Day 173 Jan 24 2015 Bangkok Thailand

reclining buddha temple 

guarding the entrance to the reclining buddha temple

Wat Arun

Bangkok Thailand

Day 173  Jan 24 2015  Bangkok  Thailand

We tried to get cab to grand palace but were refused by 8 different drivers due to the traffic volume.  We ended up walking to the subway and taking it as close to the river as we could.  We then took a tuk tuk to the cat building pier but that turned out to be a private tour pier and not the water taxi pier.  We then walked to the water taxi pier and took it to the pier closest to the Wat Pho temple.   We toured the temple with the kids being bored out of their minds.  We were then on our way to the Grand Palace only to be told by an employee that it closes at 3:30 pm.  He suggested that we take a tuk tuk tour to a few different places one being the a tourist information so we could get some info on Bangkok and also a factory tour.  He also told us that we were better to go the Wat Arun Temple towards the evening to watch the sunset from there.  We were again scammed by a the friend of a taxi driver.  It turned out that the tourist information was a tour agency and the factory was a jewelry store.  By the time we got to Wat Arun it was 5:57 and the temple closes at 6:00.   We ended up walking around the grounds at the temple an never did get inside.  We only paid 80 bht ($3cad) for the ride and we did get to see the temple with the largest standing Buda in the city;  however it wasted ½ hour of our time going to the tourist agency and the “factory”.    That ½ hour would have been enough to see the Wat Arun temple that we wanted.  We decided to take a river taxi to Asiatique so the kids could go for a ride on the Sky Yoyo’s  and we could eat supper.     At Asiatique there is a taxi stand that you have to pay a 20 bht commission to use their service.  As were were approaching the stand ( less that 2 meters away) we were approached by what we assumed was an employee.  He asked us where we were going and then told us 600 bht.  When we said no he asked how much we were willing to pay so Evy said she wanted to use the meter.  It turned out that he was not an employee of the taxi stand but a driver skimming passengers that had not figured out that they were paying too much.   We ended up getting a taxi by using the stand and paid a total of 230 bht for our trip.  You really have to watch the taxis here as the majority will try to tell you the meter is broken, they know a place where there are some really good deals, take you to a private pier instead of the tourist piers.  It turns out the taxi drivers get gas coupons to bring tourist to certain stores and it really helps their profits.  For the taxi driver to take us to the jewelry store he told us that he was going to get a coupon for 5 liters of gas.