Things to do (closed): go here

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Friday, 15 June 2018

Santi Chai Park and Pom Phra Sumen

I saw ศาลเจ้ามูลนิธิธรรมกตัญญู (The Santi Chai Park (สวนสาธารณะสันติชัยปราการ) and Pom Phra Sumen Fort I viewed when I took the Chao Phraya river taxi so I got off the river taxi at Phra Athit pier. On getting off here you walk down a tight alleyway which is full of 'those tourist bits' which can be quite entertaining. Walk down this alleyway onto the main road and turn left and you will be there in 5 minutes.

This is a very small park and is close to the Khao San Road and you are able to see the Rama VIII bridge from here. I believe that there also used to be a sugar factory on this spot but I could find no physical evidence.

Then in this park is the 'Phra Sumen Fort' - and there not many of them left in Bangkok -

from the original 14 that were built in the reign of King Rama I.

After this view then visit Pipitbanglamphu - the Local Heritage Museum - this is their Facebook Page. Unfortunately I did not have time to go here - maybe next time?

As an aside I believe that the idea of the fort in the park translates as "the park with a fort that symbolized the victory of peacefulness". Then there are apparently two important trees but I did not find them - Lam Phu Tree and Papal Tree.

Saturday, 17 March 2018

Red Cross Snake Farm

The Snake Farm in Bangkok is somewhere I can remember going about thirty years ago - imagine my trepidation when my daughter was interested to see some - especially after the disastrous Siam Serpentarium.

The building was opened in 1913 and was known as the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. Following this the Royal Family became involved because the daughter of a Prince in Thailand died from rabies – the King supported a government institution researching into creating a vaccine for rabies and venomous snakes.

In 1917 it became the Pasteur Institute and the Red Cross Society took over the administrative duties. Following the death of Queen Saovabha the King built a permanent memory to her and for it to be used for research in the field of research into medical science.

Apparently it was one of the World's first collections of poisonous snakes!

Built in a French style is the much admired older buildings at the front.

But at the back was the farm - a little rundown - but you were not here to see the building it was the snakes!

And snakes there certainly were - it was a small area to walk in - wandering around took about half an hour - but we spent about an hour!

Then it was into the building at the back for the snake exhibition

- information and skeletons...

Then it was time for the show - wow and more wow

It is certainly worth visiting if you are in Bangkok and have an interest in this sort of thing – for more information please click here - http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/snake-farm.htm.

Phone Number: 02 252 0161-4

Website: http://www.saovabha.com/en/snakefarm_service.asp

TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com - Red Cross Snake Farm
Approximate Price: $$$$$

Address: Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, 1871 Rama 4 Rd

Hours: 9am - 3:30pm (weekends 1pm)

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

The Queen's Gallery - หอศิลป์สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ

Spotted this as I was crossing the road - it was certainly impressive inside. Here is a description.

"The Queen’s Gallery has been established since August 9, 2003 from the initiation of Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit in order to be a space which displayed the work of Thai artists. The Thai artists which the gallery will focus on exhibiting have been broken down into two categories: The new Thai artists which his/her work has not been known by the society and the work of senior honored artists.

Her Majesty the queen has contributed back the fund which Mr. Chatri Sophonpanich, The committee chairman of Bangkok Bank, and the supporters has consecrate to Her Majesty in an occasion as Her Majesty proceed to offer an award in “Bualuang master painting to be a model for The Foundation of Art and Craft” at the head office of Bangkok bank on June 15, 2001. The money received from HM has been used as a fund to establish The Queen’s Gallery Foundation. Mr. Chatri has renovated Bangkok Bank, Phanfa Bridge branch, which used to be Bangkok Bank’s Musical Art Centre, into a modern art gallery. Her Majesty The Queen, with an honour of the art gallery, as give Her Majesty’s name for the art gallery to be used as ‘’Her Majesty The Queen Sirikit gallery” or commonly called as ‘’The Queen’s Gallery”. There are four floors for displaying art exhibition and the 5th floor could be utilize as activities are in order to integrate the knowledge and publicize the precious Thai works of art to the society." - text from Queen Gallery.org

 I managed to get in free with my MUSE card - thank you Richard. It was certainly an impressive lobby - beautiful.

 I believe that there was an exhibition of displays under the mourning period of
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

 On going further in I found that there were some quite clever paintings and for a few minutes I was lost...

 Then there was a display of paintings and Southern Homes

 Even the lifts doors were decorated.

