Thailand Day 2: Wat Pho and Grand Palace

February 3, 2011 (Thursday)
PLEASE BE WARY OF SCAMS NEAR GRAND PALACE

Because of our hectic first day, we were not able to exchange most of our dollars into baht. We only exchanged a few dollars in the airport since the exchange rate was not good. MBK was not yet open since it was only 9:15 am so we tried our luck to go to Siam Exchange, a money changer that I saw on the way to Lub D.

When we got to the place, it was still closed but the employees were already inside. Fortunately, they opened early for us. ^_^

We were so thankful to discover this money changer as they had the best rates among all the money changers that we saw. If you will be staying in the Siam area, then you can find Siam Exchange  very close to Bangkok Art and Culture Center. It is on the side of Asia Hotel.

On the way back to Lub D, we took a picture of the area around Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

See the stairs in the picture? You can go up there to go to MBK which is at the opposite side. If you want to go to Siam Discovery or Siam Paragon then turn left when you reach the top of the overpass.

After paying Lub D the remaining balance, we asked for advice about going to the Grand Palace. The original itinerary was to travel by BTS to Saphan Taksin then take the Chao Phraya Express Boat. But the Lub D staff told us that we can just take the ordinary bus to Wat Pho. She gave us the bus numbers (sorry, I lost the paper but I still remember bus 47) and even wrote in Thai to drop us off at our destination. The bus stop is next to MBK near the National Stadium.

We were also lucky that the woman that my mom talked to works in Wat Pho. She guided us to come with her as we got down the bus and crossed the street. She even led us to the ticket booth! :) By the way, the entrance ticket in Wat Pho costs 50 baht.

Aside from seeing the reclining buddha in person, I also could not foget Wat Pho as it was where I tasted the such delicious coconut juice! :D Please look for an old woman selling coconut juice for 20 baht near this area:

It was scorching hot that day so we bought hats from the sellers outside Wat Pho before we ventured to the Grand Palace.

Please be wary of scams near Grand Palace!!! I have read about this scam before so I also want to warn you dear readers that if ever someone approaches you and told you that the Grand Palace is close, please do not believe him. Also, be wary of tuktuk drivers. This is what happened on our way to the Grand Palace:

We were not sure where to cross the street so I asked a man standing in the corner where the Grand Palace is. However, he told me that the Grand Palace had a ceremony that day and he would just take us to other temples. He even wrote the destinations on our map. It was a good thing that I read about this before so we escaped from him by telling him that we will take our lunch first.

After that, we came across a gate to the Grand Palace but the guard would not let us in. He told us to go around. Apparently, I think it was the gate for locals as there were also people coming inside. I was confused as I had not read about this situation. As we prepared to go around, a family from Spain(?) approached us also with confused looks on their faces since the guard told them the same thing. They told us that  they walked around but then a man approached them and said that there was a ceremony until 2:00 pm.  Alarm bells started ringing inside my head of a scam. So I said , we should still go to see. As we approached a corner and saw a small gate, we saw the man that the family was talking about standing near the guard. Fortunately, behind the man's back,the guard was pointing  the right entrance. Thank you very much to that helpful guard ! :D

The main entrance to Grand Palace is near the Royal Navy Club Restaurant. Entrance fee costs 350 baht which also includes the entrance to Vivanmek Mansion. If you want to avail of the free guided tour in English, here is the time schedule: 10:00, 10:30, 1:30 and 2:00.:)

Before I end this long blog post, I would just like to give some tips in visiting these temples:

1. Bring water because it is really hot in Thailand and you will need this for energy since the Grand Palace is huge! 

2. Please wear appropriate clothes. For females, this means no sleeveless tops, shorts and miniskirts.
3. Wear shoes that you can remove easily like ballet flats because you will have to be barefoot as a sign of respect in entering inside a temple. 

4. You do not need to join a group tour as you can easily go to Wat Pho and Grand Palace by yourself. Besides, its good to view the sights in a leisurely pace in order to appreciate the beauty of the place.^_^