Today, we kick start our day early to beat the crowd at The Grand Palace which is about 15 minutes walk from the South gate of Wat Pho.

The Grand Palace (or Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang) is an exact replica of Thailand's 2nd capital, Ayutthaya.

Now, the palace is no longer in use by the king except for certain ceremonial occasions such as Coronation Day and is closed to public. But the interesting compound is worth exploring.



Left - Phra Siratana Chedi; Right - Phra Mondop



Miniature Angkor Wat

Built in 1782, The Grand Palace houses not only the royal residence and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha.



The Dusit Group - Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall



Side view of Dusit Maha Prasat Hall. The intricate design of the roof is an architecture beauty

Rajkaranyasapha Hall

Wat Phra Kaeo, the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha built on the compound of The Grand Palace, is one of the most venerated sites in Thailand. The small green-jade statue of Buddha is the most sacred Buddha image in Thailand. Three times a year, the King will preside over the ceremony to clad the sacred image with one of the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season and winter). The images were away in another temple for some restoration work or ceremony......so we didn't get to see them.....what a waste!!

Exterior wall of Wat Phra Kaeo

Exterior wall of Wat Phra Kaeo. The garudas depicted are conquering the snake, which is a symbol of evil

After experiencing the grandiose of The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, we moved on to the world largest golden teakwood building, Vimanmek Mansion Museum which was King Chulalongkorn's celestial residence (entrance fee is included in the Grand Palace ticket). It is located way out of the main tourist area, so took us quite a bit of effort to get there....took a water taxi to another dock, change to bus, walk another 25 minutes from the bus stop to finally reach the place.....then it started to rain! What a spoilsport.

But hey, not that bad yet.....at least we get to see this bridge, Rama VIII Bridge (quite similar to Penang Bridge).




This part of the mansion is where it all begun at the Vimanmek Mansion Museum. The free 1-hour guided tour provides insights to the life of the king and the function of the various rooms. Of the 72 rooms, only 31 of them are opened as museum.





It was built in 1868 as a summer house on the island of Ko Si Chang before moving to the Dusit Palace in 1901. Though European style in look, it was built according to Thai tradition, using golden teak wood and no nails at all.

Where King Rama V resides. It is a popular place for graduation photography.

The neatly spruced garden compound is great for a good stroll after the rain. Since this was where the king lived, there would also be places for entertainment and work.

Place for entertaining

Office building

Office building....looks more like a holiday resort!!

The surrounding of the museum is a serene residential and school area, so we headed back to the city center for our daily doses of shopping, bargaining, good food and massage!!

We thronged Bangkok's famous night markets the whole night. Patpong market offers a wide variety of counterfeit products, mainly ladies handbags....most popular ones are Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci. There are also stalls selling cheap jeans and T-shirts. The products are not really cheap considering their qaulity but the bars and night clubs added lots of colours, fun and vibrancy to the place.

After our massage at Arima Onsen (cheap and good), we proceed to Suan Lum market. The market is separated into 2 sections. One part is a huge covered food court with live bands nightly. The other part is where all the stores are. The products here are of better quality compared to Patpong, and most of the shop owners being young adults, the products are more interesting and creative.

Whichever it is, just make sure we bargain hard (slash 50% off for a start!). Hmm....our maiden bargaining experience......not too bad....but there is still room for improvements!