Bangkok Thursday Dec 12

  Thursday Dec 12 2025 - Bangkok Thailand

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STEPS

WEATHER

TOUR DAY 17 half day tour 

ITALICS TOUR DESCRIPTION

After breakfast, you will meet your local guide for a half-day city tour of Bangkok. Starting at Wat Phra Kaew, a sumptuous and colored temple famous for its Emerald Buddha made of jade, you will make your way to the Royal Palace, the most praised royal monument in Thailand. This palace, built in the late 18th century, is the perfect example of an ancient Siamese court with its bright buildings, golden spires, and glittering mosaics, all dating back to the foundation of Bangkok. Then, you will visit Wat Pho, a temple hiding a huge reclining statue of Buddha, which is regarded as Thailand’s first center of public education. Mural paintings, inscriptions, and statues found in the temple were used to educate people on various subjects such as literature, warfare, archaeology, astronomy, geology, and meditation. It is also home to traditional Thai massages. (Breakfast)  2015 Bangkok half day city tour

Rest of the day at leisure. You can choose from a large variety of optional excursions at your destination ($). Experience, for example, a delightful cruise on the Chao Phraya River to take in views of Bangkok's landmarks from a different angle or pamper yourself with a relaxing Thai massage. As the evening wears on, enjoy drinks and dinner at one of Bangkok’s best rooftops, overlooking a magnificent cityscape.

We opted out of the 1/2 day city tour since we had done it before. Our guide, last night, had communicated this to the other guide.

Breakfast is included as it has been everywhere. This hotel has someone direct you to a table and puts this sign on it. It was the usual breakfast buffet with plenty of choice and an egg/noodle station.

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We set out to walk to Chinatown, which is pretty much a straight line along Rama IV. We had been to Chinatown in the evening, on our last trip.

I'm always (still) fascinated by there altars, spirit houses, in Thailand. Most houses and businesses have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location may be chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. Spirit houses are known as ศาลพระภูมิ (san phra phum, 'house of the guardian spirit') in Thai.

This one is outside Starbucks.

Looks like, and it is, a train station.

The station was officially referred to by the State Railway of Thailand as Bangkok railway station or Sathani Rotfai Krung Thep (สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ) in Thai. Hua Lamphong (Thai: หัวลำโพง) was originally the informal name of the station, used by locals, tourist guides and the public press.] In all documents published by the State Railway of Thailand (such as train tickets, timetables, and tour pamphlets) the station is uniformly transcribed as Krungthep (กรุงเทพ) in Thai. As of 19 January 2023, following the opening of Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, the station was officially renamed Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) railway station.[5]

The name Hua Lamphong is the name of both a canal and a road (now filled as Rama IV Road) that used to pass near this station.

Currently only ordinary and commuter trains (calling at all stops) operate on the Northern, Northeastern and Southern lines, while all Eastern line services terminate here.

There was a large altar like this in our hotel, I assumed someone had died and i would later find out whom.

We made a left as we saw the Chinatown gates. And happened upon this.

Wat Traimit is a famous temple in Bangkok’s old town area, more specifically the Yaowarat Chinatown district. Wat Tramit’s full name is Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan but no one has time to say all that, so the locals just call it Wat Traimit.

As mentioned before, this temple is also known as “The Temple of the Golden Buddha”, the golden Buddha in question is known as Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon, another long name, but it’s okay, the short name is Phra Sukothai Traimit.

Wat Traimit is actually not a single temple but rather a complex of multiple buildings.

Right off the bat, the first structure you’ll notice is the iconic white marble and gold accented central temple known as the Phra Maha Mondop, a four story pavilion which houses the iconic Golden Buddha statue.

Yes, monks fascinate me. The following is a recap of what we would learn while in Thailand.

Thai monks, part of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, live disciplined lives in thousands of temples, adhering to strict rules (like not eating after noon), wearing saffron robes, and relying on community alms for food, with many young men becoming temporary monks for education or merit, focusing on meditation, chanting, and detachment from worldly things to find peace and teach Buddhist principles.

Daily Life & Practices

Early Start: Days begin around 4 AM with meditation and chanting.

Alms Round (Tak Bat): Monks walk barefoot at dawn to receive food donations from locals, a key merit-making activity.

Diet: They eat solid food only before noon, following rules against cooking for themselves.

Education: They study Buddhist teachings and sometimes attend regular schools.

Meditation: Daily sessions focus on mindfulness, self-discipline, and compassion. 

Roles & Traditions

Temporary Monks: Many men, especially young ones, join for a few months (or even a day) to honor parents or gain spiritual merit, a respected cultural practice.

Community: There are around 200,000 monks and 85,000 novices in Thailand, with numbers increasing during Buddhist Lent (Vassa).

Forest vs. City Monks: Different traditions exist, with forest monks often wearing darker robes and focusing on secluded practice, while city monks wear brighter colors. 

Monastic Rules (Vinaya)

Monks follow over 227 rules, including celibacy and not handling money, to cultivate detachment and consciousness.

