Monthly Archives: April 1992

Grand Palace and Wat Phra (Bangkok, Thailand)

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We were now on my fourth and last day in Bangkok, with my whole morning free prior to my evening return to Manila, I decided to go at it alone, taking a tuktuk (the Thai equivalent of our tricycle) to get to the fabulous Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) and its adjoining Wat Phra Kaew. I just brought along my camera and portable tripod. Incidentally, today was also the Songkran Festival, the Thai New Year.

Grand Palace Complex

This complex of buildings is just walking distance from the previously visited Wat Pho and sits on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. It being a holiday, many Thais were in the temple to pray and give food to monks.  Many were also cleansingBuddha images by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them (believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year).

Wat Phra Kaew

Despite being in one compound, the Golden Palace and Wat Phra Kaew have a distinct difference in architectural style, except for the traditional Thai roof.   Except for the Wat Phra Kaew (I had to remove my shoes before entering), the interiors of most of the buildings remain closed to the public.

Wat Phra Kaew - Porch

Wat Phra Kaew (Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha), Thailand’s most important temple, houses the small (45 cm. tall), beautiful, gold-clothed and greatly revered Emerald Buddha, carved from a block of green jade (instead of emerald) and said to have been created in India in 43 BC. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside.

The Galleries

The temple’s grounds are enclosed by galleries with beautiful, vivid and colorful murals which depict the story of the  Indian epic Ramayama (Ramakien in Thai) of the first reign version.  The European-inspired Grand Palace, the official residence of the king of Thailand from the 18th century to the mid-20th century, is nowadays used only for occasional ceremonial purposes.

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall

It has 2 groups of residences: the Dusit Maha Prasat (built in a style influenced by the Italian Renaissance, it has a spacious, European-style reception room decorated with galleries of portraiture) and the Phra Maha Monthian (consists of the Amarin Winitchai Audience Hall and the Paisal Taksin Hall where coronations take place).

Amarin Winitchai Audience Hall

Construction of the palace complex began in 1782, during the reign of Rama I.  After the death of King Ananda Mahidolin the Baromphiman Palace, the much-revered King Bhumibol (Rama IX), the present king, moved the official royal residence to Chitralada Palace (closed to tourists).

Viseschaisri Gate

My Grand Palace tour should have included Vimanmek Mansion along Rajavithee Road, also a former royal residence.  The biggest wooden building made from golden teak in the world, it was built by King Chulalongkorn (of the “King and I” fame).  Regrettably, I had to forego this visit as it was time to go and pack for home.

Don Muang International Airport

I returned to the hotel, joined the others in checking out of the hotel and left, via coach, for Don Muang International Airport, arriving there by noon.  By 2:30 PM, we left Bangkok on a Thai Airways International flight (TG-624) back to Manila.

Golden Palace: Na Phra Lan Road, Bangkok, Thailand.

Coral Island – Koh Larn (Pattaya, Thailand)

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After an early breakfast at the hotel, we prepared for a change of pace as we were scheduled to do an island tour, with lunch, of Koh Larn (translated as “Coral Island”).  Located about 7-8 kms. off the coast of Pattaya Beach, Koh Larn is about 4 kms. long and 2 kms. wide.  It has 2 villages (Ban Ko Lan and Ban Krok Makhan)  and a number of white sand beaches (Tonglang Beach, Tien Beach, Samae Beach, Naon Beach, Na Ban Beach, Ta Waen Beach, etc.) with clear, blue waters, mostly on the western side.  Koh Larn is part of a cluster of 3 islands called the Near Islands (the other 2 are Koh Sak and Koh Krok).

On Our Way to Koh Larn

From the Bali Hai Pier, we all boarded a cruiser for the 45-50 min. trip, across the Gulf of Thailand, to the hilly island.  Within sight of the crescent-shaped Ta Waen Beach (the most frequented beach), we all transferred to a glass-bottom boat so that we could view the marine life and offshore coral garden.

Glass-Bottom Boat Ride

Upon landing, we were assigned to a long picnic shed with other guests. As the beach was very inviting, the sun was out and the skies were clear, we all changed into our swimming attire.  The sand here was definitely much cleaner (and whiter) than in Pattaya Beach.

Koh Larn (Coral Island) – Ta Waen Beach

Salve and Tellie tried jetskiing while I donned  mask and snorkel and explored the island’s coral garden.  Come noontime, we returned to our picnic hut were a seafood lunch was arrayed before us. This we feasted on with gusto.  After lunch, we all went back to our boat for the return trip back to the mainland. Once on shore, we returned to the hotel, checked out and, by 4:30 PM, boarded our bus for the return trip to Bangkok.  Back in the city, we had supper at a MacDonald’s outlet along Sukhumvit Rd., then returned to our hotel.

