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Royal Barges Museum
I was not that interested to begin with about seeing the Royal Barges but it turned out to be a very good way to have another cruise on the Chao Phraya River and spend a few hours on a very hot day in Bangkok. The Royal Barges are housed in sheds in The Royal Barge National Museum on the Thonburi side (left side from the Sathorn Pier) of the Chao Phraya River and provide a further insight into Thai history and culture. The barges are ornately decorated boats with magnificently carved prows (front part of the boat) that in the past served a military function but today are only used in state ceremonies and celebrations.
You can catch the tourist boat which stops at the pier next to the museum or for what turned out to be a bit more fun I caught the regular express boat to the Pinklao Pier. From there I walked down to the main road and had no idea how to find the Royal Barges Museum so I showed my map to some motorcycle taxi guys who spoke no english but one of them took me for a ride to the
Next to the Pinklao Pier
I am not sure if I would bathe in this river - very pollutedmuseum along a very narrow and winding laneway for a great view of how the locals live near the riverside.
It only costs 30 baht to see the museum plus 100 baht if you want to take photos. There are eight barges on display and you need to be careful as you take photos as there is nothing to stop you from falling into the dock if you step backwards while lining up your pics. The barges are magnificent to see close up and there are displays of flags and other decorations used in ceremonies and information about the history of the barges on the three walls of the museum.
On the way back to the Sathorn Pier I got off the express boat at the Oriental Pier to check out the world famous Oriental Hotel and also the O.P Place shops. The Oriental Hotel apparently is no longer the grandest hotel in Bangkok but I had a look through the windows into the lobby and the place certainly has a feel of richness about it - no shorts allowed in here, or backpackers as the sign out the front says.
The O.P Place is close to
the Oriental Hotel and well worth a look as it houses some of the most amazing and probably expensive antiques, furniture, jewelry and clothing shops that I have ever seen. O.P Place is like a museum of fine arts and I sat in a big leather chair and sipped a coffee while thinking about being rich enough to be able to shop in such a place.
Calypso Cabaret
I caught the BTS Skytrain to the Ratchathewi Station which has a passage straight through into the Asia Hotel which houses the 350 seat cabaret theatre. My VIP seat cost 1200 baht which seemed a bit expensive as I had paid 800 baht to see the Alcazar Show in Pattaya last year, but it was a Saturday night and is still only about $A40 for some high class entertainment which includes a drink in the ticket price.
You have a small round table and light next to your seat for the show which runs for about 75 minutes. There are 50 performers in the spectacular ladyboy show and it concentrated on the old style cabaret music instead of the more cute pop and movie songs you may see
in other shows. I enjoyed the Calypso Cabaret - if you like authentic cabaret with popular french songs and tributes to old time stars like Josephine Baker then you will like this. After the performance you can have your photo taken next to the stars of the show as long as you pay a suitable tip - it's all good fun.
Click on the pics if you want a larger view and select next to see all the pictures.
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