Bang Bang Bangkok My Dream Destination

“Wow, Beautiful, what a palace“, these are some of the words I was repeatedly using, while my husband showed me his Bangkok trip photographs. My last phrase ,when we reached at the last photo was “Plan a trip again to Bangkok as soon as possible , I can’t wait to see the beautiful palace and it’s hard to resist myself for shopping, seeing so many shops at one place” . From then till now , every time when we planned for the trip ,the increased flight prices made us re-think . But with Air Asia, “World’s Best Online Travel Fair" , my husband assured me that we will soon visit Bangkok……..Hurray !!!!! Now I can travel to one of my Dream Destination, Thanks Air Asia for launching reasonable flights in India.

Earlier ,before my husband’s trip to Bangkok,  I just think of Bangkok as a city from where you can get TV, electronic gadgets and most importantly Gold at very low prices .But his photos changed my perception for the city completely.

 

The Grand Palace,Wat Arun,Nightmarket ,lord Buddha temples and a lot more is there in the city to make you fall in love with it. The best time to visit Bangkok is Winters when the temperature ranges between  26°C - 30°C ,and thus gives you a comfortable weather for sightseeing.Also, starting from New Year’s Day till April end ,there are lot of festivals being celebrated in Bangkok. New Year’s Day Celebration traditionally begin with merit-making ,followed by parties and entertainment around Sanam Luang area ,then came Makha Puja  in February which features day and night candlelit ceremonies in Buddhist temples around the city. International Kite festival, International Bangkok Motor Show,Bangkok Fringe Festival ,Songkran(Thai New Year) are some more festivals that we can enjoy ,if we plan our trip during this season.

From the day my husband promised me for a holiday in Bangkok, I googled for the Must See places in Bangkok and came up with the following itenary for our holiday.

Day 1 of the Trip

Since we stay in Hyderabad, we will take a flight from Hyd -> Chennai ,and then an Air Asia flight from Chennai -> Bangkok.

 

Day 2

Flight will reach at 3:20 am, so after reaching the hotel we will take out some time for rest before starting our Bangkok excursion. This day, we will visit

·         The Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha , the Bangkok Landmark

·         Wat Arun , Temple of Dawn.

·         Wat Pho ,Temple of Reclining Buddha

Grand Palace

The Grand Palace is one of the top most tourist attractions which every visitor has in its list. It was used as a royal residence till 1925, now it is used for ceremonial purposes. The palace seems to be a mixture of Thai architecture with European design.

The Grand Palace is divided into four main courts: the Outer Court; the Middle Court, comprises of the most important residential and state buildings; the Inner Court , reserved for the king, his queen and his consorts ,and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

There is a strict dress code for the Visitors. So, avoid wearing the following clothes:

·         Shorts, mini-skirts, short skirts, tight fitting trousers, and tights

·         Sandals (without ankle or heel straps)

·         See-through shirts and blouses, as well as culottes or quarter length trousers

·         Rolled-up-sleeved shirts

·         Sleeveless shirts or vests             

·         Sweatshirts and sweatpants, wind-cheaters, pajamas and fisherman trousers

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Temple of Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew, the residence of Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist sculpture, which was carved from single block of green jade.The statue is covered with garments made of gold. Also, the most enthralling part is, the entire wall is painted with a total of 178 scenes from Ramayana.

Wat Arun and Wat Pho

Wat Arun is located alongside the Chao Phraya river and is one of the most visited tourist attraction in Thailand.This is named after the India God of Dawn,Aruna. At sunrise the surface of the temple reflects the pearly radiance.

Wat Pho has 150 ft (46 m) long and 49 ft (15 m) high reclining Buddha image, the largest Buddha image in Thailand.You will find 1000 Buddha images in this temple.

Day 3

One day Trip to Safari World

Safari World consist of 2 parks ,Marine Park and Safari Park.There are a lot of wild animals like Lion and tigers in 8 km long Safari park.The entire drive through the park take around 45 minutes.

Dolphins Show, Jungle Cruise, Feeding Show,Stunt show,Boxing show,Bird Show and many more shows happen on a daily basis in Marine Park. I am sure my 1.5 yrs daughter will enjoy it the most.

Day 4

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and ChinaTown

As the name suggest ,yes this is a floating market. Local merchants used boats of various shapes and sizes to ferry their goods in this market. It will be an all together a different experience when I will do shopping while sitting in a boat. Really looking forward for a shopping experience in this market.

Another would be Chatuchak,the world’s largest weekend market with over 15000 shops. What to buy and what to leave will be a big question ,when you stand in middle of Chatuchak ,where you can find anything from statues to furniture to books.  

Chinatown also called Yaworat,has been a Bongkok shopping destination and is packed with restaurants,street stalls ,gold vendors and Bangkok’s best street food.If you do not get a chance to experience Chatuchak market ,then you can buy from this market ,which has everything from shoes ,toys to herbal medicines. It’ worth trying the food stalls in this market ,which serves some best  food options of Thai cuisine.

After ,this much of shopping ,I will need some rest ,so that’s all for this day.

Day 5

Jim Thompson’s House Museum

Jim Thompson house is a museum, built by James H.W. Thompson an American businessman for his residential purpose. He was the founder of Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. The house is built on a canal and was formed from six antique Thai houses, houses that were more than 200 years old .Their parts were dismantled and reassembled to form the Jim Thompson house. Thompson built a large collection of furniture, sculptures and paintings bought not only from Thailand but from Burma, Cambodia and Laos. One must visit the museum to appreciate the traditional Thai architecture.

Siam Ocean world

It is an aquarium located in the basement of Siam Paragon Mall. Siam Ocean world takes you to a serene world under the water. It is one of the largest aquarium in South East Asia. I am hoping my daughter will get delighted and surprised seeing so many marine animals revolving around her.

Day 6

A day to relax

Spa and Thai Massage

How can one returned back without taking Thai massage. They are the best in the world. So our last day itenary will consist of a full time relaxation, before coming back and indulge ourselves in our busy schedule.

NightLife

We have a plan to watch a Cabarate Calypso show and then have a city tour to experience the beauty of city in dazzling lights.

 

Day 7

Return journey from Bangkok to Chennai.

 I tried to cover all the major tourist attractions ,and hope I haven’t missed anyone out.

Share your suggestions on places that could be included in the list. I hope ,I would soon get a chance to breathe in the air of Bangkok ……..

So,what are you waiting for? Book your tickets with Air Asia and enjoy the exotic locations in Asia …….

Disclosure: Pictures used are file images and some taken from Google images.

R&D material source : Internet

This post is a part of Dream Asian Destination Blogger Contest in association with Ripple Links to celebrate “World’s Best Online Travel Fair”.