Arrival in Pattaya (Thailand)

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Pattaya

After our Bangkok city tour, we were returned to our hotel. Upon arrival, we readied ourselves for our overnight stay at Pattaya, Thailand’s premier and most successful beach resort within (but not part of) Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi.

After lunch, we boarded our airconditioned tourist bus which would take us there.  The 147 km. trip, via Highway No. 3, took all of 2.5 hrs. and we arrived in Pattaya by 3 PM.  We were all checked in at the 5-storey Regent Marina Hotel.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Regent Marina Hotel“

Until the 1960s, Pattaya was just a sleepy fishing village along the Gulf of Thailand. Then, during the Vietnam War, American servicemen stationed at nearby U-Tapao or other US bases in Thailand began visiting Pattaya.

Pattaya Beach, parallel to the city center, runs from Pattaya Nuea south to Walking Street. Along Beach Road are restaurants, shopping areas, and bars.

Offshore are a number of islands. The three “near islands,” located 7 kms. (4.3 mi) from the shore,  are Ko Lan (main island), Ko Sak, and Ko Krok.  Located further west of the “near islands” are the “far islands” – Ko Phai (main island), Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hu Chang and Ko Klung Badan. Ko Rin lies to the south-west, south of Ko Phai group.

Regent Marina Hotel: 463/61 Pattaya Beach Rd., Pattaya, 20260 Thailand.  Tel: (038) 428-015.

Gems Gallery International (Bangkok, Thailand)

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After our tour of Wat Traimit and Wat Pho, we next moved on to the 7,200 sq. m. (1.8 acre) Gems Gallery International, an ISO certified gems gallery.  Open in 1987, it is said to be the world’s largest jewelry and gems center. Here, we watched skilled, in-house Thai artisans cut, polish and set each precious stone to create exquisite pieces of jewelry.

Gems Gallery International

Its eye-catching showroom also displays thousands of world-class natural gems (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, etc.) mined from Chanthaburi and Kanchanaburi provinces; pearls as well as unique bracelets, necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings and other jewelry masterpieces.

Gems Gallery International – Showroom
Gems Gallery International: 198/23-24 Rama VI Rd., Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.  Tel: 02-2710150.

Wat Pho (Bangkok, Thailand)

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Our next stop was the 80,000 s.m. Wat Pho (officially called Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn), the largest and, technically,  the oldest wat in Bangkok. Thailand’s first university, it is the birthplace of traditional Thai massage (stone walls have plaques inscribed with medical texts on Thai massage, dating from the reign of King Rama III).

Wat Pho

The complex consists of 2 walled compounds bisected by Soi (Thai for “street”) Chetuphon which runs east to west. The southern walled compound, the Tukgawee, is a working Buddhist monastery, with monks in residence and a school.

Phra Uposatha (Main Chapel))

The northern walled compound, the one opened to us tourists, includes the largePhra Uposatha, a bot (temple hall or main chapel) enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside are 152 marble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian story.

The 4 Chedis of Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn

Also near here are 4 chedis of Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn, constructed to honor the first 3 Chakri kings (2 for King Rama III).  Around the grounds are another 91 massive chedis, of varying sizes, along with chapels, rock gardens, an array of different types of statues, inscriptions, bell towers and resident fortune tellers. Nearby is a library, impressively decorated with figures, and pagodas made of porcelain.

Vihara of the Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is known, however, for its Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas), one of more than 1,000 Buddha images(the most in the country, mostly gathered from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai) in the temple.

Reclining Buddha

Housed in the Vihara of the Reclining Buddha, this highly impressive, gold-plated Buddha, the world’s longest, is really huge, measuring 46 m. long, 15 m. high and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The soles of the feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration.  The feet also show the 108 auspicious scenes in Chinese and Indian styles, all characteristics of the true Buddha.

Wat Pho: Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand.

Wat Traimit (Bangkok, Thailand)

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On our second day in Thailand, we were scheduled to go on our half-day Bangkok city tour and, after that proceed to the resort city of Pattaya in the afternoon. After our breakfast at the Rajah Hotel, we  were picked up at the hotel lobby by our lady guide from Goodwind Tours and boarded an airconditioned van. Our itinerary included 2 Guinness Book of World Records-worthy temples and a visit to a jewelry store.

Wat Traimit

The first item in our city tour itinerary was the relatively plain looking Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha) in the Yaowarat (Chinatown) area.  However unremarkable the temple may look outside, inside it houses a most valued treasure of Thailand and of Buddhism, the 5.5-ton Golden Buddha, the largest solid gold Buddha image in the world. The statue measures 3.98 m. (about 10 ft.) high, 12 ft. 9 in. in diameter and 3.13 m wide from knee to knee.

