Tag: Bangkok

BANGKOK TOUR: Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri

After hours of walking inside the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, we continued our adventure a few streets away. This time, we tasted different kinds of food and drinks along Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri.

Here’s a quick itinerary in the afternoon:

3:30-4:00 – From Wat Pho, hire a tuktuk to Khao San road street market (estimate: 150 baht)
4:00-5:00 – food trip along Khao San road
5:00-5:05 – walk from Khao San road to Soi Rambuttri
5:05-5:30 – food trip along Soi Rambuttri
5:30-6:30 – stopover at Fifty-five massage parlor and enjoy your choice of massage. I suggest 30 mins of foot massage + 30 mins of full back massage.

KHAO SAN ROAD

This one-kilometer stretch of street food stalls, restaurants, shops, massage parlors, and hostels was a delight to see! Our first stop: finally taste the famous Coconut Milk ice cream served with coconut meat in a coconut shell which was topped with roasted peanuts and chocolate syrup. I opted not to have the syrup because I wanted to appreciate the pure taste of the coconut milk.

Then, we tried their Pad Thai and fried lumpia. I am not really a fan of Pad Thai, but I liked the taste and texture of the one we tried in Khao San.

We also got to taste their sour green mango with rock salt and chili. However, the mangoes in Bangkok are bland compared to the ones in the Philippines. I’m not sure why. But, I personally like the mangoes in our country.

Some vendors also sold fried chicken skin, chicken satay, pork barbeque, and grilled chicken balls. These streetfood were delicious! Their barbeques were extra tender and juicy too!

Another common sight at their streets is the display of fresh fruits served in cups or sticks.

SOI RAMBUTTRI

After an hour of touring Khao San road, we headed towards Soi Rambuttri, which was just 5 minutes away. By that time, we weren’t hungry anymore so we decided to walk some more and have a foot massage nearby.

Thankfully, there was an affordable massage parlor (55 Massage) in this street which provided excellent customer service. Our feet and backs were aching and numb, so we stopped for feet and body massages. Aaahhhh! It was amazing. The staff members were very friendly. They did an amazing job massaging our feet and bodies. Plus, they even served us snacks and tea while we rested a bit more in their parlor. If I would have the chance to go back to Soi Rambuttri, I will definitely have massages there again. It’s a must-try!

It was nearing dinner time after our massages were done, so we went back to Khao San road to catch an Uber car going to our hostel. But before we went home, we had our last snack in the area: Nutella banana rotee/roti! Yum!


All throughout our trip in Bangkok, we experienced difficulty in communicating with some of the locals because they didn’t speak English. But, despite this, it was fun and interesting to go around their streets, explore and taste their food, and document the experience.


BANGKOK TOUR: Grand Palace and Wat Pho

On our second day in Bangkok, we decided to do a Do-It-Yourself tour since the locations were already in the city. In the morning, we visited the Grand Palace. Then, in the afternoon, we went to Wat Pho, one of the famous temples in Bangkok. The second day was very interesting for us because we had just visited the old grand palace the day before. Seeing how the current palace looks like definitely gave us a new perspective on the culture of Thailand.

Here’s a summary of the first part of our itinerary for the second day:

8:00-9:00 – Grab/Uber ride from the hostel to the Grand Palace
9:00-11:30 – tour inside the Grand Palace
11:30-1:00 – walk along the restaurants located near the entrance/exit of the Grand palace and have your lunch.
1:00-1:30 – walk towards Wat Pho. We used google maps to direct us towards the temple. But, if you ask the locals in the area, they are very helpful in pointing the direction. Also, there are also street signs that lead towards the temple.
1:30-3:30 – tour inside Wat Pho

Here are some of the photos from our DIY tour. :)

GRAND PALACE
Address: Na Phra Lan Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
Open: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Dress Code: NOT allowed – Slippers, shorts, Clothes that reveal the shoulders and chest, Jeans with ripped parts or holes, Skirts or dresses higher than the knees, and leggings or tight fitting jeans.
Entrance Fee: 500 baht (One ticket includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.)


WAT PHO
Address: 2 Sanamchai Road, Grand Palace Subdistrict, Pranakorn District, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Open: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Dress Code: NOT allowed – Slippers, shorts, Clothes that reveal the shoulders and chest, Jeans with ripped parts or holes, Skirts or dresses higher than the knees, and leggings or tight fitting jeans.
Entrance Fee: 100 baht

BANGKOK TOUR: Temples at Ayutthaya

Part 1 of the Ayutthaya tour can be seen HERE.

THIRD STOP: The Old Royal Grand Palace & The Old Royal Temple (Wat Phra Si Sanphet)

Ms. Pookie shared that during a war many years ago, the city of Ayutthaya was burned by the Burmese for a week. We didn’t know the story about the ruins that we were visiting until she told us about it. It was a tragic time for the people of Thailand. Until now, some of them don’t feel good about visiting the city of ruins because of the memories from before. However, UNESCO helped make the city a heritage site and planned to maintain it to the best of their ability, instead of replacing it with new temples.

The next stop we went to had three bell-shaped chedis, known as the symbol of Ayutthaya. This place was where royal ceremonies were held before. They also kept gold in the buildings which were later stolen by the Burmese.

