To complete your tour of the big three temples along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, you ought to go to Wat Pho and Wat Arun after your Wat Phra Kaew tour. Way Pho (entrance: 100 baht) is right beside Wat Phra Kaew and houses the grand Reclining Buddha.

Day 2 of my Thailand trip took me to the three most famous sites here in the old city — Wat Phra Kaew (the Grand Palace) and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; Wat Pho, which houses the giant Reclining Buddha; and Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. How to get to Wat Phra Kaew… Continue reading The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Rattanakosin is the old capital of the Thai kingdom. “Old” here is relative — before Rattanakosin, some three centuries ago, there was Thonburi, and Ayutthaya, and Sukhothai. (This much I gleaned by eavesdropping on a tour guide and his client in the Grand Palace.) Here you can find some of the most important sights here… Continue reading Walking around Rattanakosin in Bangkok

And all too suddenly, I’m in another country. I just finished my whirlwind trip to Palawan and Ilocos with my fellow lakwatsero teachers, and now, here I am. I’m in a hostel somewhere near Khao San Road, and I’m typing this atop a bunk bed in the female dormitory. Just before we checked in, we were… Continue reading Blogging from Bangkok