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SIAM REVIEW
AYUTTHAYA
BANGKOK
AMPAWA
PATTAYA
HUA HIN
KANCHANABURI
KRABI
STUN
CHIANG MAI
PAI
10 TOP THAILAND
TRAVEL MAGAZINE / MAY 2015
WWW.SIAMGUIDE.NET
FREECOPY
สถานททองเทยวทวไทย
MANDAWEE RESORT AND SPA THE RESIDENCE HUA HIN THE LEGEND MEAKLONG OCEAN BREEZE RESORT
เจาของวลเดด “จางคนไปเทยว ทเดยวในโลก พลวลลานานอน
ตกหลงแรกแหงเมองแมกลองของขนทวราชทรพย (ผน โกมลมน)
ทะเลงามแหงแดนดามขวาน
Located in the beautiful Royal beach resort of Hua Hin, The Residence Hua Hin offers exclusive Luxury 2 and 3 Pool Villa accommodation
in a Village setting with direct access into Palm Hills Golf Course, and only 5 kms to Hua Hin town centre and beach. Come and relax away from the daily chores of a busy lifestyle and enjoy the calm of your own private Pool Villa com-bined with the enchanting hustle and nightlife of Hua Hin town, and you have the makings for a perfect holiday or golf package vacation in Hua Hin Thailand.
Ocean Breeze Resort.......the perfect place for your dream get away……. Our private & beautifully Resort is situated on a private beach in Khaolak, just meters away from a secluded pristine beach and the blue shores.
It is close to various unspoiled islands off the coast and the famous Phang Nga National Park. The outstanding Similan Islands, one of the world’s top ten diving sites are only a short speed boat ride away. Khaolak Ocean Breeze Resort is a true hideaway and most suitable for couples and honeymooners seek-ing pure relaxation but also very family-friendly. The resort’s beautiful contemporary Thai style features both, finest cultural and natural elements of Thai design.
In the past, the Grand Palace was the res-idence of the kings. King Rama I had it constructed during the establishment of Rattanakosin Kingdom. At first, there were
only Phra Maha Prasat, Phra Maha Mon-thien, and Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which is located inside the palace area like Wat Phra Sri Sanphet. Later, in the reign of King Ra-ma IV and King Rama V, western culture had a big impact on Thai society, resulting in the mixture of western architectures in this place. At present, the Grand Palace is separated into two areas; the Temple of Em-erald Buddha and the Court—the king’s res-idence and working place. Inside the Court, it is also divided into the Outer Court, the Middle Court, and the Inner Court. Among the group of throne halls, the most im-portant throne is Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat, formerly called Phra Thinang Intra Pisek Maha Prasat. It is the first throne in the
palace and is a place housing the bodies of the former kings, queens, and their family. Many important royal ceremonies, including auspicious ceremonies and charitable cere-monies, are also held here. Another throne hall is Phra Thinang Aphorn Phimok Prasat where the king’s vehicles are kept. This is al-so where the king performs the ceremony of changing his regalia, together with the pro-cession. The other throne hall is Phra Thi-nang Phiman Rattaya, constructed in 1789 during the reign of King Rama VI. The king used this place as a residence and a meeting hall for his family members and his courtiers to be awarded with regalia and State orders and decorations. It is also a place where the bodies of the members of royal family are cleaned before housing the cinerary urns in Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat. As for Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat, it was built in 1876 during the reign of King Rama V. It was used for welcoming foreign dignitaries
and heads of state. There are many more throne halls in this area; for example, Phra Thinang Rachakaranya Sapha, Phra Thinang Moon Satharn Borom Ard, Phra Thinang Borom Ratchasathit Mahoran, Phra Thinang Chakraphat Phiman, and Phra Thinang Phai-san Thaksin. Moreover, the northeast part of the Grand Palace houses Wat Phra Si Ratta-na Satsadaram or Wat Phra Kaew. The mon-astery is used for performing important reli-gious ceremony. It was built in 1784 and was restored in every reign of the kings in Chakri dynasty. The chapel and the cloister display variety of spectacular mural paintings. This place enshrines not only Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Rattana Patimakon (the Emerald Bud-dha), Thailand’s respectable Buddha image, but also other beautiful objects with long history, such as Phra Prang Paed Ong (the eight colored Prangs), Phra Sri Rattana Chedi (the main stupa), miniature replica of Ang-kor Wat, and Prasat Phra Thep Bidon (Royal Pantheon). Finally, there is also the pavilion of regalia, royal decorations and coins. It is located on the right side before the entrance of the Inner court in the Grand Palace. There is the exhibition of coins and money used in Thailand, as well as regalia and royal dec-orations of the inner courtiers. The Grand Palace is open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Amphawa Floating Market is located near the canal and Wat Amphawan Chetiyaram , where parking is provided. It is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during 14.00-20.00. The Amphawa Canal
