We were happy and excited about Bangkok, Thailand and our first time in Asia was delightful!! We enjoyed exploring the malls, gradually getting bolder with food (Thai spicy!), and immersing ourselves in the city through the palace, museums, and temples.
Our first outing was to the Jim Thompson House Museum. Jim was an American World War II spy, architect, and businessman. Jim revitalized the silk industry in Thailand through his company, Thai Silk Company (called Jim Thompson). Famously, he supplied the silk for the 1956 movie The King and I. Given his expertise in architecture, his house (now museum) is comprised of six traditional Thai-style houses (moved to the site) and showcases his extensive art collection. His story becomes very mysterious as he disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 at the age of 61. His art (and house) lives on through his foundation, and his company continues to be a top luxury silk brand.
Our lovely hotel, LiT BANGKOK, was in the Siam area (so. much. shopping!) and nearby to both the BTS Skytrain and the canal for water taxis (with taxis, motorcycle taxis, and tuktuks available too). During our first visit to Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok Old City, we walked by the Ancient Artillery Museum and the beautiful glowing Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin. Closer to our hotel, I was thrilled over the coffee art! The B-STORY coffee bear was truly wonderful (and so cute)!!
On our second trip to Rattanakosin Island, we visited the Grand Palace. It is a glorious complex of buildings, art, pavilions, and gardens. We began our visit with the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew — วัดพระแก้ว). There are no pictures allowed inside, but the website is amazing (and photos are allowed everywhere else)! The buildings are beautiful, gilded, and intricate. The Royal Pantheon (Prasat Phra Thep Bidon —ปราสาทพระเทพบิดร) is stunning. We particularly liked the Cloisters (epic paintings) enclosing the Temple buildings with 178 episodes of the Ramakien story of Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his beloved wife, Sida from the demon King of Lonka, Thosakan. Each episode is painted by a different artist and you can see a sense of humor (monkeys stealing mangos, and lovers stealing a kiss). The Wat Phra Kaew area also includes the Giant Asura Guardians, an extensive model of Angkor Wat, and the Phra Suwannachedi Twin Gold Chedi dedicated to Rama I’s father and mother.
We walked from the Temple to the Palace buildings through a beautiful courtyard to see the exterior of the Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasad. The Palace is a unique combination of lower neo-classical style with three Thai-spired spires and the top floor is reserved for crematory relics of Thai monarchs. The Abhorn Bimok Pavilion is a beautiful royal palanquin (ceremonial chair) mounting platform and the Dusit Maha Prasad Throne Hall is stunning.
Our next outing in Bangkok was to The Ancient City (also known as Ancient Siam, เมืองโบราณ, Muang Boran). It is the world’s largest outdoor museum and is a park shaped Thailand, with replicas of 116 of Thailand’s most prominent buildings and famous monuments. One of the most famous reconstructions is the Sanphet Prasat originally located at the Ayutthaya Royal Palace. There are a number of other significant (and gorgeous) buildings including Kam Yaad Palace Hall (a hall within a monastery, Wat Pho Thong), Prasat Sadok Kok Thom (a sandstone Hindu temple near the Cambodia border), Phanom Rung (a Khmer temple on an extinct volcano), the Garden and Sala of Ramayana (odes to the Ramakien, the Thai version of the ancient epic Ramayana from India), and the Pavilion of the Enlightened (showcasing the story of 500 enlightened monks). We also found a sweet napping Ancient City cat which is much needed as the park is huge and delightful for walking (though you can bike or drive as well). It was an amazing experience with so much to see!
We headed back to B-STORY for more coffee bears (Bob needed one too) and enjoyed another pretty coffee at Allo House (with a pretty garden entrance). We then adventured out to visit some cats at the Caturday Cat Cafe. Princess had the best photo pose, but we also loved the ginger bowl cat! Our next outing was to The Stronghold SIAM, where we enjoyed a milkshake and board games. It was so nice to play in person (though BGA — Board Game Arena is great while traveling)! One morning we decided to go out to brunch and enjoyed trying out the Bangkok river taxi to get to our best breakfast at Mango Vegetarian & Vegan. It was delicious and so fresh and we enjoyed their house-made kombucha too!
For our next adventure, we headed to the National Museum Bangkok (พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พระนคร). The Royal Chariot is stunning, and the beautiful Khon masks are used for the traditional Thai dance-dramas often telling the epic tale of Ramakien (a theme!). The museum showcases Thai art made from silver, gold, inlaid mother-of-pearl, hand painted porcelain, stone, and intricately carved wood. We saw the largest Dharmachakra (Wheel of Law) that is almost 2m in diameter and carved from a single block of limestone. Dharmachakra’s are the most important symbol in Buddhism (learn more in this detailed pdf from the Fine Arts Department in Bangkok, if interested). There is also a beautiful statue of Ganesha who is a god of protection, removing obstacles, bliss, wealth, and success.
We continued to keep up our walking and running in Bangkok and as a result, discovered Lumphini Park. It was a wonderful place with gorgeous gardens as well as wildlife including lounging cats and large monitor lizards that enjoy swimming in the lake and lazy sunning.
We had the loveliest time in Bangkok!