On the Sunday we moved from The Avani to The Grand Mercure Atrium Hotel which was quite close to our first hotel, but on a street with a proper pavement so it was easier to get to transport from here.
The Grand Mercure Atrium Hotel.
Canal near our hotel.
Boat stop on canal near our hotel.
Our room was very clean and comfortable. It had a walk in shower, a kettle, a fridge and a safe. There was a little elephant made out of towels and surrounded by orchids on the bed when we arrived. I like these and so does Eddie. Unfortunately Peter didn't see it and threw his waistcoat on it and that was the end of the elephant.
Our room in The Grand Mercure Atrium.
Our room in The Grand Mercure Atrium.
There were good views from our room which was located on the sixteenth floor of the hotel.
View from our room.
View from our room.
View from our room at night.
We had lounge access and, although the drinks service was a bit slow, there was plenty of food and it was of really good quality. It all came in little canape sized bowls which was perfect for Peter as he hates being faced with lots of food at one time. We watched the beautiful sun set over the city as we ate our food. We felt very comfortable here.
Sunset.
Sunset.
Sunset.
Peter in the lounge.
Next day we had a swim in the hotel pool. It was actually a really nice one. Peter could get in fairly easily by holding onto a fence that separated the main pool from the kids' pool. The pool was mainly rectangular, but with a bend and a round stairway to make it slightly more interesting. It was also surprisingly deep. I don't think it could exactly be described as warm, but it was warmer than the pool at our first hotel.
Pool in The Grand Mercure Atrium.
Pool in The Grand Mercure Atrium.
Pool in The Grand Mercure Atrium.
Peter in the pool.
Peter in the pool.
After our swim, I decided to head to Benjakitti Park. My plan was to explore this park, look around the new adjacent Benjakitti Forest Park, then walk the Green Mile to Lumphini Park.
I got off the train at The Queen Sirikit Convention Centre and took the exit for Benjakitti Park. This is where life kicked me in the teeth yet again and it was all entirely my own fault.
The Queen Sirikit Convention Centre.
The Queen Sirikit Convention Centre.
If I had looked at the map I had downloaded, I would have known that to get to the entrance of the park, I should go left, but I continued straight and while I could see the park, frustratingly I couldn't get into it. I guess I was busy looking for an entrance and not paying attention to where I was putting my feet and the next thing I knew, I was lying flat down on the ground. A group of Thai people waiting for a bus, kindly came to help me up. I had cut my left knee and all the way down my left leg. My right knee got a severe bump and ended up badly bruised. I didn't exactly twist my right ankle, but it got badly jolted and later swelled up a bit.
But worse than any of the above, as far as I was concerned, I had just smashed my brand new phone which Peter had bought me for Christmas, but given to me early. He bought it to replace the last phone he gave me which, guess what? I had smashed the screen on. I phoned Peter and told him what I had done. I was distraught. He kept saying: "The phone doesn't matter as long as you are all right. Just come home and tend to your legs."
I decided not to go home though. I told Peter I was ok and continued my walk as planned. I finally got into Benjakitti Park, but at the top end having walked its entire length next to a busy road. I was too pissed off to walk back down and just took a couple of photos across the large lake that occupies most of the park. I read somewhere that Benjakitti Park was built to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Queen Sirikit. Apparently Benjakitti means five cycles, i.e. the queen had gone through the twelve Chinese New Year Animal cycles five times by her sixtieth birthday
Benjakitti is a pretty park and its huge lake is surrounded with brightly coloured bougainvillea. Some people were boating on the lake. I saw a monitor lizard swimming in the water, but it was too far away to photograph. I was really hoping I might see another one. I love monitor lizards.
Benjakitti Park.
Benjakitti Park.
Benjakitti Park.
Benjakitti Park.
Bougainvillea, Benjakitti Park.
Bougainvillea, Benjakitti Park.
I then tried to find the walkway known as The Green Mile. This is a relatively recent attraction in Bangkok. It is an overhead walkway, painted green , which allows people to walk or cycle between Lumphini Park and Benjakitti Park. I had originally intended to set out from The Lumphini Park side, but I had read that The Green Mile was hard to find from there and that it could be accessed more easily from the Benjakitti side. Frustratingly, I didn't seem to be able to find it anywhere. It seemed this wasn't going to be a good day. I didn't give up though and, although I thought from the information I had read that I should get on The Green Mile in Benjakitti Park and then come off into the new Benjakitti Forest Park, I found the Benjakitti Forest Park without finding The Green Mile.
