Back to Bangkok to finish the trip

---

Travelling from Phetchaburi to Bangkok isn't too difficult by bus or by minibus, but when there is something you want to see along the way, your options are limited. We came across Thailand Taxi Transfer and were quite happy with the price they quoted us to bring our plan to fruition. It was a bit of a damp and drizzly morning when we were collected from our hotel and the weather didn't really improve at all on the almost two-hour journey to Wat Sam Phran.

We had seen pictures of this huge red cylindrical temple with a dragon wrapped around its outside and really wanted to visit. Despite the weather, it did not disappoint. We were dropped off in the car park and walked over a wooden bridge shaped like two enormous tree trunks. On the other side there were dragons everywhere. The outside of the temple would be far more picturesque bathed in sunshine but we got the rather damper view of it instead. Inside we were mortified to find the lift was out of order and instead we had to take our shoes off and walk up the entire inside of the dragon's tail as it made its way to the top. Along the way we passed signs for the numerous heavens and, at seventh heaven, assumed we were nearly there. Oh no, there were fourteen in total! At the top there should be stunning views with Bangkok looming in the distance but we could merely see the lush tropical surroundings nearby. Despite the weather we were so pleased that we visited, and it wouldn't be too difficult a trip out from the capital itself.

Our taxi then took us directly to our hotel for the last leg of this trip, the Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18, just 45km away. Unfortunately improvements in Bangkok's public transport system have not taken traffic on the road and it took almost two hours to make that journey. Perhaps a better idea would have been to be dropped off on the edge of the Metro system and take the train to Sukhumvit Station just a short walk from the hotel. Oh well, we arrived a bit frustrated by the time it had taken but relaxed from the comfort in which we had travelled.

There were still three things we wanted to do in Bangkok on this trip so the weather was irrelevant. Asok BTS station is very close to the hotel and a 35 minute ride from there took us to the Thai Naval Academy station. From there it's only a stone's throw to the Naval Museum which you can't miss thanks to the HU-16 Albatross aircraft that sits in front of it. We were waved through the gates by the sailors on duty and then I had to sign in using some Covid app online. We were then escorted around most of the museum which was a bit disruptive to our enjoyment. Having said that, there was very little information in English and even the QR codes proudly displayed pointed only to Thai websites with no translation. There's a lot to see in the museum but it doesn't really follow much of a logical pattern. There's certainly no journey through time which would be easy to put right, and it's ripe for a bit of audio-visual improvement in these days of YouTube and social media. The best display was the replica of a royal barge parade which was impressive, but surely a screen showing a video of it would be an easy improvement to make. There are lots of naval memorabilia like uniforms and medals but no real commentary to go with it. Set on three floors, it was interesting enough but those without any military history or interest would soon find themselves very bored. It was free though!!

We also wanted to go back to Chinatown to visit the Chinatown Heritage Museum at Wat Traimit. Wow! As disappointed as we were by the Navy Museum, we were impressed by this museum. It is very interactive with lots of audio-visual displays showing off the history of Chinese immigration to Thailand and the Sino-Thai relationships through the years. We would argue that this should be on your "must-see" list in Bangkok. We left feeling educated and entertained, although the storm scene on the junk made us feel slightly seasick! The Chinatown Gate is located just over the road but it was mostly covered by stalls setting up for a vegetarian festival.

The third museum on our list was the Thai Railway Museum at Hua Lumphong station. We had expected the station to have closed by now and replaced by the new station at Bang Sue which will be the largest in South East Asia. This has yet to happen but it does seem to be imminent. Anyway, the museum was, as it has been on our previous visits, well and truly closed which was frustrating because we had read that it was open. Their Facebook page does suggest some activity though, so it's worth checking out. Old photos of Bangkok's railway stations can be found in the impressive atrium of Hua Lumphong and it's a nice place for an iced coffee and a break from the humidity outside. The new Metro station makes it so much easier to get there, and there are a lot of information boards in the tunnels about the construction and history of the whole Metro system. It's definitely worth a look and the standard of English on these boards is surprisingly good.

We also finally got around to celebrating our anniversary properly with a trip to the 30th floor of the Radisson Blu hotel, just over the road from where we were staying. The Brewski Bar is a brewpub and serves some great pub food too. It's far from cheap though, but it was a special treat. The night time views of Bangkok are truly breath-taking and we felt justified with the expense, even though our meal and drinks cost us around what our weekly budget had been travelling around!! We also managed to meet up with one of Russ's students from about eight years ago. It was great to catch up and incredible to see how her English had developed over the intervening years.

So that was it for this Thailand trip. It's been great to be travelling again and familiar territory was a good way to ease ourselves back into it. All that was left was to fly to the UK, and with a 1am flight, we decided to buy a lounge pass to relax before our flight. We would definitely do it again, and hopefully they will be as lackadaisical about time keeping again in the future. We stretched our 2.5 hours by a considerable amount!!

We hope you have enjoyed reading about this trip. Not too long to wait until the next one unless another pandemic gets in the way. Shouldn't joke about it really!!!!

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Bangkok
We haven't been to Bangkok since 2007. It sounds like there are many improvements. Time does not stand still. I'm glad you were able to properly celebrate your anniversary.

[Menna Jones]

Great blog.
Enjoyed reading your blog as always Russ. We’ll be off to the Thai islands near Phuket in a couple of months on our way to Australia and New Zealand. If you know of any good blogs / travel tips would you please pass them on as I am researching at the moment. Have made a note of the taxi webpage. Looking for info on the ferries now really. Thanks a lot in anticipation !!