Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew is the colloquial name of the vast, fairy-tale compound that also includes the former residence of the Thai monarch, the Grand Palace.This ground was consecrated in 1782, the first year of Bangkok rule, and is today Bangkok's biggest tourist attraction and a pilgrimage destination for devout Buddhists and nationalists. The 94.5-hectare grounds encompass more than 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation. Most of the architecture, royal or sacred, can be classified as Ratanakosin (or old-Bangkok style).Housed in a fantastically decorated bòht (chapel) and guarded by pairs of yaksha (mythical giants), the Emerald Buddha is the temple's primary attraction. It sits atop an elevated altar, barely visible amid the gilded decorations. The diminutive figure is always cloaked in royal robes, one for each season (hot, cool and rainy). In a solemn ceremony, the king (or in recent years, the crown prince) changes the garments at the beginning of each season. Recently restored Buddhist murals line the interior walls of the bòht, and the murals of the Ramakian (the Thai version of the Indian epic the Ramayana) line the inside walls of the temple compound. Originally painted during the reign of Rama I (1782–1809) and also recently restored, the murals illustrate the epic in its entirety, beginning at the north gate and moving clockwise around the compound.Except for an anteroom here and there, the buildings of the Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawong) are now put to use by the king only for certain ceremonial occasions, such as Coronation Day.Borombhiman Hall (eastern end), a French-inspired structure that served as a residence for Rama VI, is occasionally used to house visiting foreign dignitaries. The building to the west is Amarindra Hall, originally a hall of justice but used today for coronation ceremonies.The largest of the palace buildings is the Chakri Mahaprasat, the Grand Palace Hall. Built in 1882 by British architects using Thai labour, the exterior is a peculiar blend of Italian Renaissance and traditional Thai architecture. It's a style often referred to as fa·ràng sài chá·dah (Westerner in a Thai crown) because each wing is topped by a mon·dòp – a heavily ornamented spire representing a Thai adaptation of the Hindu mandapa (shrine). The tallest mon·dòp, in the centre, contains the ashes of Chakri kings; the flanking mon·dòp enshrine the ashes of Chakri princes. Thai kings housed their huge harems in the inner palace area, which was guarded by combat-trained female sentries.Last, from east to west, is the Ratanakosin- style Dusit Hall, which initially served as a venue for royal audiences and later as a royal funerary hall.Guides can be hired at the ticket kiosk; ignore offers from anyone outside. An audio guide can be rented for 200B for two hours. Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace are best reached either by a short walk south from Banglamphu, via Sanam Luang, or by Chao Phraya Express boat to Tha Chang. From the Siam Sq area – in front of the MBK Center, take bus 47.Admission for the complex includes entrance to Dusit Park, which includes Vimanmaek Teak Mansion and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
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Jim Thompson's House
In 1959, 12 years after he discovered the fine silks being woven across the khlong
in Baan Krua and single-handedly turned Thai silk into a hugely successful export
business, American Jim Thompson bought this piece of land on Khlong Saen Saeb and built
himself a house. It wasn’t, however, any old house. Thompson’s love of all things Thai saw
him buy six traditional wooden homes and reconstruct them in the jungle-like garden here.
Some of the homes were brought from the old royal capital of Ayuthaya; others were pulled
down and floated across the khlong from Baan Krua – including the first building you enter
on the tour, which once belonged to the parents of Khun Niphon Manuthas. Thompson became
one of the first Westerners to embrace the traditional Thai home as a thing of beauty.
Thai homes would traditionally have been multipurpose affairs, with little room for
luxuries like separate living and sleeping rooms. Thompson adapted his six buildings,
joining some, to create a larger home in which each room had a more familiar Western
function. One room became an air-conditioned study, another a bedroom and the one nearest
the khlong his dining room. As well as having good taste in silk, Thompson was an
eagle-eyed collector of Thai goods, from residential architecture to Southeast Asian art.
Today the house operates as a museum for his collection and a tribute to the man. Viewing
is by regularly departing tour only, and photography is not allowed inside the buildings.
New buildings house the Jim Thompson Art Center, a café selling drinks and light meals and
a vast shop flogging Jim Thompson–branded goods. Beware well-dressed touts in soi near the
Thompson house who will tell you it is closed and then try to haul you off on a dodgy
buying spree.