Benjakitti Forest Park is located on land that was once a government owned tobacco factory. It is really beautiful and saved the day as far as I was concerned. It has a long skywalk from where you can gaze down on the park.
Sky walk in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Sky walk in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Sky walk in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Sky walk, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Water lilies near the sky walk.
There are also lots of different paths to follow and raised viewing platforms.
Pathways in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Pathways in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Pathways in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Benjakitti Forest Park.
Ponds in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Benjakitti Forest Park.
Benjakitti Forest Park has lots of trees, swamp areas and lots of ponds filled with lilies and tall yellow grasses. There's even a museum here, though on this occasion I didn't visit it.
Tall grass, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Tall grasses, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Tall grasses, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Tree in Benjakitti Forest Park.
Water lily.
Water lily.
Water lily.
Water lily.
Water lily.
Of course there were lots of colourful flowers and flowering trees, too.
Flowers, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Flowers, Benjakitti Forest Park.
Flowering trees in Benjakitti Forest Park.
It took me a while, but I eventually came to a part of the sky walk which indicated the direction and distance to The Green Mile, so I followed that and eventually got to the right place.
The Green Mile is loved by people in Bangkok as it is a way of walking above the city roads and, in a city as traffic clogged as Bangkok, it's a real godsend. Not only does it get people away from the nonstop traffic it also crosses an interesting area that still has some older style wooden houses and some interesting religious buildings such as a mosque and a church that is designed to look like a Thai style temple.
The Green Mile.
The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Wooden houses on The Green Mile.
Church that looks like a Thai temple.
Mosque next to The Green Mile.
Mosque next to The Green Mile.
I enjoyed walking The Green Mile, though compared to all my faffing around trying to find it, the walk itself seemed really short.
Stairs up to The Green Mile from Lumphini Park.
At the end of the walk I came down a set of stairs next to Lumphini Park. I went inside the park. It was absolutely heaving with people. Apparently there was a Red Cross Fair going on and there were lots of stalls and activities. I watched a group of people singing and dancing. They seemed to be having a great time. As far as I could make out some of the stalls seemed to be connected to the armed services
Singing and dancing, Lumphini Park.
Stall, Lumphini Park.
Stall, Lumphini Park.
Stall in Lumphini Park.
Child with royal barge in Lumphini Park.
Lanterns, Lumphini Park.
Eventually I sought out a slightly more peaceful area by one of Lumphini Park's lakes. There were lots of people sitting on the grass and many people had hired boats shaped like ducks or swans and were sailing on the lake.
Lake in Lumphini Park.
Lake in Lumphini Park.
Sailing on the lake, Lumphini Park.
Boating on the lake in Lumphini Park.
Boat by the lake in Lumphini Park.
People enjoying Lumphini Park.
People enjoying Lumphini Park.
Building, Lumphini Park.
I was just thinking: "With all these people; I'll never see a monitor lizard." when I heard a woman say to her kids: "That's enough now, stop following it, leave it alone." And I realized there was a huge monitor lizard right next to me. The first time Peter and I ever saw a monitor lizard was in this park and from a distance we thought it was some kind of crocodile. Monitor lizards look scary, but are actually harmless. Nonetheless, they are certainly pretty big.
Children following monitor lizard, Lumphini Park.
Monitor Lizard, Lumphini Park.
Monitor lizard, Lumphini Park.
Of course there were many beautiful flowers in the park.
Orchids, Lumphini Park.
Orchids, Lumphini Park.
Sunflowers, Lumphini Park.
Sunflowers, Lumphini Park.
Lumphini Park is believed to be the first public park in Thailand. At one time the land here was owned by King Rama VI, but in 1925 he donated it to the nation so that it could be used as a location for the Siamrat Phiphitthaphan Trade Fair. After the fair, the king ordered the land to be made into a public park. The park was called after the birthplace of Buddha. There's a statue of King Rama VI at the entrance to the park.
Police, Lumphini Park.
Statue of King Rama VI, Lumphini Park.
Piglets for sale outside Lumphini Park.
I exited the park and got onto the MRT which is right next to it and headed back to the hotel. We had dinner in the lounge as usual.
Dinner in the lounge.
Next day my right ankle was swollen and stiff so I abandoned my sightseeing plans for the day and let my ankle rest. It could be thought of as a waste of a day, but it couldn't be helped and to be honest I rather enjoyed having a rest. Guess I am getting on a bit.
On our last day we had a lovely swim and enjoyed our free drinks in the poolside bar.
Enjoying drinks by the pool.
This featured blog entry was written by irenevt from the blog Return To The City of Angels..
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