My first stop was Wat Intharawihan (A) which has an impressive 32 meter high Standing Buddha image. This is one of the best free temples in Bangkok. As the Buddha image faces east, it is best to come in the morning. Next I cycled down to Phra Athit Road. Behind Santichaiprakarn Park there is an entrance to a Riverside Walkway (B). This gives you some great views of Rama VIII Bridge and the Chao Phraya River. Along here there are some restaurants as well as a couple of places renting out long-tailed boat trips. I came out at Phra Pinklao Bridge Pier where you will also find the Bangkok Tourism Office (C) on Phra Athit Road. Very helpful people here and some great free brochures and maps. From here I cycled through Thammasart University grounds coming out on Na Phra That road. Just south of the National Museum is the King Rama V Museum (D). If you ever need an air-conditioned break then pop in here as it has free admission. It’s open Wednesday-Sunday. Also has some interesting bilingual exhibits on the life of King Chulalongkorn.

In the South East corner of Sanam Luang is the City Pillar Shrine where you can enjoy free Thai dancing. Next door there is the Ministry of Defence which has an Outdoor Gun Museum (E) on its front lawn. They have large cannons from all around Thailand. There are bilingual signs with the names of each cannon. At the bottom of this road on the right is the Museum Siam (F). This is a fascinating museum that traces the history and culture of the Siamese people. Normally the entrance fee is 300B but they often have free days like this weekend. Coming back up this road, on the right I visited Sanaram Park (G). This used to be the gardens of a palace but it is now open to the public. My last stop was the Golden Mount (H). Here you can climb the 320 steps that will give you some fine views of Rattanakosin Island. It’s free to climb to the top but there is a 10 Baht donation if you want to enter the building.

A - Wat Intharawihan 13.766741,100.502817
B - Riverside Walkway 13.7630833323,100.493836964
C - Bangkok Tourism Office 13.7606969598,100.491465891
D - King Rama V Museum 13.754251372330348,100.49165904521942
E - Outdoor Gun Museum 13.751714,100.493832
F - Museum Siam 13.7442418133,100.494234331
G - Sanaram Park 13.7484208481,100.495173105
H - Golden Mount 13.75384,100.506653

For more places, please visit my Google Map of Bangkok for Free

I parked my car at Wat Sri Bunruang but before I started the cycle trip, I wanted to take the new canal boat service that goes between Wat Sri Bunruang and Minburi Market. It is free at the moment until 13 August 2013. There are 14 piers along the route and it only runs from 6am-9am and 4pm-7:30pm. Despite it being free at the moment, there weren’t that many people using the boat (A) but I’m told that it is more popular with commuters during the week. The first section the boat travelled quite quickly, but in places where there were no walkways the boat had to slow down or the wake would have swamped the houses. At one point we also had to change boats due to a closed Water Gate (B). The main tourist attraction along the route is Kwan Riam Floating Market (C) which is only open at the weekend. The final stop was the Minburi Market next to the district office. The journey had taken about 45 minutes. As boat services in the morning finished at 9 a.m. I had to return to Wat Sri Bunruang by taxi.

The next part of my journey was by bicycle. Compared to my cycle trip the other month, the walkway here was much wider (E) and mainly on both sides of the canal. However, as I got nearer to central Bangkok, the pathway wasn’t as good and sometimes I didn’t have any choice about which side that I could ride on. A few places I had to cross over, either on a bridge or a raft (F). The main tourist attraction along this canal is probably Wat Phasi (G) which has a distinctive golden pagoda. However, of more interest to me was the shrine to the last person to be publicly beheaded in Thailand. This took place on these grounds in 1919. There was only one minor diversion that I had to take due to some work taking place on a collapsed path. I couldn’t reach the end of the canal boat route. I got as far as the expressway bridge/railway (H) which is between E3 Nana Nua Pier and E2 Wireless Pier. I managed to do a small diversion here to reach E2 Wireless Pier at the bottom of Witthayu Road near Swissotel Nai Lert Hotel, but as there wasn’t any path on either side of the canal I couldn’t go any further. Unfortunately you are not allowed to put your bicycle on the boat and so I had to cycle back. My return trip took only 80 minutes as I didn’t make any stops. If you want to do this yourself starting from near the Swissotel Nai Lert Hotel, start on right then crossover at the watergate.