is brimmed with boats loaded with drinks like O-Liang (Thai iced black coffee) and foods such as fried sea mus-sels, noodles, and sweets. Bank-side wheelbarrows also offer goods for sale. Amphawa Floating Market is filled with relaxing atmosphere with oldies song played along all evening. Visitors can explore the market, tasting the local food, as well as hire a boat at night to watch as pret-ty fireflies lighting up the sky. Nowadays, watching fire-flies around Lumpoo trees becomes very popular among tourists offering both for public and private groups. In 2007, the Khlong Amphawa community was granted an Honorable Mention Award from the UNESCO Asia–Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation as a result of its successful col-laboration between the government and the private sector to preserve the local culture and architecture. To visit, by car, take Highway 35 (Thon Buri–Pak Tho) to Km 63. Drive through the Samut Songkhram city to take Highway 325 (Samut Songkhram–Bang Phae). At Km 36-37, take a left turn toward the King Rama II Memorial Park. The market is located near the King Rama II Memo-rial Park. If you travel by bus, take the Bangkok–Ratchabu-ri–Damnoen Saduak bus and get off at Amphawa Market.
The ordination hall (ubosot) faces south and measures ap-proximately 50 m by 16 m. Inside the ubosot, there are octagonal columns. The top of the columns were made in the form of closed lotuses to support the large roof. The
ceiling was decorated with carved wood and colored glasses show-ing the meaning of beautiful stars in the sky. The windows appear along the ubosot’s walls which later has been extended by adding pillars during the later Ayutthaya period.. Highlight of this ubosot is its gable. The ubosot’s gable is featuring Vishnu (in Thailand called Phra Narai or Narayan) mounted on Garuda, on top of the
demon head Rahu placed between two Nagas and flanked by 26 celestial. Vishnu is considered the symbol of the King. The
principal Buddha image at Wat Na Phra Men’s ubosot is seated in the ‘subduing Mara’ position, and wears
royal attire. Its full name is : Phra Buddha Nimitr Vichit Maramoli Sisanpeth Boromtrailokanat with the lap of 4.40 meters wide and 6 meters high. The image’s face is graceful, peaceful and re-spectful. Buddha images were royal attire like this are typical for the later Ayutthaya period. The statue is the most beautiful and largest crowned Buddha image that was left following
the war with Burma. The ubosoth of Wat Na Phra Men was restored during the reign of King
Rama III. In a separate small Viharn next to ubosot, another unique seated Buddha image of the Dvara-
vati period, named Phra Khantharat, which was carved in green stone, can be seen. It’s 1 of 5 seated Buddha images
A tiny island is in the Royal Navy conservative area. It be-longs to Mu Koh Samae San which is 4 km from Ban Samae San shore in Sattahip district. This peaceful hide-away island serves as a small nature classroom for visi-
tors who want to study sea environment. Wind yourself up with the cleanbeachofKoh Khamor try exploring the island by rambling on the wooden pathway, which takes about 30 minutes. A must-do is to explore the coral garden which is under the surveillance of the Royal Thai Navy. This undersea spot is utterly unspoiled. At the far end of the array of buoys is the swimming zone where sea anemones are abundant as well as beautiful fishes such as tiny clown fishes. A one-day trip to Koh Kham needs to be booked in advance to protect overcrowded tourist which will affect the en-vironment such as growing coral. Since the sea has been affected by El Nino causing the rapid rising of the sea temperature, coral bleaching has occurred and number of the coral was lessened. The Royal Thai Navy has decided to establish “Reviving Coral Proj-ect” as several studies points out this area is suitable for growing corals. The navy team has picked the finest breed of coral and grows them in PVC nurseries, then brought it to the deep water. The outcome is positive as the corals grew rapidly and healthily. This area has also become a hospital for dying coral reefs and sends out healthy coral to areas where it’s lack of abodes for fishes. Recommended activities include snorkeling and exploring the coral reef by glass-bottom boat.
