Tag 2: Wat Kaev, Wat Pho, Grand Palace, China Town and a spectacular view

The next morning we started early to reach the Grand Palace before the tourist crowds.

We took a tuk-tuk again, although the palace would have been reachable on foot, but we wanted to save our energy for the rich programme we had planned for the day.

The huge palace complex consists of numerous buildings and was the residence of the kings of Thailand for about 150 years. Right next to the royal palace lies the impressive Wat Phra Kaew. The complex is surrounded by a brick wall.

The entrance fee currently is about 15 euros per person. At the entrance, there are checks to ensure visitors wear appropriate clothing. At a sales stand, you can buy long pants and T-shirts for about 6 euros.

Inside the complex, you can also see the famous Emerald Buddha, and there is a replica of famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Visiting the complex is definitely worth it — no Bangkok traveler should miss the magnificent buildings, delicate decorations, and temples shining with gold.

After the Grand Palace, we visited Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha, which was built around the Buddha statue. This complex is also absolutely worth seeing and is in no way less magnificent than the Grand Palace or Wat Kaew.

By the way, around these famous sights, tuk-tuk drivers repeatedly approach visitors trying the now well-known scams: They claim the sight you want to visit is closed and offer a highly overpriced tour to various other sights instead. Do people still fall for it? We just ignored them.

After the visit, we treated ourselves to freshly squeezed juice at a market near Wat Pho.

Then we took another tuk-tuk to Chinatown.

The first impression was overwhelming. Chinatown is pure life. Narrow, fully packed shops offering almost everything imaginable press tightly together.

In the narrow alleys, there are numerous street food stalls whose exotic smells are a special experience for the senses.

Chinatown is colorful, Chinatown is loud, Chinatown is exciting and worth seeing. We strolled through the numerous alleys and finally ate lunch at a small restaurant. The food was truly excellent.

After lunch, we returned to the hotel, where we spent some hours at and in the pool.

Around 4 pm, we set out to King Power Mahanakhon, the city’s tallest building at 314 meters. Admission costs about 35 euros per person, but you get the best view of the city from the 78th floor, and the brave can venture onto the Skywalk, a platform made of glass.

The view from the tower is breathtakingly beautiful. We had deliberately chosen the time of our visit so we could see the city by day and at sunset.

After some initial hesitation, we also dared to step onto the Skywalk and did not regret it. The view down was frightening but at the same time spectacular.

Unforgettable is definitely the mood as the sun slowly disappeared behind the city’s skyscrapers and turned everything into an incredible display of colors.

When darkness finally fell, we felt very hungry. So we went in search of something to eat. Soon we found a nice, small place where I ordered my beloved Pad Thai again