Monday, 12 June 2017

The Neilson Hayes Library

Tried to visit the Neilson Hayes Library last week and take back a book which my father had not returned twenty years ago (joke) only to find that it was in serious need of repair and they were asking for money.

(See more info here)

But missed the Cafe until I was leaving...

Thursday, 16 March 2017

Phuket - places to visit

Gibbon Rehabilitation

Khai Nui - Private Island

Khao Kad Viewpoint Tower

King Rama IX Park

Klong Mu Dong

Koh Racha

Monkey Hill - Telegraph Hill

Phuket Botanic Gardens

Phuket Cultural Centre

Phuket Thai Hua Museum

Sapan Hin

Weekend Market - ตลาดนัดเจ้าฟ้าวาไรตี้

After living in Phuket for 16 years we moved to Bangkok

- here are some places to visit in Phuket.

Sunday, 11 December 2016

Ong Sim Phye House

Ong Sim Phye House (The Beauty of Tiam Chu) is a very special house (there are a number of them in Phuket Old Town) which is the home of a family.

"This house was bought buy Mr. Simphye Sair-ong, a Chinese house owner from Hok Kian for 4,000 Baht in 1941. The dominant feature of this house is 'it's materials that are the large beautiful bricks made of clay and red soil'. This house is not normally built with the foundation pile , but it is made of stones overlapping each other to wonderfully maintain the balance of the pillars"

I understand that the Ong Sim Phye House is the home of a family and these photographs were taken through the door railings - I understand that sometimes they are at home - now that would be fascinating, I have also been told that the Phuket Heritage Trail has more information about this home.

Other homes that I am aware of are - i46 and China Inn and I imagine that there are a great many but these are the ones which I have visited.

Sunday, 16 October 2016

John Gray Sea Canoe

If you take one trip on your visit to Phuket - this MUST be your choice.

1) May 2013

Monday, 3 October 2016

Kao - Khad Viewpoint

What a special place to visit - I visited the Viewpoint on the hill adjacent to here in 2012.

This is not strictly the same place but it is where I cycle home sometimes.

It is a fantastic place to see the sunset.

This is simply a pavement built on the side of the road along a mountainside - a fabulous idea...

Worth making a visit - still most popular with the locals.There are places to have something to eat close to here - The Beach Bar, Crystal Wild Resort, The Mangrove, Cloud 19 another hotel which I will add when I remember and a local roadside restaurant.

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Phuket Weekend Market - food

Phuket Weekend Market is certainly an attraction if you are visiting Phuket and it is also popular with the local people - there is sooooo much food to be had - we have visited a number of times....

ever what happened to these vehicles?

The market is effectively a football field which is divided into 2 halves and 50% of it sells food! The local Thai people come here for the wide selection of dishes and the fact that it is so big. So please bear in mind that the dishes are not cooked for the tourist but for the Thai people.

The market opens at approximately 4pm and finishes at approximately 10pm but this is never exact. There are a plethora of different types of items to find in the ever increasing number of stalls that each time we go I find something different!

If it rains then you may well get wet because half of the market is standing on the football field. Pushing a pram or the suchlike is very difficult because of the quality of the floor and the fact that the 'corridors' can be so tight...

There are toilets there which you can use but remember to go there with some loose change with you - the last time we went I believe that the cost of this was 5 Baht.

So what foods do they have in half a football field?

Bits of animals that I cannot be sure of...

The cakes look delicious.

The chips are scrumptious - see if you can find them making the curly fries, it is a very clever machine...

Then there are the fish cakes - to nibble whilst wandering about.

If you really are in need for a kebab I was surprised that I found one here.

Not sure what a 'fish strip is' though...

Then it was time for an egg.

We then chose to sit down at one of the many tables and we had fish baked in sea salt (something worth trying whilst in Thailand).

Then you must have a herbed sausage whilst you are sitting here.

Then it was time for a pudding - we tried this Japanese ice-cream - certainly very different (not that I would have it again personally).

There are more that we did not try which I was surprised about - Japanese food and a lot of different stalls.

Then the strange bread and butter...

I suggest that you go hungry to the Weekend Market because it is a lot of fun trying all these different dishes. More about the Weekend Market will be written but older postings are below.

1) An overview - March 2013

2) Personal Aggression - October 2015

3) Food - January 2013

4) Clothes and Shoes - December 2013

5) The Beatles and The Rolling Stones - July 2013

6) Eating Bugs - January 2013

7) Personal Beauty - December 2012

8) Eating more Bugs - September 2013