Mystic Place Hotel

Mystic Place Hotel is a small boutique hotel located in the Saphan Khwai district of Bangkok 5 minutes from Chatuchak ( JJ or jatujack  ) market and just blocks from the Saphan Khwai BTS station. This isn’t your normal boutique hotel, their slogan says it all “Where kitsch art meets Thai hospitality”. Each of the 36 Mystic Place Hotel rooms was designed and decorated by a different designer/artist with the idea of bringing  artistic expression and comfortable living together.

Each room at the Mystic Hotel is it’s own unique experience from rural Thailand traditional to funky chic you can literally try out as many rooms as you like. This unique hotel concept really sets Mystic Place apart from anything comparable in Bangkok.

If you are looking for a quieter stay in Bangkok that is outside the serious traffic of the city center then Mystic Place is the perfect option. I knew I would be doing some early morning exploring of Bangkok and staying outside of Bangkok’s bad traffic was necessary to get around easily at that time. With the BTS skytrain just a few blocks away most of Bangkok is easily accessible.

Mystic Place Hotel Rooms

When you book your hotel room at Mystic place online you have an option to see pictures of each of the 36 rooms available and choose what you like or you could be like me and let them choose for you and be surprised. What if you don’t like the room? No problem, you can change rooms daily if you like for a small 200 baht surcharge for each room change but if you are staying for 3 nights or more then then the room change is free.

I was given the “Fitting Room” which is a funky stylish room dedicated to fashion. As you can see in the pictures below it is a very spacious and comfortable room. You can see pictures of all the different rooms at Mystic Place Hotel Gallery.

Another cool feature of the hotel is that the balconies are actually across from your room entrance and the hallways have a certain artistic flair as well.

Hotel Amenities

Mystic Place Hotel is a full service hotel complete with a top notch Spa, Restaurant and Boutique Bar including free WIFI throughout. The Spa itself is apparently one of the best in the Saphan Khwai are and much sought after by residents and tourists alike.There is also a small coffee shop connected to the lobby that puts Starbucks to shame. Mystic Place Hotel also offers free breakfast and free Tuk Tuk shuttles to the BTS, MRT and Chatuchak market.

The hotel staff is without a doubt one  of the top amenities of the Hotel. They do a great job making sure are comfortable and more importantly that you feel welcomed to Bangkok.

Mystic Place Hotel Rates and Information

Superior Room 35 sqm  1,619 Baht per night

Deluxe Rooms 45 sqm  1,809 Baht per night

Mystic Suite 50 sqm  1,999 Baht per night

These are discounted high season rates so you will want to check with the hotel for current low season rates and deals.

You can find out much more information on what Mystic Place Hotel has to offer by clicking the logo below.

Mystic Place Hotel Location

If you are looking for a uniquely comfortable hotel experience while in Bangkok then Mystic Place Hotel is definitely a great choice.

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Pictures Courtesy Bangkok Snow Removal

Better in Bangkok

So, maybe there hasn’t been any snow but I’ll be damned if it didn’t feel like it could snow at any time last night in Bangkok.

I decided to get away for a few days and what could be better than heading to Bangkok and spending some quality time with good friends. When I arrived on Wednesday it was overcast and it looked like rain was in the immediate future, and it was cool; not just cool but very cool for Bangkok. I booked in at a great little boutique hotel in the Saphan Kwai area named Mystic Place and started making some phone calls.

Mystic Place is a funky little hotel where every room has been decorated by a different designer, very trendy and hip if you ask me and definitely put a smile on my face when I got the keys to my room which is appropriately named the “Fitting Room”. More on this next week as this hotel definitely deserves a write up on it’s own including pictures that will speak volumes.

After I settled in I phone two of the nicest people in Bangkok and started making plans. I met both Catherine, who writes the wonderful Thai language resource, “Women Learning Thai…and some men too”, and Rick, who extols the virtues of Thailand in “Behind the Noodle Curtain” some time ago through writing TLOS and as we like to say in my neck of the woods ” they be good people”.

