After touring Bangkok's Grand Palace, next on the list is its adjacent Temple (or Wat), the Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is just a few meters away but because our heads were already feeling stuffy from the unbelievable heat, we chose to get a tuktuk to take us to our next stop.

This temple's entrance fee is way less costly than Grand Palace's. Also, Wat Pho closes a lot later than the Grand Palace (4PM vs 9PM) so make sure you consider this when doing your itinerary.

The ticketing office did not fail to make us smile :)

The reclining buddha poses a big challenge for photography amateurs like me

Wat Pho may be popular for its herculean Reclining Buddha but the most memorable structure in this place for me is the chedi. Chedis are very ornate tower-like structures. This type of architecture displays Thai patience, passion and creativity and can be more captivating than the golden masterpiece.

A chedi houses the remains of either buddha, members of the royal family or buddhist relics (thinking of pyramids? I thought so, too!). Wat Pho serves as a ground for 91 chedis. Ninety one!

Wat Pho may be a smaller area than the first temple we visited but if you're visiting during Thailand's hot months, you'll find this place a shady, relaxing refuge. It is a cooler place than The Grand Palace.

We took a tuktuk for 100 Baht to take us from Wat Pho to Wongwian Yai station (check Bangkok skytrain map), the nearest BTS station to take us back to Pathumwan Princess Hotel. The ride was such an adventure it's the perfect way to end Day 1 of our Bangkok trip!

Day 1 Entrance and Transpo Fees (per head):

• National Stadium to Saphan Taksin BTS: 30 Baht
• Chao Phraya boat to Maharaj Pier (Grand Palace): 30฿
• Grand Palace Entrance Fee: 400฿
• Tuktuk to Wat Pho: 50฿ (divided by 3)
• Wat Pho Entrance: 100฿
• Tuktuk to BTS: 100฿  (divided by 3)
• Wongwian Yai to National Stadium: 40฿
• -------------------------------------------------------------------
• Total sightseeing expenses: 651฿ 

For 651 Baht, I can say that I got a good bargain for a tiring but meaningful Thailand Wat experience. It's a total shame I didn't visit Wat Arun because we lacked time but it just means that I have to get on the plane  back to Bangkok one of these days and settle some unfinished business!

I promised to share how we commuted to Bangkok's famous Grand Palace during my last travel post, so here it is! 

• From the Pathumwan Princess hotel, we took the BTS at National Stadium station. This station is interconnected to MBK shopping center (learn more about Bangkok's Train System).

• We got off Saphan Taksin station, sixth station from National Stadium. 

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I woke up very early one January morning to check out the weather in Tagaytay. It took us two hours to drive from Manila to Batangas. Our destination: the Tagaytay Picnic Grove!

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On our first day in Thailand, we decided to visit the Grand Palace immediately after checking-in and having lunch at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel. We got to the place at 1PM --- the place was not only scorching hot, it was way too packed!

Grand Palace's Fashion Police

if you're wearing any prohibited outfit, they'll point you to the right direction (see below)

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There are four rapid transit lines for public transport in Bangkok: the 2 BTS (skytrain) lines, 1 MRT (subway) line, and 1 airport rail link.

The Airport Link

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link is comprised of the Express Line and the City/Commuter Line. I'm using a scanned map I got from the airport and tweaked the Express line (red) by extending it way up to Phya Thai station (the original map had the red line up to Makkasan).

Le Route:

Express Line (red): Suvarnabhumi Airport - Makkasan (interchanges with Phetchaburi Station, MRT) - Phya Thai (interchanges with Phya Thai Station, BTS)

Commuter Line (blue): Suvarnabhumi Airport - Lad Krabang - Thub Chang - Hua Mark - Ramkhamhaeng - Makkasan (interchanges with Phetchaburi Station, MRT) - Ratchaprarop - Phayathai (interchanges with Phya Thai Station, BTS)

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We booked the Pathumwan Princess Hotel in Siam via agoda.com. What made us choose the place is the great hotel service review and its proximity to the shopping complexes and the skytrain (BTS).

From the Suvarnabhumi airport, we traveled 45mins to the hotel and was greeted by a chic and clean reception area (2nd floor). The front desk folks were warm and very helpful. It took us an extra effort to adjust to their accent, though. They knew English but it wasn't that easy to understand. Hand gestures and nods were essential to foreigners in Bangkok.

We took Pathumwan Princess' ExecuPlus Suite. It had a spacious receiving area and an adjoining bedroom. Upon entering room 1215, we were delighted to get a whiff of the room's relaxing cedar scent! The room's furniture and interior was worth the price tag.

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We've already gone through two new year celebs and I still haven't updated my blog :( I apologize for not sending you my warm wishes. I have lots in store for The Beauty Bin, specifically about my Bangkok trip some few weeks back.

I enjoyed myself a lot during the trip. There were so many things to marvel at (hello Bangkok architecture!), new things to learn about and huge elephants to wrap my arms around on! The hotel I stayed at, the Pathumwan Princess, was so darn gorgeous. The photo above is from the hotel's poolside and this one below's from the Ground floor café:

I'm leaving you with two photos for now. I can't wait to write! And I'm getting back to reading my favorite blogs,too! Happy New Year!