Laem Chabang, Thailand

Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand -- November 25, 2016

Laem Chabang is the port we docked at overnight for Thailand. It is about a three-hour drive to Bangkok in the north and about an hour or so to Pattaya in the south. We have arranged a private excursion for the five of us with an early start at 8:00a.m. and leaving Bangkok at 6:00p.m. for about $100 pp. This tour was with Chob Panma of Thai Tour Guides.  Chob@thaitourguide.com

There were some confusion as we were planning for the day, with the wrong date, and time for tour, etc. when he sent me the confirmation. But finally got that all straightened out and we added on two extra hours to their normal tour itinerary hoping to see more of Bangkok. I was instructed that I should talk to our guide when we meet her on the day, they are flexible. Well, it turned out that nothing was added for the two-hour extra. More on that later.

To make sure that we were ready for our tour, we had room service that morning. We still had the old breakfast room service menu on the Volendam and were able to order everything we wanted, even with write-in items. Delivery was timely and food was hot.

Looking out from deck 3, we could see that buses and vendors were all ready for our arrival.

White tents were where security check was. The blue tents were the vendors. This port is quite far away from the port gate which could be a problem if the tour operators do not get in shipside to meet you.

Uh oh, someone needed medical assistance.

We got off the ship at around 7:50 and hoping to meet our guide at 8:00. We did not see anyone holding sign with my name, and it was already past 8am. We waited for another 10 minutes until a van drove up and Ms Pookie finally came out and said she was not able to get through the port gate and was held up for 10 minutes there. We finally left port and on our way to Bangkok.

The drive to Bangkok took three hours with a quick restroom stop near a huge McDonald's on the way. Traffic started off OK, but as we got closer to the city, it got heavier and heavier. 

Billboards remembering the late King were up everywhere.

Royal (Grand) Palace

Our first stop for the day was at the Royal Palace. With the King's passing, this became the most important site these days. Thai people from all over the country came to pay their respects and they had to stay in the very long line to get in. We were told that free food and drinks were provided since they have such a long wait. Foreigners or visitors got in through a separate line. We had to have our passports and picture ID ready for inspection but I don't remember they even check on those. Security check was very thorough though, just like at the airports, no sharp objects, cigarette lighters, etc. We were told to dress appropriately for the day from the tour operator before the trip and watched our manners.

Paintings on the wall of the King as we left security check area.

Getting inside the palace. Tourists from all over the world can be seen at every corner of the place.

One rare photo with nobody else in the frame.

Main Entrance for tourists.

Our guide was in line getting tickets for us.

Might as well take a photo of the man in black, and white.

Before going into the main temple area, we stopped at the small museum first to learn about the history of Thailand. Not too many people visited the museum though. Once inside, what we saw was people everywhere. It was very difficult to take a decent picture. Ms Pookie was able to snap a few pictures of us before we even start touring the place.

I am not going to try to identify what all these buildings were. Ms Pookie gave us a lot of background and information about each building as we walked around but it got a little too complicated for me to remember all the details. She was really good at explaining and tried very hard to make us understand but my old brain was having a hard time processing all those information in that crowded space. So, after a while, I gave up and just enjoyed the sights as we wandered around. 

This reminded me of Myanmar.

Now, I remember this, a replica of Angor Wat.

I know she told us about these heads, but I just don't remember other than they always come in odd numbers.

Just to show the size and ratio of this Angor Wat replica.

So colorful!

We had to take our shoes off (not our socks) to see the Emerald Buddha. 

Decorative building.

We could see the Emerald Buddha from afar. It was just a quick walk through.

Just so nothing will happen to the Emerald Buddha, only the King can go up to change the Buddha's outfit according to the seasons.

I believe this is the resident area of the palace. 

The Palace. The line behind are Thai nationals who came from all over the country to pay respects to the late King.

The lines were very well-organized.

Thai people in one line...

...and tourists on the other side.

Royal Thai Navy Club

For our lunch which was not included in the tour, Ms Pookie took us across the street from the Royal Palace to the Royal Navy Club. Ms Pookie helped us order our food and she also ate with us. Prices was very reasonable and food was good. Other than the air-conditioner being extremely cold, we enjoyed our lunch there. 