One of the biggest benefits of blogging for me have been the friendships that have formed over the years with other bloggers and readers alike. Cat and Rick are right there at the top when it comes to people I look forward to hearing from and hanging out with. Fortunately, Rick and I have had the chance to get together quite a few times since we both moved to Thailand but Cat has been very elusive, and while we have talked and emailed several times a week over the last year or two we had yet to actually meet until now.

With plans made I showered up and headed out to the BTS skytrain and my trip to Nana station and ultimately Soi 8 and the Soi 8 Pub to have dinner and drinks with Rick. I realized as I was halfway to my destination that the man sitting across the train from me, who was smartly dressed I might add, and had a big smile on his face was actually my own reflection…it seems getting away from the madness of Pattaya was just what the doctor ordered.

As if there could be any doubt, Rick and I had a good meal washed down with refreshing Bangkok beer ( the beer in Bangkok is far superior to Pattaya beer )  and wonderful conversation; it must be noted at this point that Rick gives great conversation and he’s Canadian which is practically the same thing as being an American…what more could you ask for. And, he’s just a damn nice guy that will forgive the aforementioned slight to his nationality, in time.

After a few hours it was time for me to call it a night and head back to Saphan Kwai and my hotel, most importantly my bed. The last few days in Pattaya left me with very little sleep and the feeling that my candle was not only lit at both ends but being set on by a blow torch. Besides, I had a date early in the morning with the wonderfully elusive Cat women to explore Bangkok with her and her faithful driver Khun Pissout and, I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to be rested for that. I was in bed at 8pm, a true Thailand miracle.

Bangkok Excursions

Waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed I greeted the breaking Bangkok day with arms outstretched, okay, maybe it was more bleary eyed and bedraggled with a serious need for nicotine and caffeine that I fell out of bed and stumbled onto the balcony for a smoke and a coke. It was freaking freezing, I’m not talking chilly but downright cold and I seriously wondered if my hotel room accidentally got caught up in a tornado and magically transported me back to America. When I opened my hotel room door everything was in technicolor and midgets were singing to me but I chalked that one up to lack of sleep, nicotine and caffeine.

After I finished my breakfast of Marlboro lights and coke, the most important meal of the day don’t ya know, I showered and eagerly awaited a phone call from Cat letting me know she had arrived to pick me up. As I walked downstairs and across the lane to Khun Pissout’s taxi there was a noticeable pep in my step and a smile on my face…the nicotine and caffeine finally kicked in, no, I was finally meeting a dear friend and I was cold.

Cat and her cohort/driver Khun Pissout were exactly as I imagined them in all of their wonderfullness, I have to note here that I am bound by contractual obligation concerning my soul not to divulge too much information about the mysterious and elusive Catherine and Khun Pissout. While Catherine may be a mild mannered Thai language blogger by day her details are sketchy at best. I believe she is some kind of superhero and Khun Pissout is her sidekick. I imagine her wearing a form fitting red  leather suit emblazoned with a flaming C  and fighting crime from the back of Khun Pissout’s neon green terror taxi with only her Thai language resources and a bullwhip…or maybe not, I told you the nicotine and caffeine kicked in.

Cat and I were off for a day of Wat hopping and great conversation. Our first stop was Wat Bang Phra which was being readied for the Tattoo festival on Saturday. After some time spent at the Wat it started to rain and freakishly get even colder, I swear I saw snow but that was after one of the Thai tattoo faithful, who had come to get his Sak Yant tattoo re-charged, asked me to drink water from a small bowl that apparently had wax drippings in it. He told me it was for good luck and Cat gave me a look as if to say ” you probably just drank something that will kill you”. Cat will have more on that later.

