Explore The City Of Bangkok And Neighboring Provinces

City of Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand, the Land of Smiles... and the Land of Buddha! - Amazing Thailand.

Travel from Manila to Bangkok 
04 January 2014

For four days and four nights, I explored the amazing and beautiful land of the Thais - to discover another World Heritage Site and wander at its culture, its people and other treasures worth seeing there.

It was the start of the year 2014 and I started my adventure on the 4th of January taking a late flight from Manila to Bangkok. Travel time was 3 hours and 30 minutes. I arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 17:45H (Thailand Time).

Since it was my first time in Thailand, I decided to ask the hotel, where I checked in, to fetch me at the airport. When I went out of the arrival area, the van driver was already at the gate waiting and smiling at me holding a paper with my name printed in bold big letters so I can notice it immediately. On board the hotel van, I went straight to my accommodation at the heart of Bangkok.

I roughly estimated the distance from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Bangkok at 70 kilometers (more or less). With a slight traffic, my travel time from the airport to Bangkok City at exactly 1 hour.

After checking in, I decided to move around the hotel. My accommodation is located at Ratchathewi District along Soi (Alley) Payanark. The BTS (Sky Train) station is quite near so I decided to try the sky train and then navigate through each of the stations from one end to another, just to get familiarized with the location of malls, tourist sites and others.

Explore & Discover Bangkok - The Marvelous Buddha Statues and Temples!
05 January 2014

On my first day in Bangkok, I decided to move around the city holding a map with the suggested sight-seeing places. I observed that most of the tourist destinations in Bangkok are in fact Sacred Places for the Buddhists - called Wat or simply Temples of Buddha and of course with the statue of Lord Buddha inside.

Wat Tramit

I was able to visit two Buddha Temples at the City. Both temples are located at the China Town. I was not able to get the name of the first temple but the second temple is popularly known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha - Wat Tramit.

Many are saying that the statue is made of pure gold and it is the world's solid gold statue.

All Buddha Temples in Thailand share the same architecture - I love the color combinations and the details!

Golden Buddha

The Temple of the Golden Buddha is elevated at least 10 meters above the ground so I had to take some few stairs to get inside the the temple. There were several tourists at that time.

Just in front of the temple, there were vendors/stalls selling souvenirs like Thai silk and Buddha statues made of resins.

Background: The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon (Thai: พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร), is the world's largest solid gold statue. It is located in the temple of Wat Traimit, Bangkok (district of Samphanthawong, in Chinatown), Thailand.

The origins of this statue remain uncertain. It is made in the Sukhothai Dynasty style, and is thought to have been made during the Sukhothai period in the 13th-14th centuries, though it could have been made after that time.

The head of the statue is egg-shaped, which indicates its origin in the Sukothai period. Sukothai art had Indian influences. Metal figures of the Buddha made in India used to be taken to various countries for installation. So the Golden Buddha statue may have been cast in parts in India. The shape of the statue's head dates it to the Sukothai period

Later, the statue was probably moved from Sukhothai to Ayutthaya, after the latter kingdom came to predominate. This move may have happened in 1403.

Some scholars believe the statue is mentioned in the somewhat controversial Ram Khamhaeng stele. In lines 23-27 of the first stone slab of the stele, "a gold Buddha image" is mentioned as being located "in the middle of Sukhothai City". So this is interpreted as being the reference to the Wat Traimit Golden Buddha.

At some point of time, the statue was completely plastered over to prevent it from being stolen. Thus, the statue was covered with a thick layer of stucco, which was later painted. The plaster was also inlaid with bits of coloured glass. It is believed that this plastering over took place before the destruction of Ayutthaya kingdom by Burmese invaders in 1767. The statue remained among the ruins of Ayutthaya without attracting much attention.

In 1801, Thai King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I), after establishing Bangkok as a new capital city of the Kingdom, and after commissioning the construction of many temples in Bangkok, ordered that various old Buddha images should be brought to Bangkok from the ruined temples around the country. So this was the time that the Golden Buddha was probably brought from Ayutthaya to Bangkok.

