"Thai" Will Always Love You (Part 3): Bangkok's Royal District and Portuguese Village

- July 21, 2024, Sunday.

- Continuing my work-ventures in Bangkok, I looked forward to Sunday because I planned to visit two opposite neighborhoods in Bangkok. The first was the royal district of Bangkok, called Rattanakosin, and afterwards, I visited a less-touristy but equally-interesting Kudeejeen, or Bangkok's Portuguese village/neighborhood.

- I started the morning by visiting the Grand Palace (the whole area is close to Sanam Chai Metro station, but given the huge area, best to just take a taxi or Grab directly to the Grand Palace). People will usually start their visit by going through Wat Phra Kaew, of the Emerald Buddha Temple, built in 1785. The temple grounds were open, but because of the Buddhist Lent holiday, the main temple was closed (I saw the Emerald Buddha twice before anyway, so I'm good). 

Welcomeeeeee.

Prasat Phra Thep Bidon, or Royal Pantheon. It was built originally to house the Emerald Buddha, but now serves as a memorial to royal predecessors.

Emerald Buddha Hall (which was closed for the day.)

Temple guardians.

Different styles of stupas of the temple (Burmese, Thai, and Cambodian).

- I'm so happy I started early and that I started with the Grand Palace, because I found out that the palace would only be open half day for the holiday. And since I had an early start, it was not as crowded despite some tourist groups and individual tourists around the area. The Grand Palace was as stunning as ever. I also love that some of the fairy lights were turned on for a bit of that magical feel.

Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat, the palace's main throne hall.

Full building. It's a mix of Thai and European styles. Very much the style of King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn.)

With the Dusit building, also a throne hall. Got to have a bit of fairy lights before they turned them off haha.

With the main throne hall again.

- Next door is another Bangkok must-see: Wat Pho. Established in the 1500s, and rebuilt in the 1800s. It is known for its giant reclining Buddha, and its mosaic stupas that hold the ashes of some members of Thailand's royal family.

Will never get tired of seeing this.

It's my first time to see the Reclining Buddha being cleaned (and by a monk.)

Thank you kind tourist for my really nice photo.

108 Buddhist symbols on the Buddha's feet.

Royal ashes are enshrined in these colorful chedis.

The colors are mesmerizing. They make me forget that this area is kind of like a cemetery though they don't call it this way.

So much detial!

- Just across Wat Pho is the Tha Tian Pier where people ride the boat going to Wat Arun across the river. The trip takes around a minute since it literally just goes across. Wat Arun, or "The Temple of Dawn" is one of the most colorful temples in Thailand. Built originally in the 1600s, with its current incarnation built in the 1800s, it is densely decorated with colored ceramics. I have never seen it during dawn or dusk, but photos online show that it does appear to glow during sunrise or sunset. The temple also held the Emerald Buddha before it was transferred to Wat Phra Kaew at the Golden Palace.

When I last went to Bangkok in 2016, the temple was being renovated. I'm so glad I get to see it in its full glory now! This was the view from Tha Tian Pier by the way.

So much color.

So many people!

I looks nice any time of the day.

So glad I got to have this shot - there temple was actually loaded with people!

- I also noticed that there were many photographers in the temple grounds, and because I wasn't prepared, I wasn't sure if it was a scam or if they were legit. They were charging around 1500 Baht too, which is a bit expensive. Since I wanted nice photos with Wat Arun because there were just too many people and because I was already wearing my really nice royal costume, I just took the risk. Thankfully it was legit, and I had more than a hundred professionally-taken photos. They turned out way better than expected too! The photographer directly transferred the photos from her SLR camera to my phone. Easy peasy!  

Some of the wonderful shots I got!

I mean. It would be difficult to get shots like these by myself - given that there were so many people.

See the temple's details?

<3 <3 <3 <3

I love this shot a lot.

With the Thai flag  and the Chao Phraya River (I wish the photographer got a better shot of the flag. All the shots of the flag didn't turn out well because of the wind.)

I love this shot as well. I have the spires of Wat Arun plus the statue of King Rama II behind me.

- From the exit of Wat Arun - I didn't take the ferry back to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho - I rode a cab to Kudeejeen (area is close to Itsaraphap MRT Station but is a bit of a walk. It is also walkable from Wat Pho but it is a rather long walk too). As mentioned earlier, Kudeejeen is a neighborhood that has many Portuguese influences. The Portuguese found their way to Ayutthaya in 1511 after occupying Malacca in Malaysia. When Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese, the Portuguese followed the Thai court to Thonburi, the then-new capital. Apart from the Portuguese, some Thai-Chinese also stayed in the area, which makes Kudeejeen (sometimes spelled Kudichin) a multicultural Eurasian neighborhood!

- Kudeejeen also has a river walkway with a nice view of the Chao Phraya River, and has access to some cafes and restaurants. I had a nice lunch in Caf Kudeejeen (no photos, and yes it really is spelled that way), and had a lovely view of the river while I was at it. Thankfully it didn't rain because I was seated outdoors. There was a nice breeze and the restaurant had a powerful fan too! (Thank goodness!)

Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan (or "Wat Prayun") was built in the 1800s during King Rama III's reign. It is a royal temple and one of the best preserved.

I wasn't able to go around the temple that much due to the on-and-off rains, and because I had much to cover in Kudeejeen. I should have, and I will go around again in case I visit next time.

Santa Cruz Church. Built in the 1700s, it is one of the earliest Catholic churches of Bangkok. Is it usually open only during masses, so I wasn't able to see the church interior.

Baan Windor (Windsor House). A gingerbread house from the 1850s owned by a British merchant named Louis Windsor. It is still intact, but with obvious decay. There have been lots of talks about how to renovate/preserve it, but no action has been done due to land ownership issues. 

Kuan An Keng Shrine (Guan Yin Shrine). Built in the 1700s, it is one of the earliest Chinese shrines (Hokkien architecture specifically) in Thonburi.

Road leading to Baan Kudichin Museum.

The community museum, free of charge, shows the history and culture of Kudeejeen.

The upper floors of the house show how people back in the 1800s lived.

Jantanaphap House. Built in the 1800s from teak, it remains used so couldn't see inside.

Khanom Farang Kudichin. You'll see these cakes everywhere! The recipe is a mix of Portuguese and Chinese cakes, and only found in Thailand! Personally it tasted like toasted mamon. It's a nice light snack.

- I later rode a Grab from Kudeejeen to Phahurat to get a few more things before having dinner at Platinum. I really loved the seafood stall outside the mall.

I had these giant prawns for dinner.

- My Sunday was packed with so much Thai history and I didn't want it any other way. It's a miracle I still had energy to work inside my room after my day out. I feel that if it didn't rain every so often, I would have explored a bit more. I guess I should go back to Bangkok in the future then!  

- Check out my other adventures for this Thailand trip!

Part 1 (Phahurat and Mahidol University): here

Part 2 (Nakhon Pathom): here

Part 4 (Chinatown, Wat Saket, Giant Swing): here

Part 5 (Ancient City, Erawan Museum, Terminal 21): here