FOURTH STOP: Wat Mahathat

This place was the residence of the leader of the Thai Buddhist monks. It was originally filled with buddha statues. But, according to our tour guide, the heads of the statues were stolen by western treasure hunters. Also, this site is known mostly for the buddha statue surrounded by the roots and trunk of a tree.

LAST STOP: Wat Ratchaburana

An interesting fact about this place is that the two brothers of King Borom Ratchathirat II died here while they were fighting for the throne. After they died, King Borom built this wat which also included a vault full of treasures. Unfortunately, these were again looted by foreigners.

WHAT I APPRECIATED ABOUT OUR TOUR AND GUIDE:

1. Our private tour was very convenient for us. They were able to adjust the schedule when our flight got delayed. Also, they provided a cooler of cold bottles of water and wet disposable towels for us. These came in handy especially after being exposed to the sun all day.


2. Our tour guide, Ms. Pookie, was very friendly, accommodating, kind, and passionate. Despite the heat and lack of time, she still happily toured us around and did her best to help us maximize the tour. Even though we were running late for our last stop, she still managed to bring us there on time and even encouraged us to go down to the vault where the historical paintings were. I appreciated how she explained details in the stories that she shared and how she sincerely wanted us to know more about their culture.

Ms. Pookie also knew how to take great photos which we highly appreciated. Touring around beautiful sights like these wouldn’t be complete without awesome documentation. She also knew how to speak good English. Lastly, she bought food for us before we went back to the hotel. This was a very thoughtful gesture because she wanted us to try good food from the market even though meals weren’t included in the tour package. We definitely recommend Ms. Pookie and the Thai Tour Guide group!

3. Coordination with the Thai Tour Guide group via email was fast and easy. They did reply within 24 hours and they answered every question I asked about the trip. No wonder they received the Excellence award in TripAdvisor. Their customer service is really good.


4. The Temples at Ayutthaya and the Summer Palace were lovely. It was my first time to see them and they made a lasting impression on me. I really enjoyed the tour because it helped me see a different side of the world; a new culture with interesting stories on the royal family, national treasures, and the architecture in the city.

NOTES:

*I’m not sure about the entrance fees for each temple that we visited because they were part of our packaged tour. I’ll update this part as soon as I can. :)
*The temples open at 8:30 am and close at 6 pm.
*The weather is very hot. Remember to bring water, a small towel, and a fan with you. You can also bring shades, a cap, and an umbrella to help protect you from the sun.
*DRESS CODE. There are NOT allowed: Slippers, shorts, Clothes that reveal the shoulders and chest, Jeans with ripped parts or holes, Skirts or dresses higher than the knees, and Leggings or tight fitting jeans.

BANGKOK TOUR: Bang Pa-In Summer Palace and Private Boat Ride

When my sisters and I planned our trip with mom to Bangkok, we aimed to know more about and experience the country’s culture. After much research on various options for tours, we decided to avail a private tour guide for the temples at Ayutthaya. We chose this over a DIY/Shared tour because of the timing and convenience.

In this post, I’ll be sharing about the temples that we visited and some of the things that I appreciated throughout our tour.

OUR TOUR GUIDE: Ms. Pookie from www.thaitourguide.com

INCLUSIONS:
With Private Minivan 9,300 Baht for 4 persons
+Private tour as indicated in itinerary
+Pick-up and drop-off at the hostel
+Private qualified and experienced english speaking tour guide
+All admission fees as indicated in itinerary
+All transfers and taxes

Our meet-up with Ms. Pookie was scheduled at 10 am. But because of our delayed flight, we met her a few minutes before 11 am. Thankfully, she still enthusiastically welcomed us and proceeded with the tour. Because our hostel was about two hours away from Ayutthaya, our tour guide took advantage of the travel time to brief us about Thailand, Bangkok, its history and culture even before we arrived at Ayutthaya.

FIRST STOP: Bang Pa-In Summer Palace

This place was huge. I can’t even begin to describe how many mansions, lakes, and parks I’ve seen inside it. Ms. Pookie patiently toured us around the place for two hours under the heat of the sun. She shared stories about the royal family, historical events in Thailand, the people’s freedom, and the backgrounds on each area inside the compound.

It was very interesting to see how the Royal family lived and how the King had a great impact on the countrymen. Another interesting part of their culture is the way they show respect in their temples. Before we could go inside their temples and some of the royal family’s houses, we needed to remove our shoes and wear conservative clothes first.

Inside the Summer Palace, we also saw different structures that were influenced by other people such as the English and Chinese allies of Thailand. Another observation that I noticed was that the palace was filled with photogenic places, including lakes that show beautiful reflections of the houses and temples.

Also, going around the Summer palace can be done by foot or by riding a golf cart (with additional charge).

SECOND STOP: Private Long-Tail Boat around the historic ruined city (where Wat Chaiwatthanaram can be seen)

It was a lovely 20-minute boat ride where we witnessed the livelihood of the people near the ruined city. Most of them were fishing huge catfish and were doing their laundry in the river. A lot of the houses beside the river also had a Thai-inspired design. It was also a good thing that the river didn’t smell bad, so cruising along it was a breath of fresh air after a hot tour in the city.

(Part 2 of the itinerary can be seen HERE.)

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About Me

My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)

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