Can you pronounce Wat Pho's official name?

We were made to be flexible. Though we were not able to follow our itinerary due to schedule conflicts and the limited time we had, we could say we have gone to the most visited sites of Thailand.

We promised on our first day that we were coming back to Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha no matter what, so that was our ultimate goal the very first part of our last day. This reclining buddha used to be un-sheltered and exposed. I don't know when Thais started to be concerned of the Buddha's "health" so they built a roof over it with thick pillars as support. This is, by far, the largest and oldest Buddha in Bangkok, measuring 46 meters long and 15 meters high dating back 200 years ago. Thai massage also originated here. Oh by the way, can you pronounce to me its official full name? It's Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn.

Wat Pho grounds have more than a thousand Buddhas. Our eyes were so full of it that we decided not to visit Wat Traimit anymore since the site also houses more of the same-looking golden Buddhas. We instead went to the Royal Temple, a spot recommended by a Thai we met while we were shopping for durian and jackfruit flakes plus more Thailand souvenirs outside Wat Pho.

Royal Temple was not part of our itinerary because, apart from not being listed, it was kind of limited to visitors since some of the structures were being destroyed during the time that it was still open to all. They wanted to preserve it since the Royal family regularly goes to the temple to worship. We met the architect of the Royal Temple and told us that the story of King and I surrounds the temple.

We visited Wimanmek Palace the last. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures, I guess they were afraid that we would imitate their designs. Nah, since it was a museum of the King's personal arts and handicrafts showing the Thai national heritage, everything should be preserved. It was built in 1901.

On our first day, we planned to postpone our visit to the Royal Barges Museum to the 3rd day. However, after the Wimanmek tour, we got so tired that we weighed if the Royal Barges Museum was worth visiting. Well, shopping won over the visit to the museum so we headed straight to where we think we should be to do our last minute chores. Royal Barges Museum was not meant to be a part of our memories. =D

Enough of Wats for now, how about outside Bangkok?

The sound of a floating market gets us all excited even before the trip since that spot has been broad-casted in the world as a Thailand trademark. It is not located within Bangkok but one can find it 106 kms away or 1.5 - 2 hours from the city, which is not bad at all. But whenever you hear the word market, does it always connote cheap goods? Nah, not for this market. The prices are surprisingly at least 100% more costly than the real prices, and the sellers would make this facial expression as if they have the best prices in the market. Since we only had faint ideas of how much the goods really were, we tried to bargain to the best of our ability (with all the reasoning I could think of at that moment accompanied by begging eyes). It would take me at least a minute to negotiate until they'd give me the price that was close, if not exact, to what I want. Sometimes, I would be startled to see them come running after me if I leave when I don't get the price I want. That made me think "Hmm, if they can give my price to me, then they must have enjoyed over-pricing their goods..."

There was even this one time when my kumare Lian was buying the carved floating market souvenir and I was also one seller away from her checking the same thing but in a smaller package (I didn't know she was almost beside me). I was applying my begging ability to the seller and was about to get the 125 or 150-Baht worth of smaller token when Lian came near me, I quickly boasted that I am about to get the token at 125-150 Bt ONLY, emphasizing the ONLY keyword. She almost raised her voice alarming me that hers was only 100 Bt and bigger. I thought I fell off the ledge down to the waters. Uh-oh! My eyes widened and confronted my seller "She got hers at 100 Bt only, what's the difference with yours?!" The seller explained that hers had more vivid colors etc. Alright, I believe I still have near-perfect vision and Lian was wearing her glasses but we CAN'T see ANY difference. Nice try lady. But I bought her smaller token after the argument anyway, with a low price (at 75 Bt) because I was afraid that I might exceed the baggage weight limit. So there it is. The weather was soo hot and things were even hotter with the great EFFORT made just to settle a good deal.

Then I thought I've got the great deal. What really hurt was when we discovered on our LAST shopping day that the same goods we've bought from the market in which we thought were already cheap, were even cheaper in the oldest mall of Bangkok by around 10-20%. Great, just great. But that's okay, we did not know. I'm fine. Really. =D

Anyway, going back to the outskirts of Bangkok, the day-tour also included a visit to the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. I really really enjoyed what happened here. I've already witnessed 2 dolphin shows since I started traveling but trying something new would be refreshing. This is, again, another of Thailand's most famous site. We did not mind paying 500 Bt because we knew that this riding adventure might just be a one-time event for all of us. And yes, it was very memorable. The elephants were adorable. They know how to pose in front of a camera. When we gave our tip to our guide, the elephant used the trunk to get the money and passed it on to his master. Cute.