View larger map

This is an embed of my Google map of the Saen Saeb Canal. I am still working on it and you will hopefully see some additions over the coming months. The canal goes all the way from Bangkok to Chachoengsao and hopefully eventually I will do the entire route.

Our first stop was the Ayutthaya Tourist Center (A). This is in the old city hall. In the office on the ground floor you can pick up some brochures and maps for Ayutthaya which might come in handy. Upstairs there is a fascinating exhibition on the history and culture of Ayutthaya. This gives you a good overview of what you will be seeing on this one day tour. There is no admission fee. Just one block away is the place for Elephant Rides and Show (B). This is popular with Asian tourists. It is a little expensive at 400 Baht for a 15 minute ride between the ruins. We parked our car here and walked through the market to our next stop, Phra Si Sanphet (C). This is the main attraction for Ayutthaya and the three stupas are often seen on postcards. This is a bit like the temple complex at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. However, the palace here is in ruins and only the foundations remain. This used to be 50 Baht but I only saw a sign advertising optional audio tours for 100 Baht. Next door is Wihan Phra Mongkol Bophit (D). This contains a massive seated Buddha. However, we didn’t stay long as there is a more impressive seated Buddha a bit later on our tour.

About a kilometer away from the palace is Wat Lokkayasutharam (E). Not so many tourists come out here even though it is free. The reason that I like it is the 42 meter long Reclining Buddha. This is one of the longest in Thailand. During the floods of 2011, there was a memorable picture of a fisherman in a boat in front of this statue. Our next stop was Wat Na Phra Men (F) which is to the north of the palace grounds. Of interest here is the principal Buddha image which has a regal crown. This is one of the few Buddha images that escaped the ransacking of the city by the Burmese in 1767.

Our next stop was Wat Phra Mahathat (G) which isn’t too far away. This temple complex is mainly in ruins and there are more impressive sites nearby that aren’t so damaged. However, the main attraction here is the Buddha’s head that has a tree growing around it. Fee to enter here is 50 Baht each. By this time we were getting hungry and so we headed for the Ayothaya Floating Market (H). This is a great place for both shopping for souvenirs and for finding something to eat. You can also join boat rides for 20 Baht or watch free cultural shows. Now that we had recharged our energy, we were ready for the last two temples. The first one was Wat Phanan Choeng (I), where there is an impressive seated Buddha that dates back to 1325. Incidentally, there is a pier here where you can hire boats for a tour of the city. Our final stop was at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon (J). This is one of my favourite temples as it has a bit of everything. A reclining Buddha, a stupa which you can climb up to the top, and long rows of Buddha images.

You probably don’t want to do more than this in one day. It was about right for us. If you want to do less temples, you could visit Bang Pa In Summer Palace on the way to Ayutthaya or maybe Bang Sai Arts and Craft Center. But you would need at least two hours for each of these places which would leave you less time for the ruins in Ayutthaya. I would like to thank Mark Kent, the British Ambassador, and his family for allowing me to use them as guinea pigs for this one day tour of Ayutthaya.

A – Ayutthaya Tourist Center 14.349527,100.56034
B – Elephant Rides and Show 14.352369821730424,100.55892884731293
C – Wat Phra Si Sanphet 14.355904,100.558323
D – Wihan Phra Mongkol Bophit 14.354958,100.557861
E - Wat Lokkayasutharam 14.355478,100.552443
F - Wat Na Phra Men 14.362654,100.558757
G - Wat Phra Mahathat 14.357083,100.567791
H - Ayothaya Floating Market 14.360202,100.593159
I - Wat Phanan Choeng 14.344195,100.578825
J - Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon 14.345588,100.592752

For more places, please visit my Google Map of Ayutthaya

For those of you who are interested in seashells, you might like to visit The Bangkok Seashell Museum (A). It is on the corner of Silom 23. Open every day from 10am-7pm. Price is 150Baht/100Baht for foreigners. All of the displays are clearly labelled in English and Thai. If anything, it is a nice escape from the mid-day heat. Not too far away is M.R. Kukrit’s House (B) in South Sathorn. This is the family home of a former prime minister of Thailand. Open every day, 10am-4pm. Admission is 50Baht/20Baht. This is really good value for money. Back on Silom Road is Sri Mahamariamman Temple (C), a Hindu temple which is known locally as Wat Kaek. In the surrounding streets and the market opposite, you should find some good Indian food. Lub-D Silom is not too far away from here. At the northern end of Silom Road is the popular Lumpini Park (D). This has just about everything for anyone who wants to relax by the lake or exercise along the running tracks. If you are a cyclist, you can use these tracks between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. People are exercising here several hours before the sun rises in the morning.

