Thailand Temples

I consider this day as my last day here in Siam because tomorrow noon ill be heading back south.My Thailand trip will not going to be complete without going to the temples.

Lets start the day with my breaky at Mc Donalds . By the way they have 2 types of ketchup spicy Thai ketchup and the American tomato ketchup.

breakfast time before my diy tour

After chewing my burger and fries I started walking towards Golden Mount and Democracy Monument.

Did you know that : 

 An Italian sculptor named Corrado Feroci designed the relief sculptures around the base of the construction. He later became a Thai citizen and changed his name to Silpa Bhirasi.

Democracy Monument between Old Grand Palace Demoand Dusit Palace

Next stop is Loha Prasat.Along Thanon Maha Chai. 

Wat Ratchanaddaram is a buddhist temple located at the intersection between Ratchadamnoen Klang and Maha Chai Road, in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok. Meaning Royal Niece, the temple was built to the order of King Nangklao (Rama III) for Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi in 1846. The temple is best known for the Loha Prasat (โลหะปราสาท), a multi-tiered structure 36 m high

(source wkipedia)

After Loha Prasat I went to Wat Saket (Golden Mount)

Man made hill with temple on top.  To the reach the top of the Golden Mount, you must ascend an exhausting 318 steps. On a clear day, the view from the top includes old Rattanakosin Island and the rooftops of Bangkok.

inside Wat Saket (golden mount)

Its humid day in Bangkok so imagine me ascending 318steps. TIRING! Golden Mount may not be that notable but the view from top is great.I also saw a lot of Monks in the area.
After Golden Mount my next stop is The Grand Palace.

Im afraid to take the bus thinking I might be lost, so instead i walked from Wat Saket to the Grand Palace. Approximately 2kms I think. Haggard but i get to know some locals. The rain starts to pour so I decided to skip Grand Palace. Sayang!

Its raining =(

After the rain the the temperature dropped at least. I'm so dizzy and hungry at the same time. To pacify my hunger I bought a tea and chips on a corner store across Wat Pho.

Wat Pho or Reclining Buddha is directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. One of the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. The reclining Buddha statue is the biggest in the world. The southern side is a Buddhist Monastery home of almost a thousand Buddha images.

crowded Wat Pho

Wat Pho Complex South Side

Bangkok in my mind is more than temples and Buddha.It is also home of great food,pleasant people, colorful cultures and rich traditions.Some locals embraces the modern world but still remains their old values. When I come back to Siam I'm hoping to visit Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya (wishful thinking)

Bangkok Thailand Ellen's Overview

It is the strong coffee and its aroma that wake up my senses. I pinch myself and realized I'm still in a foreign country. Its almost 8am when I check my wristwatch, within the next 3 hours ill be flying north.

Toast, Eggs and Coffee for breaky @ Kopitiam Tampines, SG 

Welcome to Sukhumvit Airport! I didn't bother to listen. I'm excited! Another foreign country, another foreign language.

Thailand Aerial View

From Sukhumvit Airport I rode the train located at the basement bound to city. I alighted at the last station Makkasan. I think I paid around 20baht for the train ride I honestly cant remember. Then I asked the train employee on how can i get to Khao San Road.

Airport Link Website

From Makkasan I rode the bus #556 that take me to Khao San Road for 16baht.

Where I Sleep:

Six months before the trip I booked a budget hotel in Agoda with free breakfast for 3000 pesos.

Welcome to Sawasdee Bunglumpoo Inn

Hotel Amenities:

Free Wifi ( stayed on 3rd flr I cant get any connection)

TV and Ref ( HBO is the only English channel)

Hot and Cold Shower

I must say I'm satisfied with my stay at Sawasdee. The staffs are accommodating and friendly. The rooms are clean and pleasant. Highly recommended for budget traveler like me.

Khao San Road:

Backpackers and budget travellers haven. This place is also close to historical sites in the city such as Grand Palace, Wat Po and the Chao Praya River. A very busy street with vendors left and right. Travel agencies are also scattered in the area that offers cheap tours around Thailand. But wait there's more this busy Khao San Road turns to into a street club at night. Amazing!

Khao San Road Daytime

Food:

Most local foods are spicy!  

Bangkok's Street Food Vendor

Pad Thai Spices

Pad Thai

spices,milk tea and local burger

dinner time and bar at Bangkok

Getting Around: 

With my 4 days stay at Bangkok bus is still the cheapest way to travel around intercity. Though, i got lost couple of times for budget traveller asking questions with the locals help me a lot to reach my destination. Taxi is okay though I felt like the driver cheated on me because he was reluctant to use the meter. So be careful and insist to use the meter all the time!With my 4 days stay i found tuktuk more expensive than taxi.

 There was this local who offer us to tour around the city for 20baht. Cheap right? so we went to two temples it was a small temples located inside the schools. Nothing special. The driver said there is an ongoing expo that we need to visit to check their local goods. But instead we went to a jewelry shop. So beware! We spent 2hours inside the shop, I mean I'm not interested in buying golds and jewelry so i felt like it ruined our itinerary for that day.

Tuk Tuk

Overall Bangkok is like Manila. Polluted, street vendors, traffic,the locals the look is similar to Filipino. But what makes this city unique is they  know how to value their historical attractions. Which i guessed we're lacking as I heard the old post office building in Manila is now being sold to foreigners. And soon will be Fullerton Hotel. Sad =(