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Bangkok : Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Saket, Patpong | 2007 | 1st August 2007 : Wat Pho (วัดโพธิ์), or Wat Phra Chetuphon (วัดพระเชตุพน) as it is generally known to the Thais, is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, it is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. However, today the Wat today bears virtually no resemblance to that originally constructed, as it was almost entirely rebuilt by Rama I when the capital was moved to Bangkok. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha. The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai. The grounds are split in two by Chetuphon road. The northern section is generally the only one most people go to, and it includes a large bot (temple hall), enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside the bot, there are 152 marble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian story. Also near here are four chedis, constructed to honor the first three Chakri kings (two for King Rama III). There are also a massive 91 others Chedis of varying sizes arounds the grounds, along with chapels, rock gardens, an array of different types of statues, inscriptions, belltowers and resident fortune tellers. The library is nearby too, decorated impressively with figures and pagodas made of porcelain, in much the same way as Wat Arun across the river. The much less visited southern section has less of interest, but makes a good place to find a monk to chat to for a while. Most would welcome the chance to practice their English on visitors. Massage - Wat Pho is also famous as Thailand's first university, and is center for traditional Thai masage - the rich, famous and powerful have all been known to come here. Inscribed on stone in the walls of Wat Pho are all that was known about Thai massage dating from the reign of King Rama III (most previous texts were lost when the Burmese destroyed Ayuthaya)

Bangkok : Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Saket, Patpong | 2007 | 1st August 2007

Wat Pho (วัดโพธิ์), or ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2007 12:52am PST

Phang Nga Beach and Islands | 2007 | 30th July 2007 :

Phang Nga Beach and Islands | 2007 | 30th July 2007

Updated: Jul 31, 2007 2:42am PST

Bangkok : Grand Palace, Wat Phrae Kaew | 2007 | 3nd August 2007 : Wat Phra Kaew (วัดพระแก้ว), the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the adjoining Grand Palace together form perhaps the greatest spectacle for the visitor to Bangkok. Despite the fact that the whole compound is so full of tourists you spend half the time trying to avoid getting in people's photos, it's still a pretty amazing place to visit. It consists of over 100 brightly colored buildings, golden spires and glittering mosaics, and dates back to 1782, when Bangkok was founded. When you enter the compound, you first of all see Wat Phra Kaew and the nearby attractions, and then move on to the Grand Palace afterwards. Wat Phra Kaew itself, generally known to the Thais as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is perhaps the main attraction. This is Thailand's most important and sacred temple, so you're expected to act with due respect inside it. It houses the tiny (between 60 and 75 cm) Emerald Buddha, which is located high above the heads of the worshippers and tourists. Not much is known for certain about the statue, except that it isn't actually made of emerald but rather of green jade or jasper. Getting a good look at it is difficult as photography is forbidden inside the temple, and it's perched so high up inside it's glass box that it's difficult to really see. It's thought to have been made in the 15th century and was the cause of several wars before ending up for good in Bangkok in 1782. The image is considered a talisman and holds tremendous significance for Thailand and the Thais. The 'robe' that it wears is changed 3 times each year by the King himself, at the start of each season: A diamond encrusted gold robe during the hot season, a solid gold robe in the cool season and a gilded monk's robe in the rainy season.There are also many other Buddha images inside the temple. Round the interior walls are murals depicting the jataka stories. These are located according to the typical Thai conventions inside temples. The ones facing the altar depict the victory of the Buddha over the evil demon Mara, as he subdues her and achieves enlightenment. As is normal for Thai temples, shoes must be taken off before entering into the temple. Despite it's national importance, Wat Phra Kaew is the only temple in Thailand that doesn't have any resident monks, and so is not a seat of Buddhist learning in the same way as the likes of Wat Pho and Wat Mahathat. A cloister surrounds the temple, and depicted along here is an extensive mural of the Ramakian, the Thai version of the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. In total there are 178 sections, and although they date from the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV 1825-1850) they have since been restored on numerous occasions. The explanatory texts across from each were devised by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Also in the compound is: - A miniature model of the famous Cambodian temple complex Angkor Wat, made during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) when the Thai empire extended over Cambodia. - Two libraries, built to protect copies of important Buddhist literature. The Phra Mondop library is impressive, but almost always closed to the public. If not, it's well worth looking at. - The impressive golden Phra Si Rattana Chedi, which it's claimed (somewhat improbably) houses ashes of the Buddha. - The Royal Pantheon, with full size statues of the first seven kings of the reigning Chakri dynasty (Rama I - Rama VII). Only open on April 6th, the anniversary of the founding of this dynasty. Surrounding this are large statues of mythical guardians (pictured right), such as the kinaree, half human-half bird and the Hindu garuda bird. It contains the scared Buddhist scriptures, the Tripitaka.

Bangkok : Grand Palace, Wat Phrae Kaew | 2007 | 3nd August 2007

Wat Phra Kaew (วัดพระแก ...

