The Grand Palace

The plan today was to visit the Grand Palace and see what else I had time for. In order to get there, I first walked to the river to catch the tourist boat. The walk went through Chinatown, but I took the quickest route as I was very tight with time, so I am not sure if I walked through some of the main areas there or not.

The boat was somewhat of an interesting experience. It was packed with people and a tour guide gave information about the places and buildings as we were passing by. It was hard for me to hear as I was in the back and did not even have a seat. It was a good place to be though because that is where you get on and off and I also was only on for a few stops anyway.

Making my way from the pier to the palace was very easy, especially with signs in English (there are so many signs in English in the country to there should usually be no reason to worry). I had to go through a security check, but I am unsure if it is like that right now only because there are so many people coming to mourn the passing of the king. After paying admission, I finally got in and discovered that only the temple area was open to the general public. The other areas were closed off for the mourners. I wish I had known about that beforehand as it sort of ended up being a waste for me.

Entering the palace grounds

Thousands of people line up to
pay their condolences.

Part of the area closed off to visitors. The building to the
left is where the mourners enter.

When inside the palace area, I overheard a tour guide saying how the mourners line up from very early in the morning and wait many hours in line. I especially saw that as I walked from the palace through the adjoining park to get to the Chabad House for lunch. It was amazing to see how many people were patiently waiting. A few thousand chairs were set up under stretching through the entire park. Mobile charging stations were also set up and water bottles were even being handed out! I even saw young school children volunteering taking older people in wheelchairs to the palace. It was an amazing scene to walk through and see firsthand.

To enter the palace grounds, one has to dress
in a more modest attire. One can rent
clothing to cover arms and legs.

Rows and rows of mourners lined up waiting to enter the palace.

Rows and rows of mourners lined up waiting to enter the palace.

I walked to Khaosan road (i.e. the backpacker hub) to get to the Chabad House where I had a delicious lunch.

The beginning of Kaosan Road. It is known
for its nightlife, especially for foreigners.
It is probably for that reason that it
got its name, "Backpacker Alley."

You know you are near Kaosan Road
when you see signs in Hebrew!
*DISCLAIMER: The Kosher Place (Chabad)
is the only restaurant with a kosher certification

Later on, I was telling one of my Thai friends about my experience at Khaosan road itself:

Luckily I enjoyed everything else and came in contact with so many nice and pleasant people. It is easy to see why many fall in love with Thailand.

Bonus:
Walking back, I passed a bridge that went over a river. I stopped to take a picture when I noticed something swimming in the river.... I took a closer look and, sure enough, it was a crocodile! Yikes!

The Siamese crocodile is critically endangered.
Males can grow up to around 13 feet long!

Next...
The Journey to Chiang Mai

Previous Adventures HERE

A Quick Day in Bangkok

I originally planned to visit the Grand Palace today, but since it closes early I decided to go the next day. Instead I headed to some of Thailand's largest malls.

The area near Siam Station is populated with many malls. It is very common to see many groups of teens meeting up there, still in their school uniforms. It is also the place to be on hot summer days where the air conditioning is a very welcomed respite to the almost unbearable outdoor weather. I thought today's weather was quite hot and humid, so I don't want to even imagine what the weather is like in the summer.

Connected to the station was the first mall I entered, Siam Center. I initially scanned around and found a spot to sit in the center of the mall. It made it more interesting being able to see what was happening on each floor. On either side of me were people doing work, or waiting to meet up with friends. One young man took the opportunity to catch a few winks.

A virtual reality experience

Photos of the late king are all over the tv screens

From there I walked right outside the mall to a nice area connecting the mall and the next mall I went to called Siam Paragon, the third largest mall in Thailand. There was a nice fountain display, some benches, and murals of images of the king who had recently passed away. Next to one of the murals was a second mural which was in the process of being painted. Many people stopped to watch three talented men work on it. Even a mall cop on a segway was entranced.

Two transportation lines have stations right next to the malls.

Two transportation lines have stations right next to the malls.
It is also a great place to meet with friends.

 
As soon as I entered the second mall I saw a display of a few cars. Thinking it was kind of cool, I took a picture. It wasn't until I was on another floor that I realized it was nothing in comparison. Half of this level was dedicated to extremely fancy cars. You had storefronts of companies such as Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Hummer etc., and all had the actual cars on display!

 

Besides for having an i-max and 4D theatre, I also found an enormous book store called Kinokuniya. I thought I would have a quick look, but it turned out that most of the books were in English! After browsing around for quite a bit, I finally picked out a book in a series I am in middle of reading. I figured it would be useful for Shabbat.

The center had a gallery set up all about the late king as well
as a place for people to write their condolences.

Kinokuniya is filled with thousands of books,
mostly in English! I wish they would open
a branch in Chiang Mai.

Next post...
The Grand Palace

Previous Adventures HERE


*Sorry about the post delay. I accidentally deleted the post instead of uploading it and was too tired at that pont to re-create it.