Most people may think that it is impossible to enjoy life in Bangkok with a limited budget. Today, we are going to prove that only three-hundred baht is more than enough to relish the beautiful and interesting attractions in Bangkok.
More than decades that I am familiar with local tourist attractions because my home is located near Charoenkrung road, the first official road in Bangkok. There is a lot of history and plenty of museums around my home. I have been a museum person since I was a kid.
In the morning, the assembly point that I appointed my friends, Nina and Ploy, is Grand China Hotel. We met at 10 A.M. when our journey begins.
The first place that we want to visit is close to Katai’s home. It takes only ten minutes of walking. At first, we never noticed that this old building is a museum. The architecture made it looks like an ordinary household.
The place is called the ‘Berlin Pharmaceutical Museum’, but unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. We felt bad that we missed a chance to visit such a historical museum, so we looked up for another museum that we can easily use public transportation due to our limited budget.
Luckily, around Katai’s home has many kinds of transportation, which are a bus, MRT, and pier. We chose MRT to avoid a traffic jam, and Wat Mangkon Station is the nearest station.
When we walked inside the station we were stunned by the beautiful interior design, which matches the location, Yaowarat road. The ticket fare is sixteen baht to Samyod Station where Baan MoWaan nearby.
Along the way to Baan MoWann, we have passed the Giant Swing, which is the signature sign in this area. We have learned knowledgeable information without losing money that The Giant Swing was erected in 2327 B.E. two years after the foundation of Rattanakosin City stated in the notice board.
We stopped for ten minutes to take a photo with the aesthetic scenery of the Giant Swing. After that, we came across many streets, and finally, we have reached “Bann MoWaan, which is a free entrance museum.”
At the first step that we entered the building’s strong scent of Thai herbals strikes our nose. The scent of herbals created calmness and relaxation feeling, which can help us to relieve stress.
“Banrungchat Sassana Yathai” Building or “Doctor Waan’s House, the traditional Thai medicine,” is a museum containing a lot of Thai local herbs. An exceptional historical site, located in the heart of the old town of Bangkok.
The building has constructed since the late King Rama V’s era. It is an ancient and significant property of medical’s chronicle
The staff at the museum gives us further detail about the history of this place.
“Here’s the place where Doctor Waan treated patients and dispensed medicine which he created according to his recipes,” she said.
This place aims to tell the story of a Thai doctor who was determined to pass on the country’s medical wisdom.
It was already noon after we finished visiting Baan MoWaan. We decided to have lunch at a famous restaurant, Kope Hya Tai Kee, nearby Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
That day was a sunny day, so the menu that we ordered are fizzy drinks and shave ice to boost up our energy before we were heading to the next museum. The total cost of this meal is 150 baht.
Along the way to Nitarattanakosin Museum, which is located at RatchaDamnoen Avenue. This time we chose to use public transportation, Tuk Tuk its well-known public transportation in Thailand. It is the signature of Thai’s local lifestyle.
The price of Tuk Tuk is 50 baht from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to RatchaDamnoen road. We really enjoy the historical scenery.
Nitarattanakosin is a museum that is full of great history about the chronicle of Rattanakosin’s era. Inside the building, it has nine exhibition rooms and divided into two routes that the visitors can make their own decisions. we prefer route number two, which are The Color Thai way of Living and The Heart and Soul of the Nation. The total duration of the exhibitions is for two hours. It was worth our time spending at exhibitions.
In the first room, The Color Thai way of Living shows the lives of Thai people during the early Rattanakosin era, which the lives back at that time are extremely simple. people lived without electricity and technology. there are four parts that important to people’s lives, which are giving birth, being married, being a priesthood, and setting up a funeral.
This room changed our perspective toward museum that it has to be boring, but this exhibition is fun, exciting, and knowledgeable. We really amazed by the creativity of the creators. The exploration seemed so real. This exhibition has a lot of tactics that can attract the attention of visitors.
In the transition of time, the main transportation has changed from the boat to the tram. The next room shows us about the first invention of electricity in the capital city, the birth of the banking industry, and the creation of a post office.
There are many activities for us to try and take pictures such as postman’s hat to try on and ancient medical machine maker. These activities are very fun, yet give us a lot of knowledge because we can experience ourselves, which is easy to understand.
The next room is one of our favorite rooms. It mocks-up the 60s, 70s, and 80s lifestyle, which we can role-play as period characters. For instance, we try on period dresses and hairstyles. The exhibition organized with modern technology including virtual four dimensions, and multimedia animation in the form of self-learning.
We have a chance to be on the period magazine’s cover. We really enjoyed these retro’s mock-up. It was a wonderful moment for us. This room also has simulated scenes of life during that era, such as a coffee shop, movie theater, and game center.
Moving to the last room, this room is explaining about the history and royal duties of Thai Kings since the first King of Chakri’s Monarchy. the exhibition simulated the period scenery of the beginning of the Rattanakosin era by computer-generated, which is very helpful and enhance our understanding. It can catch more audience’s attention compared to the normal instructor.
Most of the displays have modern design combined with the new technology that creates virtual reality. We really into the storytelling and atmosphere. there was actual artificial rainfall from the ceiling above us while playing the video of King Rama IX’s royal duties. We were surprised by the advanced technology. the sound of rain makes us feel like we are sitting in a real situation.
After we experienced and absorbed the aesthetic of ancient times in the early Rattanakosin era. it made us realize how much things have changed over the centuries. In the middle of this era, we can see many inventions and creations that happened back in that period, which are one of the biggest evolutions in Thailand.
In the modern-day, late of the Rattanakosin era, we learned our kings and ancestors put a lot of effort to protect and maintain Thai identities from colonialism. we have learned many new things that we cannot buy from other places.
The total expense on our day trip is not as much as we expected. At first, we don’t believe that a limited budget, three-hundred baht will be enough for each of us to live in Bangkok, but it turns out that it is more than enough.
We spend only two hundred sixteen baht. this includes transportation fares and food. For the exhibition, we did not pay any entrance fee due to student priority which is good for students who don’t have high-income. this day become our favorite and most memorable one.
In Bangkok, there are still many places that Thais and tourists don’t have to spend much money to appreciate Thai beautiful and exotic cultures. In some circumstances, money cannot buy a perfect time with friends, and limited money cannot prevent us from gaining new experiences.
Some people might think that museums are such a boring place. Nina and Ploy were one of them, but after Katai persuaded that it would be great if we spend some time at Museums for our feature writing topic.
We were overwhelmed with happiness and satisfaction, and our attitudes have changed because of these awesome museums. At the end of the day, we were left with nothing, but happiness. Three-hundred baht is not much money, yet how it creates the moments are priceless.
