A JOURNEY TO THAILAND - 2

‘As the traveller who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own’ - Margaret Mead

A JOURNEY TO THAILAND - 2

Each time you return to Thailand you can be sure to see and learn something new. Different tastes, rhythms, sites and even people. Thailand has such variety and blends that, dependant upon your agenda and where you travel, you will have new experiences. This page is a follow on from ‘Journey to Thailand 1’ and it is hoped that I can give you further insights to this wonderful country and culture. As usual our trip will take us to Bangkok the capital city of Thailand. Flying from the UK takes appx 11 ½ hours inward and there are a variety of airlines that you can use. Recently (2007) I have flown with ‘Eva air’ a Chinese airline that flies direct to China and stops off at Bangkok. The prices are very reasonable and occasionally there are some good bargains to be had I managed to get a return direct flight with Eva Air for £517 including taxes. However, with the current rise in fuel charges, I am guessing that you will be hard pushed to find a direct flight below £600 at this time of print (2008).

What really stands out is the service and comfort as this has to be one of the best flights that I have been on. Brand new Boeing 777’s fitted with extra wide seats and extra leg room in the economy class with viewing screens in your seats. You can choose your own movies and, due to the hard drive set up on the planes entertainment computer, they can even be paused while you take a break.

BANGKOK

Arriving in Bangkok always excites me and you now land at their impressive new airport ‘Suvarnabhumi’. This is state of the art and has to be seen to be believed! Once you have cleared immigration you will be inundated by the Taxi touts. To be honest if there is a group of you then just hop in as it won’t cost more than a few pounds each.

However if you venture outside you can pick up a metered taxi for a fraction of the price, just be sure to check that the meter is switched on! Ask to go via the expressway as this will help avoid the Bangkok congestion and also as you are raised up on the road you will see much more of the city as you are arriving.

TWIN TOWERS HOTEL

Recently I have stayed at the Twin tower hotel (www.thetwintowershotel.com) situated just off the expressway on Rama 6 road.

The hotel is luxurious and a superior room will only set you back 1550 Thai Baht per room per night. I stayed in one of their junior executive suites and this was pure indulgence for 2950 Thai Baht per room per night.

The Twin Towers hotel has all the facilities including gym, sauna & steam. There is a Massage room and swimming pool and they have their own gift shops and tailors on one of the floors too!

There is a bank adjacent to the hotel where you can exchange your money and travellers checks at a good rate. Taxis and Tuk Tuks will come to the front of the foyer for you where the concierge will direct them to where you want to go.

In ‘Journey to Thailand 1’ I wrote about the Grand Palace and Wat Po and even if this is your second trip they are always worth visiting again. With my group of friends we walked from the hotel to the Sky train terminal at the National stadium (appx 10 min walk) Catching the Sky train to terminal S6 Saphan Taksin.

SKY TRAIN

Disembark at this terminal and a few yards away there is a jetty where you can hire a longboat for 300 Thai Baht or wait for the river taxi. From here you can travel on the Chao Phraya River and visit Wat Arun and get off for the Grand Palace.

I explained this trip which included a visit to Wat Po and a massage at the School of massage in my previous page ‘Journey to Thailand 1’. So cross reference this if you need.

LUMPINEE PARK

An alternative relaxing day is to visit Lumpinee Park. This is a total contrast to the heady traffic and bustle of the city. Lush greenery and lakes really takes your mind away and is ideal if you just want to chill out. You can do boating, Tai Chi; Weight training and even ballroom dancing while you are there.

LUMPINEE STADIUM

No visit to Bangkok would be complete if you did not go for a night of Muay Thai at the famous Lumpinee Stadium. As a ‘Falang’ you will be directed to the VIP front row seats at a premium compared to the Thai locals. Currently they are charging around 2,000 Thai Baht. However it is worthwhile and you would pay more than that in the UK to see the Thais fight.

SNAKE FARM

A visit to the snake farm is well worth it if you don’t suffer any phobias. Formerly the Pasteur Institute and also known as the Queen Saowapha Memorial Institute, this snake farm is set up to produce anti-venom. After a short film you are seated outside to see the variety of snakes that are indigenous to Thailand. The King Cobra is awesome over 25 feet long! As you can see in the photo above, I took the opportunity to hold one!

