Thailand -

Bangkok – floating market

Gosia — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 19:47:58 +0000

Every time when I prepare a trip I try to find a local market because in my opinion nothing else reflects as accurately social life and people’s behavior as it. Certainly the most interesting bazaars are in Asia and Arabian countries. Besides a wide range of exotic products sold there, we could feel that unique, local atmosphere. I heard a lot of bad opinions about sellers importunity, especially in Arabian countries. Indeed some people can be really exhausted after a trip in such a place. But then again it’s really well worth trying to put aside our prejudice and open to this new cultural experience. It’s an ideal occasion to get knowledge about local people’s life and views and haggling can give us a lot of fun. If somebody doesn’t like tawdriness, Bangkok can be really disappointing because in fact this city is one big market place. Among a lot of markets which we visited during our trip, the most impressive was Damnoen Saduak, located about 100 km form Bangkok. It’s located along 32km canal, which was built during King Rama IV reign, in order to ease river transport among surrounding villages. Damnoen Saudak is a relic of old Bangkok, which once consisted of a wide canal network. Getting on to a traditional Thai boat, we can imagine how life in this old “Venice of the East” looked. Here you can find a countless amount of exotic fruit, and wide range of souvenirs such as: hats, T-shirts, bags and every possible “traditional” handcraft labeled “made in China”. The most impressive for us was the Thai invention. We were really surprised by the view of these people preparing traditional Thai dishes on these teeny boats. Someone would like to eat Pad Thai? No problem, lady in a straw hat from neighboring boat, will instantly fry rice noodles with chicken, of course for the “special” price. If this cost you an arm and a leg you can always “drown your sorrows” in a fresh made juice, which is passed by another neighbor. In a word everything on Damnoen Saudak is close at hand and your wallet. This special atmosphere is created also by nearby floating houses built of teak wood. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Thai cuisine part II

Gosia — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 19:02:19 +0000

First meeting with Thai cuisine can be very shocking especially for foreign tourist. As a matter of fact, Bangkok streets are a one big canteen but this doesn’t mean that this city smells tastefully. The number of food stalls is comparable to cars on Bangkok streets. As a result beautiful aroma of Thai dishes with predominating fresh smell of lemongrass is mixed with exhaust fumes. In a word, our ideal picture of aromatic Thai cuisine came to grief just after getting off crowded metro. But this aroma is a quintessence of Bangkok and similarly to it, one can love it or hate it. It doesn’t mean that we worn famous Asian masks, protecting mouth and nose. Combination of exhaust fumes and lemongrass became for us as inseparable as yin and yang! It doesn’t matter when we eat, it can be elegant restaurant or makeshift stall, one thing is sure – Thai cuisine is unique. It consists of various, different tastes which make harmonious dishes, which hypnotize no less than above mentioned exhaust – lemongrass aroma. On Bangkok street you can find various refreshments, fruit in plastic cups or main dishes. Street food is healthy and cheap. During our holiday there, we didn’t have any stomach problems. In shopping malls are foreign products, but some of them like dairy are very expensive. During staying in Bangkok is also worth visiting one of the famous restaurants called Cabbages and Condoms. This restaurant, apart from serving traditional Thai dishes, promotes using condoms and votes part of its income for AIDS prevention. Some of insects are also popular refreshment in Thailand. They aren’t as popular on Bangkok streets as in the northern Thailand. Stalls with these delicacies are mainly on touristic Khao San Road. Choice is really big, you can eat there deep fried grasshoppers, silkworms or termites. The special snack are bamboo larvae called “express train” in view of their oblong shape. In a word – yummy. How to behave in order not to bring shame? Mastering the art of eating with chopsticks is unnecessary because they’re used only to eat few Chinese dishes. Thai food is eaten by using spoon and fork. Fork is used only to put food on the spoon. Thai don’t use knives because dishes are prepared in bite size pieces. Some of Thai dishes can be eaten with hand but you must remember that you can do it only with right hand because left is regarded as unclean. Thais eat everything, everywhere and all the time. What’s interesting, there’re no dishes which are eaten on particular time of the day, so there’s no problem if you want eat spicy curry for breakfast. In view of this, we can be sure that ordered satay chicken, soup and main dish will be served at the same time. What’s more, manner of eating has a special place in Thai culture. It’s an opportunity to meet and talk and Thais believe that eating alone brings bad luck. It’s reflected in a manner of eating and serving dishes. Ordering aromatic pad Thai, we must know that it won’t be brought directly to us. All ordered dishes are placed in the center and can be eaten by everyone at the table. Food is taken in small portions and dishes can’t be mixed. Forget about throwing food away, especially rice which is the staple of Thais existence. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Thai cuisine part I

