STROLLING AROUND BANGKOK

RIVER, PALACES, TEMPLES AND HOTELS - FEBRUARY 1997

This post is the last from the February 1997 trip to Bangkok, and shows pictures taken during a long stroll in town.



"CHAO PHRAYA, the River of the Kings, runs for 372 km from north to south through the central plains to Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. The first picture shows an embarkation point for the ferry that runs up and down the river"


"HOTEL - From the Sheraton, a nice view of the strange form of what I thought was going to be a hotel. Couldn't confirm..."


"PORTUGAL - The entrance to the Noble House, the Portuguese Embassy in Thailand"


"THE ORIENTAL - Still the best hotel in Bangkok"







"THE VINMANMEK ROYAL MANSION, located on Ratchawithi Road, is the world's largest building made entirely of golden teak. It was removed from Ko Sichang in the Chonburi province, rebuilt in the Dusit Palace in 1900 by order of King Rama V. Most of the building is now used as museums, showing Queen Sirikit's collection of handicrafts created by rural people and art objects including King Bhumibol's photography, portraits, ancient cloth, clocks, and royal carriages. It's a wonderful building and a nice place to visit"


"PARLIAMENT BUILDING"




"WAT BENCHAMABOPHIT - Back to the temple, fourteen years later"




"WAT SAKET (THE GOLDEN MOUNT) - The towering gold chedi of Wat Saket, an artificial hill constructed under King Rama III (1824-51), was once the highest point in Bangkok. The temple complex at the bottom of the hill dates back to the Ayutthaya era"


"VIEW - There is a nice view from the top of the Golden Mount"




"HYATT AND WTC - At one of the busiest corners of Bangkok, where one can find the Hyatt Hotel and the World Trade Centre Bangkok, you may also find a small and busy shrine..."


"MERIDIEN HOTEL - I started this series of Bangkok posts with pictures from a nice Hotel that was demolished and saw it's gardens occupied by a shopping mall. Now, to end, I show a photo of the Meridien Hotel after a fire burnt some of the floors... Strange things happened to hotels in Bangkok!"

WAT PHRA KAEW AGAIN!

BACK TO THE THAI GRAND PALACE - FEBRUARY 1997

The first time I was in Bangkok and in the Grand Palace was in 1983, with Guida and on holiday. This time I returned alone for a meeting, but got some time off to get back to the magnificent palace!


"THE WALL - The palace, erected by Rama I, has an area of 218,400 sq. metres and is surrounded by 1900 metres of walls built in 1782, when Bangkok was founded. Within the walls we find the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha, as well as government offices and royal residences, nowadays used only for occasional ceremonial purposes. The Grand Palace adjoins Wat Phra Kaew in a common compound, but despite the proximity, there's a contrast between the Thai style of the Wat Phra Kaew and the European design of the Grand Palace (with the exception of the roof)"


"TEMPLE"


"KINAREE - Mythological creature, half bird, half woman"




"THE COMPLEX consists of over 100 brightly coloured buildings, golden spires and glittering mosaics... and thousands of tourists!"



"CHAPEL OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA - Wat Phra Kaew is Thailand's most sacred temple. It houses the little (between 60 and 75 cm) Emerald Buddha, which is located inside a glass box, high above the heads of the worshippers and tourists. The statue isn't actually made of emerald but rather of green jade"




"GIANTS -A cloister surrounds the temple, and depicted along is an extensive mural of the Ramakian, the Thai version of the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana"



"GARDENS, TREES and the Chakri Mahaprasad Hall"

BANGKOK WAT(s) REVIVAL

MYSTICAL TOUR 2ND ROUND - FEBRUARY 1997

The first round of the Bangkok temples took place in 1983, and memories from such trip as well as descriptions of the temples may be seen here. So, I'll reduce words. Fourteen years later, when we compare sites and pictures, we may conclude that great improvements were made!

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WAT PO



WAT PO - The oldest and largest temple in Bangkok"



"GOLDEN BUDDHA"




"RECLINING BUDDHA in much better shape. Surely re-gilded..."

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WAT ARUN






"WAT ARUN - «Temple of the Dawn», probably the better known symbol of Bangkok"

IN THE KINGDOM OF SIAM

BANGKOK - FEBRUARY 1997

After New Year in New York, I spent one week in Paris (in early February), and flew to Bangkok by the end of the month. It was the second time I was in Thailand, after the 1983 visit. This time I stayed at the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, a landmark that was closed on June 30, 2002, and destroyed afterwards. This post is dedicated to the late Siam Intercontinental Hotel, a remarkable hotel torn down to give rise to an incredible shopping centre named Paragon... A disaster!


"GARDENS - The Siam Intercontinental Hotel Gardens won an award for its environmental protection work in 1999. However, when the hotel's lease expired, it was torn down to make way for a shopping centre, reducing the 26-acre gardens to a few acres"


"SIAM INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - Opened in June 1966, the design seemed to resemble a hat worn by an early King of Ratansakosin. The view of its destruction is disgusting"


"RECEPTION, with flowers"



"VIEWS from my room: gardens and pool"


"ROOM"


"PEACOCK near the jogging trail"


"RIVER CHANNEL"