Bangkok thailand activities - Wonderful Bangkok the Tourists Don't See

 Bangkok is a wonderful city for sightseers. Since Thailand was never colonized, it has kept its own exotic, oriental feeling. Visitors always visit The Grand Palace, The Floating Market, but there are other places just as interesting. Three of these are Rung-a-Roon Market, Phrakhanong Khlong, and Kuan-Im Palace. Rung-a-Roon Market stretches from the landing stage of Khlong Prakhanong under the bridge at Sukhumvit Soi 73 back to the main shopping mall of Soi 71. Merchandise ranges from shoes and clothes at the western end to a wide variety of fish and meats at the eastern Khlong side of the market. This market is deep, wide, and very much alive with so much diversity that it keeps more than the immediate neighborhood thriving. In stark contrast to the pandemonium of Sukhumvit and the hubbub of the market, a trip up Prakhanong Khlong is leisurely and quiet. The boats leave Soi 73 on the hour every hour and arrive at the UL-A-Tissom Mosque half an hour later. They leave the Mosque landing stage for the return circuit on the half hour. The trip takes one past several wats where fish beg for food because fishing is prohibited around wats, and one can see how life revolves around the Khlong. The transition from bangkok's frantic, fuming streets to the slumbering, fish-filled waters is so complete that the journey is rejuvenating. In another part of the city Kuan-lm Palace suddenly appears on a typical Bangkok street lined with the seemingly unending shop- houses of this city. The vibrant colors of the Buddha images and the temples in the courtyard coupled with the smooth marble paving dazzle the eyes. One of the Buddha images, on top of a five story building reached by a painted spiral staircase, stands several meters tall with a diamond set into the forehead. The palace dragon is though to be the best in Thailand, and the math image-the goddess Kuan-lm is surrounded by 99 bells that worshippers use to select a lucky coin. These two places and one trip show how Thailand has kept its unique way of life. Rung-a-Roon Market and Khlong Phrakhanong represent bangkok everyday life, while Kuan-Im Palace reflects its religious life. All three reveal the real Bangkok tourists rarely see.