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TEMPLES Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace Rattanakosin is the heart of Old Bangkok, and a visitor interested in Thai history and architecture can spend endless time wandering around this area. Central to everything is the Grand Palace, standing on the riverbank and almost a small city in itself, with its white wall and its soaring red, green and gold rooftops. King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok as Thailand's capital city, began building the Grand Palace in 1782 and it houses many temples, buildings, murals and statues. The King no longer lives on the grounds, but some parts are occasionally used for official functions, such as ambassadorial visits. Within the walls of the Grand Palace is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the jade image that is revered as the spiritual symbol of the Thai nation. The inside of the wall surrounding the temple area is painted with scenes from the Ramayana mythology, and the giant statues and other figures in the temple area are also from the Ramayana. Daily 08:30am-15:30 Wat Pho Slightly to the south of the Grand Palace is Wat Pho, which has the largest reclining Buddha in Asia. The feet alone, with inlaid mother of pearl, are 3 metres long. In the numerous buildings are nearly 400 seated Buddhas. The temple is also the centre of knowledge for ancient Thai massage, with its own school where foreign students as well as Thais study. Daily 08:00-18:00 Wat Arun Across the river from the Grand Palace is one of the best-known symbols of Bangkok, the Temple of Dawn, known to Thais as Wat Arun. Until recent years the tallest building in the city, the center prang is 86 metres high and there are four smaller prangs at each corner. All are covered with pieces of Chinese porcelain, originally brought in as ballast in trading ships. Daily 08:30-17:30 Wat Suthat A man-made mountain built during the early 19th century and still one of the most prominent landmarks on the flat Bangkok landscape, visitors can climb the spiral staircase to the top,where they find the view is a magnificent one. Golden Mount is part of Wat Saket, whose origins date back before the Bangkok era. Wat Traimit Better known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha, as it contains a huge solid gold Buddha statue 3 metres tall and weighing 5.5 tonnes. A far more modern attraction are the automated fortune telling machines. Daily: 08:00 - 17:00 PALACES Vimanmek Mansion The world's largest teakwood building, Vimanmek Mansion was built as a royal residence in the first few years of the 20th century. After only a few years it fell into disuse until it was restored in the early 1980s as a museum depicting the reign of King Rama V. Vimanmek has since then grown to include more than 20 restored structures of the old Dusit Palace, and is in effect a complex of museums where the buildings themselves form part of the display. Daily 08:30-16:30 Suan Pakkad Palace Actually a collection of traditional houses brought together by Prince and Princess Chumbhot in the early 1950s, all of which are more than a century old, Suan Pakkad is both a combination of classic Thai architecture and an exhibition of art and artifacts. A highlight is the Lacquer Pavilion, a building more than 200 years old that formerly stood in a monastery on the Chao Phraya River just south of Ayuthaya. Suan Pakkad can be accessed using the Skytrain, alighting at Phayathai station and taking the stairs to street level next to the Florida Hotel. Daily 09:00-16:00 Ananta Samakom Throne Hall This huge and ornate building designed in the Italinate style dominates the royal plaza at the end of Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Erected in 1912, the building housed the Thai parliament for a while after the 1932 coup that ended the absolute monarchy. The interior is very European in style, with traditional Thai motifs. The paved plaza in front of the building is where the annual Trooping of the Colour is held every December, and in late March the plaza is the scene of the annual Red Cross Fair. The Throne Hall is generally open to the public only once a year, on Children's Day, the second Saturday in January. SHRINES Erawan Shrine Fragrant with incense and with traditional music and dancers, the Erawan Shrine is a surprising patch of colour and activity at this busy road junction. Thai people come here to pay their respects to the Brahma image, and they pay a small fee to the orchestra and dancers. The sidewalk is crowded with flower sellers and lottery ticket vendors. Admission free, donations appreciated Fertility Shrine With its hundreds of phallic carvings and statues, the shrine honours the female fertility spirit Chao Mae Tuptim and is most often visited by women who are trying to conceive, who leave ribbons, lotuses and jasmine offerings on the carvings and statues. Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown district runs along Yaowarat Road from Odeon Circle, where a huge ceremonial Chinese gate marks the entrance, up to the Ong Ang Canal. The original community of Chinese traders had occupied the land where the Grand Palace now stands, and when King Rama I decided to establish his new capital at Bangkok, the traders moved slightly to the east, along the bank of the river. The narrow Sampaeng Lane marks the original main street, and is fascinating to explore. Yaowarat Road was built later. Today it is lined with gold shops and restaurants, and the narrow streets and lanes will reveal an extraordinary world. Chinatown is an easy place to explore on foot, and in fact there really isn't any other way to find the little temples and shrines, and the shops and restaurants and markets. Getting there Travelling to Chinatown by boat enhances the experience. Alight at the Ratchawong Pier and walk up Ratchawong Road to Sampaeng Lane or Yaowarat Road. You can also alight at the Harbour Department Pier, which is closer to Odeon Circle; at the Memorial Bridge Pier. MUSEUMS Jim Thomson House The Jim Thompson House is the former home of an American who revitalised the Thai silk industry after World War II. He brought several old teak houses to Bangkok from upcountry, and rebuilt them next to the Saen Saeb Canal. After Thompson disappeared mysteriously in the Malaysian Highlands in 1967, the house and its magnificent collection of Asian art was opened to the public. Daily: 09:00-17:00 National Museum For an insight into Thai history, the National Museum is one of the largest in Southeast Asia and houses a vast collection of antiquities including prehistoric