Temple of the Emerald Buddha

[bacfas]

hi all, My partner and I are planing to visit Bangkok in Nov. for 5 days, it's our first time visit and wondering what are all the interesting places to see in in and around Bangkok, only we are staying at Bangkok and now anywhere to Thailand. We are surely visit Temple of the Emerald Buddha, but no idea on other places. Is all that possible within 5 days, can anyone advise? ty!

[The Travel Slut]

I did a 7 day tour of Thailand in June that was quite busy in terms of sites seen and travel but with a private guide and driver, it was manageable.

I flew from Darwin to Singapore for an overnight stay and then onto Phuket for 2 days where I stayed beachside at the Holiday Inn (recommended). Lots to see and do within walking distance for the tourist and all on Patong Beach area. The drive from the airport is about 45 minutes but the cost for a private car was less than $20.

NOTE: At the time I went the US Dollar exhange rate was 32 Thai Baht to 1 USD.

On a mountaintop in Phuket, they are building the world's tallest Buddha.

http://www.mingmongkolphuket.com has all the details. I bought some marble slab pieces and wrote some blessings on them that will attached to the base of the Buddha and I made a donation to a monk on-site who blessed me.

Also there, you will want to eat at an adjacent mountaintop restaurant called: Tunk-Ka. Outstanding food and service. The people are genuine and wonderful.

Nightlife in Phuket is VERY ACTIVE. Live music, every cuisine you can imagine, bars & bar girls, shows, and shopping till late in the market area.

I then flew to Bangkok for 3 nights and spent a day touring the temples which included the Emerald Buddha (not as large as I thought it would be but still impressive) and the reclining Buddha. If temples are what you seek, you could spend a week there and not see them all. 18 million people and no horn honking but there is smog. I also went to a cultural show with live performances, food, etc and then to the palace and a river cruise where there was some small floating markets.

Shopping at King Power Duty-free mall is great as is the public market of the Patpong district and I really enjoyed the convenience of the Jomtien Hotel.

No shortage of nightlife activity here either with everything from opera to Ladyboy shows. Patpong seems to be the most active area. My favorite meal was at a place called "Coyotes" in Patpong where I had an excellent Mexican dinner believe it or not and a killer margarita.

I left Bangkok to go to Kanchanaburi to see the River Kwai area and the famous Bridge. It is in the rural country area and a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Phuket and Bangkok.

The memorial museum is very interesting and I also visited the cemetary there. I saw the public market had a DVD for USD $1 of the new Indiana Jones movie plus many others.

I also visited the Promitr Movie Studio in the "jungle" and it rivals Universal Studios here in the USA (but without the rides). I met some interesting people and they were all interested in me--lol.

I also went on a small boat (canoe-like) to the Damnoensduak Floating Market---that was amazing, From fresh, hot food to every fruit and vegatable you can imagine to handcrafts and "made in Thailand" items, it was all there.

I visited a Siam Cultural walking Park near Kanchanaburi and was able to experience life in the rural areas from ancient to modern times plus some info about Buddhism and Thai culture.

Of course I walked on the Bridge over the River Kwai and I stayed at a great resort on the river called River Felix. It was awesome. The sights and food were great in this area.

I finally went to Pattaya along the coast and that was a highlight. I stayed at the Jomtien resort beachside but it was a short distance away from Pattaya City and all the nightlife. Fortunately, my driver and guide enjoyed opportunities to take the 10-15 minute drive where

In Pattaya I took a boatride for a day trip to the resort island of Koh Land (called Coral Island, went to the world's largest "bottle art" museum where I learned (and tried it myself) to put ships and other structures into bottles, went to two Ladyboy shows including the famous Alcazar show which rivaled any stage show seen in Las Vegas (more on that available), and I rode an elephant thru the jungle at Kating-Lai's Siam Elephant World (also the home of "Monster World". I also went to a gem factory to see how Thailand cultivates their many gems and transforms them into works of art.

I also went to Nongnooch Tropical Garden and Resort's Siam Culture Show and this included seeing a Muy Thai Boxing show, elephant sports and painting show, and an experience of Thai Culture (without the Tuk-Tuk's).

There is so much to see and do in Thailand or Bangkok or wherever you go there. You have to pick and choose and if in Bangkok, just plan lots of time for travel as traffic is congested to the max.

Wonderful sights, wonderful people, wonderful food. I can't wait to go back!

In the meantime, take care, travel safe and have safe fun and email me if you have any specific questions.

TS