Exit the Royal Palace

To the Royal Thai Navy Club across the street.

Entrance to the club building.

Fried rice in pineapple

Yes, more coconut!

pad thai

Ton Yum Koon

Fish cakes, not as good as Lucky's, I have to say.

Forgot what these were.

Another whole steamed fish. 

 curry in coconut, very good!

Outside of Royal Thai Navy Club

Next door is the Navy Wives Association Shop.

Long-tail Boat Ride on the Chao Phraya River

After a fine lunch, we walked around the corner to the Tha Chang pier for our long-tail boat ride. There was a long line of people waiting for their boats but we went to one side of the pier and Ms Pookie just hollered for a boat to come and picked us up. A private boat just for the five of us.

Entrance to the pier.

Ms Pookie at the pier.

Started off with a smooth ride.

National Museum of Royal Barges on Bangkok Noi

Then it got a little choppy and heavy rain came down also. We all got a little wet to say the least.

Feeding the hungry fish.

Ms Pookie got us a couple loaves of stale bread to feed the fish from this stall.

It was a fun ride! Just wish that the weather was better. 

Pak Khlong Market

We got off the long-tail boat at the pier right next to a mall. Used the clean restrooms there before crossing over to the Pak Khlong Flower Market. We spent too much time here walking around this huge market which we had no intention of buying any flowers. We did want to buy some fruits but there wasn't anything that was appealing. Even the sales ladies said the mangoes were not in season. Ms Pookie went through some stalls and introduced the different kinds of herbs and spices they use in Thai cooking. She said this market is open 24-hours. Not sure why.

Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha

We actually told her that we can skip this but Ms Pookie took us here anyway. We just took a quick walk around, took some pictures and left. There were a lot of people and it was hard trying to squeeze through the many bodies to get a good photo. Anyway, been there, done that!

The feet that were made with mother of pearls.

After Wat Pho, Ms Pookie asked if we wanted to go back to the ship, that was 4:30! We paid two hours extra to stay in town from 4:00 to 6:00! I asked her about the places we wanted to go on the list. Difficult to find parking in Chinatown, maybe we can drop you off somewhere and you take a tuk tuk there. Giant Swing? Not on our way. Everything we wanted to do was shot down. Talk about flexibility. Finally, I said, OK, take us to the MBK Mall. I didn't know much about MBK Mall, but have seen videos of it and some cruise passengers used that as a drop-off, pick-up point. I wasn't ready to get back to port before our time is up. I guess she had no choice, so she had the driver take us there. I did not realize the traffic in Bangkok was going to be that bad, in the rain. By the time we got there it was close to 5:30. Looking at the time, we decided to just stay there for 30 minutes and leave at 6:00, our agreed on time to go back to port. Ms Pookie made a sarcastic comment "After driving here you just want to stay for half an hour?" By then, I was a little ticked and didn't even want to respond to her. She took us to the meeting point inside the mall and let us loose for 30 minutes. How I wished we were here earlier. Skip the flower market and skip Wat Pho. This mall was much more interesting and we only got a chance to see part of the first floor. We used the restrooms, walked around, and bought some interesting fresh bread from a bakery, just in case we ended up hungry on our way back to port.

Inside MBK Mall

We got back to the ship at exactly 9:00, a three-hour drive again. Ms Pookie gave each of us a little souvenir of a golden elephant in a pouch and she was going to give us a refund for something which I did not hear what she was saying, something in relations to the time or whatever. We told her that it was OK, and to just keep it. We also gave her and the driver a good tip. All-in-all it was a good tour, but I was just surprised that she was not flexible enough to work with us when Mr. Chob told me that she would. Other than that, we had a good day seeing what was on the itinerary.

Now that we have missed our dining time, we just went up to the Lido for the snacks which was plentiful for the evening. We had never have to come up for midnight snacks and I was surprised at all the food available there at that hour.

Skewer, steak, grilled fish with rice

Spending the night in Laem Chabang.