Walking distance between Grand Palace and flower market in Bangkok?
 

With just 3 weeks before departure, I'm in FULL planning mode to finalize the details...

Two EARLY morning adventures I've read about are:
#1 ~ Getting up at 6:00 a.m. and heading for the Grand Palace area to be there when the monks come by with their alms bowls. We place food, etc. in their bowls as they walk past. I've been told that this is merit making at its basic best and an experience we won't forget.

#2 ~ An early morning visit to the Flower Market (5:00 a.m. and onwards) is suppose to be one of the best times. (So is midnight to 2:00 a.m....but not for us.)

Does anyone know how long it would take to walk from one to the other? Or go by boat...if any boats are running at that time?

i think boats start about 6AM....but a taxi would be the easiest and quite cheap...

i have not heard of anyone making merit at the GP, but i suppose it is possible there....

personally i would find it tooooo hot in april to walk that far, but you could easily do it... i'll let the experts suggest the timing... i can't think a taxi would be $1-1.50

I've never done the merit making at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (that is the wat next to the Grand Palace) but I have at Wat Ben - the Marble Wat. We took a taxi to and from.

A taxi would be the fastest and easiest way between the GP/EB area and the flower market. I think it's a long-ish walk.

It's actually going to be May...so even hotter...huh...

The suggestion for making merit at the Grand Palace was on a Groovy Map. I sure don't want to get up that early and make my way to Grand Palace if the monks aren't going to be in the area.

Anyone have experience with this?

Just beware that getting ataxi or tuk tuk at the GP may be one of the tout ones. They want to take you to a taylor, jewler first etc. The taxi may tell you the meter is broken and offer a rediculous flat fee. Just walk away from either. That early in the am it should not be a problem, but just beaware this is one of the areas these things happen. You can also be told the GP is closed due to a holiday or some excuse. Just keep walking. They are very creative.

we too have done the marble wat, but it was a bit lame....just monks standing around waiting for people giving gifts in the parking lot....but better than nothing...

i agree about early morning issues....we have always used a guide to take us to the places where things are happening with the monks... a blessing by a monk within a temple is quite special too....this usually involves giving a small gift basket to the monk..

I may add this to this list of things we do with Tong. I've heard and read about the taxi and tuk tuk drivers so I'm prepared!

One more questions...is it just early morning that you can make merit with the monks?

Yes.

I've never heard of anyone giving alms at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This temple is the only one in Thailand without any monks in residence, and you rarely see any monks there when visiting.

Generally speaking, in Bangkok, people don't go to the temple to give morning alms, the monks go out of the temples and into neighborhoods to collect their food for the day. If you want to see alms giving, it would be best to go to a neighborhood where people live, near a temple.

You could walk from the flower market to the grand palace, but I would think the boat would be better, since you'll be walking a lot at the grand palace.

Michael, I was wondering about that, as I thought there were no monks in residence at the Emerald Buddha. There may be monks in the area out seeking alms from Wat Po.

Anyway, I think it tells us something about the credibility of "Groovy Maps."

this is a perfect thing to do with tong.... it is she that we have done it with.... she takes you to the best places

also ask to release fish with her into the river

Seriously? Where does she do this?

I just wanted to follow up on Groovy Map. I emailed them last night questioning the making merit at the Grand Palace. I received an email back within a few hours. Here's their answer:

"The question is right on target as we are updating Groovy Bangkok 2011 and as of now the alms giving around the Grand Palace is not taking place :(
However, the flower market is still a going concern and is best to visit either very late at night or very early in the morning. Its quite a nice way to see the city markets and the to and fro of daily commerce.
If you are interested in the merit making and alms giving this takes place all around Bangkok at local temples and around the areas surrounding them when monks go out with their alms bowls to gather offering in the street. This takes place every morning anywhere from 6am onwards up until about 9am.
If you are very keen to be part of this experience your hotel where you are staying should be able to tell you the location of the nearest temple (wat) and give you details about which areas you can go to make an offering (called Taak Baat).
I trust this helps you somewhat!?
Thanks alot for asking and for being a Groovy Traveler!
Enjoy your trip!"

the market where you visit to buy the fish is not all that far from GP, i don't think...

she has taken us to one temple to see a monk very close to khoa san rd and near to where you buy the gift boxes... none of this is far from the GP...

i like the flower market in the middle of the day, and we often go then... you can buy an armload of flowers for $10, including orchids... K often does this and decorates our rooms and bathrooms with flowers making a bkk stay all that much nicer.... even the mums and roses there are fantastic....roses with 3 foot stems are common...

the market where you visit to buy the fish is not all that far from GP, i don't think...

she has taken us to one temple to see a monk very close to khoa san rd and near to where you buy the gift boxes... none of this is far from the GP...

i like the flower market in the middle of the day, and we often go then... you can buy an armload of flowers for $10, including orchids... K often does this and decorates our rooms and bathrooms with flowers making a bkk stay all that much nicer.... even the mums and roses there are fantastic....roses with 3 foot stems are common...

We had heard the flower market is especially grand in the early mornings because trucks in the streets and boats on the river are unloading flowers which adds to the experience. However, I'm sure it's wonderful any time of day.

Something's gotta give...we only have 2 1/2 days in Bangkok and one of those days will be spent in Kanchanaburi. That leaves 1 1/2 days to experience:
Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Pho (Would also like to see 394 Buddhas and seated monk.)
Wat Arun (Close-up during day and also exterior at sunset.)
Canal Tour
Flower Market
Erawan Shrine (just walk by and observe Thai dancers)
Jim Thompson House
Suan Pakhad Palace (Walk around exterior & grounds.)
And shop, shop, shop....
Plus make merit at a temple and release the fish into the river.
Whew I'm exhausted just thinking about it and I don't even have jet lag yet and I'm sitting in the A/C!

But to quote a Fodorite...when it comes to museums and temples, a little goes a long way. We're not interested in spending hours in each place.

i would dump kantchburi as it is a whole tiring day outside of bkk... i find it disappointing...

Really? We were going to do the Train Market, Floating Market and Tiger Temple with Tong...

You don't have enough time to do all the things you want to do. And once you get there you'll find there is even more you won't have time to do.

I agree with Bob, cut the out of town trip. Save it for next time.

Can you make any changes to your itinerary to get more time in bangkok?