Gosia — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 18:11:51 +0000

Cuisine is an inseparable element which characterizes the culture of the country. Nowhere else it isn’t as visible as in Thailand. The way of eating and preparing dishes reflects Thais customs and history. A lot of books and TV shows about Thai cuisine were created but none even the best recipe won’t taste the same as those courses which are prepared hastily on improvisational stalls on Bangkok streets. Street vendors specialize in few dishes so that the teste of Pad Thai prepared by elder Thai is comparable to the experience on grandma’s dinner. Four tastes: sweet, sour, salty and spicy are the base of every Thai dish. It’s impossible to eat bland or similar dishes there. Combination of various tastes in one dish wouldn’t be possible without proper selection of spices. Searching for salt and pepper in Thai cuisine is pointless. Instead of salt they use fish sauce which makes specific, salty taste. It’s prepared from fermented fish, so you can imagine its smell. Unique taste of Thai cuisine is made also by kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass which balance spicy chilli. They’re used for soups, sometimes with a galangal root which tastes similarly to ginger. They have acid, refreshing taste. Another popular ingredient used in a curry is also Thai basil. Cilantro, mint leaves, turmeric or Ginger are also widely used. Some dishes are rolled in pandanus or banana leaves such as gai haw bai dteuy chicken. Leaves make the dish milder but we remember that they are inedible (we checked it). Additionally banana flowers are used in salads and curry or as a decoration. What to eat in Thailand? Thai cuisine is so varied that it’s impossible to try everything even during monthly holiday. The most popular Thai dis his pad thai – noodle with shrimps, tofu or chicken fried in a wok with peanuts, tamarind, lime juice and egg. The best pad thai is prepared on the streets. Among various salads, som tum is definitely the most interesting. It’s made from papaya, peanuts, dried shrimps and chilli, and it can be really spicy. Another tasty dish is Thai curry. Our favorite is Massaman curry – known also as Muslim curry with beef. From soups, we can recommend you refreshing Tom Kha Kai – coconut soup with chicken, lime, galangal and chilli. The staple food is rice which is combined with various Thai dishes. In Thailand you can taste a lot of kinds of rice but the most popular is jasmine. Desserts Thai desserts are based mainly on fruit. Fruit like lychee, papaya, mango, pomelo or coconuts you can find on the stalls on Bangkok streets. Less popular are: rambutans, jackfruit, mangosteen, lansat or longan. One of the most interesting fruit is durian, known also as “the king of fruit”. Its taste resembles a combination of garlic, cucumbers and almonds but believe us the smell is the worst. It smells similarly to rotten meat. It’s forbidden to bring this fruit onto any public transportation or hotels. Various fruit are available on numerous stalls on the streets. They can be cut into cubes and sold in plastic cups or in a form of smoothie. The most popular and definitely our favorite is coconut juice served straight from the coconut shell. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Christmas in Thailand