The Golden Buddha

The Buddha was originally placed in an Ayutthaya temple and was camouflage from Burmese invaders by being given a thick plaster coating.  Subsequently “lost,” the encased statue was later moved to Choti-naram Temple (or Wat Phrayakrai) in Bangkok during the reign of King Rama III (1824-1851).  When the temple was deserted about 1931, the plaster-covered Buddha was moved to Wat Traimit in the mid-1950’s.  As it was being moved to its permanent building, the rain-soaked figure was accidentally dropped, cracking the stucco to reveal the figure inside.

On February 14, 2010,the Golden Buddha was transferred to the third level of an impressive chapel and is now perched high atop a 4-storey, marble-clad ziggurat.

Admiring the Golden Buddha

The Golden Buddha (officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon), built in parts of India and assembled at the site during the 13th century Sukhothai Period, is represented in the traditional pose of bhumisparshamudra (touching the earth with the right hand to witness Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment at Bodh Gaya). At the temple, local worshipers also rub gold leaf on the other Buddha images.

Wat Traimit: Traimit Rd., Samphanthawong District, Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.  Open daily, 9 AM-5 PM.

Singapore to Bangkok

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It was now our last day in Singapore and the start of the second and final leg of 8-day tour – our first visit to Bangkok in Thailand. After breakfast, I still had some time on my hand, so I visited the iconic Raffles Hotel and the nearby Singapore War Memorial.

Check out “Raffles Hotel“

 

The iconic Raffles Hotel

The grand hotel lobby

Then I visited my UP College of Architecture friends Oliver “Papot” Venegas and Philip Carrillo at their DP Architects PTE office at the Golden Mile Complex along Beach Road before returning to the hotel.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Cockpit Hotel“

Singapore War Memorial

We all checked out of Cockpit Hotel before noon and were shuttled by van to Changi International Airport were we to take a Singapore Airlines (SQ-0066) flight to Bangkok.  By 12:30 PM, we all on board our plane.  The flight took one and a half hours.

Mommy, Tellie and Salve awaiting our flight at Changi International Airport

Don Muang International Airport

Upon arrival at Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport (one of the world’s oldest international airports and Asia’s oldest operating airport), we were picked up by our Goodwind Tours representative and were brought to 13-storey Rajah Hotel, arriving there by 3:30 PM.  Come evening, we had supper at the Ambassador Hotel.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Rajah Hotel“

Rajah Hotel: 18 Soi Sukhumvit 2 and Sukhumvit Soi 4 (Soi Nana), Sukhumvit Rd., Khwaeng Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel: 02-2550040 to 55. Fax: 02-2557160.

Raffles Hotel (Singapore)

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On our fourth and last day in Singapore, I undertook, after breakfast at the hotel. another lone city tour, this time the famous Raffles Hotel along Beach Road, Singapore’s equivalent to our Roxas Boulevard but no longer flanked by the sea due to land reclamation.  I decide to just walk for the exercise.

Raffles Hotel

Reminiscent of our very own The Manila Hotel, this hotel has played host to famous authors Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling (who once said, “Feed at the Raffles”) and Somerset Maugham, film stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, Alfred Hitchcock and Elizabeth Taylor, and royalty and world leaders.

Raffles Hotel - Lobby

This Grand Old Lady of the East, one of the last great 19th-century hotels, was established by the Armenian Sarkies Brothers in 1887 and, in 1987, was designated as a National Monument. In March 1989 it was closed for an extensive major $160-million renovation and restoration program to bring her back to her former 19th-century glory. The original cast-iron verandah at the main building’s front, removed in 1919 to make way for an extension, was faithfully reconstructed, complete with the lovely stained glass.

Raffles Hotel - Lobby

The hotel was reopened in September 1991. Today, it has 104 tastefully appointed – and now airconditioned – suites, each with a unique décor that recreates the heyday of the 1920s using period furnishings and amenities. Eighteen of the State Rooms are housed in the hotel’s Bras Basah Wing, built in 1904. The lobby features three magnificent Persian rugs, all handwoven in the early 1930s by master craftsman Saber. The hotel has also acquired a collection of 70 pieces of Oriental carpets, all used to their best advantage, at public areas, staterooms and suites.

Raffles Hotel - Lobby

Raffles also has 11 food and beverage outlets, all maintaining the turn-of-the-century ambiance. They include Raffles Grille, Tiffin Room (serves the famous curry tiffin), Empress Room, Empire Café, Raffles Courtyard, Ah Teng’s Bakery, Seah Street Deli and Doc Cheng’s. Singapore’s ethnic cuisine, as well as Raffles’ signature dishes, are also featured at the cooking classes of Raffles’ Culinary Academy.