At the time of King Rama III (1824-1851), the statue, still covered with stucco, was installed as the principal Buddha image in the main temple building of Wat Chotanaram in Bangkok.
After Wat Chotanaram, located near Chinatown, fell into disrepair and was closed, the statue had been moved to its present location at the nearby Wat Traimit in 1935.[4] At the time, Wat Traimit was a pagoda of minor relevance (like hundreds of other Buddhist temples that exist in Bangkok). Since the temple didn't have a building big enough to house the statue, it was kept for 20 years under a simple tin roof. Thus, it seems as though the true identity of this statue had been forgotten for almost 200 years (Wikipedia).

From China Town, I moved on to see the Thailand's Gem Gallery store, the "World's Biggest Jewelry Store." Little did I know that Thailand is the largest Gem exporter in the world - Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby stones.

At the Gallery, there is an audio visual presentation showing how the Thais mine the Gems from the ground - I was impressed. Before reaching the display of impressive, expensive and authentic jewelries, we were escorted along the Jewelry assembly area where the workers carefully position the beautifully cut stones into bracelets, rings, earrings, pendants and more. The whole store is - shinning and shimmering with splendid gems!

Visit Gems Gallery Website.

It was past lunch time when I went out of the gallery. I decided to get back to the hotel and do some "taste tests" of Thai foods nearby. In general, I don't enjoy chili-hot dishes, but since I wanted to experience the taste of a real Thai meal, I gave it a try.

Khao phat kaphrao mu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Khao_phat_kraphao_mu.jpg

After all, I enjoyed the Khao phat kaphrao mu (Thai:ข้าวผัดกะเพราหมู) - Rice fried with a certain variety of Thai basil called bai kaphrao (Ocimum tenuiflorum), sliced pork and chillies.

Riding the sky train, I explored several nearby malls like MBK and Siam Paragon.

Explore & Discover the Province of Ayutthaya - A UNESCO World Heritage Site!
06 January 2014

Early morning on my 2nd day in Thailand, I woke up early and decided to join a tour at Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is loacted at least 100 kilometers from Bangkok. It took us an hour and a half drive to get to Ayutthaya on board a van from Bangkok.

Phra Thinang Aisawan Thiphya-art

We reached the Bang Pa-In District in Ayutthaya Province before reaching the old Temples of Ayutthaya and we decided to explore the Royal Summer Palace (Bang Pa-In Palace).

According to our Thai guide, the Bang Pa-In Palace was built as summer rest house for the past Thai Kings.

HO Withun Thasana

At the entrance, I was handed a map showing the building locations inside the complex to explore. There are two options to explore the Palace complex - either by foot or renting an electric cart similar to a golf cart. I decided to walk and did a great photo sessions.

Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun

The complex is well maintained although it is no longer being used by the present Thai King. At the middle of the complex, there is a moat. I love the architecture of the buildings and the bridges patterned to those in Europe.

Background: Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน), also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex formerly used by the Thai kings. The palace is located on the Chao Phraya River bank in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya Province.

King Prasat Thong originally constructed the complex in 1632, and though it lay empty and overgrown throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries, King Mongkut began to restore the site in the mid-19th century. Most of the present buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn.

The facilities include vast gardens and landscaping, Wehart Chamrunt (Heavenly Light), a Chinese-style royal palace and throne room; the Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode), a royal residence; Ho Withun Thasana (Sages' Lookout), a brightly painted lookout tower; and the Aisawan Thiphya-Art (Divine Seat of Personal Freedom), a pavilion constructed in the middle of a pond.
The palace remains largely open to visitors, as King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family use it only rarely for banquets and special occasions (Wikipedia).

From the Summer Palace, we head on straight to the old City of Ayutthaya (Ayutthaya Historical Park). Ayutthaya was the second capital of Thailand. From the entrance gate all the way to the Pagodas and the Wat, I marveled at the full grandeur of one of the World's Treasures - this is what I came for in Thailand!

Central Temple - Ayutthaya

There is a huge reclined statue of Lord Buddha at the entrance gate. The Wat Phu Khao Thong could be the central temple with two massive statues of Buddha at both sides of the entrance gate and one huge white statue of Buddha at the back. Surrounding the central temple are smaller statues of Lord Buddha.

I climbed up the central tower and explored its interior. It was intact and well maintained. I was wondering how marvelous and impressive that place could be when it was still the capital of Thailand hundreds of years ago.
Background: The Ayutthaya historical park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครศรีอยุธยา (Pronunciation)) covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, Thailand. The city of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1350 and was the capital of the country until its destruction by the Burmese army in 1767.

