Wat Po and the Grand Palace

The man from yesterday had stayed on my mind. I didn't want to bump into him in the station as 'arranged' yet wanted to get to the Grand Palace early enough to make a day of it. In my paranoid mind, he'd be hanging around the station at Hua Lamphong from 9am until I eventually showed up.

It was an impressive 8am when I was in the foyer of my hostel politely declining breakfast. I'd budgeted an hour for clearing the main station and getting far enough up Charoen Krung Road to be sure of no uncomfortable encounters. The breakfast guy and I chatted momentarily and he told me the best, and most scenic, way to Grand Palace is actually to take the 'sky train' to the river then a boat along the river to within walking distance of the palace. This completely bypassed Hua Lamphong which conveniently meant I was suddenly not in a rush after all.

There were flies in my jam.

I don't trust anyone, least of all tuk-tuk drivers. They're shifty. Apparently (I've read) they lure tourists in and drive them everywhere except for where they want to go. The drivers I've encountered so far have either shouted and gestured (if I'm far) or asked where I'm from or where I'm going, sometimes with a handshake (if I'm close).

I encountered several tuk-tuk drivers and so-called "tour guides" when I stepped off the boat. There wasn't much point me engaging in conversation because I knew roughly where I was going and didn't want the hassle of getting out of another situation. I continued to Wat Po, home of the ridiculously large reclining Buddha where I watched people pray for a while and offer gifts to their god.


It was only a short walk from Wat Po to the Grand Palace but long enough for me to encounter a tuk-tuk driver (or "tour guide", the difference is starting to blur). This one told me that the palace was closed to non-Thais today for "religious reasons". I was at first disappointed but then suspicious, particularly so when he offered to take me elsewhere. I said I'd go back to confirm that with tourist information, then I repeated it, then I repeated it, then finally he directed me towards the palace entrance with a hand gesture.

I grabbed some food in the palace: pineapple chips (crisps), banana cake and some more of that super-delicious iced coffee. I really need to get some of that back home.

The house of the "Emerald Buddha" was by far the most impressive display within the palace walls, but the rules for visiting the Buddha were fairly strict: NO shoes, NO hats, NO shorts (I'd already had the foresight to wear trousers - go me!), NO photos (I got told off for simply having a camera even though I hadn't used it!), and there will be NO pointing of feet towards the Buddha. I ignored the last rule because it would have made walking kinda difficult, I guess it only really applied to people sitting down but I can't be sure.


I chatted with an Irish honeymoon couple while waiting for the boat back. They'd only been here a couple of days and thought their tuk-tuk ride was great value: 2.5 hours around Bangkok for only one euro! Oh, with a few stops at strange markets stalls here and there. I guess if time isn't really an issue and you're strong enough to keep your money in your pocket at these stalls then it's possible to benefit from these unscrupulous tuk-tuk drivers after all.