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I have visted Nakhon Pathom three or four times, and on every trip I usually just visit the giant Phra Pathom Chedi
. It is true that it is impressive, but then so is the nearby Phra
Ratchawang Sanam Chan Palace with its unique mixture of Thai, English
Tudor and French architectural styles. I suppose my only excuse for not
visiting before is that it isn't in the Lonely Planet. But then, I
guess we should stop blindly following these guidebooks and go off
exploring on our own. Sanam Chan Palace was built back in 1907 by
command of King Rama VI when he was still the Crown Prince. He used it
later whenever he was travelling in this region. Other members of the
royal family also lived here at various times. Some of the important
buildings built around the 800 rai plot of land are Phiman Pathom,
Phirom Phakdi, Wachari Romaya and Samakkhi Mukkhamat.
The grounds of the palace are next to Silapakorn University. When I
was there, there were quite a few students wandering around the gardens
having their pictures taken at various locations. One popular viewpoint
was this statue of Ya Le, the king's favourite dog that always
accompanied him. Unfortuantely he was shot dead one day and the king
built this memorial in front of the Chali Mongkhon Asana building.
Notice the turret of the building behind that makes it look a bit like
a French castle. The exposed wooden beams on the other side, in the top
picture, give it a Tudor look.
Other than the students, there weren't that many people wandering
around. I almost had the place to myself. I am not too sure but I got
the impression that you can explore the grounds of the palace for free.
I had difficulty in finding the main entrance and endeda up arriving
through a back gate. The security guard there didn't say anything. The
buildings are all spread out and many of them are now a kind of museum
housing artifacts and contemporary photographs. The first one I went
in, pictured above, I was asked for my ticket. I told her honestly that
I had come in the side entrance and asked her where I could buy the
ticket. She pointed to a location on the far side of the park. But she
let me in anyway. I eventually found the ticket booth. The prices were
written plainly in English that foreigners were 50 baht and Thai people
30 baht. I have no problems with the two price system when they are
honest enough to clearly show how much the Thai people are paying. I
greeted the lady politely in Thai and for some reason asked her how
much the ticket was. Straight away she said "30 baht" which somewhat
surprised me. I wasn't even going to ask if I could have the Thai price
as the difference was minimal. But, that was nice of her to do that.
I had an enjoyable time wandering around the gardens and exploring
some of the private residences of the royal family. There is also a
traditional Thai house to explore. The main building, Phiman Pathom, is
pictured above and is connected by a raised walkway to a more
tradionally Thai temple like building. You are not allowed to take
pictures inside and you also have to leave bags and shoes outside in
lockers. But it is worth looking around in order to get a glimpse of
the lifestyle of the Thai royal family in the past. You can even sneak
a look into their bathroom and bedroom. There was no tour and minimal
signs explaining what you were looking at. However, it was nice that we
could proceed at our own pace. Around the back of this building are a
collection of Land Rovers and Chevrolet vehicles used when H.M. The
King and other members of royal family used visited various royal
projects around the country.
The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You will
find it a short distance West of the chedi. Visit our sister website ThailandPhotoMap.com to locate the palace on the satellite map.
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