Updated: Aug 04, 2007 1:21pm PST

Phang Nga Beach and Islands (2) | 2007 | 30th July 2007 :

Phang Nga Beach and Islands (2) | 2007 | 30th July 2007

Updated: Jul 31, 2007 6:32am PST

Phuket: Wat Chalong and Bang Pae Waterfall | 2007 | 29th July 2007 : Phukets three most famous waterfalls are not nearby the largest in Thailand and in dry season the waterfalls is not worth a visit. The largest waterfall named Bang Pae is only around 18 meters high, not exactly the worlds largest. So you see there is no need to vast a whole day traveling just to take pictures in front of a "big" waterfall. Of the 29 Buddhist monasteries in Phuket, Wat Chalong is the largest, the most important, and probably its most ornate. The architecture is typical of Thai temples and the design emphasizes bright colours. The main building has three floors. As with many temples, Wat Chalong is visually quite dazzling. The murals on the temple’s walls are particularly interesting. In the temple’s ‘viharn’ are statues of two monks - Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang. The monks were associated with the temple and they did great works treating the areas sick and injured with herbal medicine. They also played a role in ending the tin miners’ rebellion of 1876. Many locals believe these two monks to have supernatural powers and come to the temple to pray to their images and receive their blessing. Many people come to the temple to learn about their future. You can have your fortune told by the ‘Mor Doo’ (fortune teller) and you can also learn about your future from a set of bamboo sticks. Each of the sticks has a number. Shake the sticks in a container and eventually one will come out. That number corresponds to a printed outline of future events. Unfortunately, these predictions are in Thai so you will need a translation. It’s still good fun though! The temple also houses pairs of wooden blocks made that are intended to help people make important decisions – ask your question and throw the blocks, how they land indicates the answer (if they show the same side the answer is ‘yes’). Wat Chalong is a very traditional Thai temple without too many of the trappings designed to entice tourists, although there are stalls around the temple where you can buy souvenirs. Wat Chalong looks more like a community than a temple. If you want to experience Buddhism wrapped up in Taoism and Chinese mysticism on Phuket, this is the place to go and wander around.

Phuket: Wat Chalong and Bang Pae Waterfall | 2007 | 29th July 2007

Phukets three most famous waterfalls are not nearby the largest in Tha ...

Updated: Jul 29, 2007 9:04am PST

Phuket | 2007 | 27th July 2007 : Phuket (Thai: ภูเก็ต; formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries. The island is served by Phuket International Airport, located in the north of the island. The ph of "Phuket" is an aspirated "p", so the name is pronounced (roughly) "Poock-get". The name Phuket is apparently derived from the word bukit in Malay which means mountain or hill, as this is what the island appears like from a distance. Before that its old name was Ta-lang, derived from the old Malay "Telong" which means "Cape". The northern district of the province, which was the location of the old capital, still uses this name.

Phuket | 2007 | 27th July 2007

Phuket (Thai: ภูเก็ต; formerly kno ...

Updated: Jul 27, 2007 6:46am PST

Phuket - Phi Phi Island | 2007 | 27th July 2007 : The Phi Phi Islands (Thai: หมู่เกาะพีพี) are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. Phi Phi Don, the larger and principal of the two Phi Phi islands, is located at 7°44′00″N, 98°46′00″E. Both Phi Phi Don, and Phi Phi Leh, the smaller, are administratively part of Krabi province, most of which is on the mainland, and is located at 8°02′30″N, 98°48′39″E. Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. There are no accommodation facilities on this island, but it is just a short boat ride from Ko Phi Phi Don. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island, are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea. Phi Phi Don was initially populated by Muslim fishermen during the late 1940s, and later became a coconut plantation. The Thai population of Phi Phi Don remains more than 80% Muslim. Ko Phi Phi Leh was the backdrop for the 2000 movie The Beach. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry. There was criticism during filming of 'The Beach' that the permission granted to the film company to physically alter the environment inside Phi Phi Islands National Park was illegal. [1] Following the release of The Beach, tourism on Phi Phi Don increased dramatically, and with it the population of the island. Many buildings were constructed without planning permission.

Phuket - Phi Phi Island | 2007 | 27th July 2007

The Phi Phi Islands (Thai: หมู่เก& ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2007 7:03pm PST

Phuket - Simon Cabaret and Patong at night | 2007 | 27th July 2007 : In Europe and America, the tradition of men dressed as women for theatre roles dates back five hundred years when it was not permitted for a respectable woman to be seen on the stage. During World War II, many of the great English pantomimes featured men dressed as women as there were no women on the frontlines where the shows took place. However, in Thailand, due to the considerable tolerance of the culture, the theatrical performances of men dressed as women has always been accepted and a great number of males who feel more natural as females, find a career as cabaret performers. Join the fun at Simon Cabaret where the lavish sets and brilliant costumes will amaze you. Performers lip-synch songs popular in countries around the world. In nearby Patong, transvestite performances can be enjoyed at Andaman Queen Cabaret and in many of the neighboring open air bars.

Phuket - Simon Cabaret and Patong at night | 2007 | 27th July 2007

In Europe and America, the tradition of men dressed as women for theat ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2009 1:33pm PST

Phuket - 4 years later | 2011 | 27th July, 2011 :

Phuket - 4 years later | 2011 | 27th July, 2011

Updated: Jul 27, 2011 12:15pm PST

Phuket - Phi Phi Island | 2011 | 28th July 2011 :

Phuket - Phi Phi Island | 2011 | 28th July 2011

Updated: Jul 28, 2011 7:15am PST

Phuket - Off Bangla Road | 2011 | 28th July 2011 :

Phuket - Off Bangla Road | 2011 | 28th July 2011

Updated: Jul 28, 2011 8:03pm PST

Bangla Road and BKK | 2011 | 29th - 30th July, 2011 :

Bangla Road and BKK | 2011 | 29th - 30th July, 2011

Updated: Jul 30, 2011 9:00pm PST

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