Central Thailand Highlights

[Wanna]

Thanks for the quick reply MakiyO, now that sort of have a mental picture of the disco scene in Bangkok..

Quote[/b] ]Ask your Thai friends to bring you cos it will increase the fun factor manifold

I'll definately keep that in mind.

[steve88]

Yes, the pollution and traffic of Bangkok take a little getting used to. But it is all part of the package -- an intense, thriving urban environment where almost anything can happen. For me it's one of the appeals of Bangkok.

[Alex Klongtan]

My favourite place in Bkk is definitely Muang Boran. I have lived 6 years in Krungthep and have been there 20 or 30 times. I would buy a big salt-cooked fish on Srinakarin for the pick nick!

[Wanna]

20-30 times? What's so exciting about the place? Care to elaborate?

[Vali]

How could you go to Muang Boran 20-30 times!?! Jeez! Hahah, I dunno, I don't really like that place heh, going once or twice is ok, but 30?!! Each to his own I guess. Hahah.

[Alex Klongtan]

Perfect place to go with children (I have one kid 9).

If you really take your time, even 20 times is not enough to fully discover every "attraction" there.

For those who don't know, it is a huge place in Samut Prakan (a little bit further than Big C Samutprakan). The Land has the shape of Thailand an you can see reproductions (1/3 or 1/1 for most of them of many thai monuments). From temples, to traditionnal houses and bridges, there are dozens (probably one or two hundreds) of things to see. Everything is very quiet, calm and isolated (nothing to do with the "thing" called mini-siam in Pattaya).

Unfortunately (not for management 555), more and more people are coming to visit but otherwise, come on a week day and there are more deers than people.

Kids can play, ride their bicycle and you can have a walk in wonderful surroundings. It is so big (and always expanding) that it is impossible to visit it in one day (unless you stay in your car and just drive around).

[Wanna]

Thanks fopr the elaboration Alex!!! I get a better picture of Muang Boran, maybe i shouold visit it some day and see for myself....or course, I don't have a kid yet- to escalate that place to PERFECT!!

[trangam]

When I visited Thailand 3 years back for the first time I returned home to India extremely upset. Upset, that no one informed me the true essence of Thailand. Until then, for over all the years, the only places people talked of going was the West and to places like Singapore for shopping. As for Thailand, people would simply colour it with vague descriptions of sex streets. No one mentioned how beautiful the culture was, how beautiful the nature was, how fantastic the food was. Wonder why?

By now I have visited Thailand 5 times, have some good friends there and had great parties in their homes. What I love most about Thai people is their original & free mindset. My subjective view is that Thai people are polite and sweet because they beleive that is how one should be and not because someone else is good or bad. And that is why they are so consistently hospitable and warm people. Am I right in my judgement ... to some extent?

[Gurce]

Heya Trangam,

Yep, I agree with you. The good-natured way of thinking of (most?) thai people is a BIG highlight of Thailand

Although, I worry about westernisation, losing of old cultural values, replaced with a "west is best" value system (not only in Thailand, but in many countries).

My friend at the uni even mentioned little customs like bowing/paying respect to the teacher are slowly disappearing. (Ok, its a little thing, but still there is a "niceness" to the little bow to the teacher).

Maybe this isn't the right place for this discussion, my apologies if so. Nonetheless, on the whole, I agree with you, so that kinda justifies my writing this here

[trangam]

Yes, Gruce, the small things like bowing and paying respects are very nice gestures and I like the idea to maintain it. Now, that you mention it, i must tell you that when I saw Thai people in cities folding their hands and often bowing too made me realise that this part of culture is quite definitely eroded among the very urban in my country. When I go to my village I will have to bow to my elders, fold my hands etc. If I forget, my parents remind me - and I reluctantly oblige. But in cities or at least in most offices and colleges we definitely do not have to any more. And so when I returned to India I began to practise it in my office with my colleagues and seniors (but I have to avoid looking too serious about it, else they think I am on my way to become a monk) and gladly behave so when I go back to my native. Now, its become quite natural to do and people like it. So, I got back a bit of my culture back from Thailand! Something, my parents found so hard to engrain in me. Well... that's the seeming beauty of Thailand.