For the longest time, I could not decide on what to do for our third day in Bangkok. I contemplated visiting Ayutthaya, but that would have taken the entire day. In the end, the decision was to visit Dusit Palace instead.
Dusit is a district that is very different from the rest of Bangkok. It has wide avenues and a leafy, European feel. Dusit Palace is a massive complex of royal residences and palaces in many different styles.
Our first stop in the Dusit Palace complex was Vimanmek Mansion- touted as the world's largest golden teak building. We entered for free with our Grand Palace entry ticket (which remains valid for a week)- found this helpful tip on Wikitravel (absolutely LOVE this website). I'm so glad I spent time researching and planning; would never have known about things like these otherwise.
Vimanmek Mansion was quite interesting. It was quite odd seeing all the European-themed rooms inside a big wooden mansion- talk about a clash of cultures! We had to follow a compulsory guided tour, and visitors were only allowed to enter in 'approved' groups, so there was strictly no wandering around on your own. We even had to pass through metal detectors before we could go in! A bit overkill, I thought.
Vimanmek Mansion
Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall- a mix of Victorian and Islamic influences.
Used as an exhibition hall to display local arts and craft
The highlight of our visit to Dusit Palace was the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall, constructed in the Italian Renaissance and Neo-Classical style of architecture. We actually stood in front of this huge building, thinking whether we should go in (we were so exhausted), but in the end we were so glad that we did.
The interior of the domes are decorated with paintings depicting the history of the Chakri Dynasty, which may not seem significant to anyone reading this, but seeing it is a totally different experience. Where do we usually see domes? In European churches, of course. So it was very odd seeing domes decorated with an Asian theme, haha.
This building houses amazingly beautiful arts and crafts made with traditional Thai techniques. The items on display were really exquisite- there were carvings, embroidery, and so much more. If you're visiting Dusit Palace, a visit to this Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall is a must. In fact, I think this is much more interesting than Vimanmek Mansion, which felt a tad overrated.
Too bad we could not take any photos inside! Sigh.
My gripe with Dusit Palace is that you have to remove your shoes and store ALL your belongings (no camera, handphone, etc) in the lockers before you enter EACH building, which gets really tiresome after a while. Plus, the palace complex is really huge, which means a lot of walking in the hot sun getting from one building to another. We didn't see all the buildings, of course; that would have taken waaay too long.
Phew, what a morning!
No comments:
Post a Comment