Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SIGHTS
WAT PHRA KAEW & GRAND PALACE
See
Click here
.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE, HISTORICAL SITE
WAT PHO
See
Click here
.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
WAT ARUN
See
Click here
.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
AMULET MARKET
(Th Maha Rat; 7am-5pm; Tha Chang)
This arcane and fascinating market claims both the
footpaths along Th Maha Rat and Th Phra Chan, as well as a dense network of covered
market stalls near Tha Phra Chan. The trade is based around small talismans carefully
prized by collectors, monks, taxi drivers and people in dangerous professions.
Potential buyers, often already sporting many amulets, can be seen bargaining and flip-
ping through magazines dedicated to the amulets, some of which command astronomical
prices. While money changes hands between vendor and customer, both use the euphem-
ism of 'renting' to get around the prohibition of selling Buddhas.
This is a great place to just wander and watch men (because it's rarely women) looking
through magnifying glasses at the tiny amulets, seeking hidden meaning and, if they're
lucky, hidden value. The market stretches all the way to the riverside, where a narrow alley
leads north to wooden kitchens overhanging the water. Each humble kitchen garners a view
of the river; students from nearby Thammasat University congregate here for cheap eats
before heading off to class. It's an ideal stop for a lunch of classic Thai comforts and
Western adaptations popular with students.
Also along this strip are handsome shophouses overflowing with family-run herbal
medicine and traditional massage shops.
MARKET
MUSEUM OF SIAM
(
www.museumsiam.com
; Th Maha Rat; admission 300B; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun; Tha Tien)
This fun mu-
seum employs a variety of media to explore the origins of the Thai people and their culture.
Housed in a European-style 19th-century building that was once the Ministry of Com-
merce, the exhibits are presented in an engaging, interactive fashion not often found in
MUSEUM