Hua Hin Beach is located to the east of Hua Hin Town. The road that leads to the beach, Damnoenkasem Road, is full of clusters of hotels and souvenir shops. With its clear waters and powdery white sand lying five kilome-
tres along the coast and stretching as far as the peak of Khao Takiap, it is the right place for swimming and relaxing. There are several possible ways to get to the beach. You can get on a bus at Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal and get off at Hua Hin Clock Tower. Alternatively, you can take a train from Bangkok Noi Station or Hua Lamphong Station to Hua Hin Station. Apart from the public transport, using private cars is possible. From Bangkok, drive along the Highway no.4 (Phetkasem Road) and past Phetchaburi and Cha-am. At the 232nd milestone, you will reach Hua Hin Town. Then turn left onto Damnoenkasem Road and drive as far as the end of the road where you will find the beach. Hua Hin Beach has long been popular among both Thai and foreign tourists. It features clear waters and pure white sand stretching as far as Khao Takiap Mountain with a serene and tranquil atmosphere. Moreover, small and huge rocks can be found lying beautifully on the beach around Laem Hin area. As the waters are not so deep, Hua Hin Beach is the right place for swimming. Furthermore, with shades provided by Bengal Almond trees and coconut trees growing on the beach, it is the right place for strolling as well as riding a horse along the beach. This will offer you such a relaxing experience.
Of all the islands of Satun, Ko Lipe is the island where the most ancient com-munity is established. Since Rama V period, the sea wanderers had immi-
grated from other islands and settled down here. The name of this island, in sea dwell-e r s l a n g u a g e , m e a n s p a p e r . This is because all of the area on the island is flat, so it is pretty easy to walk from on beach to another all around the island.
Ao Nang is Kaabi tourist central. The coastline of Ao nang is twenty kilometers away from Krabi town, and six kilometers
away from Noppharat Thara beach. Its scenic beach with relaxing ambiance makes it a popular attractions among global trotters with selections of ac-commodations, restaurants and bars. Ao Nang is also a transportation hub you can travel to nearby islands, such as: To Rai Le beach: 80 THB (10 min-utes) A night trip costs 100 THB. To PhraNang cave: 80 THB (15 minutes) Ao Nang is Krabi tourist central. The coastline of Ao nang is twen-ty kilometers away from Kra-bi town, and six kilometers away from Noppharat Thara beach. Its scenic beach with relaxing ambiance makes it a popular attractions among global trotters with selections of ac-commodations, restaurants and bars. Ao Nang is also a transportation hub you can travel to nearby islands, such as:
To Rai Le beach: 80 THB (10 minutes) A night trip costs 100 THB. To Phra Nang cave: 80 THB(15 minutes) To Poda is land and re-turn 300 THB (25 minutes) To Ka i i s land and re -turn: 300 THB (25 minutes) To Poda is land and re-turn: 300 THB (25 minutes) To Kai island and return: 300 THB (25 minutes) One of Thailand’s unseen highlights, this amazing natural phe-nomenon is set to take place at Ko Daam Kwan Island five days before and after the full moon, from December to the early May, when tides change dra-matically in different hours of a day. When the tide is low, it reveals a white sand dune and limestone beach con-necting two islands together. To go see the happening you need to buy a tour
package or rent a boat, which can ac-commodate 8-10 passengers, and can be priced around 2,000-2,500 THB.