Oh before I forget, we had our stomachs full before we started our exciting Elephant ride. It was a buffet lunch and we were given the chance to try dishes that almost had a common denominator, spice. Even the pasta that they have prepared for Westerners was even spicy, the sauce almost tasted like curry. What the gang liked best was the sea brass fish fillet with the Jufran-like sauce (sweet and spicy), we kept coming back for that. We tried all the noodles our eyes could set on (and of course, I and Joy saw Pad Thai again and I think 1/3 of our plates were just noodles). I could not remember the names but the dishes were great! I wished I had 4 stomachs like that of a cow during that time.

The Elephant Show completed our day when they raced, wiggled, danced, did a "hand-stand", hopped with 3 legs, crossed their front legs, played the drums, and kicked soccer balls. One of them even played an invisible guitar - rock and roll! If only they could sing, then that would be a blast! (Find the videos at http://elyt.multiply.com/).

Getting nearer to Bangkok, we stopped by at Rose Garden to watch Thailand's cultural show featuring their dances, how they conduct a wedding, a Muay Thai fight, long pole-short pole fight, and a sword fight. The fighting scenes were enacted with actual fighting moves so you would really appreciate them. I'd also say one of their dances has a very close resemblance to our former national dance, Tinikling. In our Tinikling, we are already contented with just having a pair of bamboo sticks, one tempo, and a constant series of hops done by a pair of "Tinikling-ers." And for us, it already looks difficult to perform. But the Thais do not think that. If there's an existing contest for the Tinikling-like dance, Thais would have the trophy. Well, we saw 4 pairs of dancers, thus, 4 pairs of bamboo sticks and as the music continued on, the tempo went faster and faster requiring them to perform quicker hops. One pair did not just dance with their own pair of bamboos, instead, they danced passing all 4 bamboo pairs in different styles since the bamboo sticks were positioned adjacent to the others. (Find the video at http://elyt.multiply.com/). So okay, I give up. I'd rather play the rock-paper-scissors game.

Speaking of common denominator earlier, the activity that we never miss doing was the shopping-for-souvenirs activity. Since we stayed one alley away from Khaosan Road where stalls were set up during the later part of the day until late at night or very early morning, we always dropped by to check if there were items worth buying.

That night, I was still sick and dead-tired. So the moment we got into our rooms, I quickly cleaned up and it took me less than 2 minutes to be in dreamland.

Missing the glittering lights at Sunset

First day was reserved for famous temples or Wats such us Wat Arun or The Temple of the Dawn. This is because the structure glitters during sunset or sunrise. Unfortunately, our timing was off. We went there around 4:30 PM, the sun was still so high and our feet were aching from touring the Grand Palace grounds. Looking at our itinerary, we were supposed to visit this temple at the end of the day after we have gone to the rest of the Wats. Our list during that time says we will visit 3 Wats on day 1 (Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun) and Wat Traimit on the last day. I have already crossed off Wat Phra Kaew from the list after someone has explained to us that Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace were built in one compound. We then decided to pursue viewing Wat Pho, which should be located just BEHIND the Grand Palace compound. While walking towards it and dismissing the scorching sun, my friend Edward met a man who told them that Wat Pho closed early that day to accommodate the worshippers or something to that effect. We had no choice but to proceed to Wat Arun earlier than scheduled but we also made sure that Wat Pho should never be missed. We shall return!

Shopping concluded our first day at Khaosan Road, the road just behind our inn. Again, Joy ordered Pad Thai for dinner.

Driver, Wat Phra Kaew please? Oh you don't know?!

We already have the map in our hands but we were not aware that Wat Phra Kaew also stands within the Grand Palace compounds. According to the map, they are located near to each other but not so clear that they are bounded by the same walls. The site opens at 9 AM and we got there by around 10 AM since we had to procure closed shoes due to the dress code they are implementing according to the sites I have visited. But when we got there, we could see so many people in their open-toed footwear (but definitely no shorts!). Right there and then, my friends changed back to their more-comfortable sandals. We spent taking pictures the entire morning (still thinking that we have been touring only the Grand Palace but actually, we consumed the whole time capturing memories at Wat Phra Kaew).

And then our digestive tracts started to growl. We just walked out from the white walls and looked for any restaurant so we could easily go back to visit what we thought we hadn't yet. We landed at a seafood restaurant which stands by the river. They have great food and refreshments and that's when my friend Joy first realized she's starting to like Pad Thai (noodles) very much. Most of all, the blueberry smoothie we ordered was the day's highlight, I forgot what I have ordered for my main course.

After satisfying our buds, we decided to take a cab to what we thought should be our next destination. No wonder the taxi driver could not "find" it and he was also asking people around about where we want to go. And then finally, he drove us around the same white walls we just enjoyed a few hours ago. The next thing we know, we found ourselves standing outside a very familiar entrance. Alright, we were back to where we were. What just happened? Well, it was a great relief to find someone who could understand English. He explained to us that Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace are located in one compound. Okay, 2 down from our itinerary.