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Bangkok Thailand
ATTRACTION
AND SIGHT-SEEING
The
Grand Palace

The Grand Palace was once the official residence of Thai Royalty. Today
it is the top tourist attraction in Thailand, drawing over eight
million visitors a year. The large palace complex houses numerous
ornate buildings, including Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald
Buddha. The Grand Palace can be easily accessed via taxi or riverboat
at the Chang Pier, and it is open everyday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
with an admission fee of 300 Thai Baht.
Wat Pho or The Temple of the
Reclining Buddha

This the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in
Bangkok. It is home to more Buddha images than any other Bangkok temple
and it shelters the largest Buddha in Thailand, the Reclining Buddha.
His body is covered in gold plating and he is decorated with
mother-of-pearl inlay on his eyes and the soles of his feet. The
bottoms of the Buddha's feet are intricately decorated with 108
auspicious scenes in Chinese and Indian styles.
Vimanmek
Mansion

One of the world's largest teakwood buildings, Vimanmek Mansion was
built as a royal residence in the first few years of the 20th century.
It was only used for a few years before it fell into disuse and was
practically forgotten until the early eighties. It was rediscovered by
Her Majesty the Queen and turned into museum reflecting the Thai
heritage from the dramatic reign of King Rama V. The structures of the
old Dusit Palace display everything from ancient artifacts of
Thailand's pre-history to contemporary photographs donated by His
Majesty the King. It is now become a large complex of museums where the
buildings themselves form part of the "collection" on display.
National
Museum Bangkok is home to an extensive and very
informative National Museum, which claims to be the largest of its kind
in all of South East Asia. It serves as a good place to learn about the
full range of Thai culture, history, and of the traditional
significance of Buddhism to the Thai way of life. Many of the
significant remains of the former capitals Sukhothai and Ayuthaya are
displayed here, and if you're planning to go to them, a visit here
first should be rewarding. Depending on your interest, a visit here
could take anywhere between an hour or so up to most of a day.
Jim
Thompson’s House
Despite the name, Jim Thompson's House is one of the best-preserved
examples of the traditional Thai house in the city. Once home to the
American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, this remarkable
house-cum-museum accommodates Thompson's vast collection of antiques
and artworks from all over the Southeast Asian region. Don't miss the
headless Buddha figure in the garden, which dates from the 6th century.
This early Dvaravati image is one of the oldest surviving Buddha
statues in the world.
Bangkok
& Thonburi Klong Tour, Walk through the morning
flowers market to explore real Thai lifestyle. Proceed to board on the
long-tailed boat to Thonburi, western part of city, situated on the
right side of the Chao Phya River. Its many canals had originally given
Bangkok the name "Venice of the East." Passing by boat along the canals
gives you a first hand impression of the scenic life along city's
waterways. Also visit the Royal Barges and the Temple of Dawn.
Wat
Arun is mostly known as a landmark of Bangkok. It is
classified as a principal class Royal temple. It is an old temple,
built in the days of Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya and
originally known as "Wat Makok". The Main Prang, the most
attractive structure of Wat Arun is the center 79-meter high pagoda or
Phra Prang decorated with mosaic of multi-color Chinese porcelain. The
outer four corners are Prangs which hold statues of Phra Phai (God of
the wind). The most beautiful view of Wat Arun is at sunset if viewed
from the Bangkok side of the river.
Wat
Suthat is one of the city's finest temples with its
magnificent, carved doors and gilded Buddha images. Construction of Wat
Suthat got under way during the reign of King Rama I and continued
through the reigns of the next two monarchs. The wooden doors to the
main 'viharn', featuring intricately carved tropical vines, plants and
animals, are thought to have been designed and carved by King Rama II
himself. The 8-meter bronze Buddha statue in the viharn is the largest
surviving image from the Sukhothai period. Notice the varied selection
of pagodas and statues in the temple compound, many of which were
brought from China as ship ballast in the early 19th century.
The
Giant Swing Right in front of Wat Suthat is the
200-year-old Giant Swing, a bright-red wooden structure that was once
the focus of Brahman ceremonies in honor of the Hindu god Shiva. At one
time, courageous fellows would attempt to grab a pouch of money from a
25-meter stake by swinging higher and higher until they were able to
reach it with their teeth. Accidents and deaths were so common that
this practice was outlawed in the 1930s.
Chatuchak
market
This is the worlds biggest weekend market selling practically
everything under the sun, from the smallest nails, to foods, trendy
fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands
etc. You can find all this and more at amazing Chatuchak market. There
are almost 9,000 individual booths overflowing with every imaginable
type of wares to catch your fancy. Once inside the market, you will be
caught up in a world of bursting crowds and stalls stretching as far as
the eye can see.
FUN