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E rawan National Park’s former name was “Khaosalob Na-tional Park”. It was declared as the national park on 19 June 1975. It is 343,735 rais. Later, its name was changed into Erawan National Park according to the shape of the
waterfall’s highest level which is similar to the shape of Erawan elephant’s head. The interesting tourist attraction is Erawan Wa-terfall which is situated 65 kilometers from the city. It is the big and beautiful rainforest on the bank Kuai Yai. The water source came from Huay Monglai through mountain peaks and 2,100 me-ter cliffs. Erawan Waterfall is 1,500 meters high and is divided into 7 levels. Each level is like a pool where visitors can swim. There
is also Erawan Nature Trails. It is 1,060 meters long or about 30 minutes walking. The route passes evergreen
forest, view points, and beautiful deciduous forest. Visitors will enjoy nature and get knowledge from
the tags. The ticket prices are 40 baht for Thai adults and 20 baht for Thai children. For for-eigners, the ticket prices are 200 baht for adults and 100 baht for children.In the national park’s area, accommodations and camping area are provided for visitors. For more information, please contact Department of National Parks,
Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Bangkok tel. 02-562-0760 on Monday-Friday at 8.30 a.m.- 6 p.m.
and on Saturday at 9 a.m.- 3.30 p.m. or via website www.dnp.go.th. Another way to contact is at Erawan
National Park, Moo 4, Takradan Sub-District, Srisawat District. Kanchanaburi Province tel. 034-574-222, 034-574-
722, or 034-574-234. Note: Erawan National Park received the natural tourist attraction of central region award from 6th Thai-land Tourism Award in 2006. The service here meets internation-al standard such as golf cars for the elderly and the handicapped who would like to visit the waterfall which is about 700 meters from the first level of the waterfall.
Enclosed in a lofty mountain range, Pai district is endowed with many forms of natural wonders such as waterfalls, gorges, caves and hot springs. The fa-
mous destination for adventurous travellers is Pai River, the longest river in Mae Hong Son which welcomes its visitors with a series of rapids dancing along its scenic gorges. Pai remained one of Thailand’s best-kept backpacker secrets until recently when an improved road, new airport, and even a pop-ular Thai movie put it on the map. Today, Pai is busier than ever with a jump in tourism. Aside from relaxing, meeting other travel-ers, and enjoying the scenic surroundings, Pai has a few simple attractions on offer. The Memorial Bridge: Not quite as impressive as Kancanaburi’s River Kwai Bridge but worth a look none-the-less. Built by the Japanese during WWII, it offers some great photo ops and the river it crosses is gorgeous.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was built in the thirteenth century during the reign of King Kue Na Thammi-karat, the sixth King of Chiang Mai, to house the Buddha’s relics which the king had brought from
Si Satchanalai. The temple is a second-class royal temple of the Ratcha Wora Viharn type. It has been a place of worship of the city of Chiang Mai since its former times. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, regconised by Thai people as one of the country’s highly sacred temples, has a significant position either in terms of history or as a tourist attraction. The temple is located on the top of Doi Suthep. It is founded 14 km to the west of Chiang Mai City, 1,053 metres above sea level. The temple is in Tambon Suthep, Amphoe Mueng, Chaing Mai Province. It was believed that Doi Suthep was the residence of a hermit named ‘Sudhe-va’, which is Pali for ‘a benevolent god’, or ‘Suthep’ in Thai. Doi Suthep is thus named after the hermit. The way up to the Phra That is a cement staircase decorated with seven-headed Naga. Inside the temple is a Chiang Saen-style chedi. Following stylised Lanna art, the bell-shaped stupa is covered with two layers of gold leaf and has a high octagon base. Situated to the west of Chiang Mai, visitors can clearly admire the panoramic view of the city from the temple. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is held as one of the most important temples in the province. It might as well be said that a visit to Chiang Mai cannot be com-pleted without a stop to pay a sign of respect to Phra That Doi Suthep. Once a year, The Tiew Kuen Doi Festival will be held at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the night before Wisakha Bucha Day. There will be a procession carrying water to be sprinkled over the Phra That for a blessing. A number of monks, novice and Buddhists from different communities will join the march towards Doi Suthep. This is because people believe that paying respect and asking for a blessing at Phra That Doi Suthep will bring them success and fulfillment, as well as protection and guidance from all obstacles in life.