Gosia — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 21:04:03 +0000

Temperature above 30ºC (86ºF), exotic drinks, beach and turquoise sea, is there any better way to spend Christmas? Unfortunately, we must disappoint you, but yes… When we saw budget flight tickets to Bangkok for Christmas and New Year 2012/2013, we thought that Santa Claus finally heard our wishes and made us up the lack of Porsche or apartment with swimming pool. But how about Christmas magic which can be felt in the air from the very beginning of November, every time when we watch red truck/lorry commercial or hear White Christmas on the radio, hopeful that this year we won’t be wading through the mud on our way to Christmas mass? What about Christmas shopping where to the rhythm of Jingle Bells, we step on one another toes, dilemmas what to do with the “surplus” of money and “numerous gift ideas” or waiting on the edge of seat for exciting TV schedule? To be frank… we’re able to make sacrifices with our eyes open and go to Thailand. Admittedly more than 90% of Thailand population is Buddhist but Christmas ambience is ubiquitous there. Colors of Christmas decorations blend in surprisingly well with golden Buddhist shrines. High Christmas trees, palms decorated with Christmas chains, Santa Clauses, wreaths, illuminations or huge angels were everywhere. What’s more, Thais went a little bit further in the matter of Christmas imagery because we could see even Christmas elephants, Pegasus or huge “snowflakes” with something in the shape of the cross on their top. Even in the famous Bangkok restaurant called Cabbages&Condoms we could see that Thai fantasy has no limits. Christmas trees or Santa Claus weren’t, by a long shot, made of cabbage… In Thailand Christmas falls exactly during high tourist season, so it’s no wonder that the most beautiful decorations can be seen in shopping malls. Unfortunately Christmas magic in Thailand ends on decorations and spending traditional Christmas there is simply impossible. All exotic of this place can’t replace spending Christmas in a family circle. The most funny thing is that one can long even for this special tense atmosphere before Christmas, traditional arguments, annoying wishes and stodgy Christmas dishes which are incomparably better than even the best Pad Thai. But celebrating New Year in Thailand it’s a different story…. In conclusion, we wish you merry and family Christmas and happy New Year with new dreams, joys and experiences!!!

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Temples of Bangkok

Gosia — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 11:15:28 +0000

„One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster” Murray Head sings about the capital of Thailand. In fact this place attracts like a magnet a lot of tourists who want to experience unforgettable night. Famous district Pat Pong, illuminated by red lanterns, massage parlors (not only this traditional), ping pong shows or the sight of young, sometimes even juvenile Thais going arm in arm in the accompany of foreign tourists. Actually it’s hard to judge equivocally who is supported, girls who barely standing on a mountainous heels or old chaps. In a word every possible taboo in this Buddhist country seems to be broken. On the other hand in this amazing and sometimes even shocking city is also the place for magnificent Buddhist temples, called wats. Wat is a sacred place where Buddha image is located. It refers also to other shrines, for instance the term wat chin – is used for a Chinese temples and wat farang – for Catholic churches. So what does farang mean? This term is used in the same way as gringo in Mexico. It means “white man” and applies to tourists. Similarly to Bangkok streets, wats can be shocking for foreign tourists. The ambience there differs a lot form well known shrines. Even at the entrance, poor farang can be surprised. Before going inside the shoes must be taken off. This easy activity can lead to fa- reaching consequences when it’s done automatically. Take our word for it, that finding own sandals in the pile of the same shoes probably made in the same factory, in such popular tourist spots is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Another trap can be a threshold, located at the entrance to wat. If you don’t want to disturb ghosts which live there is better not to stand on it but make a big leap above it. You would think that’s the end, but unfortunately not. In view of the fact that there’s no chairs or pews inside, everyone must sit on the floor. Here’s another trap. If by chance our feet are directed towards Buddha statue or monk it will be perceived as a lack of respect or to make matters worse as a profanation of sacred place. Feet in Thai culture are regarded as unclean in contrast to head which is the place of the soul and the most important part of the body. As we are at the head topic, it’s the only part of the body which cannot be touched. Stroking even a child’s head is forbidden. What’s more what should we do we a monk appears on the horizon? If you’re a man you have luck because apart from “head and foot rule” no other taboos apply to you. In the case of women is more complicated. Before all, they can’t touch monks and their robes, sit together or even hand them alms. During visiting Buddhist shrines one can see monks who entwine sacred treads on women wrists but this activity must be also done without touching hands. So that’s the end of the Buddhist savoir vivre. Wats are besieged by thousands of tourists who often don’t know how to behave there. In a away, Thais accustomed to farang’s ignorance and even they sometimes seem to evade Buddhist rules. For instance some monks, known for ascetic life, use cellphones. It doesn’t change the fact that if we don’t want to be perceived as ignorant, we should be familiar with these principles. So where in Bangkok this knowledge can be helpful? The most important and beautiful is Wat Phra Kaew – The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It’s a compound of sacred and profane buildings built in 18th century. Just after passing the gate one can enter to a fabulous world. Colorful mosaics, pagodas and elaborated shrines dazzle by the amount of gold and color palette. In the main shrine you can see the statue of the Emerald Buddha – the symbol of Thailand independence. The statue is rather small, it measures 3,2 ft. and additionally it isn’t made of emerald but jade. Buddha is dressed in robes which are chosen accordingly to the current season. Every changing of the garment is connected with a special ceremony presided by the king who is the only person entitled to do it. The entrance to the shrine is guarded by mythological giants (demons). There’s also the replica of Angkor Wat – famous Cambodian temple. According to popular belief, Buddha’s relics are placed in the gold stupa called Phra Rattana Chedi. There’s also the Grand Palace, where the king used to live. Around Wat Phra Kaew you can see the statues of white elephants which symbolize independence and strength. Just across the river Chao Phraya is Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan, for short Wat Arun. It’s the symbol of Thailand, well known from amazing photos taken during dawn and sunset. The main point of the shrine is a prang – high tower decorated with seashells, colorful Chinese porcelain (which was used as a ballast for the boats which cruised from China to Bangkok) glittering in all shades in the sunbeams. Steep steps lead to its top from where you can see a beautiful view of the Bangkok and nearby Wat Phra Kaew. Another beautiful wat called The Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) is located close to the Wat Phra Kaew. It’s one of the oldest and the biggest in Bangkok. Similarly to Wat Arun, it’s decorated with a mosaic made of Chinese porcelain. Inside you can find a statue of the reclining Buddha in the state of nirvana. It’s 150 ft. long and 50 ft. wide. His feet are 9 ft. high and 16 ft. long. They’re made of mother-of-pearl and decorated with Chakra – energy points in the body. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Bangkok – not so American City of Angels…

