card then give it to whichever place you want to eat so they can debit the amount. If after eating you still have some money left, you can have it refunded.}

 

I'm excited to EAT!!!!

_{Let me show you guys our first meal in Bangkok.}

Tomyum Flat Noodle with Pork Bounce Ball and Soft Boiled Egg (55baht)

Fried Oyster Egg with Bean Sprouts (80baht)

Chicken Curry Rice (80baht)

Fresh Watermelon Shake (50baht)

_{After eating, we went back to our hotel to rest and take some nap.}

_{We woke up at around 6, and immediately we headed back to SIAM square for SHOPPING!}

_{We went to Siam Paragon and its adjacent malls, and walk all the way through Central World and Big C Supercenter.}

One of the many small praying shrines all over Bangkok

The king of all supermarkets - Big C 

_{We went crazy in Big C Supercenter. It’s similar to SM hypermarket. What is the difference? It is a 4 story building packed with so much grocery goodness.}

 

_{After grocery shopping, we walked back to go to the Siam night market, and it’s crazy! The only downside was that it is crowded and hot, the prices are kind of steep and you really can’t bargain that much but the energy in the atmosphere is so high; I didn’t mind all those things.}

Erawan Shrine

_{After all the shopping and walking, we decided to go back near our hotel to eat dinner. It was already past 10pm when we reached BTS Ratchathewi, and a few blocks away from our hotel is a massive line up of roadside street foods. (We actually did try out the entire line up during our stay)}


 

Line up of Street Food

_{Bangkok Street Food is ETHEREAL! The stores are close during the day and opens after 5pm till the wee hours of the night.  The type of street food near our hotel are all cook to order, though I’ve seen some stalls along Pratunam and near the Grand Palace with pre-prepared / already cooked meals.}

_{Let me show you guys our first dinner in Bangkok!}

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Sauce (80baht)

Crab Fried Rice (80baht)

Sea Bass cooked in Lime Juice sauce with garlic and chili (300baht)

_{After eating, we headed straight to our hotel to rest because we are going temple touring the following day!}

_NEXT: THE GRAND PALACE