Sunday 15 th
of February 2015
and it is time to continue the exciting “What to do for fun when you're too old for party - How to kill a day in Bangkok” adventure and today it is #11. I had planned to go after the boxing yesterday but I woke up at 9 o'clock by a phone call. Someone
wanted to go for dinner and I spent yesterday evening destroying my diet.
But today it is time for the Ancient City in Samut Prakan. I walked to the sky train station and I took the
train to Baering, the end station.
They are extending the sky train, and the new sky train will reach the crocodile farm, almost all the way to the Ancient City on the Sukhumvit Line.
I found a taxi and we were soon on the way to Ancient City and it took us 20 to 30 minutes to
reach the Ancient City and the ride set me back by 153 Baht. Well, actually 180 Baht as I found the Driver to be a nice guy I handed him some tip when I left.
I got out of the taxi and there was a sign saying “TICKETS” and I walked through an area with electric golf cars and some trams. They asked me for 700 Baht and I pointed at the sign saying 350 Baht in Thai I could rent a golf cart but as I
had to drive myself I skipped that idea.
They had a free tram service that would take me around the area and they also informed me about a motorboat service, free of charge. I could not believe my ears. The word free is nothing you hear a lot in Thailand
- Free?
- Yes!
I decided to go with the tram. But first, yes it is Sunday, so I decided to go see if they had a Pepsi Max in one of the shops. They were of course selling the same junk as they sell in all the other
souvenir shops in South East Asia and the world.
Same things you see at uncountable Night Markets in the region. And no Pepsi MAX, so I had to buy a COKE ZERO, and that was the last can of COKE ZERO I bought. It was really a faulty tasting beverage. Darn!
I went back to the ticket office and I took my seat in the tram. The driver came along and soon after hem there was a Guide coming on board. He told me that I was a VIP
today and we took off and I was alone in the tram. But not for very long and the VIP treatment was gone.
We stopped at a stop and a few passengers came on board. I really didn't knew how this was working so I started to interrogate the Guide.
The tram goes around the Ancient City and I can get off and on where ever I want.
We stopped at the motorboat station. He asked if I wanted to get on the boat. But I told him that I would take a
tour with the tram first and then come back.
We picked up quite a few people during the trip and the tram was soon full, well, almost full.
Never mind, it was a beautiful tour and the Guide was funny so I enjoyed the ride through the Ancient City.
And by the look of the map I think the area of the Ancient City is shaped like Thailand and we're driving through the old Siam and the buildings.
Click on the map for a big size map
We continued along a Canal and there were models of all the Royal Barges in the Canal. They
looked very big so they might have been real size.
We passed the Pavilion of the Enlightened, Mondop of Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara (Kuan-Yin) and the Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara (Kuan-Yin) performing a miracle. We passed The Botanical Garden of Thai Literature and crossed a bridge North of the Royal Barges. We passed a Thai Junk and we reached a North Thai village before we started to drive South towards the main gate again. I got a good overview of the area on my first tram tour.
Pavilion of the Enlightened
Pavilion of the Enlightened
Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara (Kuan-Yin) performing a miracle
On the way South to the main gate again
Passing Sanphet Prasat Palace, Ayutthaya on the way South
We drove South and we passed many buildings and on this side of the Ancient City they buildings were built like ruins. We drove through villages and we passed food stalls and toilets. So it really
looked like they have managed to get a good place here.
We passed many people on bicycles and people drove around in electric golf carts. And there were stops at all the buildings so the visitors could explore them.
We passed a Market Town just before we reached the main gate, but by the look of it, yeah, the same things you can buy everywhere else.
We reached the gate and we met a tram entering and my driver and Guide started to ring a bell.
Screaming at the Driver in the other tram that they had a passenger that wanted to get on board. I swung myself out of the tram and I jumped on board on the other tram and I was soon on my way back North again.
My plan was to take the tram back to the motorboat service where I would take a tour with the boat. We were a few passengers on the tram, but luckily enough I was alone getting off at the motorboat berth.
Reaching the boat pier
The boat is ready to take off
The boat is ready to take off
Three children are joining us before we take off
Approaching the Pavilion of the Enlightened
Passing the Royal Barges
Passing the Royal Barges
Passing the Royal Barges
Approaching the bridge at the Botanical Garden of Thai Literature
Passing under the bridge at the Botanical Garden of Thai Literature
Passing the Botanical Garden of Thai Literature
I'm getting of the boat at Sala of Ramayana and new passengers board the boat
I'm getting of the boat at Sala of Ramayana and new passengers board the boat
Sala of Ramayana
We were joined by three children before we took off. We passed the same places we had passed earlier going North in the tram. Pavilion of the Enlightened, Mondop of Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara
(Kuan-Yin) and the Bodhisattva Avalokitesavara (Kuan-Yin) performing a miracle. We passed The Botanical Garden of Thai Literature and under the bridge North of the Royal Barges.
I got off the boat at the Sala of Ramayana and there were some people getting on the boat for the ride back. I walked through the Sala of Ramayana and I reached the Thai Junk and now I was almost as far North I could come at the Ancient City.
There was a place to buy cold drinks and snacks. I was going to see if they had any Diet MAX
even if I didn't had any hopes. I was attacked by a Japanese girl on my way to buy a drink. She wanted to have a picture. Well, they didn't had any
Diet MAX
so I bought a bottle of water instead. Well, I was better off with the water.
Walking through a Northern Thai village
Walking through a Northern Thai village
Walking through a Northern Thai village
Walking through a Northern Thai village
Walking through a Northern Thai village
Walking through a Northern Thai village
I left the Thai Junk and I walked through the Northern Thai village and there were yet another restaurant. I looked at the houses and it was a beautiful part of the Ancient City and the village
was a much better experience than a real village. NO GARBAGE AROUND!!!
