Tourist Destinations in Bangkok - Baiyoke Sky Observation Deck

After a long day of visiting the tourist spots in Bangkok, John and I treated ourselves to a nice buffet dinner at Baiyoke Sky Restaurant. The fee is THB1,000.00 but since we were staying at Baiyoke Suite Hotel, we were given a 50% discount. From what I understand, the discount is given to all the clients staying at any of their hotels. The food consisted of Asian and western menus. With the extensive display of food from one end of the building to the other, I am sure you will not get hungry. :) I feasted on their seafood once again. hehe...

They have chefs who will cook soup, noodles, meat, fish, etc. for you. So there are a lot of options other than what's on display. Choices vary from Thai food (of course), Korean, Japanese and western food. They got several choices on dessert as well. But what I love the most is their crepe. :)

Eating in their restaurant is not boring. Before we went up to the 79th floor where the restaurant is, we visited first their observation deck. Then after dinner, we went to the 81st floor and enjoyed watching the view from their 360' Revolving Roof Deck. Baiyoke sky is the highest building in Bangkok, so the view is unobstructed for miles. It's fantastic at nights because it's cooler and the shimmering lights are very beautiful.

More fun things to do:

Bangkok Tourist Destinations - Temple of the Reclining Buddha

Another temple we visited while we were in Bangkok is the famous Reclining Buddha. It is locally known as Wat Pho. It is a sacred Buddhist temple near the Grand Palace. It was built as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site.

Wat Pho is the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. Even prior to the temple's founding, the site was a center of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions.

  

The Reclining Buddha - His body is gold plated and is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on his eyes and the soles of his feet. The bottoms of the Buddha's feet are intricately decorated with 108 auspicious scenes in Chinese and Indian styles.

These are the pagodas in the same complex where the reclining buddha is. I love the intricate details of each building. Their architecture and designs are just amazing!

As we go back to where our rented car was parked, John and I stopped to see the other buddha and statues in the complex.

Bangkok Tourist Destinations - Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew  - commonly known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is considered to be the holiest temple in Thailand.  Before entering the temple, the guards will ask you to remove your shoes and leave it outside. Taking photos inside is not allowed. So I just paid my respects.  The small buddha is made of jade, thus its name, Emerald Buddha. I realized that its name is not based on the stone itself but its color, emerald green. It nestled on top of the temple, inside a glass encasement and is surrounded by several gold plated buddhas.

I love the architecture and the colorful buildings inside the whole complex so I took a lot of photos for souvenir. :) It's difficult to get a clearer shot though because the temple is surrounded by hundreds of visitors from around the world.

The Temple of the Emerald  Buddha

One of the murals in the hallway.

In the same compound where the Temple of the Emerald Buddha can be found, is the GRAND PALACE. Other than its rich history, there isn't much there except a museum of their olden weapons and some government offices. Like the other buildings, the palace has a grand facade as well.

When we were there, a portion was closed to the public because of a Royal Ceremony being held inside.

The Grand Palace

My suggestion - never leave Bangkok without visiting these two places.  The visit alone to the Emerald Buddha's temple is worth it, inspite the scorching heat of the sun and it, being overly crowded. :)

Tourist Destinations in Bangkok - Floating Market

We started around 9:30 a.m. the next day for our Bangkok tour. We had to stop at the Vietnam Embassy first though to pick up John's visa. After which, off we went to the floating market. The ride was about an hour or so from downtown Bangkok at 110km per hour. Yes, it's far. But it's ok. We hired a taxi for the day so we had all the time in the world to enjoy the tour at our own pace. The fee was Thb2,500.00 . It would have been cheaper if we joined the bus tour but the Vietnam Visa had to be done first. So the bus tour was just not possible at all.

Upon reaching the floating market pier, the organizer told us to pay Thb1,500.00 for the boat ride. Of course, I learned to haggle the other night at the market, so I negotiated on the price. :) Finally he agreed to lower down the price to Thb1,000.00 . I don't know if it was cheap or not but I felt better that I saved Thb500.00 . haha...

They gave us a complimentary coconut juice. But John and I both declined.  I think we were both concerned with the boat going down the dirty river. he he.. Honestly, I was worried of anacondas or crocodiles. Our boat driver explained that there are no crocs in the area. So somehow that helped. :) I am sure there are snakes there and he never said no when I mentioned it.

A few more minutes, our driver stopped at the
Coconut Sugar Farm. They sold candies, etc.
 made of coconut. But I politely said no. I was
thinking, we have a coconut farm in Samal
Island so I know how to make sweets out of a
young coconut. :)  We chose to buy instead a
little boat, with a vendor and the fruits she's
selling, as our souvenir of the floating market.

A few minutes later, we reached the busy part of the Floating Market. I was so amazed with what I saw. It must have been difficult living and doing business in the water. But they made it look so easy!

It's a village on the water. Amazing right?!

My floating market experience was something I will never forget.  Indeed, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. My admiration goes to all the vendors and the people living in the area. :)

John and I agreed that we're happy, we did not miss the ride. That was one learning experience for both of us. 

When we got back to the pier, the organizer showed us a souvenir made of glass. It's our picture on the boat which they took right before we left.  They sold it to us for Thb200.00 . If I wasn't so excited about the whole trip, I probably would have negotiated again on the price. But well, that was a cheap price to pay for a good souvenir of one beautiful ride....

Thank you Manong! Our boat driver. :)