178 refurbished murals that summarize the plot of The Ramayana are equally famous. (The Indian saga that is the wellspring for traditional Khmer dances, Thai masked dramas and Indonesian shadow plays is to Southeast Asian art and literature what Homer’s The Iliad is to Western letters.)
At the entrance to the actual palace, two guardian demons stand sentry beside it. Like the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, this group of lavish buildings was constructed in 1782, and served as the official residence of the king until 1946. However, King Rama V was the last monarch to actually live here in the early 20th century.
Opening Times Daily 8.30 am–3.30 pm
Address Na Phra Lan Road, near Sanam Luang
Getting There Take the Chao Phraya River Express taxi to the Tha Chang Pier
Contact +66 (0)2 222 0094, +66 (0)2 222 6889
Admission Fee 400 baht
2 Phuket’s Mai Khao Bay
Tropical splendor on Thailand’s biggest island
Soaking up the sun and drinking in the tropical scenery of Mai Khao Bay on the northwest coast of Phuket is about as sublime as castaway dreams get. The island’s longest stretch of sand (11 kilometers) makes for the archetypal getaway. All by yourself, save for the birds and hermit crabs, induces a Robinson Crusoe sense of solitude that is meditative. Suddenly, office politics seem trivial and personal woes go on vacation.
The lack of people also appeals to the Giant Ridley sea turtle. From November to February every year, these giants (some weigh up to 850 kilos) use the beach to lay their eggs. Though turtle spotters like to watch them nesting at night, it’s best to steer clear and let nature run its course.
In recent years, the number of turtles has dipped. Local authorities have responded by monitoring the nesting procedures closely and moving the eggs to special hatcheries, where the young can be released later.
The two most northern beaches on Phuket, Mai Khao and Nai Yang, form the blessedly undeveloped Sirinath National Park. Beware that the tides here, especially during the monsoon season, can be treacherous and riptides run rife.
In the vicinity are a few other distractions like the Turtle Village shopping complex. Here, the accent is mostly on smaller shops for arts and curios, upscale beachwear and a Jim Thompson outlet for Thai silk products.
A few five-star resorts, namely the Anantara and the JW Marriott, have also laid claim to some prime real estate. On the grounds of the West Sands Resort, the Splash Jungle Water Park provides a dash of Disney with an aquatic atmosphere and enough pools, rides and water slides to keep the most hyperactive of kids satisfied.
Even these intrusions are minimal. In the vast expanse of Mai Khao, affording from-there-to-infinity views of the sea and horizon, life is reduced to its most primordial elements: sea, sky, earth and shy sea creatures.
Opening Times 24/7. During the monsoon season from May to November, swimming can be perilous
Address Northwest part of island
Getting There Take the main road Highway 402, then look for the signs for Turtle Village
3 Ayutthaya
Golden heydays shine on
Once touted as the most glorious city in the world, Ayutthaya was both the nucleus and the soul of ancient Siam. Only 90 minutes north of Bangkok, the city straddles the crossroads of Southeast Asian history.
In AD 1350, the capital of a soon-to-be-formidable empire was founded by King Ramathibodi I. His ashes are interred in one of the three massive chedi at Wat Pra Sri San Phet, where the royal palace once stood. Constructed at the behest of Ramathibodi II to house the mortal dust of his father and brother, the chedi stand as monuments to filial devotion.
It’s difficult to imagine how life was lived way back when cowrie shells were used as currency and people slept with machetes beside their beds, unless you see these slices of ancient Siamese life at the Ayutthaya Historical Study Center and the Chao Phraya Sam Museum. The latter also contains models of the city in its heyday, a Chinese junk, ceremonial swords and jewel-studded elephant trinkets.
The gold artifacts give off a few glimmers of Ayutthaya’s legend among foreign traders and missionaries as an El Dorado or City of Gold. Discovered in the prang (a stubby Khmer-style tower) of Wat Ratchaburana, the treasures were untouched by the Burmese soldiers who razed, pillaged and left the city a smoldering cremation ground in 1767. They made off with so much gold, in fact, that Thai history books claim the streets were littered with glittering fragments of the metal.
Rent a bicycle to explore the historical park or see the ruins on the back of a lumbering elephant helmed by a mahout in a costume of glimmering red and gold silk. Charter a long-tail boat over at the pier by the Chandra Kasem Palace (another museum with gold treasures) and explore the three rivers that form a natural moat around the city. En route there are stops at major temples like Wat Phutthaisawan, which has a large reclining Buddha image meant to symbolize his passage into nirvana.
From the river, you can also see a monument to Queen Suriyothai, the tragic 16th-century heroine who disguised herself as a man to ride out on the battlefield where her husband was facing off against the Burmese king in an elephant-back duel. She rode between them, sacrificing her life for her husband’s, while creating a larger-than-death legend and the heroine of Suriyothai, the period piece from 2000 that remains Thailand’s biggest blockbuster.
The rivers are particularly picturesque around dusk. Then, as the boat speeds towards them, the temples slowly rise out of the smoke-blue distance like little has changed in the past five centuries.
Opening Times Daily 6.00 am–6.00 pm
Address Ayutthaya Historical Park
Getting There Ayutthaya is 76 km north of Bangkok. Trains depart every hour from 4.20 am to 10 pm for 15 baht in third-class non-air con from Hua Lamphong Station, Bangkok
Contact Office of Ayutthaya Historical Park Tel: +66 (0)3 524 2501, +66 (0)3 524 4570
Admission Fee 30 baht
4 Massage at Wat Pho Temple
Get rubbed the right way at the country’s first university
Famously described by some travelers as a “lazy person’s yoga”, Thai massage, like acupuncture using hands, elbows and feet instead of needles, helps to un-block the power lines of the body’s natural grid of nerves and muscles to boost energy levels and keep people limber.
As attested to by some of the sculptures in Bangkok’s Wat Pho, home to the most famous massage center and a nearby school, this healing art requires some circus-like contortions.
Dating back some 2,500 years to the time of the Buddha, Thai massage has more than a few similarities to yoga. Admittedly, the masseuse might touch on some sore spots. So it’s best to tell them in advance about any physical problems you have or areas
