Thursday 27 December 2018

Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Temple


Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Temple is a Buddhist Chinese Temple which I came upon during this Bangkok Walk.  


It is a very big temple surrounded by open area and it is also known as Wat Leng Noei Yi. 



It was certainly a popular place for people come to show respect and wonderful to walk around.





mple surrounded by open area and it is also known as Wat Leng Noei Yi. It was certainly a popular place for people come to show respect.


 




Friday 21 December 2018

Sala Chaloem Thani


Sala Chaloem Thani was another place to visit on a Bangkok Walk. This is an original Thai wooden cinema, first showing in 1918 and will closed in 1993.



Here is a lovely article about how special it isHere is a special occasion in 2016 and an article about other places in Bangkok.





  


Saturday 15 December 2018

Bangkok Dolls


Bangkok Dolls is a company which has been "creating a great variety of exquisite handmade collectible Thai Dolls". I did not know what to expect but I had read a little about it so I set off on a walkBangkok Dolls was near a dual carriageway and down some small roads - it was sign posted but I was a little worried, GOOGLE does not always give you the best directions...



But then again this was the sign I missed.



"Bangkok Dolls" are authentically handcrafted to the most minute detail. Exstensive research precedes each design. Antique costumes have been based on museum originals, temple murals, and illustrations from antique books. Contemporary costumes such as those of the Farmer and Hilltribe dolls faithfully reproduce the clothing and ornaments of these people. - http://www.bangkokdolls.com/collection



Wow - what an amazing place to find! There are a great many different dolls that are made here! 



It may be a very small place to visit and yes it will not be something for everybody but if you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit.


Phone Number: 02 245 3008
Approximate Price: $$$$$
Address: 85 Soi Ratchataphan
Hours: 8:30am - 5pm

  
 

Sunday 9 December 2018

Parutsakawan Palace



The Parutsakawan Palace is somewhere that I stumbled upon when I tried one of the Walking Tours for BangkokI had seen the building when I had visited the King Rama V statue for the flower display at the beginning of the year. 



I paid little attention to it because the sign at the front indicate that it was the Police Museum and I walked past. The next time was different.


Wow - it was a beautiful house - the gardens outside were beautiful.
 So I walked around the house before entering - finding the Police Museum at the back - I wanted cream tea on the lawn out the back as well.



Inside the house it was quite spectacular and the history is an interesting read.




The rooms are well kept and the choice of architecture was very European?



and the all have displays regarding the history of the building - a fascinating read, if that is what you are looking for - me, I liked the gardens.



 


Monday 3 December 2018

Wat Intharawat - วัดอินทราวาส



Wat Intharawat - วัดอินทราวาส is somewhere we where taken by a driver when we were in Chiang Mai.


This simple and beautiful viharn, open pavillion and large open mondop was built in 1958 in Lanna style and it is certainly impressive.



The gardens around the Wat are immaculately cared for and on reading about it I find that the because it is one of the very few remaining wooden temples in Thailand that you can find AND is under the care of the Thai Fine Arts Department - thanks for the info RenownTravel.



The roof of the temple is incredibly detailed and it is nice to know that it is protected.




Around the temple there are small open corridors (there is a name which I cannot recall) which are quite beautiful and it is worth walking round them quite slowly.


 


Tuesday 27 November 2018

Yaowarat Road


Yaowarat Road was a place that I was drawn to to celebrate Chinese New Year and then for a Walking Tour through Bangkok.



It is a beautiful mass of Chinese Culture and worth wandering along and please remember to respect their culture. 





There are certainly a number of interesting places to visit off the main Yaowarat Road but that is for another blog but Yaowarat Road can be referred to as the 'main artery' of ChinaTown.



Yaowarat Road is a wonderful place to visit and is a myriad of so much of the Chinese culture to be found in Bangkok BUT we unfortunately still see 'Shark Fin' for sale.



The plethora of food on the side of the road is immense. This crispy pork was a wonderful bite to eat as I walked through.



But this did not beat the noodles that I had later from a street stall around China Town Gate




And there always characters to see when you are walking - certainly worth a visit.


As a addition here are other writers views - Top 10 attractions in ChinaTown

The TripAdvisor review is unfairly only 3 stars, in my opinion
15 best places to eat in ChinaTown
- and a great many more.



 






Wednesday 21 November 2018

Khao Tham Bureau of Monks สำนักสงฆ์เขาเฒ่า


Khao Tham Bureau of Monks สำนักสงฆ์เขาเฒ่า was somewhere which we glimpsed when we drove past. A crack in a rock with a Buddhist statue outside?



So we stopped.



The rock was quite big and the statue was quite impressive. 



After walking up the stairs I notice that there was a cave at the back and there was a place for worship!



Walking through the cave I found that there were more steps up to the back of the Buddhist statue.



More impressive - I was happy we stopped.

  


Thursday 15 November 2018

Wat Phra That Doi Tung Viewpoint


Wat Phra That Doi Tung Viewpoint is somewhere that you need to visit if you are in Doi Tung and near the the Myanmar Border, north of Chiang Rai.




On the main road there was a temple. Then after driving up the hill there was a stop at the bottom of another hill.



Here there were steps going up to the top of another hill. Here the steps were lined with the traditional dragon and the bells.



After this long (and sometimes with debris) number of steps we came to the top, wow, but we were surrounded by more forest so not really a viewpoint - but the air was certainly fresh up here.



There were warnings and protection in the steps.



Looking back on the steps we could see more of the protection.



No sure what these animals were that protected the main Wat though?



This was the side of the Wat 


these were the doors - closed -


there were more figures - a very peaceful place to visit - then back down all those steps.