Lub-D Hostel in Siam Square area is opposite the big shopping mall MBK and right next to BTS National Stadium. The next Soi along is where you will find Jim Thompson’s House (E). This is similiar to M.R. Kukrit’s House but is a lot more popular due to it’s convenient location. Jim Thompson’s House is open every day from 9am-5pm. Guided tours in English, French, Japanese & Thai. Prices are 100Baht/50Baht. Unlike the other Thai style house, you have to join tours and you cannot take pictures inside the buildings. After Jim Thompson’s House don’t forget to explore the nearby Ban Krua Muslim community. You can also catch boats here (F) on the Saen Saeb Canal. Opposite MBK is the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (G). If you want a break from shopping then the free exhibitions here are always worth a visit. They sometimes screen free movies too. My last stop was the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute on Rama IV Road. This has a Snake Farm (H) that is worth visiting. The Snake Farm is open every day. Weekdays from 8:30am-4:30pm & with shows at 11am & 2:30pm. Weekends it is open from 9:30am-1pm & one show at 11am. Price for foreigners is 200Baht/50Baht.

]]> http://www.thailandphotomap.com/trips/weekend-at-lub-d-hostel-in-bangkok/feed/ 0 http://www.thailandphotomap.com/day-trips/exploring-saen-saeb-canal-part-1/ http://www.thailandphotomap.com/day-trips/exploring-saen-saeb-canal-part-1/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:58:06 +0000 Richard Barrow http://www.thailandphotomap.com/?p=807

My day trip to today was to explore a stretch of Saen Saeb Canal. I heard that they were extending the boat services from Wat Sri Bunruang to Minburi and so was keen to see if this was actually true. My starting point was at Kwan Riam Floating Market. I was there before 7:30 a.m. so that I could take some pictures of the alms round by boat. This takes place every weekend and on public holidays. The pier here is already finished but I was told that the boat service hadn’t started yet. No surprise there. I cycled along the towpath a bit but it was narrow, dangerous and not very complete. I spoke to some locals and they told me that they don’t want the boat service to come until the BMA have built proper concrete walkways with lighting on both sides of the canal.

This section of Saen Saeb Canal, from The Outer Ring road bridge to Wat Sri Bunruang already has a concrete walkway on both sides. It’s apparently been finished several years. However, electrical wiring on some sections have already been pilfered and the lights don’t work. The southern side is also very overgrown in places. So, it is advisable to use the northern side which is clearer and also has less of these small bridges. I am not sure if you can see but they are very steep and it was difficult to get my bike up them. Notice in the bottom picture  some locals took it on themselves to build a ramp. Obviously they want this for motorbikes. Nice for them but dangerous for people who want to use this path for exercise in the evenings. My last stop was Wat Sri Bunruang. This is where the canal boat service starts for trips into Bangkok. No-one seems to know when the boats to Minburi will start.

View larger map

This is an embed of my Google map of the Saen Saeb Canal. I am still working on it and you will hopefully see some additions over the coming months. The canal goes all the way from Bangkok to Chachoengsao and hopefully eventually I will do the entire route.

Our first stop was Ban Oou Mosque (A). This is the oldest registered mosque in Bangkok dating back to the reign of King Rama IV. The original Muslims came from Indonesia as traders. But later they came from Pattani. There are apparently only 35 Muslim families left in this area. Many had sold plots of lands to Shangri-la and Robinson. Our next stop was the nearby Wat Suan Plu temple (B). Most of the buildings here are made of wood with some great architect. Unfortunately, despite these being old and unique buildings, the abbot has decided to pull them down to build a more modern, multi-storey block. I guess you can’t stop progress.

