Phetchaburi – Bangkok, Thailand
As usual we got up fairly early. We packed up our things, grabbed some breakfast and then headed for the bus station. We arrived at the station just before 9:00 and quickly purchased our tickets. At 9:00 we were on the bus and headed back to Bangkok.
I slept on Jackie’s shoulder for most of the 2.5-hour bus ride. When we arrived in Bangkok we left the bus station and hailed a taxi. It was the first time so far that we did not have a place booked in advance. We pulled out our guidebook and had the driver take us to one of the cheap hotels in the touristy part of Bangkok.
By 11:45 we were settled into our two rooms. Jackie and I got a room with a private bathroom and AC (450 bhat per night) and Spizz got a personal room (170 baht per night). We met back in the lobby to get some lunch. It was the first meal where the food was a little too spicy for me (I had chicken curry in a sweet peanut sauce).
When everyone was done eating we set out for the Grand Palace. The street by our hotel was super fun. It is a very touristy part of town and filled with shops, restaurants, and other touristy places. We had no idea where to go and somehow got lost. Eventually we decided to ride a tuk-tuk (basically a cab that is a small cart pulled by a motorcycle) to our destination (for 15 baht).
Unfortunately, tuk-tuk drivers never go to straight to your destination. First, the driver decided to take us to an incredibly tall standing Buddha. Though we were not too excited at first, it turned out to be a sight to behold! We were all amazed at the incredible size of the statue…
Next, we stopped at a suit shop for about 10 minutes and pretended to be interested (the drivers are paid to bring people to the shop). Once it became apparent that we were not going to purchase anything the driver agreed to take us to the Grand Palace. We arrived at the Grand Palace safely (which is kind of amazing because the tuk-tuk drivers are crazy!) and ready to see some sights.
The Grand Palace and surrounding area was the most crowded area we have visited in Thailand. There were tourists everywhere. Before we were allowed to enter the palace Spizz and I had to rent pants (no shorts allowed at the Grand Palace). We paid our deposit and changed into some extra comfy clothing.
From there we made our way to the ticket office and paid our entry fee (250 baht each) to the Grand Palace and temples. As soon as we walked through the entryway (to the temples) we were amazed. There was incredible artwork, architecture, and cool looking stuff everywhere! It was one of the most amazing sights possible.
We spent well over an hour exploring the temples. I took more pictures than I thought possible. My favorite area was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (no photos inside). It was an extravagantly decorated temple. As the name would suggest, a small emerald colored Buddha sat atop a beautiful throne. Interestingly, the Buddha has stunning cloths for each of the four seasons.
Once we finished exploring the temples we headed for the exit. Leaving brought us to the front door of the Grand Palace. It is a large, beautiful building with many armed guards. Just as we arrived we got to witness a changing of the guard. After watching the protectors change shifts we got as close as normal people are allowed and took several photos.
Around 15:00 we decided to leave the Grand Palace area. Spizz and I got our deposit and original clothing back and then met up back up with Jackie. We exited out the front gate and followed the wall to the area behind the palace, to Wat Pho.
We paid the entrance fee to the legendary Wat and started exploring. The main attraction in the area was largest reclining (laying down) Buddha in the world. The massive statue is 45 meters long and 15 meters high (almost 50 feet)! It was so large that it was almost impossible to get a picture of the entire thing.
We continue exploring Wat Pho for another 30 minutes. After visiting several more temples and gawking at a few more statues, we were feeling totally burnt out. We decided to leave the Wat and head home. NOTE: I forgot to mention that within Wat Pho they have a basketball court!
It was a surprisingly fun walk. We traveled down several small streets and onto the university campus. We also passed by the river and many overeager tuk-tuk drivers. Just after 17:00 we made it back to the Baan Sabai Guest House.
Jackie and I headed for our room and decided to rest for a few minutes. Not surprisingly, we fell asleep and had about an hour-long nap. When we woke up we went out on the road to grab some dinner (Spizz had already eaten and headed to his room for the evening). We ended up exploring the fun street around our hostel for quite some time. There were many food vendors, clothing shops, and travel agencies.
We returned to the hostel at 20:00 and used the internet for an hour before heading to sleep.
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