Visit to Wat Pho!

Last week Thursday, Jilly and I visited Wat Pho Temple - The Temple of The Reclining Buddha.

It's located behind the Grand Palace and is a little gem in the heart of Bangkok! Its one of the oldest and most beautiful Temples in Thailand. Entrance fee is ฿100 (£2.17) per person and includes unlimited time in the grounds (well until it closes at least) a bottle of chilled water (which came in super handy as it was 35 degrees!) and use of the loos (they have air con!) The Temple also houses a school for Thai Medicine and is known as the birthplace of the Thai Massage - there is still a Thai Massage school on the grounds. (we were tempted to get a massage - but it was just too hot!)  

Jilly and I got the canal boat from Thonglor Pier and set off to 'Old Town' for the day. We were originally going to go the Grand Palace, but I had heard that Wat Pho, although slightly smaller is just as beautiful and and I really wanted to see The Reclining Buddha. So we decided to start off at Wat Pho and kept the afternoon free to visit do the Grand Palace - time permitting! Once tickets were purchased I covered my legs with a scarf - I was wearing shorts. It's requested that you dress 'appropriately' when entering the Temple - shoulders and knees covered. For those that thought spaghetti straps and tiny shorts were appropriate Temple attire, they were asked to cover up and presented with a green dressing gown before entering the Temple. Luckily I planned ahead and brought my trusty scarf along - green is so not my colour! 

We got there early-ish to avoid the crowds and try miss the heat of the day. The Temple wasn't too busy and were able to walk around, admire it's beauty and take pics without dodging the selfie sticks.

The pictures really don't' do it justice! I'm gonna have to invest in a pro-camera that can capture just how beautiful things really are! But until then the little iPhone will have to do - so just trust me - it's much more stunning in reality! When the sun shines on the golden and mirrored decorated roofs...it really does take your breath away

It's so peaceful and calming to walk around the Temple, you wouldn't think you were in the middle of Bangkok - despite it being in the middle of 'Old Town' it's pretty quiet.

Wat Pho houses over one thousand Buddhas and various statutes that have lived there for hundreds of years. Ashes from past Kings and members of The Royal Family are also enshrined there.  The Temple is in pristine condition and refurbishments happen throughout the year to ensure the Buddhas are always looking their golden beautiful selves. 

Phra Buddha Chinnaraj

We saved viewing the 'Pra Buddah Saiyaas' - aka - 'The Reclining Buddha' until last. He definitely does not disappoint. and he was the highlight of our visit to Wat Pho! I'm not quite sure what size I was expecting him to be - I knew he'd be big - but I was super surprised at how big the dude really was. He was hudge! I was in awe!

Pra Buddah Saiyaas is one of the most popular icons in Thailand and one of the largest reclining Buddha in the world! At 46 metres in length and 15 metres in height, smothered in Gold, he lounges in the Temple and brings peace and happiness to all who visit him. There is also a notorious gang of pick-pockets that operate in-front of him and warning signs are everywhere - be sure to give your bag a little cuddle when in there! You are requested to remove your shoes before you enter the temple and given  little blue bag to put them in. And for those not 'polity' dressed, this it's the time you will be presented with the over-sized green gown so you can cover up shoulders and knees and face the Buddha dressed appropriately.

Pra Buddah Saiyaas

We didn't make it to the Grand Palace that afternoon after all (it's on the 'To Do' list -  watch this space) the heat of the day was just too much and we wanted to savour our visit to Wat Pho! We then tuk tukked to the Koh San Road - which is about 5 min away - for a watermelon shake, spot of lunch and shopping!

http://www.watpho.com

Jim's House!

Jilly and I visited Jim's House last week - Jim Thompson is famous for building an awesome house in the heart of Bangkok, and of course he is the chap who revitalised the Silk Industry in Thailand.

 

We got the BTS train 6 Stops to National Stadium and from there a slow 4 min walk to Jim's House, else you can get the free shuttle service (golf cart) which takes a whole 40 seconds! We arrived at 10.30 which was a good time time as not too many tourists had a arrived yet, so we got to wonder around the exhibitions and shop before our designated 30 min English Tour at 10.45. Tickets to Jim's house cost ฿150 (£3.25) tour included, after the tour you can spend as much time as you like walking around the beautiful gardens and looking at some of the stunning silk exhibitions.

