Bangkok Things to Do Tips by RAINBOWWINGS

Being novices to the East we decided to stick to organised tours to see the beauty this country had to offer and chose one of the most popular trips to the Grand Palace. This complex, built in 1782 not only is the home of the Thai royal family but also has many government buildings as well as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We were fortunate to have our own personal guide, Pam a young Thai lady, who gave us so much information it was hard to take it all in, but even if we?ve forgotten certain dates we certainly wont ever forget the sheer beauty of this complex.Temples covered in gold leaf or Chinese porcelain or even cut glass filled this 218,000m2 area built after the ascension of King Rama 1. The day we visited was a national holiday and the King was going to visit the temples in the afternoon. Red carpet covered all the paths and Buddist monks chanted whilst Thai nationals offered jasmine flowers to them. This was a spectacular trip and well worth the hustle of the Bangkok traffic to reach the Palace on the banks of the Chao Phraya river.

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Phone: 02-224-1833
Address: Maharaj Pier, Chao Phraya, Bangkok
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com/

Far away from the noisy polluted streets of the city are the famous Khlongs...canals of all widths winding between lush countryside , tiny brightly painted shanty houses and beautiful modern villas with amazing gardens full or orchids.. Take a trip on a longboat, a sort of very big canoe with low benchlike seats, that can shoot off at tremendous speed weaving its way thru the banks of the khlongs or meander at a leisurely pace so that you can take in the sights. .....and what sights! Other longboats piled high with steaming pots and pans actually cooking delicious noodles etc and selling them to families perched on the end of wooden piers at the bottom of their land..a Thai take-away service? Children jumping in and out of the water whilst Mum washed the clothes on the bank, a group of old men selling buckets of bread lowered into the boat by block and tackle, which we bought, to feed the huge catfish that jumped up and surrounded our boat. Great fun for 20baht. Other longboats approached us full of smiling Thai ladies selling little silk purses and other trinkets, and lots of families laughing and joking on a floating picnic area.

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Address: Off Chao Phraya River
Directions: Hotel Tours

One of the most interesting tours out of Bangkok has to be the 100 mile drive north to Kanchanaburi and the famous site built by over 30,000 Brits together with Australians, Indians, Belgiums and many more nationalities, during World War 2. After leaving the smoggy city the roads soon opened up and we started to drive thru lush green jungle, passing many small villages that all seemed to deal in spare motor parts! Little stalls selling, mango, coconut and pomelos were dotted along the road. After about 2 hours we stopped by a small museum at the side of the river. This was a huge bamboo hut kept just as the POWs had used it in the war, and the walls were lined with actual photos of how they survived. From here we took a small longboat and bounced along the river towards the famous bridge where we docked and walked along the bridge . We moved on to a beautiful cementary with hundreds of neat rows of graves each with its own plaque and flowering bush. Sprinklers played water onto the surrounding lawns and were the only sound in this peaceful garden of rest. Over 6000 Brits and many thousands more died working on the bridge and this was Thailands tribute to these brave men. Thai girls worked tirelessly in the hot sun tending the gardens. An hour train journey wound its way thru rice paddys and fields of tapioca. Mangoes and coconuts hung from their trees and strange birds flew level with the train as we sped alongside the river.

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Address: Kanchanaburi. West Thailand

This is not quite a "theme show" as the elephants, all ages and sizes, live and work in the sanctuary. Yes they do take you on a trek thru the river but its all part of their exercise and they seem to love it. You can buy big hands of bananas for 20 baht and feed them. This was thrilling and the baby elephants know very well what to do to get hold of those bananas! Big mums and aunts stood under giant bamboo huts some shielding new born baby elephants from the rest of the herd, waiting to take out their guests on a cooling trek thru the river where the mahouts make you sunhats from banana leaves. A great trip for all ages.

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Address: km.30,Petkasem rd., Samphran,Nakhon Pathom 73110
Website: http://www.elephantshow.com