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Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) gleams and glitters with so much
colour and glory that its earthly foundations seem barely able to resist the celestial
pull. Architecturally fantastic, the temple complex is also the spiritual core of Thai
Buddhism and the monarchy, symbolically united in what is the country’s most holy image,
the Emerald Buddha. Attached to the temple complex is the former royal residence, once a
sealed city of intricate ritual and social stratification. If you’re suitably dressed,
enter Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace complex through the third gate from the river
pier. Tickets are purchased inside the complex; anyone telling you it’s closed is a gem
tout or con artist. Past the ticket counters you’ll meet the
yaksha, brawny guardian giants from the Ramakian (the
Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic). Beyond the gate is a courtyard where the
central bòt (chapel) houses the Emerald Buddha. The
Emerald Buddha is only 66cm tall and sits so high above worshippers in the main temple
building that the gilded shrine is more striking than the small figure it cradles. Outside
the main bòt is a stone statue of the Chinese goddess
of mercy, Kuan Im, and nearby are two cow figures, representing the year of Rama I’s
birth. In the 2km-long cloister that defines the perimeter of the complex are 178 murals
depicting the Ramakian in its entirety, beginning at the north gate and moving clockwise
around the compound. Adjoining Wat Phra Kaew is the Grand
Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang), a former royal residence that
today is used by the king only for certain ceremonial occasions. Visitors are allowed to
survey the Grand Palace grounds and exteriors of the four remaining palace buildings. At
the eastern end, Borombhiman Hall is a
French-inspired structure that served as a residence for Rama VI (King Vajiravudh; r
1910–25). In April 1981 General San Chitpatima used it as headquarters for an attempted
coup. Amarindra Hall, to the west, was
originally a hall of justice but is used today for coronation ceremonies. The largest of
the palace buildings is the triple-winged Chakri
Mahaprasat (Grand Palace Hall). Completed in 1882 following a plan
by British architects, the exterior shows a peculiar blend of Italian Renaissance and
traditional Thai architecture, a style often referred to as faràng sài
chá-daa (Westerner wearing a Thai classical dancer’s headdress),
because each wing is topped by a mondòp (a layered,
heavily ornamented spire). The tallest of the mondòp,
in the centre, contains the ashes of Chakri kings; the flanking
mondòp enshrine the ashes of Chakri princes who
failed to inherit the throne. The last building to the west is the Ratanakosin-style
Dusit Hall, which initially served as a venue
for royal audiences and later as a royal funerary hall. Thai kings housed their huge
harems in the inner palace area, which was guarded by combat-trained female sentries. The
intrigue and rituals that occurred within the walls of this cloistered community live on
in the fictionalised epic Four Reigns, by Kukrit
Pramoj, which follows a young girl named Ploi growing up within the Royal City. The
admission fee to Wat Phra Kaew also includes entry to Dusit Park.
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Lumphini Park
Named after Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, this is Bangkok's largest and most
popular park. An artificial lake in the centre is surrounded by broad, well-tended lawns,
wooded areas, walking paths and, around sunset, the odd ambling turtle - it's the best
outdoor escape from Bangkok without leaving town. One of the best times to visit the park
is in the early morning before 07:00, when the air is fresh (well, relatively so for
Bangkok) and legions of Chinese are practising t'ai chi, doing their best to mimic the
aerobics instructor or doing the half-run half-walk version of jogging that, you have to
agree, makes a lot of sense in this oppressive humidity. Meanwhile, vendors set up tables
to dispense fresh snake's blood and bile, considered health tonics by many Thais and
Chinese. A weight-lifting area in one section becomes a miniature 'muscle beach' on
weekends. Facilities include a snack bar, an asphalt jogging track, a picnic area, toilets
and a couple of tables where women serve Chinese tea. There are no shops inside the park
but cold drinks are available at the entrance. During the kite-flying season (mid-February
to April), Lumphini becomes a favoured flight zone, with kites
(wâo) for sale in the park.
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Children’s Discovery Museum
Through hands-on activities, learning is well-disguised as fun at this museum opposite Chatuchak Weekend Market. Kids can stand inside a bubble, see how an engine works, role-play as a firefighter or jump into the music room to play on traditional instruments. Most activities are geared to primary school age. There is also a toddlers’ playground at the back of the main building.
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Siam Ocean World
Southeast Asia’s largest oceanarium is also one of its most impressive. More than 400 species of fish, crustaceans and even penguins populate this vast underground facility. The oceanarium is divided into 12 zones accommodating specific species. The main tank is the highlight, with an acrylic tunnel allowing you to walk beneath sharks, rays and all manner of fish. Diving with sharks is also an option if you have your diving licence (for a fee), though you’ll have almost as much fun timing your trip to coincide with the shark and penguin feedings; the former are usually at 1pm and 4pm, the latter at 12.30pm and 4.30pm – check the website for details.
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Dusit Zoo
Originally a private botanic garden for Rama V, Dusit Zoo (Suan Sat Dusit or kŏw din) was opened in 1938 and is now one of the premier zoological facilities in Southeast Asia. That, however, doesn’t mean all the animal enclosures are up to modern zoological standards, with one endlessly pacing tiger being particularly heart-rending. Squeezed into the 19 hectares are more than 300 mammals, 200 reptiles and 800 birds, including relatively rare indigenous species. The shady grounds feature trees labelled in English plus a lake in the centre with paddle boats for rent. There’s also an interesting WWII air raid shelter, a small children’s playground and, on the far side of the lake where the exotic birds are kept, a theme-park atmosphere that assumes said birds enjoy Thai pop and, on the day we visited, the beating drums of a Kenyan dance troupe. If nothing else, the zoo is a nice place to get away from the noise of the city and observe how Thais amuse themselves – mainly by eating. There are a few lakeside restaurants that serve good, inexpensive Thai food.
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Safari World
Claiming to be the world’s largest ‘open zoo’, Safari World is divided into two parts, a drive-through Safari Park and a Marine Park. In the Safari Park, visitors take a bus tour (windows remained closed) through an ‘oasis for animals’ separated into different habitats. Hundreds of animals roam through the park, including giraffes, lions, zebras, elephants and orangutans. The Marine Park focuses on stunts by dolphins and other trained animals; if that’s not your thing you can go to the Safari Park only. Safari World is 45km northeast of Bangkok, and best reached by taxi.
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