Palace and Temples
We took the MTR subway to the Sanam Chai Station Exit 1. From there we intended to walk to the Grand Palace. We ran into a guy, who was a tour guide. He set us up for a tour on a tuk tuk. We already know these are a bit of a scam, but we did it anyway. We got to see the Golden Mountain Temple which was where we met another man outside. He recognized the bracelet we had on from the Big Buddha in Phuket. He said that is the only lucky Buddha in Thailand! We need luck because we have our second PCR test tomorrow.
We made a donation of ฿20 each and we got 2 silver and 2 gold leaf shaped ornaments to write our names on and hang on a tree at the front of the temple beside the altar. We also got another bracelet. The temple is noted for it’s Golden Buddha. See the pictures below.
Once we were done at the Golden Mount Temple we got dropped off at the Tailor, we didn’t get anything and spent about 5 minutes there, that saved us ฿500 and got the tuk tuk driver a gas coupon worth ฿500. We were then off to the Reclining Buddha, which is right next to the Grand Palace. We bought water right outside the entrance because we were parched by this point. We went in the turnstiles and paid admission only to find we got a free bottle of water there. We actually drank them both. The Reclining Buddha is huge and yes it’s laying down. The buildings around the temple site are beautiful as are the grounds themselves.
Finally off to the Grand Palace, by this point we were sweaty and thirsty. We went through the gauntlet of temperature scanners and hand sanitizer, we were each given a golden sticker to identify us as having been screened for covid. We walked a long way farther into the admission area and paid ฿500 each for admission to the Grand Palace. We walked past a coffee shop and decided to cool our heels for a bit. We ordered passion fruit sodas and bought some cashews for a snack. We ended up buying 2 more bottles of soda water and diluted our passion fruit sodas. The liquid didn’t last long. We did eat and drink on a patio outside with a swamp cooler aimed in our direction. The temperature was at least 32º.
We have been to the Grand Palace before so we knew what to expect. The last time was long before covid, the crowds were huge back then compared to just a few people milling about now. The wind chimes were playing tunes in the breeze, something we had never heard on our last trip here. Last time all the people noise drowned out the wind chimes. We opted for a free English tour, but it was a sad waste of time. The tour guide had a strong accent, a face mask and a face shield. It was very difficult to hear her. We did gain some information we did not know from our last visit, so it wasn’t a total waste. It was just frustrating in the extreme heat. We would have bailed on the tour but it was such a small group. There were only four of us, we didn’t want to be disrespectful.
The grounds at the Grand Palace are large and covered with beautiful buildings and statues gilded in gold, covered in emeralds, tiny coloured tiles and tiny mirrors making an amazing mosaic that is more stunning than anything you can imagine. It is amazing. We saw a man on a high scaffold chipping away at a restoration and noticed even he was double masked. Could covid be that catchy outside? Hopefully not!
After riding the MTR subway back to our hotel we cleaned up and walked to Hemingway’s for supper. Gary had a cauliflower steak, at first sceptical, but surprisingly he thoroughly enjoyed it. Linda had a chick pea and bean burger which was spicy and delicious. We blew the budget for supper, just under $50 CAD but that did include 3 beer between us. Even happy hour beer is expensive here. ฿109 about $4.10 CAD for each pint. Actually, not all that bad by Canadian restaurant standards. We just don’t get out that much back home.
We walked back to the hotel and the same people were panhandling on the street as the night before. It’s a bit heart wrenching to see a mom with a baby sitting on the sidewalk with a cup for donations in the middle of opulent high rise hotels. They do have nice mobile phones so you really wonder if its just an easy living for them. Gary is such a sucker.
That was the end of our day, and the bed was calling our names. Melatonin may help you sleep but your kidneys still think night is day. The hot weather makes you thirsty so that doesn’t help. The bed is nice, the bathroom is nice and they are not far apart.