JIM THOMPSON'S HOUSE

Jim Thompson’s house is also another little gem worth visiting in Bangkok. This American gentleman was solely responsible for the Thai silk trade boom in the fifties. Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared during a trip into the jungle and has never been found or heard of since, which adds to the mystery. The house is in traditional Thai style and adorned with priceless antiques that Mr. Thompson collected during his years in Thailand. The café that is part of the complex served the best Tuna fish sandwich I have ever tasted – give it a try!

ORIENTAL HOTEL

If you have the budget and want a holiday of pure indulgence then do what I did and splash out at the World famous hotel, the Oriental. Over 140 years old this hotel is as much famous for its service as it is for its guests. From Royalty to Movie stars, from Authors to sports stars all have graced the fabulous and elegant rooms. The cost per room on my last trip (November 2007) was £169 per room.

From the outside the Oriental is unassuming compared to the mega-structures of the Meridian and Shangri-La hotels near-by. However it is within that the Oriental rises, the service is world renowned and first class, there is a butler on every floor to serve all your requirements

Every room has a view of the Chao Phraya River and fresh fruit and flowers are placed daily.

A visit to the Authors wing is well worth it too, this is the first class section and is what is left of the old colonial hotel.

MARKETS

Patpong night market is where a lot of tourists go, the attraction being the many ‘go go’ bars that surround the market. If this is your scene then fair enough, once in the bars their main aim is to get you to buy as many drinks as possible. Market shopping is a little more expensive in Bangkok but you can still get a good bargain if you are prepared to haggle.

However the best night market is Suan Lum market near Lumpinee stadium. This is well worth the visit, better than Patpong.

A mixture of posh dressed, fresh-from-the-office Thai’s and expats along with fisherman pant-clad tourists, Suan Lum could best be described as the VIP outdoor market of Bangkok (where you’re always welcome, of course). Covered walkways with centrally-located snack bars provide perhaps the most luxurious (outdoor) market shopping experience in the city. Several bars along with Thai, Italian, German, and even Mexican restaurants are conveniently within the market area; close enough to analyze the crowd while enjoying a drink, yet away from the market’s hustle-and-bustle. In the same area, dinner shows featuring classical Thai puppetry can be enjoyed at the famous Joe Louis Puppet Theatre.

On the other side of the market’s curious Khmer-looking temple walkway, lays a large outdoor beer garden, food court, and concert venue all rolled into one. Here one can indulge in an assortment of international and Thai beers and foods, with international fare either Japanese (yakitori and Asahi) or German (Sausage and Sauerkraut). Beer and food are accompanied by live Thai cover bands performing the latest local and international hits on stage. Also, don’t forget to check out the Big Wheel, ‘La Roué de Paris’ while you’re there!

For all its hustle and bustle, I really like Bangkok there is so much to do, so much vibrant energy. I would always recommend going to Bangkok first so that when you travel either to the beaches or inland you can wind down. Doing it the other way round and you may well ‘wind up’ prior to returning home!

CHIANG MAI

Returning to Chiang Mai for my third time was just as exciting as the first. This has to be one of my favourite destinations in Thailand if not just for the Muay Thai training!

Staying at the Pang Suan Kaew (PSK) hotel is a sheer delight. The hotel is pure luxury and if you stay on the Doi Suthep wing it will set you back £25 per night with a mountain view. The hotel joins (literally) to a shopping mall that has its own cinema and ice rink!

A crew of Tuk Tuk drivers sit outside the hotel to take you to any of your destinations.

Great rooms and excellent swimming pool set this hotel amongst the top in the mid-range price bracket.

WAT PHRATHAT DOI SUTHEP

A visit to Wat Phrathat on Doi Suthep Mountain is a must and on a clear day you can get great views of Chiang Mai. It is said that if you do not visit this temple then you have not really visited Chiang Mai.

The Elephant trips are a must and throw in the complimentary Orchid farm, Snake show and Monkey show for good measure. These can all be organised by your hotel or one of the many travel shops in town.

