Bangkok, Thailand

Date: January 23, 2019 – January 24, 2019
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

The first port the ship docked in was Laemchabang, Thailand, about a 2 hour drive to Bangkok, Thailand.

There was very little to see in Laemchabang so we booked a shore excursion for transportation to and from Bangkok. Once in Bangkok we could do what we wanted.

On the way to Bangkok there was a tour guide on the bus who provided information to people who did not have a plan on what they were going to do in Bangkok. She also informed us of what a reasonable price would be if we were to take a Tuk Tuk to the Grand Palace from where the bus dropped us off in Bangkok. A Tuk Tuk is a three-wheeled vehicle and is commonly used as a taxi.

We planned on taking a Grab, the ride share service available in Thailand, to the Grand Palace, but since we heard what a Tuk Tuk would cost we decided to take a Tuk Tuk.

It was a very good thing that we knew what a Tuk Tuk ride should cost and we negotiated the price before getting in. The driver first told us the cost would be over twice as much.

When we said no, he lowered the price but said there would be another stop on the way. On the bus we heard they used that tactic as well and with our limited time in the city we didn’t have time to do that. We said no and the price still wasn’t as low as it should be. We walked away and started bringing up the app to call a Grab and the driver agreed to take us directly there for the price that our guide had suggested.

The Tuk Tuk ride was interesting as the driver weaved around other cars. We are glad that we took one for the experience.

The Grand Palace also has the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha. Getting into the complex was very busy.

The gold bell shape is called Phra Siratana Chedi and has relics of the Lord Buddha inside.

This is a Demon Guardian.

There are six pairs of them facing the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha. They are guarding the Emerald Buddha from evil spirits.

This is one of the entrances to Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn, The Royal Pantheon. Inside are eight statues of the previous kings of the Chakri dynasty.

This is one of the Golden Chedis that are in front of The Royal Pantheon.

The Golden Chedis is surrounded by mythical creatures.

This is the Phra Ubosoth, The Chapel of the Emerald Buddha. It was built in 1782.

With the Lunar New Year a little over a week away, many people were visiting the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha has three costumes all made out of gold and jewelry. The costumes are for summer, rainy season and winter. When the season changes there is a ceremony of the changing of the costume by the King.

It was very crowded inside and no pictures could be taken.

This is Chakri Maha Prasat Hall.

It was built in 1877 and was the royal residence.

Now it is used for state banquets.

After the Grand Palace we took a ferry across the Chao Phraya River to see Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn.

There were many boats on the river. This is a long tail boat. The boats are narrow with the motor on the end of the long shaft. The river is very dirty with a lot of trash in it.

This is the entrance to the ordination hall near Wat Arun.

I was expecting Wat Arun to be taller than it is.

We only had about 4 hours in Bangkok and I was thinking we would have closer to 5 hours. Even though the bus ride to get to and from Bangkok was long we are still glad that we went to see the city.

That night back on the ship, the show was a comedy duo named Funny Bones. During the show they did not talk at all. They selected Brian out of the audience and first had him stand up and act like he was blowing darts at the board on stage. They then motioned for him to go on stage.

He caught on that he was supposed to follow what they did.

Brian was probably on stage for about 5 minutes and during that time they had him acting to music, being a ballerina as well as being a cheer leader.