Bangkok, Thailand - Day 3 (Golden Mount - Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan - Khao San Road - Wat Phra Chetuphon - Wat Pho Pier - Chinatown)

We spent our third day seeing Bangkok's temples, which are one of its main attractions. We left our hotel around 10.30am and headed different ways with his pals since they preferred shopping. We took a Grab ride (Grab fare - THB 149) to Kamoo Saelaou, which serves pork leg noodles or rice. When we walked in, the shop was empty and I was beginning to regret my choice of eatery. The owner was quite polite, and we ordered a bowl of egg noodles with braised pork leg that comes with a half egg. It was surprisingly good. The noodles have just the right texture and the pork leg is very tender. The owner even suggested we eat the pork leg with their chili sauce, which goes great. I'm glad that we gave this place a try.

Kamoo Saelaou

Chili sauce

Egg noodles with braised pork leg and half egg (medium) - THB 60

Chrysanthemum - THB 20

Address:

Kamoo Saelaou

No. 42/9 Soi Borombanpot Khlong Maha Nak,

Pom Prap Sattru Phai,

Bangkok 10100,

Thailand

Opening hours: 8.30am to 5pm. Closed on Thursday

Wat Saket, commonly known as the Golden Mount, is one of the oldest temples in Bangkok, famous for its towering height. The temple is just a 4-minute walk (260m) from Kamoo Saelaou. The entrance fee is THB 100 per person, and there's a dress code that says no sleeveless shirts and skirts or pants must extend at least to the knee. You would have to climb roughly 300+ stairs on a winding but well-paved trail. Fear not, as there are plenty of resting spots along the way with beautiful scenery to distract you from this mini-hike. It is advisable to go in the morning because it will be really hot in the afternoon. The temple summit offers a 360-degree view that allows you to see Bangkok from every aspect.

There is a large gong near the Luang Por To statue. We saw a tourist rubbing it, and it started to emit very gentle tones. The longer he rubs, the louder the sound gets. However, one of his friends tried the same way, but no sound was made. I suppose you need certain skills to get the gong to emit tones.

Luang Por To

Giant gong

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Water lilies

View from the Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

View from the Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

View from the Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

View from the Golden Mount

The footprint of the Buddha

The vultures of sraket temple

The vultures of sraket temple

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Golden Mount

Address:

Golden Mount

No. 344 Chakkraphatdi Phong Rd,

Ban Bat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai,

Bangkok 10100,

Thailand

Opening hours: 7am to 7pm

Our next stop was the Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan, also known as the metal castle for its 37 iron spires. Along the way, we passed by Phan Fa Lilat Bridge, Phra Sumen Fort and Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin. There's a small fee of THB 20 to enter this temple with its spiral staircase, but we decided to skip it because of the heat.

Phan Fa Lilat bridge

Phan Fa Lilat bridge

Phra Sumen Fort

Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin

Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan

Address:

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan

No. 2 Maha Chai Rd,

Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm

Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu is just an 8-minute walk (500m) from Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan. Along the way, we walked past the Democracy Monument, which is located at the Ratchadamnoen Street roundabout. Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu is a popular restaurant known for its delicious pad Thai. We ordered a plate of Iberian smoked BBQ pork jowl. The meat appears undercooked, but it's actually thoroughly cooked. The noodles are chewy and tasty. Overall, the food is good, although the sauce is on the acidic side.

(Total bill - THB 275)

Democracy Monument

Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu, drinking water - THB 25

Iberian smoked BBQ pork jowl Pad Thai - THB 250

 

Address:

Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu

No. 115/5 Dinso Rd,

Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

After our late lunch, we walked to The Pastry & Co. to try their choux cream, but the cashier informed us that it had already been discontinued. We decided to move on to our next stop since there was nothing on the menu that caught my attention.

The Pastry & Co.

Address:

The Pastry & Co.

No. 463 Phra Sumen Rd,

Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 9am to 4.30pm. Closed on Monday

We stopped for a tea break at Konnichipan Bakery. It's a small bakery shop with just a few seats. We ordered a chocolate croissant, an apricot tart and a bottle of water. The croissant has a flaky golden-brown crust that tastes good. However, apricot tart is a bit too sweet for my liking.

(Total - THB 89)

Wat Bowonniwetwiharn Ratchaworawiharn

Phra Sumen Road

Konnichipan Bakery, Choco croissant - THB 40, apricot tart - THB 34 and drinking water - THB 15

Konnichipan Bakery

Address:

Konnichipan Bakery

No. 183 Chakrabongse Rd,

Talat Yot, Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 8am to 6pm. Closed on Sunday

Khao San Road, often known as Bangkok's backpackers hub, is a short 410m street lined with restaurants, bars and street vendors selling clothing and souvenirs. However, on a Tuesday afternoon, the area appears quiet.

Khao San Road

Khao San Road

Khao San Road

Khao San Road

Wat Mahannapharam

It took us about 13 minutes to walk the 900m from Khao San Road to K. Panich Sticky Rice. Open since 1947, this shop is known for having the most famous mango sticky rice in Bangkok. We placed our order at the shop and then walked over to the opposite shop lot to dine in. It was really packed, and we had to share tables with others. We also ordered a coconut drink, which was sweet and refreshing. After some time, they served our mango sticky rice. Unlike Yenly Yours, the sticky rice is cold and slightly hard. Apart from that, the mung bean is difficult to bite into. Luckily, the mango is sweet. Overall, we still prefer Yenly Yours' mango sticky rice.