TRAINING AT KIAT BUSABA LANNA CAMP & LANNA DOI MODT HILL CAMP

Muay Thai training of course does not get much better than at Kiat Busaba, Lanna Muay Thai camp run by Andy Thompson. In addition to the Lanna camp Andy also runs the Lanna Doi Modt camp or the Hill camp as it is more commonly known as.

HUA HIN

Taking the train from Bangkok to Hua Hin is a great way to travel; you get to ‘mix with the locals’ and get a great view of the local countryside.

Bangkok’s main rail station, Hua Lamphong is situated in the centre of the city in Panthum Wan district. There are 14 platforms, 26 ticket booths and two electric display boards. The station serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers per day. The station is also the terminus for the Eastern and Oriental Express.

A single 3rd class ticket to Hua Hin costs approximately 234 Thai Baht and the journey lasts about 3 hours. Third class is a cheap and convenient way to travel. The seats on third class are generally plastic or wooden. There is no air conditioning but some trains have ceiling fans and the windows open fully too. Vendors, selling food and cold drinks either come around during your trip or you can buy from the platform vendors at your designated stops.

Arriving at Hua Hin train station is another treat especially for train buffs. The station was originally built in the reign of King Rama VI and is one of Thailand’s most beautiful train stations.

Hua Hin is located on the sunrise side of the Gulf of Thailand and is approximately 200 kilometres Southwest of Bangkok. It was here in the 1920’s that King Rama VII built a summer palace, thus creating a vogue among high society for Hua Hin to become the favourite retreat from Bangkok’s summer heat. Nowadays the Thai Royal family still continue to reside at Hua Hin for part of the year.

The main beach in Hua Hin is over three Kilometres in length, running from a rocky headland that separates it from a tiny fishing port and gently curving to its southern point where Buddhist temples cling to the cliffs.

There is plenty to do on the beach if you don’t want to laze around sunbathing. You can hire a horse and enjoy a leisurely trot along the beach or an upbeat gallop through the sea. Jet Skiing is also on the menu too and great fun.

Hua Hin is a well established beach destination that is full of facilities. There is a great night market which is comparable to Chiang Mai’s.

We stayed at the Hua Hin Suites, which are located just two minutes from the main beach, opposite the Sofitel Central Hua Hin resort. Reasonably priced at approximately 1500 Thai Baht for a Twin room this mid range hotel complex is ideally situated for the town centre, beach and night market. We discovered an excellent French restaurant opposite the hotel and the food was magnificent serving a range of western, Thai and French cuisine.

Training in Muay Thai doesn’t get better than with Kru Chob Rawee who runs the Thai boxing garden (www.thaiboxinggarden.com) in addition to hosting Muay Thai shows every Tuesday & Saturday from 9pm.

Unlike Pattaya, which is on the opposite shores of the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin offers a more relaxing retreat amid surroundings that preserve a typical Thai ambience.

PHUKET

With its crystal clear ocean and white sand beaches it isn’t any wonder that Phuket is one of Thailand’s main tourist attractions.

I stayed at The Indigo Pearl hotel in Nayang Beach (www.indigo-pearl.com). This is a five star complex that has to be seen to be believed, pure indulgence!

I had private training with the resident Nak Muay, Kru Tdad and even got to visit his local village and training camp!

I found Phuket town to be a little boring but took the opportunity to hire a car and guide to travel around the coastline and visit the various temples, Cashew factory and Elephant riding (yes again!). However Patong beach is great and there is plenty for the shop-aholics!

The beach in Nayang is very good too but the highlight of the holiday is to grab a snorkelling trip and head out to the Simian islands.

Other trips such as Hong Island and Koh Phi Phi are well worth the visit as is monkey Island, James Bond Island and ‘the Beach’ where the movie of the same name was filmed.

Below are a few photographs of the variety of things to be done in Phuket.

CONCLUSION

So yet again as you can see Thailand has so many contrasts it is like visiting a new country every time. I am sure over the years I shall discover new adventures on each subsequent visit and no doubt as a result ‘A journey to Thailand 3’ will be penned! – Enjoy your adventures, Chock Dee (Good luck) and Sanuk maak! (Much fun).