Wat Pho

Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmungklaram or Wat Pho is a popular travel spot for travelers. This temple is the royal temple of King Rama I. Here you will see 9 wonders of Wat Pho:

Phra Vihara of the Reclining Buddha 

1st wonder: Phra Vihara of the Reclining Buddha is the biggest statue of Buddha in Bangkok. There are 108 images on both feet of statue.

2nd wonder: Satellite Pavilions, which are the library of the Thai traditional massage inscriptions. Also, Wat Pho is the first university of Thailand.

3rd wonder: Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn which the pagodas consist of Phra Maha Chedi Sri Sanpetdayarn, Phra Maha Chedi Dilok Dhammakaroknitarn, Phra Maha Chedi Muni Batborikharn, and Phra Maha Chedi Song Phra Srisuriyothai.

4th wonder: The Legend of Songkran. It is about the legend of

Songkran that King Rama III inscribed on stone.

5th wonder: The World Heritage Inscriptions. UNESCO certified this temple to be a memory of the world.

6th wonder: Wat Pho Giants. The outer side of Phra Mondob was decorated with Wat Pho Giants whom are in a fight with the Wat Jaeng Giants.

7th wonder: Sala Karn Parien or sermon hall in a monastery.

Contorted Hermit Mount

8th wonder: Phra Buddha Deva Patimakorn and bones of King Rama I were placed in the temple.

9th wonder: Contorted Hermit Mount. Contorted Hermit Mount was built during the reign of King Rama I, it was the center of medical science and knowledge from the Ayutthaya period, it showed statues of hermits stretching their bodies in yoga-like positions.

It opens everyday 8.00-17.00

Entrance fee for foreigners is 100 bath/person 

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram  or Wat Phra Kaew is an important temple of Thailand where the Emerald Buddha is placed. There are no monks here. It opens everyday 8.00-16.00. There are some crafts for sale and Au Bon Pain café in front of the temple if you are hungry (they sell drinks and snacks inside -you must try a mango shake). You will see many gates to the temple, but most are closed, so you have to look for one which a lot of tourists and people stand near (this is the main gate).  Once you pass the main gate, there will be staff checking for inappropriate dress. You will see a place lending you appropriate dress for free, but you have to pay a deposit (200-300 baht). Then you will see 2 entrances that separate between Thais (free) and foreigner (500 baht). You must purchase a ticket to the right of the foreigners entrance a few meters before it. After you pass this entrance, you will see Ho Phra Monthien Tham (the Supplementary Library) where there is a collection of sacred books; Suwan Chedi, 12 angles pagoda, which has monkeys and giants carrying it; and Phra Sri Rattana Chedi, which is a bell- shaped pagoda. Outside the pagoda is a gold color and inside the pagoda contains Buddha's relics. Prasart Phra Debidorn, which has the top in the design of a pagoda, is purple in color and looks overall very delicate.

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

After finishing a tour, if you would like to go Wat Pho, you can walk there. It is walking distance. Ask people who sell thing around there or people who walk around about the direction and DO NOT believe or listen to people in front of temple trying to sell expensive tour packages or being nice to you even though taxis and Tuk Tuks are parked there. It is scam and they are in the same gang. For tourists who would like to go Wat Arun, Wat Arun is opposite Wat Pho. You have to cross by taking a ferry from Tha Tien Pier N8. Tha Tien Pier is down the soi right beside Wat Pho. The fare is only 3 baht per person; try to pay with exact change. Most tourists pay with big bills and they do not get any change back. For tourists who do not want to go anywhere after finishing the tour at Wat Phra Kaew, you should grab a taxi on the road. Most taxi driver will try to charge you at least 1000 baht to get out of that area even though just go to Siam Square (for this destination only 185 baht or less). Make sure you get a taxi that turns on the meter!

IMPORTANT: Plan about direction of destination before you travel in this area. There are lots of scams. 

Khaosan Road - Bangkok

Khaosan Road

Khaosan Road is the main backpacker’s area in Bangkok, Thailand.
It’s filled with budget accommodations, travel agencies, restaurants,
bars, pubs, clubs, and an abundance of food and clothing vendors.
It’s a great place to meet people from all over the world and share
stories of travels as well as make friends to travel with! Khaosan
Road is more active in the evening when food stalls and bucket stands
set up on the street, also there is much more shopping to do in the

evening rather than during noon.

Accommodations start at 150b per night and vary pending on what each guesthouse offers and its location. For a somewhat quieter stay, I suggest travellers stay on Soi Rambutri which runs parallel to Khaosan Road. To get to Rambutri just walk down Khaosan towards the police station, and turn right at the end of the street, cross the street then walk till you hit the next street corner and you will see Bank of Ayutthaya, this is Soi Rambutri.

Both Khaosan and Rambutri offer an extensive selection of food for world travellers, the cheapest option is eating Thai food sold at street stalls for example pad thai for about 30baht, however there are many places serving western, Indian, vegetarian, vegan dishes for
around 100baht or so. Make sure you try mango-sticky rice if you’re on khaosan road, it’s delicious and probably the cheapest you’ll see it.

Khaosan Road

Bars, pubs, and nightclubs scatter along each side of khaosan road, making it busy and entertaining during the night. You must be of at
least 20 years of age to enter a nightclub on Khaosan Road and generally a passport or government issued photo i.d. is needed to
enter. For Thai beers you can expect to pay up to 120b for a beer at a pub, bar, or club or a little less at a restaurant... and save a
bundle by drinking alcoholic beverages sold at 7-11 or Family Mart (alcohol stops selling at midnight).

Most travellers come to Khaosan with the intention of travelling somewhere else from there. There are many many many travel agencies and tour companies set up all over khaosan road or nearby! To save yourself some money I suggest going to a few places to inquire about prices before putting any money down! This can save you a few hundred baht!!

Khaosan Road

Also, if you are planning on travelling to Siem Reap, please, save yourself the trouble and DO NOT BOOK FROM ANYWHERE ON KHAOSARN ROAD! Please check my other entry about how to get to Siem Reap! You will be

ready to rip out your own hair if you buy your ticket on Khaosan road. I’ve gone the khaosan road route once and promised myself not
to do it ever again. Since, I’ve been to Cambodia 3 times, all much less stressful than the first trip, and much cheaper.