19th August 2012, Sunday. Sawadee Kap from Bangkok! 
My family and I arrived in the City of Angels in the Land of Smiles by bus via Penang-Hat Yai-Bangkok route on the early morning of Saturday and we’ll be here until first few days this week. Tina and I are currently savoring days off from work and Gabby from school on August 18th-26th, yay!!! Thanks to Malaysian holiday for Hari Raya celebration (end of Ramadhan season). Revisiting Bangkok felt like a homecoming; time flies so fast that it has been 8 years after our very first trip to this incredibly charming city back in January of 2004 for our honeymoon.
I opted to feature our family’s Bangkok adventure in this blog series randomly. The second day of our holiday started at almost 10AM in the grounds of the majestic Grand Palace. It was our very first time to experience its Anna-and-the-King-like-splendor; everything seemed like just in the movies!
As everyone knows, traffic in Bangkok can be very notorious but not last Sunday. We reserved taking the BTS and rode a taxi cab instead from our hotel in Pradipat Road in 10 minutes at 100 baht; affordable to me when compared to taxi fares in Penang and Manila. Reaching the Grand Palace was certainly hassle-free. We immediately enjoyed the necessary tourist thing called picture-taking! Few minutes after, we found ourselves at the ticket counter of this must-visit-Thailand attraction paying the admission rates of 400 baht each; quite expensive but our experience after proved it’s worth every cent!
A few months back, I asked my friend, Dyan to do an itinerary for this short break, the same way she did for our Singapore vacation last year. With her practical suggestions, I heeded almost all her words. I told Tina that Dyan reminded me that dress code in the Grand Palace is strictly observed. Ladies should flaunt no skin and must be in long skirts. My wife’s almost covered-everything-outfit even received a comment from the lady at the gate. “She should have sleeves.” Tina showed the sleeves of her cardigan that she wore over her dress; she was even ready with a shawl to cover every inch of her integumentary system, hehehe! The lady at the gate smiled and said, “Oh!” and allowed us in.
Men should not wear shorts and bermudas when visiting the Grand Palace. However for tourists who would come in inappropriate attires, the staff provides Thai-wrap-around skirts for female visitors in skimpy outfits and Thai-cotton-pants for males all for free but with refundable deposit.
The very first thing we witnessed inside the Grand Palace was a display of something spectacular. Faith of devotees was beyond amazing!
Here’s my lavish visual synopsis of grandeur, splendor and beauty of Grand Palace in Bangkok… Enjoy!
My two precious were surrounded by gold! Moments were made extra-special!
Hail to my prince and queen…
Everything’s a headturner. No detail left unnoticed. Every spot is picturesque! The photo-enthusiast in me was in a bliss!
Stunning is an understatement! My amateur photo skills didn’t do justice apparently. I did my best and enjoyed capturing the magnificence…
Despite the sun was so unforgiving, our visit to Grand Palace was another uniquely wonderful family experience! I’m glad Tina and Gabby enjoyed every minute!
One of my personal favorites are the volume of colored garuda! I love the contrast of the mirror mosaic gem-colored tiles against the gold! It’s a visual feast!
Doing the necessary : That tourist-thing!
More acts of devotion in front of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha…
We asked Gabby to mimic what the others were doing. He got a long stemmed lotus, dipped it in the brass bowl with water and sprinkle some to his head. Correct me if I’m wrong, it must be a sign of purification if not, a blessing.
Photography and taking videos aren’t allowed inside the Temple of Emerald Buddha for this is of course, a sacred ground. I respected not to snap a photo of the altar in spite of the fact that it’s so tempting. Visitors should also remember that hats must not be worn inside the temple and footwears should be removed and left on the racks at your own risk prior entering the temple. Another thing NOT to do is to point your foot toward the image of the Buddha; better sit on crossed legs instead.
Deep and vibrant colors of various gems and jewels are done in great details!
As Tina became busy with her very own videography done via her ipod touch, she noticed it’s nice to capture images mirrored on those colorful glass pillars. The effect is a kaleidoscope! Try to find me on the next photo!
