Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
full regalia (you may encounter a much-published picture of this meeting while in
Bangkok). The first meeting of the Thai parliament was held in the building before being
moved to a facility nearby.
RAMA V MEMORIAL
(Th U Thong Nai; Phaya Thai exit 3 & taxi)
The bronze figure on horseback is Rama V, the mon-
arch widely credited for steering the country into the modern age and for preserving Thai-
land's independence from European colonialism. He is also considered a champion of the
common people for his abolition of slavery and corvée (the requirement that every citizen
be available for state labour when called). The statue is also the site of a huge celebration
on 23 October, the anniversary of the monarch's death.
MONUMENT
DUSIT ZOO
(Th Ratchawithi; adult/child 100/50B; 8am-6pm; Phaya Thai exit 3 & taxi)
Originally a private botan-
ic garden for Rama V, Dusit Zoo (
sŏo·an sàt dùsìt
or
kŏw din
) was opened in 1938 and is
now one of the premier zoological facilities in Southeast Asia. Squeezed into the 19 hec-
tares are more than 300 mammals, 200 reptiles and 800 birds, including relatively rare in-
digenous species. The shady grounds feature trees labelled in English, plus a lake in the
centre with paddle boats for rent.
ZOO
CHITLADA PALACE
(cnr Th Ratchawithi & Th Phra Ram V; closed to the public; Phaya Thai exit 3 & taxi)
Formerly the cur-
rent royal family's official residence (at time of writing the king was in hospital), Chitlada
Palace is also a royally funded agriculture centre demonstrating the reigning king's com-
mitment to the progress of the country's major industry. The palace is not open to the gen-
eral public and it's pretty difficult to see from the outside, but you can spot rice paddies
and animal pastures - smack in the middle of Bangkok - through the perimeter fence.
NOTABLE BUILDING
NATIONAL LIBRARY
(Th Samsen; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun; Tha Thewet)
F
The country's largest repos-
itory of books has few foreign-language resources, but its strength is in its astrological
books and star charts; the collection also holds recordings by the king, sacred palm-leaf
writings and ancient maps.
LIBRARY