With it raining and becoming considerably colder we decided lunch would be a good idea and before I knew it Khun Pissout had us back on the road and heading to the batcave…another reason I believe Cat is a superhero. After a wonderful lunch of Calamari, minced meat pie and an amazing Sticky Toffee Pudding, Yes, Cat, I loved the pudding but I still think that an English Breakfast is the ugliest meal on the planet, we headed out again for more Wattage.

Now, I love Cat, she is an awesome person and another that gives great conversation but she tends to say the word “PENIS” a bit more than I am used to hearing, it actually got almost unsettling at one point. I kindly suggested she use a more appropriate word such as COCK but she would have none of it. She also has a habit of telling me one thing and then doing something completely opposite. She swore she was going to show me this Indian woman’s vagina but instead showed me this stone bowl type thing and said “see, vagina”. I didn’t have the heart to tell here it was a stone jug/bowl.

Seriously though I had a great day with Catherine exploring Bangkok, which will all be detailed in upcoming posts,  and all I can really say is she is one top Lady who I hope to have many more excursions with exploring this wonderful city, Bangkok.

The evening was spent again in the good company of Rick enjoying a good meal and having a few drinks of the alcoholic nature among the many outdoor bars of Bangkok. At 2am it was 18ºC and buckets of charcoal were lit to keep us warm, Thai women were running about in ski parkas and snow boots and the gods of snow were pushing the cold artic air through the small Sois so fast we felt like we were in a wind tunnel.

As I said my good nights and jumped into the back of a taxi along Sukhumvit I swear I saw a snow flake, it might have been a chunk of solidified smog, but I will remember it as the first snow in Bangkok.

Bangkok is speaking to me and I have a feeling I might be listening more intently than I thought I could.

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The Erawan museum in Samut Prakan is someplace I’ve been meaning to get to for some time especially since its creator,Lek Viriyaphant, was the mastermind behind another beautiful work of art, The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

The elephant of 33 heads, or the elephant of the universe as it is also known, is part of an ancient Buddhist and Hindu myth about the greatest god of paradise, Indre. The myth tells us that wherever Indre goes he mounts his elephant, Erawan, who before each journey transforms himself into a 16,000 meter tall white elephant with 33 heads. Most depictions of Erawan you will see only show him as having 3 heads.

Khun Lek sought to house his rare collection of priceless artifacts safely while still preserving traditional beliefs that the sacred objects housed there would bring blessing and prosperity to the land and its people, and therefore must not be lost to outsiders.

This myth of Indre inspired Lek Viriyaphant to build a museum that is a reproduction of Erawan, and while not quite as big as the mythical beast this monumental museum is still rather large, coming in at 44 meters tall and weighing over 250 tons.

Khun Lek’s son, Pagpean Viriyaphant, was put in charge of managing the building project and bringing a host of talented artists together to make sure Khun Lek’s vision was brought to life. One of those artists, Rakchart Srichanken, was the creator of the actual Erawan structure while others were in charge of such details as the magnificent stained glass ceiling and carvings throughout the museum.

Khun Lek wanted Erawan to be more of a symbol of the center of the universe than a vehicle for the god Indre. He wanted the Erawan museum to symbolize the spiritual heart of the land where sacred objects could be housed and revered by all.

The museum consists of 3 separate levels. The base of the museum, “Underworld or Naga World”, plays host to an amazing array of ancient artifacts and artwork that dates back to the Ming Dynasty and beyond. Here you will find detailed carved furniture inlaid with mother of pearl as well as Ming vases and rare Chinese porcelain tea sets. There are also ancient Khmer and Thai artifacts. These objects were collected by Lek Viriyaphant and his family over generations. Unfortunately, to preserve the priceless treasures no photography or filming is allowed in Underworld.

The middle section of the elephant is called “Hall of Earth” and is filled with more rare artifacts such as statues and beautifully made furniture but the real show stopper is the magnificently carved grand stair cases and 4 embossed tin columns with religious reliefs that stretch up to the beautiful stained glass ceiling that depicts a map of the world. Where the 2 stair cases meet at the main landing there is a small shrine to make offerings.

