Hehe… I dont even remember that the posts on the Bangkok trip was chopped halfway… well, till Kimmie sent me an email that wrote, “Ei, why your posts on Bangkok no ending one?” So, here I am, completing the remaining of the jigsaw puzzle.
The 3rd day, started the day wanting to visit Jim Thompson Museum, after we mistook the sales outlet as the museum when walking around. Then thought of going to the famous Vimanmek Mansion before taking off to Chatuchak Marker.
Like the days before, we walked to Thong Lo BTS station and got ourselves the 1 day pass. Taking the BTS and alighted at National Museum station, it was then followed by a short walk to Jim Thompson Museum.
The Jim Thompson House is the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. Thompson’s achievements during his 25 year stay in the Kingdom of Thailand have won him much fame as the “Legendary American of Thailand”.
Source: http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/museum/index.asp
However, it will cut me off by 100 baht as I need to pay for the admission. With the very limited budget (I’ll come to the story later), I decided to forgo it. (So, this could be filed under another reason to visit Bangkok again)
Another 5-10 minutes walk (roughly) took me to Hau Chang Bridge. I took a canal boat till the last stop at Phanfah Leelas Bridge, near to Golden Mount. Thanks to 2 pretty Thai ladies, I had a easy and safe ride on the canal boat. It’s a cheap way of travelling but you need to climb over ropes that is tied from end to end. From there, I walked to a bit to where nearest to Vimanmek Mansion, as indictated in the map to save on the taxi fare. However a have a friend said its pretty near and can walk from Khao San, but of course, you need to have the luxury of time. My sis took a tuk tuk to reach there.
As you can see, I’m making effort to reach there by taking different means of transportation. The admission ticket comes together with the Grand Palace one). This is not to be missed, even though it is slightly off the square that holds the rest of the palaces. It also gives free tour around the mansion, in different languages - English, Chinese and Japanese (if I’m not mistaken)
Billed as the world’s largest teakwood building, Vimanmek Mansion was built as a royal residence in the first few years of the 20th century. It was only used for a few years before it fell into disuse and was practically forgotten until the early eighties. It was rediscovered by Her Majesty the Queen and turned into museum reflecting the Thai heritage from the dramatic reign of King Rama V.
From a single restored building in the 1980s, the Vimanmek Mansion Museum has grown to include more than 20 restored structures of the old Dusit Palace displaying everything from ancient artifacts of Thailand’s pre-history to contemporary photographs donated by His Majesty the King. Its now become a large complex of museums where the buildings themselves form part of the “collection” on display.
Source: http://thailandforvisitors.com/central/bangkok/vimanmek/index.html
After spending about half a day there, I took a cab back to Khao San road and had the most economical food, the fried beehoon on the road side to have more money to shop at Chatuchak later on. From there, I walked to the National Museum but luck was not on my side. The museum was closed due to some reason, and so there, another reason for me to visit Bangkok again. (Side note: Need to walk a lot in Bangkok too, unless of course, can afford to spend a lot on transportation)
~ The Democracy Monument… near Khao San Road
~ Khao San Road — the backpackers haven
And from there, I walked to the nearest pier to catch the express boat to Saphan Taksin in order to take the BTS all the way to Mo Chit. Getting down from Mo Chit, a short walk will take you to Chatuchak Weekend Market. The market is so huge that they even have a directory. They sell a wide range of things from knick knacks to clothes to pets to pots. They even have foot massage there! 
~ Taken from the overhead bridge - road leading to Chatuchak Market
~ From one of the food stall in Chatuchak Market
But I was so the very poor then cos need to allocate money for cab fare to go to airport and the airport tax that we miscalculated earlier on.
So, that’s that… my trip to Bangkok. Moral of the story - remember to allocate $$ for airport tax.
