September 22, 2024 (Sunday) – Day 2 in Bangkok, Thailand

We were out and about by 9 AM. Our first stop of the day was Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram, a Buddhist temple. We planned to take a bus, but the hotel staff said it would take too long since only a few buses go that route, so we grabbed a Grab instead. We arrived just before 10 AM, and luckily, there weren’t too many tourists yet. The entrance fee was 100฿, and the temple was really nice—peaceful and not too crowded. We didn’t stay long, though, and after checking out the place, we moved on to our next stop.

Before coming to Bangkok, I did some research on their transportation system and discovered an app called Viabus. It tracks buses in real-time and helps you figure out which bus number to take from point A to your desired stop. Despite using it alongside Google Maps, we still had a hard time figuring out where to get on. But honestly, this app was a game-changer! My sense of direction isn’t the best, and with them driving on the left side of the road, it was even more confusing!

Anyhoo, our next stop was Thong Heng Lee, a small, family-run restaurant that’s highly rated on Google and located near The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). We had brunch there, and the place had such a quaint vibe. The staff, who seemed to be the owners, were friendly and welcoming. I ordered Pad Thai again, but this time it was a different take. It had more rice noodles compared to the one I had at the floating market, which had a mix of everything and more bean sprouts. Asis had stir-fried rice, and we also ordered mango sticky rice along with some of their refreshing sweet drinks. By the way, their mangoes looked pale compared to those in the Philippines, but they were surprisingly sweet for their color.

After filling up, we were set to enter The Grand Palace but stopped at the entrance when we saw the 500฿ fee. This included access to Wat Phra Kaew and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, both located within The Grand Palace compound. However, we decided to skip it since it was crowded and hot at that time. We were satisfied with the first temple we visited, so it’ll still be on our list for our next trip to Bangkok.

Instead, we strolled around the area and discovered an air-conditioned Thong Heng Lee. This space not only served as a museum but also provided a comfortable waiting area and shade from the heat or rain for both tourists and locals, complete with restrooms. It was incredibly convenient.

Our next stop was Khao San Road. We took a Grab again because my feet were starting to hurt, and the tuk-tuks were just too expensive. The drivers were hustlers! When we arrived, we were a bit confused because only a few stores were open. We later discovered that the area comes alive at night. So, we wandered around and looked for a nice café near the riverside before booking a Grab back to the hotel to rest for our next stop of the day.

Around 4 PM, we were back out and about. We took a bus that would take us to Chatuchak. We made a quick stop at Queen Sirikit Park before heading to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. We were starving! We hadn’t eaten since our brunch and café stop, and we were gearing up for a food trip at the market. We tried everything that looked yummy! I really enjoyed the food, especially since most of their dipping sauces were spicy and had cilantro, which I love! We also ended up drinking three refreshing watermelon shakes to cool off from the spice.

After wandering through the market, we decided to head back to the hotel around 8 PM. We took the BTS, which was a nice experience. We got off at Phaya Thai station and transferred to the Airport Rail Link (ARL) to reach Ratchaprarop station. From there, we walked to our hotel. But before going back, we stopped at 7-Eleven for some snacks and drinks, along with skewered chicken and other meats from a street vendor. It was such a long day full of walking and eating! The best part was that we burned off the calories from all that food thanks to our extensive walking. We were looking forward to what the next day would bring in this lively city.