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| Our ritual 'morning meeting' trip. Who says women can't read map, eh? |
We stayed in a hostel named D'Talak (such a horrible name for us Indonesians xD). The hostel was not fancy but quiet clean and ok, and located near a MRT Station, which is the most important part of us since we're exploring the city by train. Trains (both MRT and BTS) apparently are the most effective public transportation in Bangkok - you can't count on their taxi (they're meter-less and always offer you high rate) or bus (annoying traffic everywhere). With all its hustle and bustle, Bangkok really reminds me of Jakarta, even in some certain ways I don't feel like in abroad :))
Mandatory Visit: The Temples
You're not going to Bangkok if you haven't seen their stunning temples (or Wat, as locals call 'em). There are more than 400 Wats around Bangkok, but the most famous among tourists are this three:
Wat Arun
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| Wat Arun: The Temple of Dawn |
Located in the riverside of famous Chao Phraya, Wat Arun is so far the prettiest among all of temples I've saw. It's built of thousands tiny pieces of colored glass and porcelain that placed delicately into wonderful patterns. The glasses reflect lights at night and will be looked even prettier at sunset.
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| How detail! Wonder how long did it take to build this? (*o*) |
Dare yourself to climb the spire! We can see the Grand Palace and Wat Pho opposite.
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| View from the top. Very windy up there |
Also known as 'Temple of Emerald Buddha', Wat Phra Kaew located within the area of The Grand Palace. Inside of the shrine is the Buddha statue carved from jade. Since no one but The King is allowed to be near the statue, we could only see it from the outside. Too bad it was really crowded, so I can't get the pic of the statue :(
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| Temple of Emerald Buddha |
Wat Pho
This is a large complex of temples with gigantic The Reclining Buddha statue as a highlight. The chapels' architecture is also worth-seeing (and very instagrammable :p)
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| the girls feat Wat Pho's Guardians |
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| Wat Pho's courtyard |
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| The smiley Reclining Buddha statue. It seemed he's got a Budhha's Delight :)) |
All of the temples are in the same neighborhood. I suggest to visit Wat Phra (and Grand Palace) first, next Wat Pho, and then crossing the river to Wat Arun. You could take BTS to Saphan Taksin Station (Silom Line) and transfer to Central Pier (or Sathorn Pier) by tourist boats. Very important tips: watch your wallet! They say there's some pickpockets at the boats (thanked God we didn't meet one). Also, pay attention to the boat type - there are several kind of boats with different price range depends on your budget.
The Grand Palace
This city's famous landmark is also still functions as the King's Home and government building. Beside Wat Phra Kaew, I love how its' architecture style and Europe-ish inspired.
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| The Chakri Maha Prasat (Grand Palace Hall) |
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| Chakri Maha Pasat's awesome decor |
The Chakri's buildings were inspired by various architectural style the former King Rama saw on his trip to Java and Singapore, but designed by Englishmen (or so it said in guide book :P). That's why the culture mix are so strong on these buildings.
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| The Phra Thinang Boromphiman (Boromphiman Throne Hall) |
As a vintage-looking building fetish, I just loooved to wander around Grand Palace. If only the sun wasn't that hot!
The Shopping Galore
Chatuchak Market
We went to Chatuchak weekend market (obviously). Since we're too busy strolling around (we even get lost each other!) we didn't even have time to take proper pictures. To be honest, I didn't really fancy Chatuchak's kind of clothes because of the materials seem cheapo (well, most of them) but I worship their interior designs stuffs! There are tons of cute vintage cupboards, coffee tables, lamps, anything! Well, basically you can find ANYTHING at Chatuchak - from trendy clothes for human and pet(!), to real animal (idk if it's legal), to groceries to medicines. There are new stuffs and preloved ones. There are also hip local designers product with better quality and massive convection products (with lesser quality 'course). Literally you can find anything here.
The foods were also tempting and varies from Thai Food, Mexican Food, Spanish Food, Indian, anything. And no worries, we can find halal foods easily here (just ask first).
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| the friendly Cook with extra large Paella pan. He's making a love for us! xD |
Pro tips while visiting Chatuchak: if you go in a group, do choose a meeting point and meeting time after you finish your shopping, because the chance for you to be separated and lost. Also, wear the most comfy t-shirts and shoes since the weather is going to be very humid.
Anyway, it's really easy to find Chatuchak. Just take MRT to Chatuchak station or BTS to Mo Chit station. You can also take direct bus from Don Mueang airport.
Asiatique The Riverfront
With a free shuttle boat from Saphan Taksin, this current it place for youngsters is really accessable. It's a combination of a night market with dining experience, in a big warehouse-like hangar. I love this place! I think I can spend the whole afternoon reading here my self in one of its hip coffee shops.
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| the Bangkok Eye |
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| the food hangar arena at dusk |
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| riding a ricksha in the bay front |
There are another places we visited. Such as Khlong Toei traditional market near our house and some random restaurant recommended by Tripadvisor. I ate some very lickin tasty tom yam and pad thai :9 Bangkok street foods are also make me drool :9
After 3 days, I went back to Jakarta while the girls continued their trip to Chiang Mai. I definitely will go back to Bangkok again!
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