We left the Grand Palace before high noon, crossed the road to Au Bon Pain for some croissant, soup in the bread bowl, cheesecake muffin and cups of smoothies (separate Bangkok food post, soon!). Refreshing! Following our light lunch, we headed to Wat Pho (to be featured on another separate post).
Indeed, a trip to Bangkok is definitely incomplete without a visit to Grand Palace! It’s an ultimate delightful experience!
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I love touring this place. Did you see monks? kapagod lang mag-ikot grabe.About the picture of the EmeraldBuddha, hahaha i was able to take a photo of outside
. I also tried doing the blessing thing with the Lotus Flower. But generally the palace is so magnificent.
grand palace is gorgeous! na-mesmerized kami!
thanks, marian! will visit your site soon.
it’s our last night in bangkok
grabe anf grand palace ano? GRAND talaga. nage enjoy ako looking around. medyo nasilaw nbga ako sa dami ng ginto! hahaha!
but my favorite will always be the buddha na nakahiga… i forgot what it’s called.
sobrang grand we found difficulties where to set eyes first! lahat kasi ang ganda at kumikinang!
wat pho or temple of the reclining buddha. separate post ko sya soon. thanks, grace!
.. when i was there napatigil din ako dyan sa part where they dip those budding lotus flowers. parang tuwang tuwa si gabby ano, haha. hindi ko siya naikot considering umuulan pa nung nandyan ako.
tuwang-tuwa talaga! mainit nga lang pero everything is worth it!
sayang naman hindi mo naikot lahat. kami naman hindi nakapunta sa ayuthaya at sa recommended mong p kitchen due to other sched. mahusay na dahilan iyon para bumalik!
wow, incredible detailing. ubos memory card space mo ano? cute naman long dress ni tina. love the color. the older gabby gets the more he looks like your mini me.
and you’re back online, maria! wow, thanks for revisiting my blog.
no, i came in prepared. i have 2 8-gig sd card in my cam. i purchased 1 online kasi sobrang nag-sale, bagsak presyo before.
anyway, thanks for the good words about tina and gabby! i relayed to her that you like her dress. mura lang po iyan, sa bangketa ng penang
Hey, its really good pictures from you here.. It all having a lovely shots and shows your family love in your vacation holiday..
Thanks..
thank you, elvis.
Always welcome with your lovely family..
Thank you!!!
I’m impressed with the Grand Palace complex although the heat and humidity while sightseeing was just too much of a burden for me. Hopefully that wasn’t your case?
You and Gabby look adorable together wearing your fedora hats! Father & son talaga
it was a struggle too between my family, me and the sun!
ang init nga, sobra!
thanks, dennis!
Nakaka shift f7 ka na naman doc – integumentary system !! Ahahahaha!!
Yay namiss ko naman an BKK!
hahaha! balat lang po ang integumentary system
seriously, maraming salamat, dyan! sa uulitin ha!
everything in Grand Palace looks grandiose in gold!
grand palace is really beautiful, ms. elna! i’m glad my family and i experienced it this time because we missed it on our first trip to thailand 8 years ago. happy to know that it’s open daily even on sundays
p.s. i don’t know what went wrong but suddenly i can’t view your photos here, i just had thumbnails of it on my dashboard
thanks for the info. try refreshing your computer and let’s see what happens.
it should load quickly now as i’m posting photos on this blog via flickr as per advice of another blog buddy.
I was browsing the web for days just to get an idea of what I will expect in Bangkok. I plan on going together with my boyfriend and we want to go to the Safari World din. Have you been there? Can you blog about it too? Kuya if you don’t mind me asking, how much po budget niyo for your trip? I have no idea kasi on how much talaga ung mababayaran namin when we get there. Help po and thank you.
hello ate! biro lang! if you’ve read my bangkok series, you’ve known that we came from penang, malaysia by bus so it’s definitely cheaper rather than going there by airplane. the downside was, we endured the long hours of trip that took us almost 13 hours (4 hours from penang-hat yai, 9 hours from hat-yai-bangkok). then, we’re a family of 3 -now that’s also a must-considered in planning your budget. your expenses will depend on where you will go in bangkok and where will you stay, and of course, what you will eat. i have included the admission rates of places we’ve been to, but not safari world. i hope you read first before asking. thank you!