PLACES FOR KIDS
The Snake Farm is set up to produce anti-venom serum for
snake-bite victims nationwide. Venomous snakes including the king
cobra, Siamese cobra, Russell's viper, banded krait, Malayan pit viper,
green pit viper and Pope's pit viper are milked daily for their venom
to make snake-bite antidote. Venom-milking and snake-handling shows are
held daily at 10.30 am and 2.00 pm on weekdays, and 10.30 am on public
holidays.
Dusit
Zoo The city's main zoo was once a private botanical
garden for King Rama V. Today, much of the original tropical flora can
still be found and the lush gardens make an ideal retreat from the city
streets. The zoo accommodates a large number of mammal, reptile and
bird species, including some of the rare Southeast Asian animals such
as the Siamese crocodile, gaur, Sumatran rhinoceros, lesser mouse deer
and the tiger. Animals popular with the kids such as hippos, bears,
monkeys and the like can all be viewed.
Safari World is split into two sections covering some 170 acres in
total. The first section is the drive-through safari park with habitats
for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, giraffe, zebra, deer and rare
species such as white pandas. You can either drive through in your own
car or take one of the park's air-conditioned coaches. The second
section is a walk-through marine park with performances by trained
animals such as dolphins and seals.
Lumpini
Park Named after the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, this
park is home to a large variety of mature tree and shrub species, with
large boating lakes and a spectacular fountain. The road that circuits
the park is popular among joggers who come for their exercise in the
mornings and evenings. Watch out for early morning 'tai chi', performed
by the older generation Chinese residents, aerobic dance classes,
singing and dancing, and even open-air weight lifting. Rowing boats and
paddle boats can be taken out on the lake for a few baht.
The
Bangkok Doll Factory & Museum Traditional Thai
dolls are made and displayed at the Bangkok Doll Factory &
Museum on Soi Ratchataphan (Soi Mo Leng) off Ratchaprarop Road in the
Pratunam area. Both modern and antique items are on display and dolls
are also available for purchase. The Doll Factory is open from 8.00 am
to 5.00 pm Monday to Saturday
Dream
World is a new amusement park located beyond Don Muang
Airport at Km 7 Rangsit-Ong Kharak Road. It's quite close to the huge
Future Park Rangsit shopping center. Dream World is a classical
European-style fantasy-land, replete with miniature versions of
legendary sites and modern amusements and game machines - a great place
for all the family.
OTHER
PLACES OF ATTRACTION
Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Keo (the Thai
name) is an exuberantly colored religious compound built inside the
Royal Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple's architecture is
visually striking and is Thailand's most sacred shrine and the king's
personal chapel. The temple’s most important building is the
Bot (loosely translated as "house of meditation"). Within the Bot
resides the world famous Emerald Buddha (actually made of green jade,
not emerald). This 500-year-old holy statue is perched so high above
the Bot's golden altar and is so small (only 66 centimeters or 26
inches high) that you could easily miss it if you didn't know where to
look.
Thai
Boxing should be experienced by everyone even if you are
not so interested in sports. The atmosphere in the stadium is almost
electric as the fights have musical accompaniments and people in the
stands are frantically shouting out bets. It’s not uncommon
to get caught up in the excitement and enjoy your night at the boxing
rink.
Elephant
Trekking Elephants in Sangkhla Buri are raised by Karen
hill-tribes for working purposes. When not working, they are available
to tourists to ride. Some travel agents offer one-day elephant trekking
in combination with rafting tours in the vicinity of Thong Pha Phum and
Sangkhla Buri.
Floating Markets Several floating markets in and around city offer the
tourist a picture-postcard image of the traditional Thai way of life.
Small wooden boats laden with fruits, flowers, vegetables and other
produce from nearby orchards and communities make a colorful and
bustling scene at market time. The boats are inevitably paddled by Thai
women in blue farmer's garb ('mor hom') and flat-topped conical hats
called 'muak ngob', which are characteristic to all parts of Thailand.
Tha Kha Floating Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Bang
Khu Wiang Floating Market are three floating markets within reach of
city
Thai
Dance at Erawan Shrine A visit to city would not be
complete without witnessing Thai traditional dancing. It's worth
hanging around to watch the dancers at the Erawan Shrine as there is
often someone who wants to "make merit" by paying the dancers to dance.
Apparently this is often done as a "thank you" for recent good fortune.
It's quite expensive - several hundred baht for a few minutes, but
chances are if you hang around for a little while, someone will pay and
there's no charge for watching!
Democracy
Monument Italian-born Silpa Bhirasi, founder of Thailand's
premier institute of the fine arts, Silpakorn University, designed the
Democracy Monument. The 75 cannons arranged at the base of the monument
symbolize the Buddhist year 2575 (1932 AD), while the revolutionaries
are depicted in plaster relief. The four-ton copper tray at the center
holds the Constitution.
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