First Stop: The Grand Palace
The bus dropped us off at a convenient location where there was a flight of stairs down to… an airconditioned underground passageway. Sam then allowed us a brief toilet break before we proceed to the location proper. After everyone got their business done, he bought our tickets for us then we proceeded to the gates.
The entrance line to the gate where the ticket check was in was just horrendous. Although I was used to it as an Asian, and I knew how to navigate a shitty line, many tourists did not have that skill. The trick is, I always looked for “unknowing” people that can help me stay on course. So, there was two people, I assumed a couple, just in front of me, and I positioned myself behind them so that when they start to position, I have a two-person line fixer in front. They won’t split themselves willingly. So I got to the ticket check way faster than some of the other people I saw earlier by just tailing.
But the first warning sign was there: that day was one of those “tourist” days where you thought it would be a normal day and suddenly the entire place was packed. I asked our tour guide Sam about it, and it dawned on me that many of the tourists were eager to avoid the CNY days. Damn. So nothing I can do about the situation, have to make gourmet with fast food.
Took lots of pictures on the place. I had to pick my shots and take them quick, lots of people milling around, and it was so, so hot. Our tour guide who was Thai wore a full-body attire, that was a warning sign for me. Also, I kind of lost the tour guide briefly in there as well.
I did went inside the Phra Ubusot, but a) no pictures inside the temple (but I can snap the outside), and b) sooooooo many people wanting to go in an out, and c) I have to get my shoes off and put it on a rack.
Just saying for the shoe part – if you go inside, have a plan. Mine was “lower middle-class shoe”. Skechers walkers. I explained my rationale in the previous prep post. Don’t be the foreigner coming in with Air Jordans, go inside the temple for a few minutes, then come back and wonder where your shoes were. Just know what you’re going in to. Research, be aware.
I still had to meet up with my tour guide Sam, whom I got separated from and I had difficulty finding his stick (or even the group itself). Most of the tour guides had a camera stick, fully extended, with a thing dangling from the end. Seems this is the universal “find me” stick here in Thailand’s tour guiding. And they had unique things on that end of the stick. Sam had the Thai colors on several strips at the end of his stick. Others had small teddy bears, yellow smileys, small ang pao envelopes, fish figures, elephant figures, tiny pom poms, tiny inflatable star. Many unique ones.
I had little interest in the rest of the extra areas as well, I was a bit exhausted from jostling with a lot of people on the main areas, and it was hot. I had a cap on though. But the sun was just bearing down hard on us. The white foreigners started to look like cooked shrimp. Very red and very glistening from sweat and oils. Maybe hair wax there too. I had an umbrella, but I decided not to. It’s big when unfolded, and it might get caught with the other umbrellas. Besides, I had my fill of the main area already. After reuniting with Sam and the rest of the tour group, we departed.
After we exited the main premises by 11.45AM, the tour guide led us back to the bus for a short trip to a place near the ferry that will take us to our next destination: Wat Arun.
But first: lunch. At the bus, Sam gave us these chilled wrapped towelettes to use. Oh heaven lord that was helpful. Cold, icey, and not too soft so we could scrape off some of the dirt that stuck on to our sweaty faces. And again, thank heavens that Sam did not lead us to a Westernized place full of burgers and pasta, and instead led us to a place they reserved ahead of time for us – All Meals Sawasdee, near Tha Tian Market. We were to eat what we want, and pay with our own money. We had a full hour to ourselves and then Sam met us in front of a dessert shop near the market.
All in all, I spent like 200+ baht. Very reasonable.
I did want to eat Pad Thai with another rice dish (after all, brunch), but one trick of eating out that I employ was listening and observing.
While we were being led to our tables, I saw what the other diners were eating, and a lot of them were eating Pad Thai. Not good for my chances, I thought. See, if a dish is popular and almost everyone’s ordering it, the kitchen gets slammed with orders for that same dish, it becomes a line. If you are at the end of the line for that dish, sucks to be you, either you’ll wait a long time for your turn or you get a dish that’s hurriedly cooked.
I also observed my tour group to see what they order – many of then went for Pad Thai too. And I assume the restaurant has some pride in a dish like that to have it not be made to order with a hot wok. So I thought, forget Pad Thai for now, I’d have the stew, thank you very much. I went for a curry dish and the mango sticky rice. It came within a few minutes of each other. Meanwhile, the Singaporean couple across my table ordered Pad Thai and they kept waiting for it. I was finished with my mango dessert when their meal finally came.
I left early to soak more of the outside market, buy a new cold bottle of water, and catch up with our tour guide at the meeting point. Seems he went to eat at a more local joint.
Area was too tourist-y for my liking, to be honest. We were behind the Wat Pho. So there were lots of people selling stuff and using broken English to attract buyers.
At around 1PM, we had to cross the river. Time for the tour to proceed.
Water bottle count: 2
Briathrail // Albert 2MNG 
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