Further up into the elephants head is the last level or “Tavatimsa Heaven” where you will find even more rare statues and Buddhist icons in another shrine area that can only be described as stunning. Again, no photography or filming is allowed of the individual artifacts but you may take pictures of the room and shrine.

Outside the Museum the great elephant is surrounded by a moat of running water where you can make offerings of lotus blossoms that will float around the structure. There is also a large area in front of Erawan where offerings can be made with flowers, incense and bells and gongs that can be rung for good luck.

Surrounding all of this is a beautiful park filled with sculptures, flowers and streams to wander through and relax. We spent the afternoon into early evening at the Erawan Museum enjoying all the rare pieces of art and the beauty that the whole park bestows on you. I knew this would be a special place just because of the man who created it, Lek Viriyapant, who spent his life creating wonderful places for all people to enjoy and to lift Thai cultural heritage.

The Erawan Museum is open daily from 8am to 5pm with guided tours every 30 minutes. Admission price is 150 baht per person. More information can be found at The Erawan Museum Website.

You can find even more pictures ( almost 300 ) of the beautiful Erawan Museum and park  in the Thailand Photo Gallery Erawan Museum,Samut Prakan.

Little known fact:

The Erawan Museum is considered the largest elephant sculpture in the world and it took over 10 years to complete.

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The 8th annual Bangkok World Film Festival will be taking place from November 5th to November 14th with over 150 films from around the world. Movies will be shown from 9 different categories including: Asian Contemporary; Cinema Beat; Cine Latino; Doc Feast; Short Wave; Guts Nouveau; Music & Dance A la Carte, New Turkish Cinema and Retrospective.

The festival will open on November 5th with the much anticipated Thai indie film “Eternity” (“Tee Rak”) being shown with many more exciting and award winning films to follow. Some of the featured films will include “Red Dragonflies” from Singapore which has already won awards at several international film festivals; “The Well”, a coming-of-age drama from India; “Au Revoir Taipei”, a new romantic comedy from Taiwan; “Cold Water of the Sea” from Costa Rica, which won a Tiger Award at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam; “The Famous and the Dead”, a new teenage flick from Brazil; “Curling” from Canada, winner of two awards at the Locarno film festival this year; and “A Film Unfinished”, Yael Hersonski’s powerful documentary that portrays people behind and before the camera in the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi occupation in World War II.

The film festival will also have several contests and parties going on including a World Film Festival Bangkok poster competition; A celebrity look alike competition, and what would a film festival be in this day and age if it didn’t have a  special themed vampire party that will take place on November 13th.

A complete program schedule,  in PDF format,  for the World Film Festival Bangkok can be viewed and downloaded Here: Programme 8th World Film Festival Bangkok.

The 8th World Film Festival of Bangkok will be held at Paragon Cineplex and Major Cineplex Sukhumvit (Ekamai) from the 5th  to the 14th of November, 2010. Tickets are Baht100 and Bt50 for students. For more information please check out www.WorldFilmBKK.com.

As always, for more information on upcoming events and festivals throughout Thailand you can search the Thailand Events Calender.

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Peter Nitsch is an international award winning photographer and designer who has split his life between Munich, Germany and Thailand over the past decade.

His latest exhibition is called Shophouses 4×8 m Bangkok, where he explores the relationship between business and home of Bangkok residents through photographs. This is definitely something as a photographer I am very interested in as the little shops scattered around Bangkok and all over Thailand are a treat to photograph.

Peter’s work speaks for itself as just last year this same exhibit won honorable mention at the Los Angles International Photography Awards. I had a chance to pick Peter’s brain a little about his work and the upcoming exhibition in Bangkok.

Talen: How long have you been a photographer?

Peter Nitsch: As a professional photographer since 1999/2000. But I have been taking photographs just for fun since I have been a Teenager, well, now almost 20 years ago. Gee, I can’t believe that time has rushed that quickly …

Talen: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

Peter Nitsch: Some years ago I started focusing on strictly so called art photography in the urban environment.

