Category: places
August 22nd, 2013 — 5:53am
Last week I was invited on a three day media trip to Hua Hin and Pranburi. The first stop on the agenda was Maruekhathaiyawan Palace. The former royal Thai residence is known as “the palace of love and hope” and claims to be the longest teak palace in the world, although I suspect there are
August 14th, 2013 — 12:10pm
I’ve been sifting through a load of raw files that seem to have been overlooked. It’s easily done. There are periods when one trip seems to roll into another and I with memory cards full of images but with time to edit only for the most pressing projects. Here’s one that slipped through the net.
August 8th, 2013 — 3:58am
Earlier in the year I was working on my forthcoming book ‘Presenting Cambodia’, a commissioned A4 hardback which provides an overview of this wonderful country through text and around 250 images. My chosen mode of transport in Cambodia, and anywhere else for that matter, is a motorcycle, preferably a dirt bike so I can get
August 7th, 2013 — 5:24am
Phayao is a pleasant northern Thai town that should receive far more visitors than it does. Situated beside a large lake, it makes a lovely place to stop over for a two or three nights on the way further north to Nan. I was last there earlier in the year on a motorcycle trip around
August 6th, 2013 — 9:09am
I’ve just received copies of the Russian edition of my book, Enchanting Thailand, published by John Beaufoy Publishing. Here in Thailand, it will be distributed by co-publisher, Asia Books. Given the number of Russian tourists that currently visit Thailand, this is good news. Apologies for the rather poor quality scans of the front and back
August 6th, 2013 — 2:59am
Another colourful Thai event to mark Khao Phansa, the start of the Buddhist rainy season retreat is tak bat dok mai, floral almsgiving which takes place at the beautiful Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi. The special annual event has become so popular that it is now held twice a day for two days in order
July 30th, 2013 — 10:11am
Here’s a sweet treat for the end of the day. I’ve got a soft spot for Asian desserts and these little putu piring from Malaysia are impossible to resist. ‘Putu’ is a generic Indonesian-Malay word for the dough and ‘piring’ means plate. The mix of rice flour, grated coconut and flavourful palm sugar are lightly
July 29th, 2013 — 9:12am
A must on any travel itinerary, the UNESCO World Heritage town of Ayutthaya is just 86 km (53 miles) north of Bangkok. In recent years, the town has flourished on the back of increased domestic tourism and there a great choice of small resorts and homestays plus excellent restaurants. If you are a bit of a
July 29th, 2013 — 3:23am
Last week I was in Ayutthaya for Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent. Often referred to as the rainy season retreat, it is a period when monks remain within the temples and devote themselves to study and meditation. This starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month in
July 19th, 2013 — 4:31am
In the afternoon of the second day, Jao Paw Guan is carried on a bamboo rocket in a procession that heads to Wat Phon Chai temple. The procession almost includes monks lifted head high on wooden platforms and revered images of Buddha. There’s an air of celebration to the whole affair and it gets particularly
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