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THE THAILAND SERIES, DAY 4

GRAND PALACE – KHAOSAN ROAD – MR BEARD – KHAOSAN ROAD

Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road. Usually at the top of every “Top Things to see in Bangkok” you will find the Grand Palace and for good reason, it’s for sure one of the most impressive and opulent places you will see.

MY KNEES WERE WEAK

At 500 bhat it’s likely Thailand’s most expensive tourist spot but at £10 you can hardly complain. It is here that would be the biggest judge of Thailand’s post covid era, if there are crowds anywhere it will be here, and how few there were.

WHERE IS THE GRAND PALACE?

The Grand Palace

EMERALD BUDDHA

The most sacred of the temples is the Emerald Buddha, where a tiny green Buddha (made from jasper) sits at the top of an impressive collection of gold monuments. It is nearly always open for visitors to walk in and have a look. Take note of its outfit which changes according to the season.

DAILY INFO….

  • HOTEL – The Landmark Hotel 7/10
  • RESTAURANT – Pantaree 7.5/10
  • ATTRACTIONS –

Grand Palace
Khaosan Road at day,
Mr Beard,
Khaosan Road at night

CHAKRI MAHA PRASAT

After a quick look around the many other temples (a scale model of Angkor Wat) and a chat with an Indian tourist (Johnny) I headed to The Throne Hall, the Buckingham Palace of Thailand.

There is an interesting background to its appearance. King Rama V wished for it to be entirely western looking so decided to employ a British architect. However, after it was built it was agreed by others that it didn’t represent Thailand and the King should live in a Building which could be identified as Thai (Siam). Work then began on replacing the roof with something more appropriate, hence the nickname; the westerner with a Thai hat.

Stairs to the Royal Palace in Thailand. Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

DAILY TRAVEL STATS….

  • Steps – 22,095

KHAOSAN ROAD DAYLIFE

From here it was back to Khaosan Road for the first time in 5 years, without doubt the most famous backpacker street in the world. Like a lot of places here I wanted to see what it was like post covid and it seemed dead. Very few stalls open and very few people hanging around. Although we do have to remember mornings do not exist for backpackers!

Khaosan Road in the morning in Thailand. Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

EAR ORGASM

I regularly clean my ears, I’d say a lot do but you can never really see what’s inside and if you are doing more damage than good just by sticking an ear bud inside and giving it a little twist. However, I heard about this place that offers ear cleaning and it turned out to be incredible. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hear any better and have no idea what even came out of my ears but the feeling was incredible!

 RELATED READ: THE GATES OF HELL

MR BEARD

As I write this the more I realise how little I was able to see and know what he was doing but most of the work involved a little metal scraping tool and an extra soothing cotton bud before and after with a little alcohol. I’m telling you, get yourself to any beauty place in the world and get it done, thank me later. If not to clean your ears but for the feeling alone!

  GRAND PALACE FACTS:
  • The Grand Palace dates back to the 18th century.
  • It was initially built of wood.
  • It has a similar layout to that of the Royal Palace in Ayutthaya.
  • The Palace is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Bangkok.
  • It was designed by an English architect who built it in the typical Italian style Renaissance buildings.

THE SEARCH FOR PAD KRA PHAO

I love Thai Green Curry, so much so that I find it hard to order anything else but this trip I want to try heaps of new stuff and plenty of street food too.

Over the past few months I’ve heard a lot a lot about a fairly simple spicy meat dish called Pad KraPhao. However what does a fella looking for it in Bangkok need to do. I tried (only specialist) 3 places who were shut down, closed for a refurb or out of hours. But when it comes to food I always have something that I want and don’t give in too easily.

Eventually I got to a place called Pantaree, hidden in the back alleys of Bangkok the type of place I was keen to try and it didn’t disappoint. The thing is when you can cook good Thai curries at home these are the only places which can compete.

KHAOSAN ROAD NIGHTLIFE

I wanted to give Khaosan another go in all its glory, at night so I headed back in the evening and things were looking ok, not the same but much better than earlier in the day. However, it wasn’t until 11pm when the entire street was back to normal and it seemed like Khaosan road was back where it left off. Of course there were still a number of bars with few customers but being post covid and off season things will only get busier!

People walking at night at Khaosan Road in Thailand. Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

STREET SIDE MASSAGE

One thing about Khaosan road is the people watching, the best in the world for sure. You will see all types of people in this area and there is no better way to enjoy it that getting a massage right on the street. Get a beer and sit down and enjoy the night.

Masseuse massaging David Simpson's feet at Khaosan Road in Thailand. Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

Grand Palaces, ear orgasms and Khaosan Road

SUMMED UP….

  • HIGHLIGHT – Has to be the ear cleaning
  • MVP – Mr Beard

TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS

If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I didn’t have great expectations for Khaosan road as I thought maybe things would be quiet but it was almost a relief to show how far Thailand has come back now, after things looked so bleak. Oh and that ear massage…lip bite!

NEXT UP

Off to Railay beach for a bit of adventure!! Click to read.

SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
152/229

This post was part of The Thailand Series. To view the full YouTube series from the trip click here or for my Instagram highlights you can go here.
If you would rather read the rest of the series from the blog just click here.

Question Time

  • Have you ever had your ears cleaned?
  • What do you think?
  • Whats your favourite thing about Khaosan Road?

Let me know in the comments below . . .

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SHOTGUNS, MARKETS AND TEMPLES IN BANGKOK
ARRIVING AT RAILAY BEACH AND LEAVING MY FLIP FLOPS

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