Jim's House

Our tour guide (I forget her name) was lovely! She showed us around Jim's garden and house giving us lots of interesting information about Jim and the Thai culture. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside his house (it must be shy) so you can't see all the cool stuff he had in there, but believe me when i say - Jim's house must have been the place to be and the envy of all his neighbours back in the day! He had all the mod-cons including western loo, mouse maze, frog pee-pee pot and gorgeous furniture drenched in luxurious silk fabrics. Scattered around the house are his antique collection of Buddhas and hand painted plates and ornaments. Apart from his amazing interior designing skills, his house is also special as it was made from 6 separate teak Thai houses from around the country that were dismantled,  then combined into one big house! 

Whilst the tour of his house was very interesting and made me miss my house back in London Town (I am going to drench it in silk upon my return and have a bright green silk bed just like Jim's!), I was hoping for a bit more info on the silk making and more about his designs. But i guess that's more of a 'Silk Factory' kinda tour. 

Jim fell in love with Thailand when he was based here during the war and returned years later to purchase and renovate a hotel, but decided that silk trade was more interesting. He became famous when some of his silk was used in the 1956 Film of 'The Kind & I', he then went on to save the silk industry in Thailand (I will now think of him when i wear my Thai Silk Scarf!)  Sadly, and without any trace Jim disappeared when he was 61! Our tour guide told us that his Thai horoscope said that something would happen to him when he was 61... eek! No trace was ever found of Jim... and he was declared dead in absentia by the Thai government a few years later and his silky mansion was then turned into a museum. 

www.jimthompsonhouse.com

Jilly does Bangers!

Last week I was lucky enough to have my Mommy visit us all the way from South Africa!

Jilly arrived in Bangers bright and early last Thursday. I was so excited for her visit..., I headed out to the Airport with a little homemade sign (I  was feeling a bit artistic one afternoon!), got a good possie right outside the Arrivals gate and waited her her to appear. I saw a bright pink suitcase wheeling its way through the glass and voila...Jilly appeared! After her long flight, we headed home via Airport Link and Taxi then headed out to my favourite Thai Massage places (no messing around for us!) for a well deserved 1 hr foot and back massage and a bit of relax time for Jilly!  After that we had a lovely lunch and caffeine boost then headed to the pool to cool off in the 35 degree heat and chill out. When Kev arrived home, we went to one of our local Thai dining spots - Sit and Wonder - to introduce her to the local cuisine and celebrate her arrival.

Jilly arrives in Bangers!

The next day Jilly and I headed off to MBK www.mbk-center.co.th (an awesome shopping haven about 15 min away - it's got an awesome market that's all indoors - 'Hello Aircon'!) I thought we'd just go there to have a squizz - but alas the shopping commenced! We hit MBK...and we hit it hard! Luckily we had a time limit as we had a cooking class booked (*more about the cooking class to follow in my next post - 'Chef Hayley gets Certified!'*) After the amazing cooking experience and my Thai Chef Certification in hand, we met Kev and went to AsiaTique (a night market) for a wonder and yet more shopping... thank goodness Kev was with us to carry the bags! 

Confessions of a shopaholic - Day 2

On Saturday we headed to my favourite markets, it's the largest market in Thailand and one of the largest markets in the world - Chatuchak!!! It's about 35 min from our Condo and never disappoints! You can literally get anything there...from clothes (that fit my Western bootie!), shoes, tourist trinkets, furniture, food, live animals, tattoos, vintage bits etc. It's only opened on the weekends and defo a place to visit when in Bangers, it's always packed and always a highlight for me. So... we set off to to Chats, Kev was brought along to carry the bags and to keep an eyeball on my spending. He was a bit terrified as I'm a shopaholic at the best of times and even from our very first visit there he dreaded taking my mom as it's a shopaholics haven! Jilly and I are quite the shopping dream-team. Needless to say we spent just under 6 hrs there...and literally shopped until we dropped! One of the things I love about the market is that it's so big and you never see the same things there, this time we discovered a whole new section and well...now I practically have a whole new wardrobe! (dresses cost 2 quid! so i bought 6!)  Happy Days! We had a cheeky Pad Thai and Chicken fried rice snack to keep us going, followed by a Watermelon Shake then Kev let us know enough was enough...so what did we do...headed back home...no ways! We went back to MBK for a little more retail therapy!!! That evening I was exhausted! 

