It is really a treat that most accommodations come with free breakfast.  No more need to worry where to eat at the start of the day.  Get a power breakfast even if the taste is so so from the hotel buffet.  Good thing that the Baiyoke Boutique restaurant’s food was actually manageable in terms of taste.

As the elevators of the Baiyoke Boutique opens, we see a small beautiful girl smile tentatively at us.  She calls my name and I nod my head in recognition.  The tour guide introduces herself and directs us to the car.

Blech, this photo is sooo tourist-a

Our first stop for the day was the temples.  The temples are open daily from 8am to 5pm.  The location of the first temple we visited was along Maharat Road, which is quite close to the river and about a half mile south of the Grand palace. 

We are also lucky enough to view the passage of a monk.

Wat Pho or more popularly known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is located behind the magnificent Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  The entrance fee per one person is 20 baht.  It is the largest temple in Bangkok and famous for its huge and majestic reclining Buddha that measures 46 meters long.  The reclining Buddha is covered in gold leaf.  The Buddha’s feet are 3 meters long.

If one looks closely, the feet are exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious characteristics of the Buddha.

One can also receive a blessing from a monk for a small donation that helps to maintain the temple. 

We went to several temples but it now skips me the names of these temples.  The Reclining Buddha made a mark because prior to the trip, my colleague and good friend Karen already mentioned this particular Buddha to me as she was astonished by the size of it.

Bubba paid also a certain fee to be able to put coins in a long stretch of bowls.  This was supposed to represent something but again backlog entries make one forget.

At the entrance gate of one of the smaller temples, vendors flock us with the animals that they were selling.  There were fishes and turtles being sold.  The guide bought a plastic of fishes while Bubba as I predicted opted to buy the turtle.  This was a buy and release.  You pay for these and release them in the water by the bridge.  It’s supposed to bring luck and protection.

Bubba didn’t want to let go of the turtle and wanted to bring it back to Manila to nurse it and keep it as a pet.  The turtle reminded him of Pags, our Indian Star turtle. 

The part I didn’t enjoy about the tour was the fact that they brought us (which is the usual, Hong Kong, China or whatever tours) to expensive jewelry and custom-made suit stores.  We didn’t buy a single item.

The last part of the half-day tour was the spa.  Again, this was one expensive spa.  Massages in Thailand is pretty cheap but this one cost as much as PHP 1,000 per person.  The usual costs around PHP 250, cheaper in Thailand than Manila actually.

The session starts off with a foot spa.  The water treatment is a refreshing start for the massage.  After getting our feet scrubbed and bathed, we proceed to the 2^nd floor where their massage rooms are.

The Thai massage was GRRRREAT!  Best one I’ve had in my entire life.  The kneading and stretching were quite different from past experiences, even in the authentic Thai spa parlors in Manila.  My body felt so unbelievably relaxed when I woke up.  My body underwent revitalization –calmed but bursting with energy.  All the muscle tension was eased.  It was worth the buck.  The Suriya spa massage experience comes in close second. 

In the evening, the plan was to see the world-class theater performance of Thailand’s arts and cultural heritage.  Siam Niramit is the must-see spectacular and jaw-dropping performance with a colossal stage to boot.  It is supposedly listed in the Guinness World Records as the biggest stage show there is, featuring over 150 performers that have as many as 500 costume-changes.  I wish I brought my mom with me because I’m sure she would tremendously enjoy this.

While waiting for the play, we wandered around the grounds.  Elephants, we played with the elephants for a bit, Bubba fed one.  The elephant lifted me up using his snout.  The elephant was also able to lift Bubba.  Outside the Siam Niramit theater is a small cultural display community. 

The show was about to start.  We headed to the theater.  The play begins and we are just enthralled by how colorful, alive and vibrant everything was.  State of the art special effects with the world’s most advanced technology are used to produce an engaging, very realistic and inspiring experience.  I cannot believe my own eyes seeing how the stage transforms from one setting to another.  It makes me wonder how on earth were they able to pull certain stunts off. 

Image Source: Siam Niramit Website

Siam Niramit is a Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom of Thailand that no one should ever miss while in Bangkok.

Right after the play, we headed to the red light district of Bangkok, Soi Cowboy.  One of the main (unique) attractions of BKK is the famed Ping Pong show. 

Wikipedia describes the Ping Pong show as the show that consists of women using their pelvic muscles to either hold, eject, or blow objects from their vaginal cavity.  Such objects include: long string, whistles, pens, cigarettes, candles, darts, chopsticks and, of course, ping pong balls.  A male member of the audience may be brought onto the dance platform to hold a balloon while a dart is shot at it, or the girl may do a shoot around the table at balloons tied to each customer’s chair. Another activity is the shooting of goldfish into a bowl, or stuffing a rather large frog inside to see how long she can keep it in.

The shows generally take place in a strip club with scantily clad girls dancing during the breaks between shows. Tourists are brought in by employees working the streets asking passersby if they want to see a show and frequently having pictures of said shows in a booklet.

We heard that certain Ping Pong/live show clubs coerced the customers into giving tips or extra payment.  We were quite apprehensive about the whole thing but thank goodness that we were able to watch the show without experiencing any setback.  Our jaws were still on the floor while we exited the place.

This is definitely “only in Bangkok!”

Album

Bangkok Day 1 Album

Bangkok Day 1 & 2 in a Nutshell Album

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Suriya Spa

Siam Niramit Website