Grand Palace " Glitter and Gold "

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Geo: 13.7308, 100.521

The Third day I visited the Grand Palace and Wat Po which is magnificent.

How to get to the Grand Palace

I took the Chao Phrya express ferry -Orange Flag from Si Phrya pier, which was next to my hotel to Tha Chang but you can take BTS to Saphan Taksin and walk less then 5mins to take the Chao Phrya express ferry - Orange Flag to Tha Chang # 9 for 15 Bahts.

Here is the timetable for the ferry : chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/…timetable


Beware of Scams :
Grand Temple, Tuk Tuk & Jewellery Scams

It is a short walk from the pier to the Grand palace and on the way if you meet anyone who says the palace is closed do not believe them even if they are in smart uniform or about the lucky Buddha. These are all scams to take you to tour the Jewellery and other shops to relieve you of your money and waste your time. Avoid Rickshaw /Tuk Tuk men, they are involved in these scams too. There has been reports about Conmen wearing Policeman's disguise so if anyone talks about cheap jewellery/ Tailors says Thanks and decline. When a conman tried to approach me I just smiled and walked straight past him towards the Grand Palace.


Palace opening time

The Palace is open everyday from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm unless it is used for state function which is rare.

Dress Code for Grand Palace

There is very strict dress code at the Grand Palace. Men cannot wear shorts. Ladies has to dress conservative and cannot wear sleeveless. Shoulders have to be covered and girls please no short skirts or shorts. Please show respect for Thai culture and religion.
You can borrow clothes from the Royal Palace with deposit of 200 bhat, which are washed and recycled. Also there is very long queue for these clothes so it is better to wear the right clothes to save precious time. I saw younger girls with sterotype Thai skirts which were borrowed. I was pleased that I went with short sleeves T shirt and longish skirt

Entrance Fees for the Grand Palace


The entrance ticket is 350 Baht per person for the Royal palace.

There are 5 Metre high "Yaks", guards at the entrance. Royal Palace is very stunning with intricacy of designs and glittering gold. The murals on the walls were beautiful and it explains the story from the Ramayan. About Rama, Sita, Ravana, Hanuman the monkey god, which was beautifully illustrated all round the Grand Palace. There are huge crowds of visitors and Thai worshippers as the Royal Palace is place of historical and religious significance.


There are Free guided tours in English, available at 10:00, 10:30, 1:30 and 2:00


Inside the complex there is temple of Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), which is glitter and gold. Thai people pray to the Buddha and make offerings here. The Buddha image is small, but sits on a magnificent golden throne. Wear comfortable shoes, which can be easily removed as visitors have to remove footwear before going inside the temple. Also no photographs can be taken inside the Emerald Buddha Temple.

What to pack :

Sometimes the heat can be melting so take bottle of water, wet wipes, umbrella (to block the sun), sun block, insect repellent,small anti - bacterial bottle, hat.

On Sunday there are food stalls/ hawkers and lot of street food near Palace.With my weak belly and also being vegetarian, I stuck to fruit and light snack in Bangkok. I bought some insect repellents/ batteries at Seven Eleven near the hotel and drank lots of coconut water. Coconut water has antibiotic qualities.

That evening I relaxed at the hotel. The hotel had live music band and played the Beatles music, which was good. A Pretty Thai lady played Sitar type instrument at hotel, which was very pleasant. (See pictures)


Fourth day: After a huge breakfast and enjoying the views of the river, I took the taxi to airport at 12.30 pm, again the hotel doorman made sure the taxi driver used the meter. I paid 400 Bhat which included tip. If I go to Bangkok, I will definitely stay at Royal Orchid Sheraton.

At the airport there was a big queue for the immigration which took 20-25 mins so please allow for more time when departing Bangkok Airport, especially as my Air Asia flight took off 20 mins earlier then schedule.
I bought the 50%!D(MISSING)eet from the Boots for my visit to Cambodia which was better then the Deet, I bought from Seven Eleven.

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Photos

Dress Code for Grand Palace
Dress Code

Comments

[Steph]

I love reading about your trip, it is so inspiring. I am traveling there in July and I took a ton of notes about your trip. Did you plan it all in advance? Can you recommend a company for Thailand? I would like to go to Chiang Mai and Phuke
t as well, do you have any suggestions for there? Thanks.

[smittee]

Hi, Thank you very much :) I am pleased that my blogs are helpful.Yes I did plan it 2 months in advance and please definitely go to Chang Mai and Phukat. I wish i had time to do Chang mai but I will do it next time. You do not need to go wi
th a tour company to Thailand as it is easy to plan your holiday to Thailand. You can do it independently and you can tailor make your holiday according to your own pace where as you are stuck with set regime with a tour. Also look at travel fish website for more ideas.If you have a small group you can hire a recommended guide for the day in Bangkok as guide charges are very reasonable. Please be vary of scams in SE Asia.Good luck

[Forgottensage]

Wow, kapow! This is a place that would brighten an overcast day.

[smittee]

Yes it is beautiful :)