Cultural Night At Silom Village

 What a night we experienced at the Silom Village Trade Center, one of the popular cultural restaurants in Bangkok, Thailand. We had a night of shopping, ate authentic Thai food and was treated to a traditional Thai dance, music and costumes. The traditional Thai costumes were so colourful and made from luxurious Thai silk. The dancers danced so gracefully showcasing their traditional dances and music. Thai food was equally delicious and colourful with cooked vegetables, seafood, chicken combined with coconut milk and spices. It was a spectacular night of Thai culture and delicious food right in the heart of Bangkok. 

 

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Jungle Hotel: River Kwai Village Hotel

This winter week has been a week of snowy blizzards and freezing temperatures. How I wish that I am back in Thailand right in the heart of the jungle of Kanchanaburi staying at the River Kwai Village Hotel & Resort. The resort is located at the historic River Kwai, which was made famous during WWII. The prisoners of war by the Japanese from countries like UK, US and the Dutch were put into forced labour to build the railroad that transported the Japanese military ammunition and soldiers. All of that is history now as this place has been revitalised as a tourist area for relaxation and recreation. The resort is in the middle of the jungle and offers many amenities including swimming, kayaking and even has a fish spa and hot springs. Many local Thais from Bangkok usually come up here in the jungle resort to relax and enjoy the cooler breeze of the mountains. Now, I will always enjoy the more warmer and humid temperature of the tropics. 

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Thai Summer Palace: Bang Pa-In Palace

 One of the beautiful places to visit in Ayuttaya is the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, a summer royal palace for the Thai Royal family. The Bang Pa-In is a complex of buildings used by the Royal Family for their recreation and entertainment. As we walked along the well trimmed gardens, there are various buildings built in traditional Thai and European style buildings. The whole complex is well maintained and has an ambiance that is peaceful, comfortable, informal and elegant. It's a modern palace complex that is worth a visit outside of Bangkok.

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Weekend In The Ancient Ruins of Ayuttaya

 I am one of those travellers who enjoy visiting ancient ruins and learning about their history. During our visit in Thailand, we visited the ancient city of Ayuttaya to see the ancient ruins of the Wat MahaThat, Temple of the Golden Relic, believed to be built by Thai Kings since 736 to the 1400s to store the relics of the Buddha, the most revered in their Buddhism religion. Despite it's beauty, holiness and majesty, tragedy struck during the Thai-Burma war in the 17th Century. The Burmese army burnt the temples and the prangs, even beheaded a Buddha statue. But nature knows better than the destroyer, that not everything can be destroyed, as the head of the Buddha survived to this present day, wrapped by the roots of an ancient Bunyan Tree. The monastery is an ancient ruin now and we saw all the damage and destruction in the remaining statues, prangs and temples. There is still beauty and lots of history all around. Even up to now,  Thai families, friends and couples, come here dressed in their traditional Thai silk costumes to have their photographs taken amidst their historical ancient ruins. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous Buddha's head wrapped by roots of the Bunyan Tree. 

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Discovering Jim Thompson In Bangkok

 During our visit to Bangkok, Thailand, we discovered the famous Jim Thompson Thai silk stores in the historic and luxurious Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Jim Thompson was an American businessman and allegedly a CIA spy who helped revitalise the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s. He lived in Thailand in the now famous House On The Klong which is now a museum that displays his collection of Thai furniture and fabrics. There is a great mystery on the disappearance of Jim Thompson from Malaysia's Cameron Highlands on Sunday March 26, 1967 as his body was never  seen again. His legacy remains on the retail stores under his name all around Thailand continuing the high quality and design of Thai silk scarves, bags, clothes, accessories and home decor. A trip to Thailand will not be complete without bringing home one of his products as an elegant souvenir. 

 

 

 

 

 

Read about our visit to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel. 

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Afternoon Tea At The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

One of the most elegant, historic and luxurious hotel in Bangkok is The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The hotel is a five star Luxury Hotel along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It is easily accessible through it's complimentary hotel boat shuttle coming from the Metro Station. The Hotel has an Old Asian luxurious ambiance, complete with a dress code of flip flops, tank tops, backpacks, casual shorts  were all not allowed within the hotel property. When we visited, we made sure to stop by for their legendary Afternoon Tea where even Royalty like the late Emperor of Japan, the late Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, the late Princess Diana with Prince Charles have visited. Everything about our Afternoon Tea experience was so luxurious, dressy, elegant and the food was so delicious. This experience will always stay with me from our visit in Bangkok. 

 

 

 

 

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