Raffles Hotel - Lobby

The hotel’s elegant architecture is complemented by many courtyards and gardens that occupy over a quarter of the estate and host more than 50,000 plants comprising 82 species of trees, palms, ferns, shrubs and flowering plants. The Palm Court, a garden for residents, still retains its tropical charm. The Palm Garden, on the other hand, features a beautiful ornamental cast-iron fountain dating back to the 1890s. The Lawn, an outdoor function area, is flanked by a lily pond and a timber pavilion.

Civilian War Memorial

Also near the hotel, within the War Memorial Park, is another famous iconic landmark – the Civilian War Memorial, designed by the late Singapore architect Leong Swee Lim (1935-2002) of Swan and MacLaren Architects. Unveiled on February 15, 1967, its 4 identical, 70 m. high pillars represents the shared experiences and unity of the 4 major races of Singapore – Chinese, Malay, Indian and other races. The remains of the unidentified war victims are said to be buried beneath the monument.

Changi International Airport

From the hotel, I dropped by the office of DP Architects Pte. at the Golden Mile Complex where I visited friends Oliver “Papot” Venegas and Felipe “Philip” Carrillo.  After this, I retraced my way back to the hotel. Once packed, we all checked out of the Cockpit Hotel and, by noontime, boarded our van for our transfer to Changi International Airport where we were to take our Singapore Airlines flight to Bangkok (Thailand).

Raffles Hotel: 1 Beach Rd., Singapore 189673.  Tel: 6337 1886.

Sentosa Island – Musical Fountain Show (Singapore)

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From Underwater World, we walked to Monorail Station No. 7 and boarded one of the 6-pax cars of the Sentosa Monorail that circles Sentosa and alighted at Station No. 1 (Sentosa Ferry Terminal). Here, we plan to watch the 7:30 PM Musical Fountain (also known as the Magical Fountain of Sentosa) show.

The Sentosa Monorail was closed in 2005 and most of the island’s monorail was dismantled, though parts of the original track structure still remain. The monorail was replaced by the red, blue and yellow bus lines.

Sentosa Monorail

Started in 1972 and opened, 10 years later, in 1982, the fountain show was designed by world-renowned fountain designer Yves Pepin.  The star attraction at the resort, it was just upgraded early in the year and the fountain is now Neo-Classical in look, with heavily decorated arches.  Its design was also themed to look like a nature wonderland, with small ponds, shrubs and  gigantic man-made waterfalls flanking the fountain grounds.

Musical Fountain and Fountain Gardens

The pool consisted of 25 million gallons of water which took 3 man-hours to fill and the fountain and could be shot up to 20 m.  It had more than 19 different water formations including the famous Phoenix flanked by waltzing “chorus-lines.

The Neo-Classical Musical Fountain

It was already late in the afternoon when we arrived at the amphitheater which could  accommodate 5000 people seated and at least 100 standing. The 7 seating zones in the arena were themed after the colors of the rainbow.  The 3 minute and 36 second fountain display show we watched was said to have been inspired by the synchronized dance of the Fountains of Bellagio.  The show capped our visit in Sentosa.

The Musical Fountain underwent a major restoration and upgrading project in 1999. In 2002, Yves Pepin replaced all the musical fountain shows with the Magical Sentosa Show but this show did not last long. After operating for 25 years, it was shut down to make way for an integrated resort called Resorts World Sentosa . Its last show was staged on March 25, 2007 and was replaced by the “Songs of the Sea” show. The area once occupied by the Musical Fountain is now occupied by the Lake of Dreams, Hotel Michael and Crockford Tower.

Sentosa Island – Underwater World (Singapore)

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After our Pioneers of Singapore/Surrender Chambers Museum tour, we proceeded to Underwater World, Asia’s largest tropical oceanarium located on the western part of Sentosa.  Opened in 1991, this underground living museum has more than 2,500 marine and freshwater animals of 250 species from different regions of the world. Here, we befriended American couple William (Bill) and Ellen Smith.

Underwater World – Touch Pool

Upon entering, we encountered the “Touch Pool” where I got to feel starfishes, sea cucumbers, turtles and more. Further on is the Tidal Pool where we saw samples of multi-colored, living coral.

American Couple William (Bill) and Ellen Smith at the Perspex Tunnel

Next, we moved along a submerged, glass-windowed Perspex tunnel via an 83 m. long travelator, practically nose-to-nose with an array of marine life including a coral reef, stingrays, moray eel, turtles, sharks and other fishes and other fishes.

Underwater World – Schooling Fish Display