In 1969 the Fine Arts Department began with renovations of the ruins, which became more serious after it was declared a historical park in 1976. The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
Thirty-five kings ruled the Ayutthaya kingdom during its existence. King Narai (1656 CE to 1688 CE) not only held court in Ayutthaya but also from his palace in the nearby city of Lopburi, from where he ruled 8–9 months in the year (Wikipedia).

From the ruins of the old city, we headed on to Wat Thammikarat. This site is located outside the old city of Ayutthaya. The buildings in this place are generally in the state of ruins. The ruins revealed the materials used to construct the walls - bricks and stones.

Wat Thammikarat

Our guide said that the temple surrounded by statues of Lion used to be surrounded with water (moat) but it was dry during my visit.

There is another huge reclining Buddha housed at a nearby structure within Wat Thammikarat.

Background: WAT THAMMIKARAT (วัดธรรมิกราช) Wat Thammikarat is located on the city island beside U-Thong Road. It is situated just outside of the Ayutthaya Historic Park. It can be easily accessed by motor vehicle from U-Thong Road or by bike from a small path at its southern end (via King Naresuan Road). The monks at this active monastery humbly request that visitors walk their bikes while on temple property.

Wat Thammikarat most likely pre-dates the founding of Ayutthaya by King U-Thong in 1351. It is historically connected to a Khmer settlement named Ayodaya that was situated just east of the current city island. Derick Garnier points out that, "Archaeologists have found traces of a pre-12th century Dvaravati town on and below the island of Wat Khun Muang Chai, Wat Maha That, and Tambon Bang Kracha" (Garnier 39-40). Evidence suggests Wat Thammikarat also existed at this early time. The “stone lions round the chedi are Khmer, and the colossal Reclining Buddha, of which only the head remains, is in the style of Uthong” (Garnier 40).

This pre-Ayutthaya history is backed up by northern Thai chronicles, which state that Phraya Thammikarat, who was son of King Sai Nam Phung, constructed this monastery, and this is how it received its name (History of Ayutthaya - Temples and Ruins).

From Wat Thammikarat, we proceeded to Wat Lokayasutharam, where another huge reclining stone statue of Lord Buddha can be found. At the back of the reclining statue is the ruins of the old buildings and monuments.
From Wat Lokayasutharam, we headed to the Elephant Stall and Wat Prasisanphet. While exploring the area, we saw a native Thai House made entirely of wood. It was simple yet elegant. 

Wat Praisanphet

Across the street is the Wat Praisanphet, which we did not explore anymore because of the intense heat of the sun. Few visitors took an elephant ride and explored Wat Praisisanphet.

Our last destination was the Wat Maha That. This place is also in the state of ruins. Sight seeing highlight at this place is the head of a Buddha statue surrounded by roots of a tree. Our guide said that there was a war in that place that happened 200 years ago. 

Wat Maha That

A soldier cuts the head of the statue and placed it under the tree. Hundreds of years later, the roots of that tree have curled over the statue head as if it was holding it and showing just the face of the statue to its visitors.

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Explore the Floating Market, Wood Carving and Cultural Dances of Thailand!
07 January 2014

On my 3rd day in Thailand, I joined a group of tourists heading to the floating market. I had seen a floating market when I visited Vietnam and so I was dreaming that Thailand's version of this market could be similar to that of Vietnam.
The floating market in Thailand is approximately 100 kilometers away from Bangkok. It took us more than an hour drive going to that place. Along the way, we had a short stop-over at a "coconut store." The products are sweets from coconut juice. Since we have lots of this in the Philippines, it was nothing new to me.

What I liked from the store was the gallery of nice lamp shades made of coconut shells. Thais are really creative just like us. I got one as souvenir. I remembered that I also got a lamp shade in Indonesia in the shape of a Stuppa when I explored Borobudur temple.
At 0900H, we reached the floating market. Thailand's version of the floating market is also similar to that of Vietnam only that in Thailand, the market is on the banks of a small river, in fact it looks more than a water way than a small river whereas in Vietnam, the market is at the Mekong River on boats.
The tour started a kilometer away from the market and we took a small native motor boat (Bangka) that ferried us along the water way towards the market. At the market, there were vendors on motor boat selling fruits, souvenirs and other items though they can also stay at the banks of the water way as well.
There are many souvenir shops at the floating market and aside from that, there are also authentic Thai foods which I enjoyed so very much. I enjoyed walking along the banks of the water ways taking photos.

