The two-wheel tour
Posted by admin on April 12th, 2009 filed in Day trips, SightseeingThe Thai capital’s history moves in cycles and as it turns out, bicycles are one of the greatest ways to explore it. Bangkok, for all its glitzy malls and modern hotels, remains a destination to luxuriate in heritage and history, and if you don’t believe that, said National Geographic, jump on your bicycle and go see.
Recently a hundred cyclists got out and discovered history-steeped Rattanakosin Island. If there was any scepticism about the city’s surviving merits, it filtered away every shift of gears. “The Temple of King Rama V”, better known as the Marble Temple, set the trip’s tone of architectural splendour with its ubosot designed in the European neo-classical style and Italian marble.
Inside are the revered golden statue Phra Buddha Chinarat and gorgeous murals showing different kinds of stupas. Along a long marble corridor are over 50 Buddha images in the Sukhothai style. In 1873 King Chulalongkorn was ordained in the wooden Song Phranuant Hall. You can see the bed in which he slept as a monk, and paintings of his life’s scenes and Thai traditions.
The next stop was Dusit Palace, where the cyclist admired the graceful Vimanmek Mansion, constructed on Ko Si Chang as King Chulalongkorn’s summer residence and moved to Bangkok in 1901. In the capital, the three-floor golden-teakwood mansion was refurbished in the Victorian style by his Royal Highness Prince Narisranuvattivongse, the King’s half-brother.
There are 72 rooms, although only 31 are open to the public as a museum. The walls in shades of green, blue, pink, ivory and peach enclose displays of rare collection of art, artefacts, royal portraits and handicrafts. The Hong Si Fah – the blue room – has 72 turtle-shaped black sapphires on view, created for His Majesty King Bhumibol’s 72nd birthday. In another room are wonderful ceramic ware from the Netherlands and Russia and Shanghai-style silverware used to test food for poison.
Stay tuned for part 2!
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