Talen: As an amateur photographer I am always interested in what other photographers are using. What gear do you use and did you use anything special when working on the shophouse photos?

Peter Nitsch: I like to keep it simple: Analogue – One old Hasselblad V system with 100 and 50 mm objective, Gitzo Titanium tripod (superlight and super expensive, but worth when traveling a lot, because it’s so light), Digital – One Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 1D Mark II, fixed lenses 100 and 50 mm. I really don’t use any other wide-angle or superzoom. Further a small point and shoot Canon G5 and since one year I like to take snippets with my iPhone just for fun. In a few months I will set up a section on my website showing every week a new iPhone photo …

Talen: Many of us have fallen in love with Thailand and visit often or live there, what drew you to Thailand?

Peter Nitsch: My wife, she’s from Bangkok and I met her back in 2000 in Munich/Germany, while working on a design project. She’s a industrial designer. Through her eyes I travelled to Thailand the first time and immediately fell in love with Thailand her family and now I’m positively glued to Thailand like Sticky Rice with Mango. Way back in the old school days I have been enthused to Chinese kung-fu films and Asia in general. I think I’m more Asian than European …

Talen: Living between Germany and Thailand must be a great joy. What are some of the upsides and downsides of this dual lifestyle?

Peter Nitsch: I love to live and work in both countries. For me there’s nothing real up and down, as far as I can say up to now.

Talen: You have won international awards as both a designer and a photographer, has either of these fields pushed you harder to excell more in the other or do they both exist in harmony for you?

Peter Nitsch: For my kind of work it’s a perfect symbiosis, like left and right hand. You both use them for different things, one more than the other, and sometimes you use them together as one to grab things more tightly.

Talen: You have a show coming up in Bangkok in early August called Shophouses, what was the inspiration behind this series of photographs?

Peter Nitsch: To show arrangements that have developed from the necessities of everyday life and work on just 4 x 8 metres, the dimension of an average Bangkok shophouse, which is mostly crammed full to the last centimeter. I like that! A quote of the German Author Regina Moths describes it more detailed than I can do: “In Peter Nitsch’s photos, the visual appearance creates an almost physical sensation of constriction, which is followed by an ever-present awareness of improvisation.

One bumps one’s western elbows against the seamless transitions between the breadwinning, commercial or service providing products and our own carefully preserved sphere of personal privacy … Thus, Peter Nitsch manages to keep a balance of intimacy and behind the curtain views, which tell a thousand enchanting tales, yet he simultaneously insists on maintaining a distance in order to preserve everyone’s dignity:  Both the observer and the observed.”

Talen: Can you tell us a little about the gallery where your exhibition will be taking place and what dates the show will be on?

Peter Nitsch:  It´s a perfect coincidence, the images will be shown in the Kathmandu Gallery (87 Pan Road, Silom, 10500 Bangkok, Thailand, www.kathmandu-bkk.com) which is itself wonderfully-restored old pre-war Shophouse and is located near the Indian (Sri Mariamma) Temple in Bangkok’s financial district.

One could say SHOPHOUSES in a Shophouse. The owner, a Thai photo-artist Manit Sriwanichpoom, is a wonderful photography artist himself! For the exhibition I want to thank Miss Elke Tiedt and Marco Merten from the German Embassy Bangkok, who have been willing to support the exhibition.

The Shophouse exhibition will be on the following dates:

PRE-OPENING
Speech by German Ambassador Dr. Hanns Schumacher
07/08/2010 (from 6.30 – 9 pm)

EXHIBITION
07/08/2010 – 26/09/2010

Talen: Will you have photographs or prints available for purchase?

Peter Nitsch: Yes, there are 37 photographs available for purchase. In the exhibition I will show 13 images as prints, the biggest one will be 180 x 180 cm, twelve of them in 70 x 70 cm and the other ones will be smaller sizes.

