Bangkok 2015 Day 3 & 4

We retired early from Day 2 and took the MRT from Sam Yan to Hua Lumphong. We spoke to the officer at the train station's tourism information and she recommended a taxi ride to Ayutthaya instead of the train. There are 2 options for train ride to Ayutthaya:

1) 1.5 hr via express train, air conditioned 350 THB

2) 2 hr 3rd class train, no air conditioning 30 THB

We opted for the cab, which costs 500 THB and we had to foot for the tolls to and fro. Total toll was 110 + 50 + 100 THB 1 way. Our cab driver was a friendly guy who shared stories about being a bad boy and not going to school, getting a kid at 19 yrs old and now having an Indonesian girlfriend. What a character! He brought us to a restaurant by the riverside which he claims is cheaper than townside (but IMO the price is not much different). The lunch costs us 1140 THB. 

Our bad boy cabbie
Lunch here
2 x coffee - not fragrant
Sour spicy soup with chicken
Pad thai
The best dish! 
Papaya salad
Our cabbie brought us to the elephant park where you can ride the elephant around town, I can't recall the fee but it would take about 2 hrs and we don't know how the elephants were handled/trained, so we moved on to  and Wat Seri San Phet. The former was partially destroyed in a fire and restored so it was crowded with devotees. Entrance to Wihan Phra Mongkon Bophit is free. 
Baby elephant
 
Next door is Wat Phra Seri San Phet. Entrance fee is 50 THB for foreigners. The ruins are older than Angkor Wat and they've collapsed several times, so we couldn't enter the buildings proper. 

Then we drove to Wat Mahathat with the famous Buddha head in the tree root structure. Don't be too excited; it is smaller than you'd expect it to be but no less fascinating. Entrance fee here is also 50 THB. 
 
 
Then it was short drive to Phra Noon (Reclining Buddha). Offerings are still presented here and no entrance fee. 

Tip: it took 3 hrs to cover the sites we visited in Ayutthaya. Approximate a decent amount of time so you won't rush between sites. 

It was a long drive back to the hotel, we took another swim then walked out to Silom. The guys grabbed a quick bite at KFC: there was a triple O burger - oregano, mayo, tomato. It was pretty good! I liked that they provide free water for patrons! 
The Triple O burger
Choc ice cream with strawberry jelly cover

We changed more money then continued walking to the main shopping area where Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Square hug the main road and they are interconnected by a walkway (more like a "elevated" open air pavilion and the BTS. 
This is NOT at ground level

We walked to Siam Square and found a food court. There was a decent spread but surprisingly the shops were already closing at 5pm. This is where we had the best meal in Bangkok! 
 
We walked around for sightseeing and went to Lek massage center. Foot (1 hr) + Thai body massage (1 hr) costs 500 THB per person. The foot massage was okay but the Thai massage was disappointing and I felt my local massage center would've done a better job. Turns out the bf was propositioned for a happy ending by a slender, busty masseuse during the start of the Thai body massage and he got stocky strong lady after he refused. He said that the massage was pretty good, so yay for him. I think the massage parlors in Bangkok provide a more relaxed rather than a therapeutic experience (besides dodgy offers!) 
We strolled back to the hotel's vicinity. I stopped by Chamchuri Square to get some snacks: the tom yam flavored Pocky is so delicious and addictive! We walked across to Wat Hua Lumphong where street food was abundant: we had pad thai and pork noodle soup. I also had grass jelly with sweetened milk. 

Our last night
The next morning our cabbie came late so we hopped into another cab. He asked us to foot the toll and his English wasn't good so we ended taking the highway. Luckily for us, there was no traffic jam and we arrived at the airport in good time. We ate at but the food wasn't as good as what we had previously. 
Bland tom yum
Blander pad thai
Oily red curry with duck

Summary: It was a good trip. Next time out I will visit Wat Pho and try other street food; I had milk tea and tom yum everyday! Bangkok is an interesting city; there is so much to explore and experience, I will definitely return. Krob koon kha Bangkok! :)

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