From the temple we walked to the Bangkokian Museum (c). This is sometimes called the Bangkok Folk Museum. It is not that easy to find but well worth the effort. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. We were lucky enough to meet the original owner there. Her family has lived here for most of her life and she later turned the house into a museum. In order to preserve it she donated it to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration who now look after the museum. The main building shows the lifestyle of a typical middle class Thai family around the time of the last war. The other building is a museum about local communities. From here we walked to Assumption Cathedral to visit the archives. Then we next visited the Old Customs House (D). This dates back to the late 19th Century. For quite a few years now, these buildings have been occupied by the local fire brigade. But, they will be moving out soon to make way for a hotel development. The good news here is that they won’t be pulling these buildings down but rather they will be renovating it.

After the Customs House I walked back to BTS Saphan Taksin and from there took the skytrain to Siam Square. Here I went to visit the newly opened Museum of Human Body. It’s not that easy to find. However, if you already know where the British Council is then you will find it easily. With the BC in front of you, look to your left and you will see the entrance to the Faculty of Dentistry in Chulalongkorn University. Go in and turn left. Walk past the first building and go to the far end of the second building. This is Building 16. Here take the lift up to the 9th floor.  The museum is only open Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It’s not for the squeamish as it contains real life bodies that have been preserved by using the plastination technique. During this process, water and fat is replaced by a form of plastic. Admission is free.

A – Ban Oou Mosque 13.720379,100.514389
B – Wat Suan Plu 13.721881,100.51544
C – Bangkokian Museum 13.728385,100.518122
D – Old Customs House 13.725253,100.513852

A museum that is sure to please kids of all ages is the Batcat Museum and Toys Thailand (พิพิธภัณฑ์ แบทแคท มิวเซียม แอนด์ ทอยส์ ไทยแลนด์). It can be found on the northern end of Srinakarin Road in Bang Kapi district of Bangkok. The museum contains a large collection of superhero figurines and toys. They have one room dedicated to Batman. Their brochure claims that there are 50,000 toys in the museum making it the largest of its kind in Asia. Admission is 100/60 Baht for Thais and 250/150 Baht for foreigners. It’s open every day. The only problem about taking your kids is that they might think it is one big toy store!

Location: Bangkok
GPS Coordinates: 13.763875, 100.645452

One of the latest purpose built riverside markets in Bangkok is Kwan Riam Floating Market (ตลาดน้ำขวัญเรียม) in Min Buri. It is situated along the Saen Saeb canal on Ramkhamhaeng Road. One of the main features is the merit making early in the morning when local people can offer alms to monks who pass by in boats. There is a wide selection of food that you can try and plenty of souvenirs that you can take home. As well as floating restaurants, you can also join boat tours.

Location: Bangkok
GPS Coordinates: 13.800116, 100.710238

The latest shopping mall to open in the suburbs of Bangkok is the MEGA Bangna. Reported to have 800 shops and 8,000 parking spaces, they claim to be the biggest low-rise shopping mall in South East Asia. The anchor stores include: Robinson, Big C Extra, HomePro, Mega Cineplex and IKEA. Mega Cineplex includes 15 digital cinemas, 24 bowling lanes, 28 karaoke rooms & 1,000 sq.m ice skate rink. I am not sure if it is the largest mall in SEA, but it is certainly the biggest one in Samut Prakan. And as Suvarnabhumi Airport is about 15 minutes away, it is certainly the most convenient for transit passengers.

Location: Samut Prakan
GPS Coordinates: 13.647426, 100.680256

Asiatique the Riverfront is the largest riverfront shopping venue in Asia. Located on Charoen Krung Road, the shopping venue has a 300-meter stretch facing the Chao Phraya River, with a total of 80,000 square meters of usable space. It is built under the Life Museum concept, taking visitors back to the past, while decorations combine the hints of modern living. The design of Asiatique was influenced by the architectural style during the reign of His Majesty King Rama V, indicating the rise of the era in the past. Charoen Krung was the main trading venue in that period.

More information: ASIATIQUE The Riverfront is the new Suan Lum Night Bazaar

Location: Bangkok
GPS Coordinates: 13.704059697653, 100.50287320503