Day 3

• Our day began at 10 a.m., an hour later than yesterday
• We took the BTS to Saphan Taksin
  
• Took the local river taxi (with the orange flag) to Tha Chang (N9). Fare was 17Bht/person. Tip: Boats with the orange flag stop at every pier while boats with the yellow flags are express boats that skip a few piers. The tourist boat is 120Bht/person/day but it is only worth it if you want to do everything along the river. Oh, and you buy your tickets on the river taxi itself, much like sitting on a pink Mini Bus.
• When we got off the boat, there were many men walking around telling people that the palace was closed. We ignored them as many have warned us about these lurking con men. Walked to the Grand Palace, entry is 300Bht/person.
  
• Walked out to Wat Pho at approximately 12 pm. Paid 30 Bht for a coconut (we saw that it was only 20 Bht around the corner)
  
• Outside the Wat Pho was a sign that stated 'Enter via the other gate'. There were two 'guards' stationed there, one told us that the temple was closed for lunch and that we were to visit the other temples which were open i.e. the Lucky Buddha etc. We ignored this guy and walked to the other temple entrance only to find that there was no such thing as
  'closed for lunch'
  
• Wat Pho entry cost 50Bht/person. In the shrine of the reclining Buddha, we donated money to get coins that were dropped (one each) into the 108 gold 'pots'
  
• Whilst still within the grounds of Wat Pho, we saw the amazing circular rainbow phenomenon
  
• Took the river boat from Tha Tien (N8) to Ratchawongse (N5). This cost 22Bht/person
• Walked and got lost in Chinatown for an hour. We could not find any decent eateries for lunch
• We walked back to the pier and took the express boat to Sathorn (N1), got back on the BTS, alighted at Sala Daeng station
• Initially, we walked into Silom Complex to look for a good place to eat but the food court had no air conditioning
• Got out back and went to this quaint little noodle bar called Nooddi Bar. Verdict: Reasonably priced, good food - I had tom yum udon and P had tom yum fried rice which was different and nice, horrible service, grumpy and unhelpful staff, we didn't enjoy the overall experience here
• Walked down Patpong Road, passed Patpong market which was in the midst of opening. Many men were walking up to P asking if he needed a 'masssaaaagggggeee???'
• We eventually reached the main junction (approximately 20 minutes from our lunch place) at a busy cross junction
• We followed our Nancy Chandler map to a lane that said 'all your money will melt away' - Soi La Lai Sap. Verdict: we didn't find anything particularly great about this place
  
• Walked back to Sala Daeng where we stopped for a drink
• Walked to Silom MRT (approximately 5 minutes away from the Sala Daeng BTS) for our first MRT experienced. There are guards stationed at the entry that do a brief check on your bags
  
• Alighted at Lumphini station straight into Suan Lum Night Bazaar
  
• We sat at Safari Steak enjoying the a/c, ice cream and ice cold water whilst we waited for the stalls to open.
• The shops open. Again, we followed P's systematic way of covering all bases by walking aisle by aisle, one end to the other. After about an hour, we realised we had only covered one block and there were several others!!!!!! Tip: For first timers, when you reach the Suan Lum Night Bazaar, take a look at the location map and check out what you want to see or purchase and go straight to it - it's less tiring
  
• Dinner at a restaurant in the middle opposite the Safari Steak restaurant. Tip: look for the beer garden with many food stalls or an outdoor food court located at the back end of this place
• Took the MRT back to Sukhumvit, stopped at 7-11 for an ice cream and bottled water
• We were so exhausted - we decided that the next day will be a chill-lax day