Chaophraya trip

[extras]

one fine afternoon, i made my way to the Saphan Taksin BTS station and went down to Sathorn pier. got a one day pass for Chaophraya tourist boat. cost bht 100, and you also a travel guidebook and you can use their boats all day. but the tourist boats only run from 9.30am till 3.00pm.

Chao Phraya Express Boat Co.,Ltd.

along the river, there are many a fancy hotel and stuff.

Shangri-la



the Peninsula



the Millennium Hilton (nice bar on top of the hotel, btw)



Holy rosary Church



Rama VIII bridge



Santa Cruz Church



Memorial Bridge

[extras]

at Tha Tien pier, you can walk to Wat Pho.

Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetuphon, the oldest and largest wat in bangkok, was built in the 16th century during the Ayutthaya period and then almost completely rebuilt in 1785 b King Rama I. It features the largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and was the earliest centre for public education.

[extras]

from Tha Tien pier, take a ferry to cross the river to Wat Arun.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) was founded in the Ayutthaya period. King Taksin the Great decided to shift the capital of Thailand to Thonburi. At the end of the royal barge procession, he arrived at Wat Arun at early dawn. Hence he named this temple Wat Jaeng, meaning the temple of Dawn. Later on, its name was elaborated to Wat Arun Ratchtharam by King Rama II, and was under his designated patronage. Phra Prang of Wat Arun, the impressive tall tower of the Temple of Dawn, is one of Bangkok's most famous landmarks.

[extras]

i took the ferry back to Tha Tien pier and decided to walk around.

Tha Tien market



Ministry of Defence



round Sanam Luang

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and went into Wat Prakaew

Wat Prakaew known officially as Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadarm or the temple of the Emerald Buddha, adjoins the Grand Palace on the common ground, which was consecrated in 1782, two years after King Rama 1 had ascended the throne. The 945,000 sq.m. compound encompasses over 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation. Most of the architecture can be classified as Bangkok or Rattanakosin style.

[extras]

and The Grand Palace

When King Rama I came to the throne in 1782, he chose a plot of land on the east bank of the Chaophraya to found the new capital. The original occupants were relocated to a new settlement located around the canals of Wat Sam Preum and Wat Sam Pheng, the Bangkok Grand Palace was built to face north on the bank with the Chaphraya river running on the left. The palace was a wooden structure except for the concrete Ordination Hall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Other concrete fortresses and throne halls were later built in the reign of King Rama III.

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from Wang Lang (Siriraj) pier..



i took a tuk tuk to Royal Barge Museum. i suppose you can try walking over (guidebook provides directions), but tuk tuk was a better idea for me.

i don't remember the admission fees. but defo bht 100 extra if you want to take pics. might be bht 200 extras if you want to take video.

Royal Barge Museum; originally called the Royal Barge Dockyard, the museum was initially built during the reign of King Taksin as a dockyard for royal barges and warships under the supervision of the Royal Thai Navy. During WW II, the dockyard was damaged, and its upkeep was later transfered to the Fine Arts Department for the repair and restoration of all barges, which were registered as a national heritage.

Suphannahong



Narai Song Suban Rama IX



Ananta Nagaraj



Asura Wayuphak



Ekachai Heurn Hao



Garuda Figurehead



Anekchat Bhujong



Monkey Figurehead



that's all the time allowed to see and i was sweating like a pig already.

[daveboy]

Great pics extra enjoyed the thread

[sharon]

Thanks, extras. These are such great pictures, they remind me some old good days though.

[extras]

cheers. the day i walked round these places was sizzling hot and no rain. so the sky was clear, which was good.

[sabang]

Jeez, that reminds me of my first time in Bangkok- frenetically trying to check out everything I could in a few days.
Much lazier now.
Nice pic's.

[Richard Littlejohn]

I'm going to check out that barge museum. Looks fantastic. Thanks for the pics.

[extras]

frenetically trying to check out everything I could in a few days.

i still do exactly that every time i visit some new place.

I'm going to check out that barge museum.

if you take tuk tuk, they will likely drop you at the soi and you will have to walk down the soi like this for quite a bit..



just follow the signs, and when no signs, take a guess which way to go

[jizzybloke]

Nice one Extras, great pictures too!

[extras]

cheers jizz

[Marmite the Dog]

Good effort. Very much appreciated.

[baldrick]

nice "cultural" pics

but

the Millennium Hilton (nice bar on top of the hotel, btw)

where are the photos of the Bar..

[extras]

^ oops, sorry. that was another visit. didn't take photos that night, cos i was a bit busy with me date. but the view was spectacular. Three Sixty Bar it was.

Hilton International

[terry57]

Cracker photos mate.

The tourist ferry is a great way to travel and so comfortable all for a 100 baht.

Friggin joke.

[astasinim]

Good pics.
The river boats are a great way of getting away from all the crowds.

[farmerfloyd]

I have seen the signs to Royal Barge Museum, but never had the time to stop in a short trip each winter, That was excellent pictures and will stop for sure next time. Thanks

[kingwilly]

great stuff. i always love that trip (do it every time someone new comes into town)

now i dont mean to one up ya, but you dont need to pay 100 baht for the ferries, you just wait on the pier (ignore touts) and board the ferries that come past, a conductor on board will take the fare and give you a ticket (somewhere between 9baht and 15baht from memory)

Also a bit passed the river barge musuem is the Taling Chan floating markets, perfect for eating and drinking a few hours away!

[kk boy]

Extra, thanks for posting, will have to give the museum a go next time in BKK

[extras]

cheers lads

now i dont mean to one up ya, but you dont need to pay 100 baht for the ferries,

yeah, defo can do all that on regular boats (not the tourist ones). i also used them regular boats when i missed the tourist boat (free with that stupid sticker on me shirt ). it's a lot more crowded though. but to me, bht 100 for the ticket was well spent that day.

[dirtydog]

but you dont need to pay 100 baht for the ferries,

I used to pay about 400baht for the afternoon, but that was for a whole long tail boat to ourselves