Asahna Bucha Day is one of the many Buddist holidays celebrated in Thailand. It occurs during the first full moon of the eighth month of the Thai lunar, on 6th July to be exact for this year.
Awesome opportunity for me to take wifey out for a staycation in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok.
Map of Phra Nakhon, Bangkok from Google Map
Wifey wants to stay near the river hence we picked V Varee for this 3 days 2 nights' staycation.
Day One (4th July, Sat)
Worked half day and left quietly. Took a van with wifey to Bangkok and switched to a cab to the hotel.
Overview of surrounding
Bedroom
Toilet/Changing Room
Toilet/Changing Room
View from the Room
Personal view for the stay:
1) Convenient location, a lot of recommended restaurants/stalls around the area.
2) A bit pricey for the view, which is amazing to look at when we wake up or before turning in.
3) It is a guesthouse kind of hotel. Hence, unless you ask for it, there is no room service at all. Which is good if you do not like any disturbance.
4) There is restaurant/bar below, can be a good place to hangout late into the night.
Ate chicken rice from street stall for dinner before we take a walk near the Grand Palace.
Bangkok City Pillar Shrine
The door for Grand Palace
Royal Monastery of Ratchworamahawharn, Maha Nikai Sect...
It is initially called Wat Salak, then changed one long long long name. What?!?!
Thailand's MINDEF
Bangkok City Pillar Shrine
Sat down for some drinks after the long walk.
Day Two (4th July, Sat)
If you ever come to Bang Lamphu area you can click here to view all the recommended restaurants. It is in Thai, but there is always google translate.
Morning View
First stop will be at Patongo Café for breakfast. I believe it meant Youtiao when translated from Thai. Anyway its mini Youtiao aka fried dough. You will see a lot people ordering it with ice cream just to take a photo and post it on Instagram. Ice cream for breakfast... People and their logic.
View across the road
Address: 246 Phra Sume Road, Talad Yot, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
Shop front
Tom yam soup based pork rib noodle
Patongo in pandan flavour sauce
Upagupata Vihara Temple nearby Patongo cafe
If you look closer, you can see the story of Monkey Sun.
Beautiful Bonsai Art inside the temple
Welcome to Kaosan Road... Now that is the impact of air restriction.
Maps can be seen around the area. After all, the area is a major tourist attraction.
Was supposed to go to the Grand Palace, but I am stopped by the guards. They say that my Bermuda is too short and want me to buy a 200 baht trouser pants. No thanks bro, I rather come again another day.
Do note the requirement before you go to some attractions as they might have requirement for attires.
Crabmeat Rice Noodle Roll
Took a ferry from Tha Chang Ferry Terminal opposite to Wat Rakhang Khositaram Temple. 3.5 baht per ride.
Huge statue of a famous monk
The front of Wat Rakhang Khositaram Temple aka Bell Temple
Ring Ring Ring my bell, reminds me of REI
Just look at the details
Overview from outside to the left (The amount of space it occupies is just amazing)
You may want to pay 30 baht to visit another 2 temples. Lookout for the orange ferry.
First the ferry will bring you to Wat Arun
Huge statues everywhere
Just look at how tall it is
It does look like a pyramid
In Myanmar I actually can climb to the top, not in Thailand though
Small boats going around selling grilled food
People buying loaf of bread to feed the fishes
Back to Wat Rakhang Khositaram Temple's ferry terminal
We bought Thai version of Murtabak from Karim Roti Murtabak Restaurant near our hotel at 36 Phra Athit Road, Chanasongkram Road, Bangkok.
Too crowded so we ask for take-away and ate it in our room
Thai yellow rice
Grilled chicken? Whatever, I like its taste.
The famous Murtabak… Or mini Murtabak… Not my kind of Murtabak.
Thai curry chicken? Too sweet for me though.
Took a rest at the hotel for the rest of the afternoon before heading to Khinlom Chom Sa Phan restaurant at 11, 6 Samsen 3 Alley, Wat Sam Phraya, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200. Do make a reservation before heading there. It is quite famous with locals and the queue we saw even during this period is quite a long period of time that you will need to wait for.
It literately translates to Eat, Windy and Glaze at the bridge. (Famous Rama VIII bridge)
The view, we are seated at a right spot.
Fried Fish with Thai seafood sauce. Normal nia.
Pineapple Rice. I like.
Stir Fry Crab? Too salty for wifey and me.
Bye bye sun
Night view
Entrance of the restaurant at night.
Took a walk to the bridge after our dinner before heading back for the night.
Day Three (5th July, Sun)
Duck noodle for breakfast at some hidden alley.
It is like our own Chinatown back in the days where stalls were operating between buildings in the small alleys. This duck noodle stall however had a stall inside the alley, but to get people to notice that there is a stall inside, they had to cook at the alley. 50 baht per bowl, I think it is quite worth it for the taste.
Wifey bought some Mae Prapha snack
I will not tell you where this is as there are a lot of stalls around selling Mae Prapha snack, I did not taste them as it is too sweet for me.
Thai public transport.
Actually if you have the time, public bus will be a very affordable option. Just google, follow the instruction on where to board the bus and show the bus attendants the location you would like to alight at. It might take you hundred over baht or 60 baht to travel by either taxi/grab or BTS/MRT, but very likely less than 20 baht when travelling by bus.
Shop front of famous Pad Thai Thip Samai restaurant at 313-315 Maha Chai Rd Khwaeng Samran Rat, Khet Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Inside of the restaurant
Coconut smoothie
Pad Thai with prawn
Pad Thai wrapped with egg
Front of their menus
Personally I do not see the difference between the normal Pad Thai and Pad Thai wrapped in egg. In fact I will prefer the normal Pad Thai as the egg will have more texture when chewed on while the other version has very thin layer of egg. Both cost the same price, 120 bath per plate.
With that, we ended our 3 days 2 nights journey in Bangkok. Thanks for reading.