At 1045H, we head on to the Elephant ride. The place itself is just for those who are excited to sit at the back of Dumbo. I didn't ride the elephant anymore and instead took some refreshments. Thailand's weather was really hot at that time and draining.

Thai Wood Carver

From the Elephant ride, we proceeded to another site where the wood carvings in Thailand are made. I was expecting to see the usual wood carvings just like those in the Philippines. Thais has different ways of wood carving. Using a "Teak" tree, Thai wood carvers carefully and delicately create their masterpiece, like a painting, that I called "Wood carving in 3D".

Wood Carving Details

I was completely amazed by the talent of Thai wood carvers. They are exceptionally good at this. I looked closer at the finished wood carvings and presto, the details are truly intricate.

There is a display of huge elephants made completely of Teak wood. I was even more amazed upon entering the store gallery where all the shining marvelous finished wood carving products are displayed. Most of which were already sold and just awaiting for the buyer to pull them out.
I salute the Thais for being such an exceptional wood carvers.

From the wood carving store, we head on to the Elephant and Crocodile Wrestling shows. We had fun watching the shows. Elephants are such very important animals in Thailand. I was informed that in the old days during the reign of Ayutthaya Kingdom, all white elephants automatically become a property of the King.

Elephant Show

I was impressed at the Elephant show. The Elephants are trained very well and the show was done excellently. It showcased how the elephants were used in the old days - from transport, to dragging woods and heavy things to a vehicle used in ancient wars.

Trained Elephant

Adjacent to the Elephant show area is an enclosed pool with Crocodiles inside and two gentlemen. We were entertained by the show called "crocodile wrestling" though it's not actually wrestling with the crocs but doing some "risky" things with a mouth wide-opened crocodile.

Crocodile Wrestling Show

Our last destination for the day was the Rose Garden. This is where Thai cultural dances are staged. From Thai boxing to the ancient wars and wedding ceremonies, I enjoyed them all. In particular, I was reminded of our very own - "Tinikling" while watching the Thai bamboo dance performed very gracefully by the cultural dancers. While watching, I felt like moving my feet and jumping across two bamboo poles again - my memories of dancing Tinikling.

Thai Cultural Show

From Rose Garden, we went straight back to Bangkok. I was so tired but it was all worth it.

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Cultural Wedding & Dances

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Explore the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple!
08 January 2014

On my last day in Thailand, I decided to visit the famous Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple. There is no Sky Train service going to that place so I had to bargain with all my talents with a Taxi driver to bring me there and use his meter. It was just a 30 minute drive and I paid 80 Baht.

My impression about the Grand Palace is the equivalent of our Intramuros in Manila. According to the information that I got, the King who built the Grand Palace got the design of the Stuppa from Ayutthaya and some other buildings inside from Europe, since according to the people at the place, the King had traveled to the west bringing the architecture with him to Thailand upon his return.
If there is a Golden Buddha, a reclining old Buddha statue at Ayutthaya made of granite stone, then there is an "Emerald" Buddha at the Grand Palace. Though it is popularly known as Emerald Buddha, the statue is made of pure Jade stone - evident with its green color.
Photo taking is prohibited inside the temple of the Emerald Buddha, however, taking photo outside is permitted. I enjoyed taking photos of the golden Garuda statues around the temple and the Emerald Buddha statue itself. According to the guards at the Grand Palace Temple, there is another golden reclining Buddha at the nearby Wat Pho but I did not check anymore. I've seen many reclining Buddha statues already.

Golden Garuda

I flew back to Manila on the evening of 08 January bringing with me amazing and unforgettable memories of Thailand that I could never forget. I went home fulfilled and with a smiling heart.

Emerald Buddha

Having the chance to explore Bangkok and and its neighboring provinces was another dream come true!
With my experiences, I can finally say, THAILAND, TRULY AN AMAZING PLACE AND A LAND OF SMILES!!

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