Go to any Thai/ Lao village and you will have to wade through garbage. Not a nice experience never mind how beautiful the houses and the surrounding areas are when they are covered in garbage.
But here in the Ancient City the village was a very nice experience. And for tourists coming to Thailand, skip the country side and come to Ancient City instead. You will leave Thailand with beautiful pictures of the Thai country side.
I reached the Gardens of the God when I had passed through the Northern Thai village. I walked across the pond on stones in the pond.
I had to wait for a group taking pictures before I could cross the pond. And I ended up in a beautiful garden on the other side of the pond. A beautiful area to walk around and I will come back. As soon as the last stretch of the sky train is ready it will reach the Crocodile Farm and it will be very convenient to get from down town Bangkok to the Ancient City.
I'm across the pond
A beautiful garden among many beautiful gardens
A beautiful garden among many beautiful gardens
A beautiful garden among many beautiful gardens
A beautiful garden among many beautiful gardens
A beautiful garden among many beautiful gardens
The sole on my left shoe felt of while walking in one of the gardens and I was
hoping that the shoe would last until I was back home. Must have been looking strange with me walking around with
a sole in my hands looking for a garbage can.
I passed through the peasant museum and they had several different wagons on display.
I walked through a peasant museum where they had a building with old wagons and I found a garbage can for my shoe sole. I continued South and I passed the hill with the fort.
We had been driving down on the West side with the tram so I walked down East of the hill top fort. I walked through the area with all the built up
ruins and I passed the Gardens of sacred Stupas. Now I could see the Sanphet Prasat Palace, Ayutthaya and the Dusit Maha Prasat Palace (The Grand Palace). I passed The Audience Hall of Thon Buri and from there is was straight South to the exit.
It was a huge park and I think it would be better to come here during the cold season, or there is always the option to rent a golf cart. But I'm on diet and I'm walking. But there are plenty spaces to buy cold drinks.
I stop to talk with some girls
Another place with snacks and drinks
Dusit Maha Prasat Palace (The Grand Palace)
The Audience Hall of Thon Buri
Sanphet Prasat Palace, Ayutthaya and the Dusit Maha Prasat Palace (The Grand Palace)
Making new statues
Making new statues
I reached the “Old Market Town” and I spotted a stall with ice cream and drinks outside the gate. Luckily enough they were out of the ice cream I would like to buy. And I was even more lucky that
I managed to muster enough self dicipline to say NO to the ice cream the lady suggested. Yeah, that is how I operate. But I bought a bottle of cold water and I enjoyed the water while talking with some of the Thai visitors. They were also drinking water while waiting for a few friends looking at a building across the road.
I finished my water and
I followed the Thai group to the “old market town” I had to walk slow or the Thai people might have thought that I was following them. Or more like following the girls in the group.
I walked through the gate an dover a bridge and I found my self in the middle of, yeah, a night market or
along lower Sukhumvit Road.
And yes, the wooden frog was on display. In many colours and sizes. There were also rooms on display so you could go inside to have a look on how it looked many years back in time.
There were food and snacks for sale. And food for sampling, but I'm on diet and I just walked past the food and snacks.
Massage instrument and souvenirs but nothing I wanted to buy and I walked straight through the “old market town” and I was soon at the exit gate.
Old market town
Frogs and massage instrument
I was happy with my day and the day became even better when there were taxi meters waiting. I had expected to have to walk over the Canal down to the Sukhumvit Road. And yes, after all the walking around in the sunshine I was hot and it was so nice to be able to sit down in the taxi. And the taxi turned in to heaven when the AC came on.
It had been raining this morning and the sky was covered with dark clouds, so I was almost cancel the Ancient City. It would not be very nice to walk around here in the rain.
![Double pricing in Thailand](http://www.aladdin.st/holiday15/1566.jpg)
Here is a table over the Thai numbers from Wikipedia. I downloaded a table from www.into-asia.com Study the Thai numbers and if you know them it might help you avoiding to get scammed by the “double price system” Yes, can come in handy!
You can download the table by clicking HERE
Print it and keep in your pocket, you might save some money that you can spend on something else
Picture from The Nation Multimedia
N CARTOON, the make a cartoon every day and sometimes they are very good so make sure to check in on their web page to check them out every now and then by clicking the link
+++++++++++++++++
I asked the driver to take me to Baering BTS station and I would go by the sky train from there
to Asoke Road. It is about 15 minutes to go there with the train, but it took quite some time to get to Baering sky train station with the taxi.
I got out of the taxi at Sukhumvit Soi 107 and I was soon on the platform
hoping for the train to be empty. Well, I was soon remembering that this was the first station and there was not much people on the train going to Asok.I ran in to a friend from Bangkok Fight Club on Asoke and he told me he had been at the Millennium hotel for Sunday brunch. I got hungry and I stopped at the hotel, but the Sunday brunch was closed, lucky me, but when I walked
by Prasanmit Plaza it was like someone dragged me in to the Tohkai Japanese Restaurant. But it was mostly healthy stuff I ate, well, except the ice cream.
A good day at the Ancient City ended not so good, but it is Sunday and if I only go to eat at a restaurant once a week it is OK.
My next “What to do for fun when you're too old for party - How to kill a day in Bangkok” #12 will take me to Suvarnabhumi International Airport and the Novotel. I heard about an art gallery, the Rock Around Asia.
And the main showroom is located in the lobby of Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel. So as usual, you just need to click HERE
to find yourself in the middle of that adventure.
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