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 Vimanmek Palace by DarkRay
The building itself was originally his Summer Palace, the Munthaturaltanaroj Residence of the Chuthathujrachathan at Koh Sri Chang, Chonburi. It was dismantled and rebuilt in the Dusit Garden under the supervision of Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse. The massive reconstruction project was completed on 27th March 1901.
Since then, the mansion has been renovated several times but subsequently, it fell into disuse and was practically forgotten until in 1982, when Queen Sirikit learnt about it and asked for the permission of King Rama IX to renovate the mansion into a museum that reflects the Thai heritage from the dramatic reign of King Rama V.
The museum is open from 0830-1630 daily (ticketing stops at 1530 though), including weekends and public holidays. The admission rate is 100 baht and proper attiring must be observed. Thus, do refrain from wearing sandals, sleeveless shirts and shorts (bottoms must at least extend to knee). Suitable attires (sarongs, shirts and pants) are available for rental if required.
You will need to join their complimentary guided tour as you are not allowed to wander within the mansion freely. No indoor photography is allowed as well and you will be required to store your photographic equipments into lockers first (20 baht per locker). Before stepping into the mansion, you will also be requested to take off your shoes and store them at the provided racks just before the commencement of the tour.
Overall, the tour was quite enlightening. However, I do find the Ananta Samakorn Throne Hall more interesting even though there's less to see there. I guess I like the majesty of the latter more. Leave a Comment
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Here's an excellent write-up, from Into Asia:
Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, it is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. However, today the Wat today bears virtually no resemblance to that originally constructed, as it was almost entirely rebuilt by Rama I when the capital was moved to Bangkok. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand.
The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.
The vast grounds at the temple were always well-manicured when I visited it. The main hall, where the statue of the Reclining Buddha was housed, had an air of serenity which I loved.
But really for me, the most important thing to do when visiting Wat Pho is to have a really good traditional Thai massage at its Thai Traditional Medical & Message School. Leave a Comment Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River, BangkokPhone: +66 2 225-9595Directions: Entry to the temple is 50 baht, and it is open from 0800-1700 daily. Beware of scams where con man will try to trick you into believing that the temple is "closed" and get you to go to other places with them. Do dress appropriately.Website: http://www.watpho.com
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Jim Thompson House was the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur and the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company.
The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959.
With his natural flair for design and color, and driven by his single-minded dedication to reviving the craft, Thompson soon gained worldwide recognition for his success in rebuilding the industry, for generating international demand for Thai silk.
For his invaluable contribution to the growth and development of the Thai Silk industry, Jim Thompson was awarded the Order of the White Elephant, a decoration bestowed upon foreigners for having rendered exceptional service to Thailand. Thompson's success story in Thailand has become one of the most popular postwar legends of Asia.
During the Easter weekend in 1967, Thompson disappeared while on holiday with friends in Cameron Highlands, a northern Malaysian resort. There he set out for a walk in the surrounding jungle but never returned. An extensive and extended search failed to reveal any clues about his disappearance. Thus began the Jim Thompson legend.
The current Jim Thompson House serves as a showcase of how he had lived while in Thailand. Originally trained as an architect, Thompson fell in love with the rustic design of the Thai House and built his own quarters in a similar style, although there is a distinct fusion of traditional American living as well.
The museum is open from 0900-1700 (last guided tour starts at 1630 though) daily. The admission fee is 100 baht and you will need to join the guided tour as you are not allowed to freely wander within the house. They have some of the best guides around and the tour was a very pleasant as well as being enlightening.
Do note that indoor photography is not allowed, as with shoes. Leave a Comment
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 Ananta Samakorn Throne
Hall by DarkRay
Do note that many visitors confuse this with the much smaller Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall that is located right behind it. This is not entirely their fault, since many maps actually made that mistake as well, since they had probably expected this larger building to be the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
The interior of the incredibly ornate building can only be described as "spectacular". The throne hall is vast and everything from the stair case leading into the chamber and the intricately designed ceilings exude a majestic aura. It is basically an empty building, but is definitely worth going to for a look.
I cannot recall if there was an admission fee (I think it was included in the 100 baht admission rate for Vimanmek Palace), but you do have to pay 20 baht to use their locker since indoor photography, as with the case with Vimanmek Palace, is not allowed. You will also have to store your shoes aside on the provided rack before entry as well. Leave a Comment
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This is a very well written description of the statue from Discovery Thailand:
Being so centrally located, the equestrian statue of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) is well worth a visit. A forward thinking monarch, King Chulalongkorn is revered as the man who elevated Thailand’s status in the world by abolishing slavery and forming strong allegiances with the world’s then ‘superpowers’ - Britain, France, America and Russia. During his 42-year reign he travelled widely, forging strong ties with neighbouring countries and the royalty of Europe. Modern Thailand would probably look very different without his efforts on the world stage. However, the historical significance of this great man is only part of the reason for a visit to his statue. Another reason is his followers.
