Days 16-17 (February 25-26, 2024): THAILAND

Thailand is a Southeast Asian destination of choice among the world’s travelers and Bangkok, in particular, is an Asian superstar as a city for visitors.  It has it all:  a vibrant river running through it, temples galore, a palace complex that is unrivalled anywhere, and more food options than you can shake your chopsticks at!  December-January is the peak tourist season, with the hottest season kicking in from March to June.

With 10 million people, Bangkok is noisy, humid and chaotic, but it is also chic, expensive, and boasts some futuristic architecture.

Having visited Thailand twice before, we planned but one day in Bangkok as part of our ‘RTW’.  It served as a good transfer point to Nepal and, since we love the city — and the Royal Orchid Sheraton hotel on the river — we decided to squeeze in a 24-hour stopover.  We have already scoured the city in the dripping humidity to hunt down the top sights of Bangkok, so for this short stop, there was just one goal:  to finally get to see the exquisite Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace complex.  On our two previous visits to Bangkok, the site was closed.  Since it’s akin to going to Cairo and seeing (or not seeing) the Pyramids of Giza, we simply had to make it to the complex on this visit.

We landed 9:15AM at Don Mueang International Airport and headed straight for the Sheraton.  We could have just spent the whole day in our room on the 25th floor taking in the views of, and activity on, the Mae Man Chao Phraya River, but we quickly got organized and headed out.

The first stop was actually across the river from the hotel at the most mind-blowing shopping complex in the universe:  IonSiam.  I don’t even know how to describe it — “ten sprawling stories with over 7,000 food and shopping outlets ranging from kitsch to the world’s top brands” is a partial descriptor but doesn’t do it justice.  Remember I mentioned 10 million people live in Bangkok?  Well, it felt like five million of them were at IanSiam with us!  We walked around with our jaws open, taking it all in, and got some delicious Korean mondu for lunch, before catching a river boat up-river to Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.

If half of the 10 million people in Bangkok were at IonSiam, the other half were at the Grand Palace!   We have enjoyed tranquil tourist sites throughout this RTW, so we were unprepared for the masses there.  We walked the complex for most the afternoon (with the plethora of pics below serving as our prize), before getting a couple of river boats back down-river to the hotel.  We ended the afternoon with some time at the Sheraton’s pool deck overlooking the river, before a great dinner at the Club Lounge on the hotel’s top floor.

The heat is worth a mention.  It was 36C, but the humidity was enough to knock yer socks off.  To make it worse, when we arrived at the Palace complex, we realized long pants were a requisite for men and women’s shoulders had to be covered.  It meant buying a shirt for Pam and ‘balloon pants’ for me, as extra layers in the heat.  We were soaked by the end of the visit!

The next morning, we headed out at 7:30AM to get our flight to Nepal from the main international airport, Suvarnabhumi - happy to have made the stop in Bangkok.

The King of Thailand is Maha Vajiralongkorn, the tenth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty.  He is revered throughout Thailand, and his picture is everywhere.  Fun fact:  he is the wealthiest monarch in the world!  His net worth is estimated at $30-$70 billion USD.

The Royal Orchid Sheraton sits directly on the Chao Phraya  River, which is like a marine freeway running through Bangkok.  Our room was a near the top on the right, with a stunning view of the activity.  This was our third time staying at the hotel.  We just love it.

Looking down-river from our room.

IonSiam

IonSiam is mind-boggling.  With 10 stories and over 7000 food, service and retail outlets, it is an Asian destination in its own right.  A $54 billion USD project, it includes the tallest towers in the country.

Have you ever seen such perfect (and perfectly packaged) fruit? 

An example of a food stall in IonSiam.

Poor piggie.  He ended up giving his life to feed hungry IanSiam shoppers!

One floor of IonSiam is based on a Thai floating market concept, with restaurants and stalls surrounded by water.

An exit from IonSiam facing the river.

Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace

Our first view of the Grand Palace complex — and the masses of tourists there!

The Grand Palace of the King.

Orchids at the Grand Palace

Typical traffic on the Chao Phraya River

This tower is so intriguing!  It looks like something from the computer game Tetris.

Dusk - sunset - night-time views of Bangkok’s stunning towers

Views of IonSiam and its waterfront fountain show

An elephant display in the lobby of the Royal Orchid Sheraton.  The elephant is the national symbol of Thai strength and intelligence.  

 

T 

Anotheer example of the King’s photo presence in Bangkok

Bangkok has an impressive above-ground metro system.  When you have 10 million people, you have to have an efficient way of moving them around!  And Bangkok’s traffic is notoriously awful.  At 130km long and with speeds up to 80 km/h, it opened in 2004.

A Thai display at Suvarnabhumi Airport.