art, murals, bronzes, exhibits from other Asian countries and ceremonial carriages used by royal families. There are bronze tools and ceramic utensils from Ban Chiang, dating back to 3000-4000BC. The Khmer period is very well represented, as are the Sukhothai period of the 13th-14th centuries and the Ayutthaya period between the 1300s and 1700s. Wed-Sat 09:30-16:00 Royal Barges National Museum Used only on important ceremonial occasions, the magnificent royal barges are stored and maintained here at a hangar on the corner of the Chao Phraya River and Klong Bangkok Noi. The largest, the King's own red-and-gold "Suphannahongse" (Golden Swan), carved from a single 150-foot-long teak log, requires 50 oarsmen to move it. Others are intricately carved to represent creatures from the Ramakien mythology. You need to take a boat to get here. By public riverbus to Tha Phra Athit, then a shuttle boat across the water. Many of the Bangkok cruises along the river feature the Royal Barges Museum as a highlight. Daily 09:00-17:00 Siam Discovery Museum Located on Sanam Chai Road in Phra Nakhon District, in the former building of the Ministry of Commerce, the conversion of this building won an award for outstanding art and architecture preservation in 2006 from the Association of Siamese Architects. The museum serves as a learning centre on ethnology, anthropology, and other fields related to Thai society and Southeast Asia. New methods of display with modern media have been applied, with the exhibits being divided into 16 rooms in the three-storey building. Open 10:00 am to 18:00 pm Tuesday-Sunday Libraries Thailand's National Library is situated on Samsen Road in Thewet District and maintains an extensive collection of Thai books and literature, both ancient and modern, as well as a smaller selection of foreign-language books. The main Vajirayan Building houses stone inscriptions and scripture cabinets. Other sections include the Thun Boriphat Music Library and the ancient archives room. Daily from 09.30 am to 19.30 pm, except for national holidays. The Neilson Hays Library is a Bangkok landmark on Surawong Road, having been opened in 1921, and has an extensive collection of books on Thailand and Southeast Asia in addition to being a lending library for residents with a very large selection of fiction and non-fiction works. Open 09:30 am to 16:00 pm Tuesday-Sunday Longtail Boat Klong Tour Although most of Bangkok's canals have been filled in, across the river in Thonburi there is still a network of waterways with people living in the same way as their ancestors, their houses on the canal banks and small boats providing their transporation. Touring these canals (or klongs, to use the Thai word) allows a glimpse into another world. A longtail boat can be hired at several of the main river piers, notably Central Pier at Saphan Taksin and the River City Pier next to the Royal Orchid Sheraton. The boat will comfortably hold at least six people and the charge will generally be between 1,500 and 2,000 baht for a trip of one-and-a-half hours. Longer trips are available, with several different routes. To enter the klongs, the boat passes through a lock that was built to prevent the houses along the canals flooding when the main river rises during the rainy season. Once through the lock, there are all manner of houses to be seen, along with temples, shrines, shops and schools, and the local people going about their day. PARKS Parks in Bangkok tend to have a low profile, with many of them being small and tucked away. Others however are large and are very much community spaces, being used for activities such as aerobics, tennis, basketball, weightlifting, jogging, cycling and rowing. Lumpini Park One of Bangkok's oldest, biggest and most visible parks, Lumpini Park is on the fringe of the Central Business District. There is a large lake with boating, a corner that is used as a public gymnasium, concerts and other events are often held here in the cool season, and there is even a library. Take the Skytrain to Saladaeng station or the Metro to Silom station. Benjasiri Park Laid out in 1992 to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's 60th birthday, Benjasiri is often referred to as "Queen's Park." There is an attractive lake, and several outstanding examples of Thai sculpture are scattered around the park. Location is next to The Emporium shopping centre on Sukhumvit Road. Take the Skytrain to Prompong station. Chatuchak Park Chatuchak Weekend Market is a prime Bangkok attraction, and next to the market is a large park. In recent years the old railroad golf course adjacent to the park's north end has been turned into a public park, with many tennis courts and soccer fields available for anyone to use. As with the market, take the Skytrain to Mo Chit station. Romaneenart Park Close to the Giant Swing and Wat Suthat, Romaneenart Park is only a few years old, and occupies the site of the old city jail. One wall and a couple of the old guard towers have been retained and there is a small museum. A large number of fountains help keep the park cool, and there are basketball courts and a weightlifting area. Romaneenart Park is on Siriphong Road, which runs from Wat Suthat down to Pahurat Market, next to Chinatown. You also take a boat to Memorial Bridge pier, then walk up Chakraphet Road. Santichaiprakan Park Laid out next to Phra Sumen Fort, one of the few remaining structures of the old city fortifications, Santichaiprakan Park is next to the river. From the park, a riverside walkway leads south to Phra Pinklao Bridge and beyond, passing several historic buildings, now occupied by the likes of the FAO and UNESCO. The park is next to the famous backpacker area of Khao San Road, and can be reached by express boat to Banglampoo Pier. Saranrom Park Diagonally opposite Wat Pho and across from the rear of the Grand Palace is a shady oasis known as Saranrom Park, with several historic structures that are marked with informative plaques. Amusement Parks These are always favourites with the kids and Bangkok has a number of such establishments. One of the more popular of these is the Siam Park, or Suan Siam, which has a number of pools, water slides and a wave pool, and is located around 10km outside Bangkok at Bangkapi. At the Total Entertainment Complex, 45 minutes from the centre of Bangkok at Pratum Thani, it is actually possible to go water skiing. This enormous facility, covering 420,000 sq m, has its own water skiing and wakeboarding school, and also an adventure centre. TE is more of an adventure centre, and offers courses and corporate programmes alongside its attractions. |
