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The “formula” for this trip was a new one for both of us: we chose a private tour, which means we had a guide, driver and private car, all to ourselves. The itinerary had already been decided, so all we had to do was show up in the morning and everything was arranged for us, even meals! Every time a lunch was included, our guide would call the restaurant ahead of time, usually as we were on the way, he would inquire about the menu, relay it to us and then place our order, so that the meal was ready when we showed up! He quickly figured out our tastes so he picked places or suggested things that were different from one day to the next but within our taste palette (spicy but not fiery). He would also often pick up local snacks along the way. The vehicle was a large air conditioned van, it always had a cooler full of water bottles and refreshing wipes. All very self indulgent but ohh so nice! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I was met at the Bangkok <\/strong>airport which went smoothly. I was even able to find long term storage in the terminal for one of my suitcases as I would be continuing on to a colder climate after Thailand. It was early morning in Bangkok so I saw the sun come up as we drove to the hotel. What struck me the most was the number of high-rises and the variety of architectural styles. It could have been any big city in the world. As we got closer to town traffic intensified a bit but it was nothing compared to what we would experience in the days to come. As soon as I got to the hotel, I went to bed…and slept for 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n By the next morning, I was ready to head out! Today was totally hedonistic, starting with a Thai massage (https:\/\/www.dahra-spa.com\/) and ending with dinner in a Michelin star restaurant: the KHAO <\/strong>(Ekkamai).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The massage was a bit of a surprise for me. The building was dark and a bit mysterious. We went up several flights of stairs to small alcoves with a mattresses on the floor. After undressing and donning brown kimonos, we were asked if we wanted a hard, medium or light massage. I, not knowing, went for a medium… Ouch! it was rough. I got stretched and pulled and pushed in ways I did not think my body could go. But in the end all was fine. I was told I am not very supple. Ha! who would have thought?<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the restaurant, it was an interesting introduction to Thai food. The place was bright and airy, the service was efficient, the food and cocktails were colorful and tasty. The whole experience was simpler than I expected of a Michelin starred property but not at all disappointing. It is interesting to note that in Thailand they bring all the dishes to the table at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way back to the hotel after the massage, our guide took us to the Terminal 21<\/strong>. It is an upscale mall laid out in floors with a country or city themes. The food court is a must to visit. You need to buy a “card” for a set amount and this is what you pay each vendor with. We zoomed by the stores up to the food court, stopping along the way to go to the toilet (a note worthy stop not to be missed!). Rows of stalls each one equipped with a smart toilet, read: water jets, front and back, adjustable temperature and intensity as well as adjustable heated drier! Most of the toilets in Thailand are equipped with a water hose of some kind, but few are this fancy! As for the food court, this is a good place to know as there is an awful lot to choose from, the quality of the food is exceptional, yet the prices are lower than in regular restaurants. We returned there several times to bring food back to our hotel room after busy touring days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day three, today we start our discovery of Bangkok in earnest. The market is colorful and filled bushels of flowers and food items that are a mystery to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was our first street food experience\u2026the first of many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next is the star of the day: the Grand Palace<\/strong>. This is really an entire city. It is divided into two main zones, which are the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the royal residence. The latter is divided into three major areas: the Outer Court, the Middle Court, and the Inner Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Construction of the palace began in 1782, at the order of King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. It is still used for official events today. The Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. The palace was initially built entirely out of wood. Over the next few years the king began replacing wooden structures with masonry, rebuilding the walls, forts, gates, throne halls and royal residences. This rebuilding included the Wat Phra Kaew<\/strong>, close by, which would come to house the Emerald Bouddha<\/strong> and is considered the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. The buddha is set very high and appears “small” but is in fact 66 inches tall. He has three different costumes depending on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n I found these guards fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the afternoon we went on a long-tail boat ride through its canals, locally known as Khlongs, to see Thai houses and typical rural life. A word about those boats…They can be noisy and smell of gazoline, but mostly are not easy to get into for someone my size. They are very low in the water therefore quite a bit lower than the dock we embark and disembark from. Furthermore they have low “roofs\/sun protector” so you have a rather narrow window to slip through…. having said that, those boat rides were lovely and gave us a different perspective on the life of in Bangkok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the spectacular sites we sailed by is the Wat Arun<\/strong>. It is encrusted with colourful porcelain which makes it sparkle in the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was supposed to conclude our day but we asked our guide if he could show us something else so he took us to the Wat Pho temple<\/strong> complex directly south of the Grand Palace. It is one of Bangkok’s oldest temples. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 m long reclining Buddha. There are four towers, or phra<\/em> prand, at each corner of the courtyard around the bot<\/em>. Each of the towers is tiled with marble and contains four Khmer-style statues which are the guardian divinities of the Four Cardinal Points<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The image of the reclining Buddha represents the entry of Buddha int Nirvana and the end of all reincarnations. The posture of the image is referred to as sihasaiyas<\/em>, the posture of a sleeping or reclining lion. The figure is 15 m high and 46 m long, and it is one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand. The figure has a brick core, which was modelled and shaped with plaster, then gilded. The soles of the feet of the Buddha are 3 m high and 4.5 m long, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. At the center of each foot is a circle representing a chakra or ‘energy point’. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor representing the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wat Pho is also Thailand’s first university and remains the national headquarters and the center of education of traditional Thai medicine and massage to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n z<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Day four, was more nature oriented with visits to horticultural properties. We again boarded a small boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The orchid farm was between crops so did not have a lot to show, but the lotus farm was spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lotus flower, also known as Nelumbo Nucifera, comes in a few different colors including pink, white, blue, and red. It has many layers that get folded back when used in arrangements. The lotus is the national flower of India and Vietnam. It is very symbolic because it generally grows in muddy shallow water and blooms into a beautifully symmetrical flower. The lotus flower in Thailand is given as an offering to the Buddha in temples all across the country. We were shown how to “prepare” the flowers for display, by turning back the outer petals. It is harder than it looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Waterlilies grow alongside the lotus and offer explosions of colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the morning of day 5, we head 80 km outside Bangkok to visit the train market.<\/strong> The Maeklong Railway became famous for its route through the Maeklong Railway Market, nicknamed “umbrella pulldown market”. It is one of the largest fresh seafood markets in Thailand, and is centered on the track. Whenever a train approaches, the awnings and shop fronts are moved back from the rails, to be replaced once the train has passed. There is a thrill every time wondering if everyone and everything will have been pulled out of the way in time. But the real attraction, in my mind, is away from the train, in the indoor stalls holding the fish market. This is was a sight to behold. The only comparable fish market I have ever seen was in Zanzibar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next we sail over to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.<\/strong> It is colorful and entertaining but feels touristy. We did have lunch there but did not buy anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n After that nice picnic we hit the road again, this time towards Kanchanaburi <\/strong>where the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai Rivers meet to form the Mae Klong River. This is where the famous “Bridge over the River Kwai”, is located. It played an important part in the Second World War and was made famous by the novel Le Pont de la rivi\u00e8re Kwa\u00ef<\/em> by the French novelist Pierre Boulle in 1952 and a film made from the novel. It is a beautiful area despite the sad history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Our hotel was right by the river, as was their outdoor restaurant where they served this lovely stuffed pineapple.<\/p>\n\n\n The next day (day 6), I missed the activity but my daughter went to the Erawan national park and falls,<\/strong> and climbed all the way to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following day (day 7), we head out to Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand. On the way we stop at the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace<\/strong>, also known as the Summer Palace<\/strong>, built in 1632. It was later restored in the mid-19th century. It is a lovely complex with fountains and greenery, it is very refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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