20 Weeks RTW: Friday, Mar. 17 (week 8 / day 54) The Grand Palace, Thailand

Trek to the Grand Palace

It took about 90 minutes to get from our apartment to the Grand Palace downtown (the largest tourist attraction in Bangkok), quite an adventurous journey. We decided to take the subway into town, then taxi to the pier & take a long boat up river as recommended by the guidebook since the traffic is so congested around the Grand Palace. The subway ($7 for all of us) was packed & we had to really squish in to get Kyra & Cannon on with us! It felt just like in the movies when you see people smashing in as the doors close. It cleared out as we got closer to the end of the line. It was impressive that they line up here as they wait to get on, very organized.

As we exited the subway we experienced the tuk-tuk mafia just as described in the guidebook: they get you in their tuk-tuk taxi & then try to get you to agree to a tour of some palace or temple in addition to transportation. We repeatedly told them all we wanted was a ride to the pier, but they wouldn't relent so we just got out & walked further ahead to hale a regular taxi. Stacia felt bad as she had to be quite firm, almost mean even but they would not just take us to the pier. They continued to offer something else along the way.

We fit all 7 of us in 1 taxi (forget seatbelt safety, it's half the price) with the agreement that we'd pay 150 baht ($4.50) to get to the express pier. This guy suddenly seemed a part of the mafia as we approached the tour boat pier we had been to yesterday. We told him we didn't want a tour boat! Please, just take us to the express boat pier! He acted like it was the same thing & finally got us there, just 2 blocks away.

The express long boat was 100 baht per person (about $21 for all of us) & we got another scenic ride on the river with a little rain this time. These boats have big motors on the back & a long rudder for the driver to steer. Getting in & out is not an easy task as sometimes the piers can be a couple feet above the boat edge. So after 90 minutes & $32, we made it to the Grand Palace, after passing through the mosh-pit entrance!

lined up to get on the subway

on the subway after the daily commuters got off

the tuk-tuk taxi we didn't take, the guy on the left is presenting his scam tour options

seven of us in one regular taxi!

the express long boat, our final leg to the Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

Out of royal respect at the palace complex, they require adults to have their legs covered. There's a shop just across from the entrance that is making a killing selling skirts & pants. Stacia's skirt was long enough so she, Kyra & Cannon were good. Sydney, Carley & Avery got mandatory souvenir skirt-wraps & Paul loves his new pajama pants! You just walk in the store and the lady hands you what she thinks matches you. She does a pretty good job. If you want to look around or try others it costs you more. The changing of the guard was happening right then & we had to wait 10 minutes before they let anyone in. No photos allowed of this which we thought was strange. The problem was, a thousand tourists had just gotten off their buses & amassed at the entrance... when we got the go from the guards the next 20 minutes was the most memorable of the day. The most unpleasant tourist experience ever. Instead of filing through with control, everyone pushed forward & we were all smashed together with many trying to squeeze through. It was almost unbelievable. The subway was suddenly a pleasant experience. We could not believe it. Young and what seemed like mostly old, were all pushing. The kids were a little nervous and Stacia was nervous of getting separated from them. We began to understand how people can get trampled in a mob. And it felt like 100 degrees out anyway so it was even worse with the heat.

We asked around about the free English tour & a nice fellow stepped right in & started spouting out the story of the Palace which is actually a complex of dozens of temples, towers, statues, shrines, monuments & palaces. We never found out if there is one considered to be the "Grand Palace." We did enter one building where we had to take our shoes off, couldn't take pictures & show reverence for the locals that were actually worshiping in front. It was the temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is actually the largest piece of Jade in the world. The king comes seasonally and changes what the Buddha is wearing. Winter, summer, and rainy season. It was pretty amazing in there, a triangular tower of ornate gold statues and intricate décor with the Buddha on top. You are not supposed to stand in front of it for too long. Stacia lingered a bit and then the guard was telling everyone to sit, sit, sit. So, she and everyone else did. She wondered if something special was happening or how long she would have to sit there. Finally she noticed people leaving and did the same. On the way out she noticed the sign not to point your feet toward Buddha and the guide said you just aren't supposed to stand very long looking.
The whole experience at the Grand Palace was quite memorable, and exhausting. We had planned to at least go to Wat Pho, one of the other "must see" places in Bangkok, but the kids, and the parents were done. We headed back to our condo.
Stacia can't sit for long and wanted to go check out level two of the condo. Carley went with her and there they found a massage place and got an hour Thai massage for $9, actually a little pricey for Thailand. They have a large mats lying next to each other separated by curtains. Stacia and Carley were on mats next to each other they only half closed. Stacia was glad to have Carley in her view. They giggled as they changed into the scrub like outfits and Stacia had a hard time not laughing when she looked over and saw them stretching and pushing on Carley. There is a lot more stretching out approach to the Thai massage and they push a lot on you. It is sometimes uncomfortable but asked if we were ok along the way. It did feel good and Carley really liked her first massage.