Spending Christmas holiday in Bangkok was fun. Last 21st of December 2013, we went to Bangkok for the second time and we were so excited. This time, we would stay in Bangkok for 5 nights and tried to visit as many places as we could.
From the airport, instead of a car picking us up we decided to take a train that took us from the airport to Chongnonsi Station where our hotel I Residence in Silom was located.
They have a nice railway system that connects most of the major cities together and that makes visiting the tourist places so comfortable and easy.
We finally arrived at our destination safely and took off immediately to fetch some of our friends who had also just arrived in Bangkok.
I Residence is a very comfortable place to stay. It’s very clean and the best part is that they it is very close to the Chongnonsi Skytrain Station.
Bed was nice and comfy, I just wished they had 4 pillows.
View from the roof top. It took me a while to get comfortable specially with heights but it was just amazing to stare at these skyscrapers.
Just relaxing for a short while next to their infinity pool.
Their buffet breakfast was also served on the roof top.
We really planned on arriving on the weekend because we did’nt want to miss going to the biggest flea market in the world and that is CHATUCHAK MARKET. This place is huge and getting a map upon arriving is the best thing to do to avoid getting lost.
How to get there by BTS Sky Train: From Chongnonsi Station to Mo Chit Station
Chatuchak market is big and they’ve got almost everything.
This tower right in the middle of Chatuchak is the best meeting and resting place specially if you are in a group and plan on separating at the market.
We bought quite a few of these massage oils.
To give you a piece of advice, it is better to come very early to Chatuchak when it’s not too busy yet. It can get very crowded specially in the afternoon.
When we arrived in Bangkok, protests were going on different places to oust their Prime Minister. With all of this, we still felt very safe in the city and it did not disrupt any of our travel plans.
The next day, we went to check on the Grand Palace to see the golden temples and other beautiful places in the area.
From Chongnonsi Station, you need to go to Saphan Taksin Station and next it is where you can buy tickets and take a ferry up the river to the Grand Palace.
From Bangkok, you need to ride on a boat that will take you to the Grand Palace. It only took us 20 minute by boat.
When you visit the Grand Palace it is highly advisable to wear pants. Shorts are ok, but that means you need to rent long pants to get inside. Entrance is 500 Baht.
Heading to the entrance of the Grand Palace.
Here are some of the pictures I took inside the Grand Palace.
Some restorations are also being done in some areas of the Grand Palace. Below is a woman working on the ceiling using gold leaf.
Another interesting place to visit is the Fabric Museum also in the Grand Palace conplex. Here you will see the different fabrics made from Thailand specially Silk. You will also see clothes worn by their Queen.
I thought it was boring but once I got inside, I really got so interested with the detail of some of the clothes and how silk was made. Really worth the visit.
Once you paid the entrance of 500 Baht. It also entitles you to visit some other museums that are inclusive in the entrance fee.
One place that you will surely enjoy is the Terminal 21. It is a shopping mall which has different themes as you go from one floor to another.
This was a huge mall and there are so many things to see. This is definitely worth visiting.
From Chongnonsi, you take a train to Asok and Terminal 21 is right next to the station.
While we were planning how to end our nice Bangkok trip, we came up with the idea of doing a sunset river cruise. We found Loy Nava Dinner Cruise. It was a teak rice barge boat and has been transformed into a first class dining restaurant.
If you are planning to this, make sure you book ahead of time. They have two trips, one at 6:00 pm and at 8:00 pm. Website: http://www.loynava.com/
You pay 40 Baht from the same pier going to Grand Palace at the Saphan Taksin Station.
You wait for the Loy Nava boat here at Si Phraya Pier.
Above is the Loy Nava. There are many other dinner ferries to choose from but Loy Nava offered a much more intimate experience with a smaller group of passengers and guaranteed good views of the sites no matter where you are seated. As you arrive, they will give you a lei and lead you to your table.
I love their national costume and the hospitality of the people.
When you check the website, you will see different food choices from starters, soups, entrees, desserts and more. Here are just some of the food we had. They were delicious.
As you start travelling up the river, they will give you this map that shows you the interesting places surrounding the river. And, at the end of the tour, you will have this as a souvenir.
Some traditional dances while having dinner.
The barge stops in some interesting places like this one. They were just magnificent to stare at.
Grand Palace at night. Stunning!
Time for us to say good bye and head back to Manila, but this will definitely be not our last visit. Bangkok is such a nice city to visit. The Skytrain makes travelling around faster. Most of our travel around the city was by train.
We just can’t wait for our next visit, I’ll be missing the Bangkok vibe!
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