Talen: What does the future hold for Peter Nitsch, will there be more Bangkok exhibitions?

Peter Nitsch: I’m not sure, but there will be some upcoming exhibitions in Europe next year, with a new topic. And I’m planing to expand my website and some special projects exclusively available for the iPhone and iPad.

I’d like to thank Peter for letting me pick his brain and if you would like more information on Peter’s work you can visit his web site at  http://www.peternitsch.com/.

For more information on the upcoming exhibition and the Kathmandu Gallery itself  you can visit http://www.kathmandu-bkk.com/.

I’ll definitely be checking this exhibition out in September…

The second annual Bangkok Motorbike Festival will be taking place January 28th through the 31st at Central World Center in Bangkok. The first 7 floors of Central World will feature all sorts of displays and merchants selling gear as well as some very cool bikes. Vendors on display will include a who’s who of the bike world such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Ducati, BMW, Sachs, Can-Am, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki. The front entrance to Central World will also be transformed into a large motorcycle pit stop where even more bikes will be on display.

As well as showcasing the latest models available enthusiasts will also be able to see and purchase the latest in bike accessories, apparel and safety gear. The show isn’t all about the merchants  though there will also be stunt shows, interviews with leaders in the industry, live concerts and even a fashion show.

The exhibition is hoping to explain, and draw attention to, why people ride motorcycles for fun in Thailand and let people in on the great touring possibilities Thailand has to offer. To further this goal a caravan of riders will start a scenic journey in northern Thailand and bring it all the way to Bangkok where they will be escorted to the grand opening of the show.

Thailand has a long history with it’s motorcycles from as early as 1967 when Honda built it’s first plant just outside Bangkok to today with Thailand exporting over 1.4 million motorcycles a year including the famous British brand Triumph.

Last years exhibition was a big hit and this year it’s expected to be even bigger with an estimated 150, ooo people attending. Below is a schedule of events for the 4 day exhibition and if you click on the banner above or below it will take you to the festivals web site where you can get even more info.

Bangkok Motorbike festival 2010 Schedule of Events:

Thursday January 28th, 2010

10.00 : BMF 2nd is open
15.00 : Arrival of Northern Trip Caravan
16.00 : The opening ceremony of the 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010
17.00 : Stunt Show/BMF Beer Garden is ready to serve
18.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Pariya Manomaiphibul (Khun Pong), Market Development Manager of Tiger Motor Co., Ltd and Manging Director of Bikecare International Co., Ltd.
19.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show : Mr. Rath Wijitraphongsa (EPAP) from KSR
21.00 : Live Band from
22.00 : Indoor activities close
23.00 : BMF Beer Garden close

Friday January 29th, 2010

10.00 : BMF 2nd is open
16.00 : Talk Show :
17.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show :
18.00 : Talk Show :
19.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show: Mr. Dom Hetrakul, Managing Director of Britbike Co., Ltd. and actor
20.00 : Talk Show: Mr. Mana Chaiwan (Khun Gai) and Mr. Patima Gongpetch (Khun Tom) from Strom Rider Club
21.00 : Live Band
22.00 : Indoor activities close
23.00 : BMF Beer Garden close

Saturday January 30th, 2010

10.00 : BMF 2nd is open
15.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Somchai Khemklad
16.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Pisit Kunananantakul (Khun Ae), Managing Direstor of Kunka Corporation Co., Ltd.
17.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show :
18.00 : Talk Show :
19.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show : Mr. Teera Pudpong (Khun Morris) from Scooter Rider Group
21.00 : Live Band
22.00 : Indoor activities close
23.00 : BMF Beer Garden close

Sunday January 31st, 2010

10.00 : The last day of BMF 2nd is open
15.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Wikrom Montrichok (Khun Gai)
16.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Pornsak Kanchanapa (Khun Toi)
17.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show :
18.00 : Talk Show : Mr. Chantap Pongpatinan (Khun Aek) From Eka’s Extreme
19.00 : Stunt Show/Talk Show :
21.00 : Live Band
22.00 : Indoor activities close
23.00 : BMF Beer Garden close

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Wat Phra Kaew,  also known as the temple of the Emerald Buddha,  resides within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok and is considered the most revered Buddhist shine in all of Thailand. The Emerald Buddha itself is actually carved of jadeite, stands 26 inches tall and sits atop a large gold alter in the center of the temple.

