Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006

[Betti]

I went to Royal Flora again this afternoon (I have a multiple entry ticket). now that I knew exactly what to expect, I enjoyed it much more. finding parking that is not miles away from the entrance without knowing the area and being able to read Thai quickly enough when driving by is a hassle. drive until you come to a turnaround and then drive out of it up at 1 o'clock :-), drive on until you see the entrance area on your left. there is a huge big sign right there saying 20 baht for motorcycles, 50 for cars (Thai sign), and that's the nearest to the entrance that you can get. there are people trying to usher you into their areas as far as a mile away from the entrance - for the same price. sorry, I cannot explain more clearly.
although it's Sunday afternoon, it wasn't very crowded, the area absorbs the folks from about 100 tour buses, plus other vans and cars quite efficiently. the orchid house was crowded, but other than that, I always managed to find nice secluded spots (in the shaded paradise, sunken garden, coloured garden, etc), and it's not the case that you wait for ages with snapshots without a dozen strangers. the Thai tropical gardens are much bigger and nicer than the international and corporate gardens, some of them are even amazing (personal favourite: shaded paradise), but the lotus garden absolutely sux. there are about two lotuses (loti?? ) in the entire place. it is worth taking the ride around the area, especially for those with limited time, just to get a feel of distances, what is available, what looks interesting. although the map and info leaflet distributed allocates 6 hours for the longest walking route, I would say that's for mazochists only. btw, it's a shame the website is useless! the leaflet is very informative and detailed though. what else? do ask if you have questions.

[Megy]

oh..didnt realised there's already a thread abt it here.
thanks for sharing ur experience there, so that i know what to expect

[angalphoto]

I was there on the second day. I took the A/C bus from my hotel cost 15 bath one way, bring you up to the park entrance. One day not enough to cover the flower show - more on landscape by other country. crowded with local thais. Nice thais guide to answer you question.