Thailand’s Grand Palace dates back to the 1700’s and is considered a “must see” when visiting Bangkok. We reach it by taking the MRT subway to Sanam Chai station, then walking 1.5 km to the entrance. Unfortunately it is mostly sunny and by late morning it is over 32C (90F). By the time we arrive at the entrance William is ready to call the whole thing off. But we’ve made it this far so we zip on the bottom parts of our travel pants, we pay the 1,000 bhat ($33 US) entrance fee for the two of us and we are allowed entry. We chose to go on a weekday, thinking the crowd will be smaller. Wow - we would hate to see what it’s like on a Saturday during a holiday week!
The buildings are all very impressive. Phra Mondop, the Buddhist Library is one of our first stops. We wander around the Palace taking in the sights of the building ornamentation, colorful rooftops, the towers and the statues.
To go into the temples we must take off our shoes and jostle with the others in the crowd through the entrances and exits. We’re hot and tired and it wears on us rather quickly. We’re sucking down the bottles of water we brought with us. The Gallery with paintings depicting the story of the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic provides shade and some relief in addition to being interesting. William isn’t feeling very well and I am melting. Too bad, as this is the kind of place that we could enjoy for hours if there were less people and cooler temperatures. In retrospect we realize that the issues William experiences are symptoms of heat exhaustion.
We wind our way through the buildings on our way to the exit, passing by Chakri Maha Prasat Hall which mixes European and Thai styles. It was originally used as a residence but now is used for state banquets.
After exiting the Palace we need an air conditioned spot with decent food and cold beverages for lunch. We search along a few blocks then find the Navy Club restaurant. It isn’t five stars, but meets our needs. After lunch we consider taking a tuk-tuk back to the MRT station, but choose to walk along Maha Rat Road toward the MRT - it’s shaded and small shops line the east side of the road. It also allows glimpses of Wat Arun in the distance.
If I were to return to the Grand Palace I would plan differently. If possible I would buy tickets in advance online. I would take a tuk-tuk from the MRT to the entrance to save strength. The target would be to arrive approximately 15 minutes after the gate opens - before most of the tour groups descend like locust but without having to deal with unnecessary queuing for entry.
William says he wouldn’t return. Well, maybe time will help ease his pain.
After exiting the Palace we need an air conditioned spot with decent food and cold beverages for lunch. We search along a few blocks then find the Navy Club restaurant. It isn’t five stars, but meets our needs. After lunch we consider taking a tuk-tuk back to the MRT station, but choose to walk along Maha Rat Road toward the MRT - it’s shaded and small shops line the east side of the road. It also allows glimpses of Wat Arun in the distance.
If I were to return to the Grand Palace I would plan differently. If possible I would buy tickets in advance online. I would take a tuk-tuk from the MRT to the entrance to save strength. The target would be to arrive approximately 15 minutes after the gate opens - before most of the tour groups descend like locust but without having to deal with unnecessary queuing for entry.
William says he wouldn’t return. Well, maybe time will help ease his pain.
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