Gosia — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 23:24:05 +0000

I always make a picture of my destination during preparing itinerary. Sometimes reality disappoints me, sometimes surprises. Bangkok perfectly fit in the second option. I could use a lot of words to describe this city most of all it’s a very diverse place with a lot of contrasts. Here you can find amazing beauty connected with surprisingly “organized” chaos and splendor mixed with simplicity. This is also the place where tradition meets modernity and Buddhist austerity coexists with consumerism. The original name of this city can make everyone dizzy. Proper name of Bangkok introduces as follows: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit, what in English means: The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world carved with nine precious gems, happy city, rich within the enormous Royal Palace similar to the heavenly kingdom ,realm of the reincarnated god, a city offered to Indra and built by Vishnukarn. It’s no wonder that this name is listed in the Guinness World Records, as a longest city name. What’s the most surprising is the fact that this highly developed City of Angels was established only 200 years ago. At the beginning it was called the “Venice of the East” in view of countless number of canals. Unfortunately now it’s thing of the past, as all canals were covered with soil and developed. If you want to feel this “Venice” atmosphere you can go to Damnoen Saduak market, where you can see how old Bangkok looked. Regretfully Bangkok can cease to exist in the not too distant future because not only progressive rising ocean waters threaten it with flooding but also just as Venice it’s constantly declines at least 2-5 cm every year. It’s also the hot test city in the Word with the average temperature 28°C. Between March and May temperature can rise up to 35 °C. We can imagine tourist’s feelings in this time. I recommend visiting this city between November and February, when temperature is lower. Bangkok doesn’t have strict center, but its every district has a lot of interesting places/buildings and fascinates its diversity. This capital has countless amount of richly decorated Buddhist shrines. Popular tourist place is island Rattanakosin, the place of the Old Royal City. There you can find the most famous buildings and shrines, like: Grand Palace, Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) or Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). From Rattankosin, on the other side of Chao Phraya River you can see magnificent Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun). From its top, there’s a beautiful view of the city. It’s also well worth visiting one of the biggest Chinese districts in the world. Here in the noise of haggling passers-by, myriad colors and aroma of hastily prepared street food we can find Temple of the Golden Buddha with the biggest golden Buddha statue. The area of Sukhumvit street surprises by its modernity. It’s so called business district with a big amount of skyscrapers and shopping malls. After intensive sightseeing we can rest in Dusit or Lumphini Park, where in the shade of the great metropolis we can spot turtles wading in a pond. The most important landmarks are perfectly located along the impressive elevated railway – BTS Skytrain and water ferry on the Chao Phraya river. Trip by these means of transport is additional tourist attraction and enables to save a lot of time. I can assure you that Bangkok cuisine will not disappoint even the most sophisticated taste buds. This capital is for me inseparably associated with delicious cuisine. On every street you can find hastily organized greasy spoons. I cannot forget the beautiful smell of typical spices like lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves or fresh ginger… but I’ll write about it later.

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