Only the King of Thailand is allowed close to the Emerald Buddha when the seasonal gold costume it wears is changed three times a year. The summer costume consists of a crown and jewelry, the winter costume is a golden shawl and the costume worn during Buddhist Lent is a gilt robe and headdress. The costume change is an important Thai ritual performed by the King who will also sprinkles water over the gathered monks and the faithful to bring good luck during the upcoming season. The other two costumes are on display in the nearby Pavillion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Thai Coins while not in use.

According to popular belief the Emerald Buddha started it’s journey in Sri Lanka but modern historians have discounted most of the Buddha statues early history and are confident that the Buddha image was carved sometime during the late 14th century to the mid 15th century in Northern Thailand. Although,  the statue is carved in the style and attitude of  Buddha images found in Southern India or Sri Lanka with the Buddha in a meditation pose. The meditation pose has never been prominent in Thailand which may have lead early historians to assign an alternate history to the Emerald Buddha.

The history from this era says that the Buddha was once hidden in a Chedi  in the Chiang Rai province, but a lightening storm in 1434 damaged that Chedi exposing a stucco likeness of the Buddha. Upon closer inspection the stucco was falling off exposing the Jadeite Buddha below. Being such a beautiful dark green it was confused as being made of emerald at first, giving the statue it’s name The Emerald Buddha.

The King of Chiang Mai at the time heard of this wonderful discovery and decided that the statue must reside within his province. Three times he sent an elephant to Chiang Rai to retrieve the Buddha and three times the elephant stopped at a crossroads while returning with the Buddha. This was seen as a sign from Buddha himself and a temple was constructed in Lampang where the Emerald Buddha stayed for 32 years.

The next king of Chiang Mai decided the Emerald Buddha should be housed in his province as well and this time the Emerald Buddha was successfully moved from Lampang to Chiang Mai where it resided in a temple until 1552 when invaders from Laos stole the emerald Buddha. The statue remained in Laos for the next 214 years until General Chakri, who would later become King Rama I, brought the statue back to the capital at Thonburi after a successful war with Laos.

In 1784 When King Rama I moved the capital across the river to Bangkok he had the ordinance hall built where the stature still resides to this day. The ordinance hall was a plain stucco structure when it was first constructed but King Rama III would change all of that.

Large stucco moldings were installed and the whole hall was gilded and adorned with glass mosaics.  A pair of Khmer lions, believed to be from the Khmer Bayon period of the 13th century, guard each of the six entrances. At the base of the ordination hall is a row of golden Garuda’s each holding a Naga in each hand. The Garuda is the King of all birds and the mount of Vishnu the great Hindu god, the Naga is the king of all serpents and the enemy of Garuda. The Garuda holding the Naga is believed to be a very powerful image to chase away evil spirits.

The ordination hall also contains two other interesting Buddha statues. Both ten foot tall statues are cast in bronze and stand crowned at either side of the Emerald Buddha. These statues were commissioned by King Rama III in dedication to King Rama I and King Rama II.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Thailand,  and rightly so. The attention to detail inside as well as outside the ordination hall is stunning. The compound surrounding the ordination hall is equally as stunning with the various monuments and buildings glinting in the midday sun.

Getting a picture of the famous Emerald Buddha is sometimes easier said than done though. No pictures are allowed inside the ordinance hall which leaves you only two vantage points to get your photo. The first is through the open doorway at the front of the hall and the second is through a small open window cut into the front wall of the hall.

Wat Phra Kaew is absolutely a must see while in Bangkok and it is sure to give you memories that will last a lifetime.