K. Panich Sticky Rice

Coconut drink - THB 80

Mango sticky rice - THB 130

Address:

K. Panich Sticky Rice

No. 431 433 Thanon Tanao,

San Chao Pho Sua, Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 7am to 5.30pm. Closed on Sunday

Wat Phra Chetuphon or Wat Pho, also known as the temple of the reclining Buddha, is approximately a 16-minute walk (1.2km) from K. Panich Sticky Rice. We chose to take a tuk-tuk instead of walking because the weather was simply too hot. My partner hailed a tuk-tuk, and the driver asked for THB 150, but we managed to negotiate to THB 100.

The entrance fee to Wat Phra Chetuphon is THB 300 per person. The temple is huge and the main attraction is the reclining Buddha, which is the largest in Thailand. Before entering the temple to see the reclining Buddha, you must remove your shoes. They will provide you a bag to keep your shoes in, which you may bring with you to the exit and return when you are done. We spent around an hour walking around Wat Phra Chetuphon.

Tuk-tuk ride from K. Panich Sticky Rice to Wat Phra Chetuphon - THB 100

Ticket counter

Wat Phra Chetuphon directory

My ticket

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Spotted a black cat

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Spotted another cat

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Crocodile pond

Spotted tourist wearing traditional Thai clothing

Four Kings Stupas

Wat Phra Chetuphon

Address:

Wat Phra Chetuphon

No. 2 Sanam Chai Rd,

Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang,

Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 8am to 7.30pm

We didn't get to visit the Grand Palace because it closed at 3pm. We decided to try another mango dessert at Make Me Mango Tha Tian. The shop is just a 3-minute walk (230m) from Wat Phra Chetuphon. We ordered mango bingsu, which comes with milk shaved ice, condensed milk, mango puree, fresh mango, cookie crumble and mango ice cream. The shaved ice is really smooth, with cookie crumble at the bottom. It pairs perfectly with the sweet mango. Apart from that, the ice cream is creamy and full of mango flavours. I think we had too many mangoes on this trip. Overall, we enjoy this dessert very much.

Make Me Mango Tha Tian

Mango bingsu - THB 285

Address:

Make Me Mango Tha Tian

No. 67 Tha Suphan Alley,

Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang,

Phra Nakhon,

Bangkok 10200,

Thailand

Opening hours: 10.30am to 8pm (Saturday and Sunday until 8.30pm)

We were unable to visit Wat Arun due to time constraints, but I was able to photograph it at sunset. There are a lot of tourists at Wat Pho Pier waiting to take sunset shots of Wat Arun. As the sun sets precisely behind the temple, you'll get some stunning silhouette images of the majestic structure of Wat Arun. Wat Pho Pier is just a 3-minute walk (210m) from Make Me Mango Tha Tian.

Wat Arun sunset view

Wat Arun sunset view

Wat Arun sunset view

We meet up with my partner's friend for dinner at Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai. We took a tuk-tuk ride from Wat Pho Pier to Chinatown (THB 180) and walked all the way to Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai. When we arrived, the shop was crowded and we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. My partner and I shared a bowl of stir-fried noodles with chicken, pork, ham, squid and shrimp. We also ordered fried patties and fried chicken. The fried patty is spicy and flavourful. However, the fried crispy noodles have a chewy texture, and overall the food is average for us.

(Total bill - THB 520)

Tuk-tuk ride from Wat Pho Pier to Chinatown - THB 180

Chinatown

Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai, orange juice - THB 40 and drinking water - THB 10

Fried patty - THB 50

Stir-fried chicken, pork, ham, squid and shrimp - THB 100

Stir fried chicken, pork, ham, squid and shrimp and runny egg - THB 100

Fried chicken - THB 70

Address:

Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai

No. 419 Luang Rd, Wat Thep Sirin,

Pom Prap Sattru Phai,

Bangkok 10100,

Thailand

Opening hours: 2pm to 11pm

After dinner, we walked back to Chinatown for dessert at Sweettime. There's plenty of dessert stalls, but somehow we ended up at this stall. My partner ordered Thai pandan noodles in palm sugar coconut milk, while I had black sesame balls with milk. My glutinous rice ball has a slightly thick skin, and the milk isn't overly sweet. The rice ball becomes harder as it sits in the cold drink for longer. My partner loves his Thai pandan noodles dessert, also known as cendol dessert. While strolling through the night market after our dessert, we came across a cute friendly dog belonging to one of the stall owners.

(Total bill - THB 335)

Chinatown

Sweettime

Black sesame ball with milk - THB 45, bird nest in syrup - THB 100, Thai pandan noodle in palm sugar coconut milk - THB 40 and Chinese mix dessert with longan syrup - THB 45

Spotted a friendly dog

Since the night is still young, we took a tuk-tuk ride to Jae Wan (THB 200) and had a second round of dessert. Yuan ordered cocoa volcano bua loy in fresh milk with pomegranate seeds and ice cream. The dessert bowl is large enough for all five of us. In fact, we were unable to finish the entire bowl. The ice cream contains bits of coconut meat. The huge clumps of ice are one of the dessert's main drawbacks, and the red water chestnut tastes terrible.

Jae Wan

Cocoa Volcano Bua loy in fresh milk with pomegranates seeds and ice cream - THB 120

Address:

Jae Wan

No. 1700 Banthat Thong Road Khwaeng Rong Muang,

Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 1.45pm to 11.30pm. Closed on Sunday

We had too many desserts, and I needed something savory. So we stopped by McDonald's on our way back to the hotel. We both shared a truffle pork burger meal. I also had cheese sticks, which are delicious when eaten hot. However, fries are not crispy enough. The pork burger is good. The bun is soft and the meat is tender and juicy.

(Total bill - THB 270)

McDonald

French fries (medium) and coke

Truffle pork burger meal - THB 225

Cheese stick - THB 45

Thai chili sauce

Address:

McD Holiday Inn Express
No. 889 Rama I Rd, Wang Mai,

Pathum Wan,

Bangkok 10330,

Thailand

Opening hours: 7am to 2am