I’ve posted before about how I love the designs, patterns and intricate details of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. You never know where to look because there are so many buildings, colors, paintings and decorations completely surrounding you. What makes everything more incredible is that you can tell many things were painstakingly done by hand – and still are – like tiling a roof in the middle of a hot day.
When I was backpacking around India and Southeast Asia, my standards in accommodation quickly deteriorated. I’ve never been too picky of where I stay, and traveling for a longer amount of time consistently tried to stay in the cheapest rooms possible to stretch my budget. I hit a low point though when staying in an old wooden guest house in Laos and noticed the holes in the wall, connecting to the next guest room, were ‘fixed’ by stuffing plastic bags into them.
I still do things cheaply staying in hostels, small guest houses and dorms, but sometimes you just want a little more. Overall, accommodation is very affordable in Thailand. You can still spend a lot for a high-end hotel or resort but, along with the hostels, even nicer guesthouses and boutique hotels are often a steal compared to home. Which is why, on a recent trip to Bangkok, I decided to take advantage of what my money could get me and went to the Shanghai Mansion on Yaowarat Road in the center of China Town.
Lobby and Hallway – Photo source: Shanghai Mansion
A little web search showed the boutique hotel, carefully decorated to ‘sweep you straight into the romance of Old Shanghai’, to be one of the best value for money options in Bangkok. The hotel offers five types of rooms with prices on the website ranging from 2,500 – 3,300 baht, or about $85 – $115. I was hoping to spend between 1,000 – 2,000 baht…fortunately, the site also listed several special offers and last-minute deals for as little as 1,790 baht ($62) per night. I then went a step further and lucked out with an even slightly cheaper price using Agoda.com (an accommodation booking and deals site focusing on the Asia-Pacific region). While I spent more than I would normally, the hotel did not not disappoint and I felt like the experience was worth every baht.
Everywhere you look is thoughtfully designed with statement paintings and sitting areas
First of all, the place is gorgeous with little design details everywhere you looked creating a romantic, and slightly nostalgic, feel . With every room you got a welcome drink, free mini bar (including refrigerator with soft drinks, beer, coffee tea and snacks), free WIFI and bath/toiletries set (when you’re used to no-frills rooms, it’s amazing how special nice soap and a free soda will make you feel). There are also several unexpected services and surprises like a free tuk tuk shuttle service to three different central locations, free treats available in the hallways, and robes and slippers.
The attention to detail, design and little luxuries continued in my actual room, which was spacious especially considering being the middle of a big city. It also had the largest bed I’ve seen in who knows how long and the added indulgence of an actual bathtub – not something you usually see over here.
Photo Source: Shanghai Mansion
All in all, I would quickly suggest Shanghai Mansion to anyone who wanted a little style for the evening at a affordable price. The only (slight) disappointment was the lack of a pool and natural light. The hotel is situated in the middle of a row of buildings and my room’s two windows looking out were heavily frosted, since you look straight into a brick wall about a meter away. That said, the inside of the room felt so nice that you didn’t really care to look out anyway.
Photo Source: Shanghai Mansion
Unexpected mini trips, Christmas, computer problems…the past few weeks have kind of been odd and now I need to get back on the blogging bandwagon and figure out what I’m doing and where I’m going in 2013. A quick look about what’s been going on lately…
Northern Thailand is filled with mountains and jungles – it’s stunning. I’ve done several drives through the areas around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, but have always wanted to go even further north to the town and province of Mae Hong Son. (Often in Thailand a province’s largest city shares the same name as the province.) After coming back from Malaysia, I haven’t even really left town these past few months and was itching to get out.
The town itself doesn’t offer much. It’s cute but small with not much to do. The real reason of the trip was for the drive – 1864 curves in the road between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son through sun-filled jungly mountains. I would have been completely content just driving around in circles all day…which is actually kind of what it felt like since the roads were so windy and it took about 6 hours.
While there are plenty of buses and minivans going between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, the most rewarding way to go would be by motorbike. Unfortunately, I did the trip by myself and didn’t feel comfortable driving that far alone, so felt like I was kind of missing out on fully enjoying the area. On the plus side, I managed to not get car sick. I have a strong stomach, but 6 hours in a full minibus with three little kids getting sick (1864 curves!) could get to anyone.
Wat Traimit, home to the world’s largest golden Buddha, in Bangkok
Roses and grasshoppers – how romantic…
A day after getting back from Mae Hong Son, I ended up going to Bangkok for a couple nights (still can’t believe that I can just decide to go to Bangkok one moment then hop on a bus to get there the next…) and finally tried eating some bugs. Check that off my list.
Just your typical Christmas Eve entertainment
Then it was Christmas, which in Thailand doesn’t feel anything like Christmas. Even spent with friends – who collectively managed to pull together and impressive spread of green bean casserole, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, roasted chickens, bread, wine and lots of chocolate – Christmas here just feels…like nothing.
Though the spontaneous Mae Hong Song and Bangkok trips helped with my itchy feet, I’ve been trying to be more proactive about getting out and seeing or doing the things I still haven’t done here – particularly trying to go on day or afternoon trips to areas just outside of town.
