The Grand Palace, Bangkok Day 2

By Mel:
After reading a bunch of reports about how crazy the Grand Palace could be with the street vendors all trying to flog tours, tshirts and tuk-tuk rides (or anything else) we decided to arrive early and… it was super calm! ❤️
The first impression of the Grand Palace was one of complete sensory overload - every surface gilt, bejewelled and intricately ornate!!!! 😮
We skipped on a tour but grabbed an audio tour which was enough to navigate our way around at our own pace but also to be able to appreciate the historical and spiritual significance of what we were looking at. The pictures speak for themselves… which was lucky as it was 39 degrees before midday and we were struggling!

By Andrew:
We spent about 3 hours wandering through the amazing sights of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (home of the giant reclining Buddha). As Mel mentioned, the heat was oppressive and this made us rethink our journey back to the hostel. Our initial plan was to take one of the ferrys back to our closest stop, which would have allowed us to see the city from the river.
There are 3 ferry stops that service the huge complex encompassing the Palace and Wat Pho. We had begun our exploring at the Palace in the north and were now towards the southern ferry stops. While Mel cooled off in the shade (ie paused overheating) I checked out the closest of them and quickly realised that it was under repair. We now had a choice; continue walking south to the next stop (which the internet told us might also be closed), or trek 15 minutes back to the ferry station where next to where we started. This didn't appeal, so we retreated to an air-conditioned gelato shop to revaluate our options. They were bleak, so I asked for permission to go to Defcon 3.
Mel isn't a fan of Tuk Tuks, touts or haggling, so this is what we'd been trying to avoid. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I was given authority to do all three! After a while cooling off and rehydrating we emerged back into the furnace. It didn't take long for a taxi driver to try his luck, demanding double the going rate for a trip home. When asked if he'd use the meter he refused, and didn't want to bargain either. I began to wonder if I'd lost my touch while covid had the world shut down, but looking around I quickly realised that the driver had a sea of Asian tourists willing to pay anything they were asked. So I let him speed off and I approached the tuk tuk queue instead. This line stretched as far as the eye could see, so I was hoping that we had a better chance.
The first driver quickly struck up a conversation, and his opening gambit was triple the going rate! But he said it with a smile, so I sent back an offer below expectation. We both laughed, and I knew the game had started. We eventually landed on a price that was about half of his opening effort, so I figured that was close enough. We piled in, held on for dear life, and miraculously arrived unscathed at the other end.
That night we topped it off with dinner at a lovely restaurant on the banks of the river. True to the "metalworking district" that we were staying in, this gem was buried down the end of an alley surrounded by car parts. And it was almost buried...Mel was up to her waist in car parts on the way in. Nam 1608 was an amazing place to eat, and we sampled some specialty dishes including a pomelo and prawn salad, as well as deep-fried sun-dried squid. Yum!
We really enjoyed our time in Bangkok, and particularly the metalworking district of Chinatown. We expected to be disturbed by endless grinding and the clanging of tools, but it was surprisingly peaceful. Maybe this is because the shop owners know that the tourists don't want to buy their car parts, so they just give you a smile and a friendly greeting as you walk past. Closer to downtown might have been a different story, because every shop owner would assume that you wanted their cheap Chinese imitation Nikes... Sadly it was now time for us to leave Bangkok, and we were due to catch a flight north to Chiang Mai.Read more