Bustling Bangkok

Are you planning a trip to the “Land of Smiles?” Are you looking to spend several days in Bangkok, but want to get a little adventurous and head to some spots that may not be listed in your travel guide? Perhaps you are a longtime resident of Bangkok and are looking for some new sights to see. Here are some Bangkok destinations that are off the beaten path:

• Ko Kret Island – Nestled in the middle of the Chao Phraya River at the northern part of Bangkok, lies Ko Kret, a small island. Ko Kret Island is famous for the community of Mon people and the extensive array of pottery that they make. The Mon are believed to be the first inhabitants of Thailand. Ko Kret is amazing in that despite being part of the Bangkok metropolis, you feel like you are in a different world. It’s perfect for people looking for a Bangkok experience that is far removed from traffic jams and crowds. You can make a nice loop on a raised platform trail around the island, and check some beautiful greenery, buy some souvenirs or exquisite pottery, or grab yourself a cup of herbal tea.
• Khlongs – Bangkok has an extensive network of khlongs, or canals. This has even earned Bangkok the nickname, “The Venice of the East.” At one time, this was the primary avenue of transportation in Bangkok, as people would travel in boats in the khlongs to get around. While many of the original khlongs have been filled in to make way for city development, there are still multitudes of functioning khlongs. In some parts of Bangkok, it is even faster to travel by boat in the khlongs than taking a car due to the frequent traffic jams, which the city is notorious for having. You can hire a guide to take you on tour in the khlongs in an interesting “long tail” boat. You can also take one of the Khlong “boat taxis” for an economical way to see the city.
• Wat Traimit – Wat Traimit is a Buddhist temple that is located at the end of Yaowarat Road in the Chinatown area of Bangkok. While Wat Traimit is not as remarkable as some of the other beautiful temples in Bangkok, it is worth visiting for what it houses: a solid gold Buddha, valued at around $35 million.
  The story behind the gold Buddha is as amazing as the Buddha itself. In the 1800s, a Buddha statue that was covered in stucco was transported to Bangkok from another region in Thailand. Later, in 1955, the statue fell to the ground and a small section of the stucco plaster chipped off, revealing some gold. Workers removed the remaining stucco to reveal the magnificent gold Buddha. It is believed that the Buddha was originally from the Ayutthya region of Thailand, former home of the Royal Palace. In order to prevent the statue from being stolen by invading Burmese armies, monks covered it in stucco. In all likelihood, the monks at the original temple housing the statue were killed, with no one left alive to know about the true nature of the Buddha statue.

Bangkok isn’t the only location filled with tremendous off-the-beaten path destinations. If you are interested on finding some additional information and resources on travel, check out some of the best travel blogs.

While many people take holidays throughout the year, summer is of course the primary holiday season for many Brits and others. So as spring gradually draws to a close, many will be hopefully looking around for bargain deals when they book holidays.

The Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheik will no doubt remain among the top destinations for those seeking sun and sand. Due to the political disturbances in Egypt last year, tourism to the country fell off drastically and is only know building back up. For this reason there are great deals to be had for those who select Egypt as their destination of choice.

Sharm-el-Sheik and Egypt’s other resorts on the Red Sea offer miles of sandy beaches, beautiful clear water and almost uninterrupted sun. Since 2011 the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has been working hard to ensure that tourism numbers climb back to their original peak at 2010.

During a recent conference the Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abd el-Nour, said: “Through its strategy, the Ministry communicated with travel agencies and hotel establishments to urge them to provide more offers and programs… These should tailored for destinations located on the shores of the Red Sea such as Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam, in addition to Cairo, Alexandria and the North Coast; and for the duration of the next summer season, Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.

“During the next few days, the fruits of these communication and cooperation efforts with travel agencies will present themselves through the competitive prices to be offered in the international travel and tourism market compared with different countries around the globe.”

This means that hopefully cheap Sharm-el-Sheikh holiday deals will be easier to find for cash-strapped Brits who want a spot of sun this summer.

I have been posting photos of our river cruise experience– I want to post photos one by one so I could talk about it more.

It was really romantic dining up there– and the food was great, too!  I loved it that I had a chance to see this part of Bangkok at night. We live on the other side of the city and many times, we just get so caught up with work we hardly even have time for ourselves, to just sit back, relax and enjoy good food.  So that cruising experience was a much needed break– we loved every moment of it!

Along the way we came across other cruise ships and they seem to be more expensive, because they had buffet service. I wonder if there are fermenters here in Bangkok? They should need lots of wine and beer supplies for these great tourist destinations.