After eating at Why 76 at Asiatique Waterfront which had a great ambience, live music but slow service, Sarah and I decided to stay on and shop for a couple of hours more at the market place. We had also spotted a massage parlour there, so when we were finally done we treated ourselves to a foot massage. We had our first experience of being taken for a ride -- excuse the pun -- by taxi drivers looking to trap innocent tourists but our Pakistani street smartness prevailed and we managed to fob off all offers to transport us to at 'bargain' rates till such time that we hailed a taxi that was willing to go by the metre -- and take us at a fraction of the price being quoted by the others.
Reaching the hotel past midnight, I quickly packed my shopping as we were to check out the following day, and then had a friend who had arrived from the US just that day, drop by to see me. We chatted till 2 am and finally called it a night.
The next morning after breakfast we left to see the Emerald Buddah Temple -- which is actually made of jade! Located in the palace premises there are no monks or priests at this temple which is used only for ceremonies. Comprising many buildings within a compound the temple monuments are all handmade. Interestingly enough, in Buddhism there are no gods, but they believe in Hindu gods, which is why statues and paintings of Hindu deities such as Ram and Vishnu are found at the temple.
The Grand Palace complex, established in 1782 and consisting of the royal residence and throne halls, government offices, and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddah (Wat Pra Kaew), Thailand’s most revered temple.
Temple of the Emerald Buddah – photography not permitted within.
Chakri Maha Prasat Hall, Rajkaranyasapha Hall, Dusit Maha Prasat
Hall
After the exhaustive tour on a hot day, we were all ready to cool off so went to the shopping mall, MBK. After shopping for an hour or so, we made our way to very interesting eatery by the name of Fifth Avenue located at the mall. Comprising large stalls selling food from different countries, it has an interesting concept. You get a credit card with 1000 baht credit when you enter and you use it at any of the stalls you wish to purchase an item from. After you have eaten you take your credit card to the cashier and they charge you for the sum total you have used up at the stalls. We had a field day trying out the different foods. Rejuvenated, we went back to the hotel where we were due to check out. Our bags packed, we met the hotel marketing communications staff at the foyer who gave us a tour of the highly impressive Thai Heritage Suites and Ratanakosin Suite at the hotel.
luxury suites and bathroom!
The tour done, we were all set to say our byes to the wonderful team at Dusit Thani and were once again on our way -- this time for the airport. But our unexpected pleasures hadn't come to a complete halt yet, for we discovered at the airport that courtesy the Thai Airways country manager, Polapat, who was travelling with us we had been upgraded to business class! A relaxing wait at the lounge and a delightfully restful night on board the aircraft brought our hectic tour to a perfect end.
Reaching the hotel past midnight, I quickly packed my shopping as we were to check out the following day, and then had a friend who had arrived from the US just that day, drop by to see me. We chatted till 2 am and finally called it a night.
The next morning after breakfast we left to see the Emerald Buddah Temple -- which is actually made of jade! Located in the palace premises there are no monks or priests at this temple which is used only for ceremonies. Comprising many buildings within a compound the temple monuments are all handmade. Interestingly enough, in Buddhism there are no gods, but they believe in Hindu gods, which is why statues and paintings of Hindu deities such as Ram and Vishnu are found at the temple.
The Grand Palace complex, established in 1782 and consisting of the royal residence and throne halls, government offices, and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddah (Wat Pra Kaew), Thailand’s most revered temple.
Temple of the Emerald Buddah – photography not permitted within.
After the exhaustive tour on a hot day, we were all ready to cool off so went to the shopping mall, MBK. After shopping for an hour or so, we made our way to very interesting eatery by the name of Fifth Avenue located at the mall. Comprising large stalls selling food from different countries, it has an interesting concept. You get a credit card with 1000 baht credit when you enter and you use it at any of the stalls you wish to purchase an item from. After you have eaten you take your credit card to the cashier and they charge you for the sum total you have used up at the stalls. We had a field day trying out the different foods. Rejuvenated, we went back to the hotel where we were due to check out. Our bags packed, we met the hotel marketing communications staff at the foyer who gave us a tour of the highly impressive Thai Heritage Suites and Ratanakosin Suite at the hotel.
The tour done, we were all set to say our byes to the wonderful team at Dusit Thani and were once again on our way -- this time for the airport. But our unexpected pleasures hadn't come to a complete halt yet, for we discovered at the airport that courtesy the Thai Airways country manager, Polapat, who was travelling with us we had been upgraded to business class! A relaxing wait at the lounge and a delightfully restful night on board the aircraft brought our hectic tour to a perfect end.
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