Over the years, many Thai’s respect for their former monarch has grown to a point where he is now the object of worship. There is a firm belief in the former king’s ability to bring good fortune, especially to those in business. Devotees place candles and incense sticks at the foot of the statue and leave gifts of flowers and brandy – the monarch’s favourite drink – in the hope their prayers will be answered. Tuesday (the day Chulalongkorn was born) sees most activity with countless people lost in prayer around the statue.
I visited the statue on 24th October 2006, which was a day after "Chulalongkorn Day". Thus, it explains why in the photos, there were so many offerings surrounding the statue. Leave a Comment Address: At the edge of Lumphini Park, near Silom MetroDirections: The statue is actually in front of Ananta Samakorn Throne Hall's usually locked front gate, and very near Vimanmek Palace.
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Take a Taxi to Southern (route) Bus Terminal (about 25 km from Bangkok city center, cost $110-$160 B). Take Bus #78, $64 B. The trip takes about 2 hours. Get off at Damnern Saduak. Do not get suck in by the boat tour operator at the bus station. They want "Standard" price of $1000 B for one hour long tail boat tour. Instead, walk outside the parking lot and turn left to town. A short 10 - 15 minutes walk and you will arrive at the bridge over looking the floating market. You can then hire a non-motor boat tour for $100 - $200 B at the floating market. Address: DamnernsaduakDirections: About 2 hours by bus outside Bangkok city centerOther Contact: ck10256@yahoo.com
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 This is the all-knowing one -
him I mean! by thedouglas
He tried to articulate my occupation initially - not being able to find the right words - and described my children by gender and personality, my relationship with a range of people in my life, my personality quite well etc..... . So, I would be interested in someone else's experience and impressions.
My daughter had her signs (relating to date of birth) done, and we'll have to wait and see, as much of this is centred on life prediction. Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River, BangkokDirections: The entrance to Wat Pho is on Chetuphon road. Entrance is 20B. It's open every day, opening hours are from 08.00am to 5.00pm, with a break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.
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 by thedouglas
I love the smells - they are so familiar to me now. I just love to get amongst Chinatown here - the whole mix of things to see and do, the assault on your senses. Address: Ratchawongsi Pier, Chao Phraya River Tour, BangkokDirections: To view typical China Town scences straight ahead to Ratchawongsi Road until the intersection of Yaowarat Road.
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I usually spend two full days at the weekend market in Bangkok - and still have no hope of seeing it all. Helps if you have a map before you get there - which sets out all of the pavilions and the type of goods sold in them - organised into type of item, which makes it easy to include or exclude. Need to have good spatial skills, or you get lost and confused anyway.
Send the husbands and nonshopping sons to the wildlife, and take the girls and get lost amongst the endless array of clothing and other accessories.
Be prepared to see things you have never seen before in some of the shops - and those you may never want to see again!
Some of the antiques and artefacts are amazing - although there is always a risk in buying a so-called genuine artefact for big dollars. Also need to be aware of what you can and cannot take out of the country, cost of transport and cost of customs at the other end.
Take plenty of cash (but ATM's are there), comfy shoes a must, comfortable bag(s) for the shopping (or a porter), a good sense of humour and tolerance, and don't forget to drink water. Of course, if you drink, you'll have to find the loos - which are to die for - literally. They are usually crowded, dirty and hot - best loo is near the station and the book section - newer and cleaner. Thai female toilet queue customs are also different to ours in Oz - they line up in mini-queues outside individual cubicles, rather than forming a giant conga line like we do.
Have a ball - and stop and pinch yourself every half hour or so! Address: Mo Chit Station, BangkokDirections: Simply take the Skytrain to the end terminal called Morchit which is exactly where the market is located. Taxi from Chinatown is roughly 150Bt.
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Don't miss this place! This market was incredible and I enjoyed it just as much as seeing the Grand Palace Temple. In fact, I would put it on my "must-see" list of Bangkok attractions and would probably list it as number 2. It is quite large and open 24 hours. You can visit it around 2 or 3 a.m. when the flower shipments come in, but it was still plenty busy when we were there around noon. Such sights and smells!! You can buy flowers here super-cheap at wholesale prices. There are all kinds of flowers, and fruits and vegetables I had never seen before. There are lots of sellers making and selling flower ornament chains on its side streets, such as shown in one of my pictures. There are also lots of shrines inside, all sizes and sorts from fancy to plain, some Chinese, some not...since it is next to Chinatown you can also see evidence of the Chinese culture there. Also, lots of people and cats sleeping - they (the people) must have worked through the night and been exhausted. The vegetable section is the wholesale part located right next to the river where they are delivered (I think). We bought a bag of nice saffron for only 20 baht! At first we thought the lady didn't understand how low that price was, but she showed us on her calculator and sure enough... only 20 baht! They were selling many spices there also. Outside on the side streets are people selling flowers and fruits and vegetables as well as food. So don't miss this place, especially if you plan to see Wat Pho or Chinatown, since both are nearby. I think there might also be a night market nearby selling all sorts of things, I believe that may be near Memorial Bridge. My photos don't do the place justice. Directions: On Chak Phet Street, not far from Wat Pho, near Chao Phraya River - Memorial Bridge. Also near Chinatown.
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