Shopaholic on the move - Day 3

So you would think by now we had had enough of shopping...not quite! On the Sunday my mom and I headed back to Chats! We realised overnight we 'should have' bought a few vital things and simply had to return to the market. Kev did not come. Kev did not want to come. Kev went to football instead! We by some miracle found the stalls we were looking for and they were more than pleased to see us back again. We have a nice relaxing lunch, and little wonder in case we had missed any stalls, then headed back to my side of town for a Thai Massage, coffee and coconut cake! Feet up!

Bright and early on Monday morning we headed to the Bus Terminal to catch the 7am coach to Koh Samet - beach vacay baby!!! Jilly and I were off to the beach for 2 nights to relax, chill and have a break from out manic shopping routine! There is nothing to buy there - I think that's why Kev sent us there for 2 days knowing his account would at least have a little break! hehe! The traffic was a bit manic so the coach took 4 hrs! Boy was I glad to get off that bus(it does not have a loo and the aircon was full blast and it was freezing!) We then waited 15min for the ferry to take us to Koh Samet...and OMG along the way we saw the biggest bloom of Jellyfish ever... there were so many and they were huge - like the size of a Pilate's balls - no joke!! One of the local ladies was pointing to them, licking her lips, patting her stomach and going 'mmmmm' - so i guess they must be pretty tasty?!?! We stayed at Sunrise Villas, the place that Kev and I stayed at in December, close to the pier and known for the best English Breakfast in Koh Samet! We had a gorgeous little room overlooking the Jellyfish infested waters and once settled we headed to the main beach for a snoop, tannage and chill time.

The next morning we snoozed and lounged in bed staring at our gorgeous view! It was a tad rainy in the morning so was nice to be a bit lazy and watch the Thai Shopping Network to get out fix! After the sun came out we headed to the beach for brekkie, got some sun loungers and that was us for the day! Beach bums! We didn't move from out spot apart from a few dips in the sea to cool down and little trip to 7/11 to top up on beverages and snacks. Super relaxing day followed by dinner on the beach...just lovely!

Beach  Bums - Day 5

The next day we were at the beach at 7am for a quick dip and photo shoot before we headed back to Bangers! We were upgraded to a speedboat on the way back, so took all of 5 min what took the ferry 30 min! The bus home wasn't too bad - I think the driver was in a hurry or needed the loo?! - he sped back! We made record time and were having lunch at the Coffee Club round the corner from our Condo in no time! After that we treated ourselves to a 1hr Foot Massage, then met Kev for dinner and Koh Samet run-down!

Beach Babes - Day 6

On the Thursday we decided to be Tourists! We go the canal boat from Thonglor Pier to the old town. We got a tuk tuk to Wat Pho Temple which was just beautiful and we saw the 3rd largest reclining Buddha. (*more about Wat Pho Temple to follow in my next post - 'Visit to Wat Pho'*) It was good to get some culture in after all that shopping! After that I took Jilly to Kho San Road for a wonder and watermelon shake. By then the heat of the day had hit us hard so we taxied home (thank goodness for the aircon in the taxi!) and spent the afternoon relaxing and planning the shopping trip for the next day! hehe

The Tourist - Day 7

For Jilly's final day in Bangers we decided to do something touristy as well as have one final shopping marathon! We headed to Jim Thompson's House which is 5 min walk from MBK! Jim is the chap that's famous for saving the Silk Industry in Thailand and building a wicked house in Bangers (*more about Jim and his house to follow in my next post - 'Jim's House'*) So after the visit which was actually very interesting, we headed back to MBK as its only a 5 min walk away... it would have been rude not to to bid MBK a proper farewell as we have invested so much time there. After a quick snack and caramel macchiato (caffeine hit), we did our last bit of shopping then went to Terminal 21 (yep...another shopping centre!) for yet more last min shopping and a spot of lunch - cashew nut chicken and watermelon shake for Jilly, noodles with chicken and banana shake for me. We then met Kev and head to a night market for a cheeky beverage, little wonder and a few snacks - no shopping!

I felt very sad when I woke up yesterday realizing that Jilly's time in Bangers was almost over! But at the same time happy for her that she was jetting off to Korea to see Grant and Autumn! We headed out for breakfast, did some last min packing (all that shopping had to be squeezed in her bag!!) then headed off to the airport! I hate goodbyes and I cried my eyes out after she went through.

Jilly - you rocked Bangers! The markets will never be the same again...please come back soon!

Farewell Jilly - come back soon!