A market, and we both bought bracelets.

Oh, yeah, Chinatown.

The Kuan Yim Shrine, located at the start of Yaowarat Road (Chinatown), is a significant Chinese Mahayana Buddhist temple, home to a revered 900-year-old teak wood statue of the Goddess of Compassion, Kuan Yim. Part of the historic Thian Fa Foundation, it serves both spiritual and charitable purposes, offering free medical care alongside prayers for health and success, making it a culturally rich spot for quiet contemplation and a unique glimpse into Bangkok's Chinese heritage.

Just wandering with no destination.

We wanted to sit here, but they weren't open yet.

Nevermind, this lovely cafe in a hostel was open and inviting.

Bangkok's Chinatown (Yaowarat) is a maze of bustling, vibrant alleys filled with street food, traditional markets selling everything from ingredients to trinkets, and gold shops, offering a sensory overload of sights, smells, and sounds,

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We picked a hole in the wall, at random.

Cheap and cute.

An explanation about the memorials everywhere.

Bangkok is currently holding extensive Royal Funeral Rites for the recently deceased Queen Mother Sirikit (passed Oct 24, 2025), with her body lying in state at the Grand Palace's Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall for public homage until her Royal Cremation in 2026, marking a major national memorial period with official mourning and public tributes. Memorials include public viewing of her portrait and urn, special rites at the Grand Palace, a year-long mourning period for officials, and nationwide flag lowering.

Yes, cremation in 2026, not a typo.

The royal cremation for Queen Mother Sirikit will take place in late 2026, approximately one year after her passing in October 2025. 

And just because I am nosy and curious, I had to check out the current king.

The late Queen Mother of Bangkok was Queen Sirikit, wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and mother of the current King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), who ascended the throne after his father's passing in 2016.

Current Wife and Consort

Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana (born Suthida Tidjai) is the King's fourth and current wife. She was a former flight attendant for Thai Airways and later joined the palace guard, becoming a general and the deputy commander of the King's personal guard unit. They were married on May 1, 2019, just days before his coronation.

Royal Noble Consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi (born Niramon Ounprom) was bestowed the title of "Chao Khun Phra" (Royal Noble Consort) in July 2019. She is an army officer, a trained pilot, nurse, and bodyguard, holding the rank of major general. Although she was briefly stripped of her titles in October 2019, they were fully restored in September 2020, and she continues in her role. 

Former Wives

The King's previous marriages all ended in divorce: 

Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara: His first wife and first cousin, whom he married in 1977. They had one daughter and divorced in 1993.

Sujarinee Vivacharawongse: His second wife, a former actress, with whom he had four sons and one daughter. They were married in 1994 and divorced in 1996, after which she and their sons were banished and moved to the United States.

Srirasmi Suwadee: His third wife, a commoner who had been in his service. They were married in 2001 and had one son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, who is the heir presumptive to the throne. They divorced in 2014 amid a corruption scandal involving her family. 

Ordinary hard working people.

A few air conditioners!

Hotel entrance

Getting ready to go out.

We're ready and waiting, but where is our guide? It took a few messages back and forth before we found each other!

Traffic was brutal. If we had realized we could have walked there faster and with less stress.

Iconsiam (stylized as ICONSIAM) is a mixed-use development on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.] It includes a large shopping mall, which opened to the public on 9 November 2018,[ as well as hotels and residences. The ฿54 billion Baht (US$1.5 billion) project includes the tallest building in Thailand: the 70-floor Magnolia Waterfront Residences, and the country’s sixth tallest building: the 52-floor Mandarin Oriental Residences/

ICONSIAM serves as a major pier and boarding point for various Chao Phraya River cruises in Bangkok, ranging from free shuttle boats and hop-on-hop-off services to luxurious dinner cruises.

If we had known or checked, we would have left early and spent some time looking around.

Finally we reach the entrance and a "runner" approaches the car and the driver indicates he will take us to our ship.

He showed us where to line up and took our photo and pointed out where he would meet us afterwards.

Judging by the crowds, and number of boats, a dinner cruise on Chao Phraya seems to be one of the most popular things to do in Bangkok. 

While waiting in line, our runner found us in line, and told us the driver would be waiting for us instead.

A large portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) is projected onto the facade of a building,

As we waited and watched some of the other ships board, in a very organized chaotic way, we were entertained by fireworks and a water show.

Ignore the blip in the video orientation!

Click here to watch our video and skip passed all the photos! And our first drone show!

Our ship, The Opulence, is  the largest three-tiered cruise on the Chao Phraya River, with a 770 guest capacity. 

As we passed the Grand Palace it was announced that out of deference to the Queen Mother, who is  lying in state at the Grand Palace for a year-long state funeral, no loud music would be played.

The buffet was good, but crowded. John went down a level to the sushi bar and brought me back a plate of yummy.

Our driver was waiting for us and took us to the car in the parking garage and we were back in 20 minutes!