So there you have it – no big plans, 2012 recaps (although you can check out some of my most popular posts on Wanderlust & Lipstick here) or 2013 resolution posts for this girl, just a quick catch up and now onto getting back into a bit of a routine now that the holidays are (almost) over and I have a working computer again (fingers crossed).
One of my favorite discoveries in Bangkok is a large amulet market found close to the Grand Palace (about a 10-minute walk) on Prachan Road. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before and increased my interest to know more about the fascination with Buddhist amulets in Thailand. Why do so many people wear them? What do they mean? Why are they believed to have powers? How can you tell if one’s ‘real’ or not?
Amulets in Bangkok
Thai Buddhist amulets come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll see rich men with large pieces in gold and diamond cases, old men with more then ten dangling from a chain, women with small, tasteful gold Buddhas on a thin Thai gold (sooo yellow!) necklace and toddlers with a tiny charm. People seek the amulets out for their blessings, security and magical powers. Generally speaking, they are meant to protect you – protect you from harm, accidents, danger, bad business, bad people, bad luck (the belief in luck plays a very important role in day to day Thai life, but that’s for a different post). Some are thought to have greater protection for certain things or provide good luck in certain areas of your life.
What makes them so special? They’re made by monks, often who are well-known for their own magical or meditative powers, who put special symbols and blessings in the amulet. Amulets that have ‘proven themselves’ by protecting the wearer and got people talking become well known and sought after. There are many stories of guns not being able to work around special amulets or people wearing a certain amulet and coming away from an accident unscathed.
The amulets can be bought all over. Just walking down the street you’ll see someone with a table set up and men squinting through their magnifying glasses, examining the amulets and seeing if they’re real. There are also several eBay-type sites for people to bid, buy and sell. The older, more well-known and more rare they are the pricier they are, with some amulets selling for tens of thousands of dollars. People will then have their amulets encased in hard plastic to protect them and then have decorative handmade cases cases created to show off their piece.
While I definitely understand more now, thanks to some Thai friends, than I ever would have on my own, I’m still amazed at the sheer quantity of different amulets, knowledge it takes to recognize pieces from specific monks and know the story behind them or if they’re real, and the industry that’s been created around these charms.
What objects have you been intrigued by in other countries? Was there something everyone seemed to own?
Yummy…
On a quick trip to Bangkok, I got a local’s perspective walking through the streets, dodging motorbikes, vendors and dogs, with someone who was born there. Too embarrassed to play ‘the tourist’, I barely have any photos from the trip. A moment that stands out though is eating breakfast at about 8 am on our last morning there – fried fish, rice and chili sauce, made by a couple of old women in their 80s who looked like they had been doing the same thing for decades, washed down with Pepsi from a bag. Some people wouldn’t be able to stand this – I love it.
During my last visit to Bangkok, I took a day trip to the ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya. About an hour (well, technically one hour, but more like three due to traffic…) outside of Bangkok, Ayutthaya existed from 1350 – 1767 when the Burmese invaded and took the city.
In its heyday, Ayutthaya boasted three palaces and 400 temples. Today the city has grown around the ruined temples and crumbling chedis.
At the height of its power Ayutthaya was said to be just as grand as the European capitals at that same time. It’s easy to see that the ancient capital was massive, but the ruins that are left – a shadow of what once was. While it can’t compare to the temples of Angkor or Bagan, there’s still a lot to see – perfect for a day trip – especially for anyone who appreciates some good temple-hopping.
I really didn’t know much about Ayutthaya, or what to expect, before I went. I originally had seen a picture on a postcard three years ago, when I first came to Thailand for a two-week holiday, of the famous Buddha head wrapped in a tree trunk at Wat Mahathat and it stuck in my memory. I knew that if when I made it back to Thailand I wanted to see it in real life – that was my true motivation for trying to get there. And it was beautiful.
The Grand Palace buildings and grounds are so massive and intricately decorated that it’s hard to know where to look.
Which is why instead of trying to capture the buildings as a whole, I instead focused on wandering around and appreciating the painstakingly detailed patterns, mosaics, mirrors and carvings.
Even all the roofs are individually tiled.
Recently I made a trip down to Bangkok. I had been to the city four times before, and while there were always enjoyable or interesting parts of my visits, I was always ready to leave after two or three days thinking,”I could never live here”.
view from the hotel room
I still don’t think I could live there or, at least, I would never choose too. But after this stay, I left actually kind of liking Bangkok. It took me FIVE visits, including one with someone who was from and had lived in Bangkok for years, to warm up to the place, but it’s definitely growing on me.
One of the highlights of the visit was going to the Grand Palace. Yes, I know it’s super touristy. Yes, at 450 baht per person, it’s pricey (compared to almost everything else) to get in. Yes, there are a ton of people just taking pictures of the same things. BUT you have to do it, and it really is incredible.
I had been there three years ago, when I originally came to Thailand for a vacation, and remember it being just beautiful. Probably the most beautiful set of buildings I’d ever seen.
My memory served me correctly and visiting for a second time didn’t disappoint. (Although it was uncomfortably hot…) The palace, built in 1782, was home to the reigning Thai king for 150 years. The grounds include courtyards, government buildings, receptions halls and Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). What really matters though, is that the place is stunning and truly should not be missed when in Bangkok.
What ‘must-see’ sight has taken your breath away?
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