Bangkok - Top 10 Must-See Sights

Grand Palace

This is the archetypal Thailand tourist sight. Going to Thailand and not visiting the Grand Palace would be like visiting Windsor castle and not stopping by to have tea with the Queen (or something). The architecture is superb, the treasures (such as the famous Emerald buddha) breathtaking, the atmosphere uncannily "un-Western", you feel like you really have arrived in Asia as you walk around the Palace taking in the sights and smells.

Wat Pho

Wat Pho is another astonishing temple. This is a real working temple, with a traditional medicine centre and a massage school (you can learn how to do a Thai massage there). I'm a massive fan of Thai massage and can vouch for its effectiveness. Having suffered back pain for over 13 years it was completely eliminated after one Thai massage session and has never given trouble since. Quite incredible. Wat Pho is a fascinating place with lots of nooks and crannies to explore and some substantial treasures such as the Reclining Buddha statue.

Wat Arun

Less glamorous than the previous two Wats, Wat Arun is, however, often the sight that appears on those haunting postcards showing a Wat at sunrise or sunset - perhaps with a mist rolling up the Chao Phraya river. In fact, sunrise (or more typically sunset) is the best time to enjoy the ancient splendour of this ancient Wat. The architectural detail of the Wat is nothing short of amazing - take a boat trip there and enjoy the views from the river.

Oriental Hotel

Some would argue the Oriental Bangkok is the best hotel in the world. While that may have been true 10 years ago, that claim may be less valid today, but is not without considerable merit. While for most of us staying in the Oriental is a little beyond our budget, you can still enjoy the splendour of this fine hotel by spending an evening there. There is much to recommend it. You can sit by the river and enjoy some drinks (and a cooling river breeze), or book one of the fantastic evening dinners, complete with entertainment such as Thai dancing and music. Dinner is taken at traditional Thai "tables" - where you are effectively sitting in the ground and the food is more or less at floor level - fascinating stuff.

As you walk through the Oriental, don't forget to take a look around and especially up - the beautiful architecture of this hotel, built in 1876, is to be savoured.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Bangkok is a pretty stunning city with many strangely shaped and very tall buildings. The tallest is the Baiyoke Tower. It's an amazing building and you can't help to notice it on the taxi journey from the airport to downtown Bangkok. The Sky Hotel has a cafe and bar at the very top, which non-residents can use. There is live entertainment, good food and the views can't be beaten.

Mahboonkrong shopping centre (MBK)

MBK is a very famous shopping centre in Bangkok and deservedly so. It is an amazing "Aladdin's Cave" of products. Electrical, t-shirts, cameras, DVDs, CDs, souvenirs, coffee shops, watches, phones...they can all be found in MBK and lots more besides. There is also a whole floor devoted to restaurants...everything from Japanese to Thai to Western and everything in between.

As well as being a great venue for shopping, MBK is also a great place for people watching. Just find a cafe, get yourself an iced tea and relax!

Jim Thompson's House

Jim Thompson is a very well known character in Thailand, not least due to his mysterious disappearance while walking in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. Conspiracy theories abound and involvement of the CIA is rumoured. What is known is that Jim Thompson is credited with re-generating the Thai Silk market and becoming a very successful and rich businessman in the process. Jim Thompson was also an avid collector of Thai cultural artifacts, which are still to be seen in his house, which is open to the public. The house is the traditional Thai house style.

The house is also a museum and is one of the most interesting places in Bangkok in my opinion. the architecture and design of the house is amazing and the interiors and breathtaking.

This is an absolutely must-see venue.

Chinatown

There is a very significant Chinese influence in Thailand - many Thais are descended from Chinese immigrants. As such Bangkok has a huge Chinatown, much bigger and more spectacular that either the Chinatowns of San Francisco or London in my opinion.

It's a great place to eat - there are so many restaurants and food stalls to choose from that the best thing to do is just go there and find a place you like the look of. There are also many vendors along the streets and you can buy all manner of souvenirs. I really like buying the distinctly Chinese style products such as mirrors, lanterns and religious items.

Make sure you take your camera - there will be many photo opportunities.

Dusit Park

Sometimes it's nice to get away from the hectic pace of life in Bangkok and dusit Park provides a beautiful and relaxing destination. There's a lot to the park, as well as the beautiful gardens there are several museums on site, including the King Bhumibol Photographic museums, the Ancient Cloth and Silk Museum and the Rank and Portrait Museum. They are a lot more interesting than they sound! The lakeside pavilion is also not to be missed.

Floating Market

The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is the best of the floating markets. It is located around 60 miles out of Bangkok, so is a bit of a trek, but it is worth it as most of the nearer floating markets in Bangkok are just tourist traps and unpleasant places to visit. This market has retained something of its original character. It's possible to get organised tours out of Bangkok to go there if you don't want to make your own way there.

Johnny Farang has been visiting, living in, and writing about Thailand since 2003. He hopes to retire there one day and is working towards that end. Johnny is founder of the site http://www.dreamofsiam.com which he has been running since 2004.

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Expedition Holiday in Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands provide all travelers and visitors an opportunity to enjoy a memorable holiday no matter what time of the year it may be. Many people will surely not have seen a butterfly in the open for a long time.

A trip to Cameron Highlands Malaysia gives one an opportunity to view these magnificent insects in its two absolutely wonderfully attractive butterfly farms. A journey to the Highlands is like going back the old days where one could savor fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables. The visitors will be surprised to see farms dotting the highlands throughout. This is mainly due to the cool climate and fertile soil of the highlands. A visit to the fruits and vegetable farms is generally followed up with a trip to the tea plantations. It is said that a trip to the highlands is incomplete without paying a visit to its fabulous tea plantations. A most common attractive feature of the highlands are the 'strawberries farms' which can be found almost anywhere in the area. The attractive feature is that they offer locally grown strawberries and home made strawberry jams at reasonable prices. At times one might be fortunate to come across strawberry farms which allow visitors to pluck strawberries for themselves and charge them according to weight.

The Cameron highlands are a very popular destination for the adventurous tourists. The highlands provide ample scope for camping activities which is gaining in popularity with each passing day amongst the more adventurous of the travelers. To spend a night/nights in the rainforest away from one's usual city lifestyle is an enriching and unforgettable experience. Most tourists who are fond of the wild and love nature, usually, have it on their agenda to make a trip to the mountains. The travelers and hikers can get hold of maps for the more common routes at local shops or from tour operators to make it easy for them to negotiate the mountain trails. The range of jungle treks come in such a variety that they are able to satisfy a wide range of nature lovers. The majority of the trails are located in the vicinity of the area around Tanah Rata. The jungle treks invariably lead waterfalls and the mountains!

The way to get to the highlands is by road. Ever since the opening of the new Simpang Pulaia road, traveling to the highlands has become easier. Earlier there was just one route from the south via Tapah. One can take another third route from the east coast via Gua Musang in Kelantan. However, traveling along this road has not yet been gazetted by the authorities. The roads have a lot of sharp bends. However, if one drives a little carefully, it can be quite pleasant especially because the roads have been recently upgraded. The travel along the roadways provides one with some great views of the mountains. The Cameron Highlands accommodation include some guest houses which provide one with motorbike rental services which the tourists can use for their movement around the town. The terrain is not conducive to bicycles and more so because of the high traffic.

Nancy Eben is an associate editor of http://www.a1malaysiahotels.com The website offers exclusive information of Malaysia and Cameron Highlands Hotels etc.

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