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The other day I wrote about Bangkok’s famous flower market, Pat Klong Talat and I referenced Tien market which is close by. So, I thought I would share this little cultural icon today.

Tien market isn’t much more than a small neighborhood market,  situated in a very fortuitous place. If you take the river taxi up the Chao Phraya river to stop #8,  which is the Tien pier,  then you can’t help strolling through this little market on your way to Wat Pho ( Temple of the Reclining Buddha ). This is also the pier you will use to take the ferry across the Chao Phraya river to Wat Arun.

Although small,  this neighborhood market has a lot of old world character and charm. As you come off the river taxi you’ll first be greeted by a restaurant that looks a little run down but I can guarantee you that they have very good food and more than a few cats around. I can confidently rate this as a 3 cat restaurant, which is very good as the Land of Smiles restaurant guide only goes up to 5 cats.

As you pass through the the restaurant there are a few trinket shops on either side before you come off the pier into the main market area. Although you can find some trinket and food shops the majority of merchants here are fish mongers, and mongers of the dried variety at that. To say that the air is pungent with fish might be an understatement.

While the majority of tourists passing through this small market may never realize it’s name they will remember the sights, sounds and smells Tien market brings back to them as they look through pictures they are sure to take.

I wouldn’t say Tien market is a Bangkok must see but seeing that those taking the Chao Phraya river to see attractions such as Wat Pho or Wat Arun will be passing through it,  the market has assured it is a must see whether you like it or not.

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Pat Klong Talat is best known as Bangkok’s 24 hour wholesale flower market that resides just off the Chayo Phraya river, it’s name literally means market by the mouth of the canal. It’s not so much that it’s hidden but a lot of tourists tend to forgo it’s beauty for other attractions around Bangkok.

If you take the Chao Phraya river taxi  up river to the Memorial Bridge pier (stop #6) you can pretty much smell your way to Chak Phet road and  Bangkok’s largest wholesale produce and flower market. At one time, over a hundred years ago, this area was the site of a floating market. During the reign of King Rama V it was changed into a fish market which stood for 60 years and eventually gave way to the produce and flower market it is today. The fish market is said to have been closed due to pollution problems and bad smells. One only needs to hang out for a bit at the Tien Market,  only a short walk away,  to  get an inkling of how the fish market may have smelled, all sorts of dried fish can be found here.

You won’t have to worry about fishy smells here anymore though as that has all been replaced by the sweet smell of  roses, jasmine, carnations, orchids and many other species of flowers delivered from all over Thailand to the market daily. While this is definitely a wholesale market and is very busy late at night and in the early morning, the market is also open to the public.

Westerners are likely to be shocked by the prices of the wholesale flowers. A dozen roses in America retail for $30  on a normal day while valentines day sees that price jump to $100. One newspaper wrapped bundle of 50 roses here will set you back 40-50 baht, just a little more than  than $1.00. Or if you like you can have an orchid for 20 baht. The sellers may not make much money off the tourist trade but you can bet they have a smile on their face working under such beautifully fragrant conditions.

I meant to spend an evening here last trip watching the hustle and bustle of the market but plans always have a way of changing in Thailand. I did get a chance to spend a little time at the market the day before I left for Pattaya and I’m very happy I did, although I didn’t get nearly as many pictures as I wanted.

Pak Klong Talat market is truly a feast for the eyes as well as your nose and with all the succulent produce and the beautiful tapestry of vivid colors provided by the flowers of Thailand you can get lost here for some time and be very happy about it. This belongs on your list of sights to see while in Bangkok so make sure you add it because it will definitely make for a memorable day and many beautiful pictures.

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There is something absolutely amazing about ancient Thai architecture set against a spectacular Bangkok skyline. If you stand just the right way or get  the right angle on your camera you can erase a few hundred years of technology and progress  from your photos and make it feel like you are seeing Thailand as it was 300 years ago.  It must have truly been a sight to behold.

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