Date: Dec 23rd, 2009
My last day in Thailand.
Woke up, had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and headed straight to MBK one last time as I had to pick up something my friend Jyothy Karat wanted from the Canon store. After saying goodbye to Kosin, I took a taxi (as advised) and headed for the Grand Palace which is located in ‘old Bangkok’.
The taxi ride cost me around 100 baht (Rs. 130). It was noon by the time I got to the Grand Palace and it was scorching hot.
The place is obviously very popular with tourists. I quickly bought my ticket and went in to avoid the mad rush of tour groups thronging the place by the bus loads.
I won’t be detailing its history, so if you are interested, you can read about the Grand Palace here and here. (The latter link has information on ticket pricing and dress codes)
The final stop (for me) at the Grand Palace was the Wat Phra Kaew (wat = temple) that houses the Emerald Buddha.
The Emerald Buddha, apparently from India originally and actually made of jasper instead of emerald, is seated on top of a structure and photography is not permitted from inside the hall. Which is why it helps to have a telephoto lens (thanks Jo!).
With that, I was done. Drank lots of water and made my way out.
Next up — Wat Pho.
Other posts in this series:
Day 1 – Suvarnabhumi, Pantip Plaza, Fotofile & MBK
Day 2 – Bridge over the River Kwai and Tiger Temple (Wat Pa Luangta Bua) in Kanchanaburi
Taking the bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok
Day 3 – Maesa elephant camp, ‘long-neck’ tribe village near Chiang Mai
Day 3 (Part 2) – Chiang Mai Night Market
Day 4 – Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai… and back in town
Day 5 – Leaving Chiang Mai for Phuket
Day 5 (Part 2) – One night in Phuket
Day 6 – Leaving Phuket for Ao Nang by bus (via Phang Nga)
Day 7 – Touring Koh Phi Phi (Maya Bay, Monkey Island & Bamboo Island)
Day 7 (Part 2) – Exploring Railay, Krabi
Day 8 – Flying from Phuket to Bangkok
Day 8 (Part 2) – Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok
Day 9 – MBK, Siam Paragon… and ‘little Arabia’?
Day 10 – Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and finally leaving Thailand
Figures, lessons learned, and things I couldn’t do
