Recommend October 2011 - (Page 41)

Traditional Thai performing arts are alive and well, with masked dancing (left) and Thai classical dance (opposite page). a UNESCO World Heritage site, this town of golden temples was the Kingdom of Siam’s second capital (1350-1767) and one of Asia’s wealthiest cities. Though it was burned to the ground in touring route, utilizing a guided tourist boat, private long-tail craft or refitted wooden rice barge, for many of the city’s most important palaces and temples sit riverside. By this waterway is the city’s number one destination, the Grand Palace, the former residence of Thai monarchs and a grand, 54-acre complex of ornate pavilions and throne halls. Adjoining the Palace within this huge walled enclosure is Wat Phra Keo (spelled also Kaew), where crowning a golden altar is the tiny Emerald Buddha, the most revered image in Thailand. Easily reached from here are Wat Pho, the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok where you visit early in the morning to catch the monks chanting ritual and to see the famous 147-ft. reclining Buddha. Then across the river, there’s the gorgeous Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn, with its Khmer-inspired architecture in the style of Angkor Wat. Museums are also on the must-do list for visitors in Bangkok. The Royal Barge Museum houses the sumptuous, elaborately decorated vessels used by the royal family on state or religious occasions. Next take a tour of the Vimanmek Teak Mansion whose 80 exquisite rooms house a collection of royal family memorabilia. The granddaddy of all is the National Museum, once a palace and now the country’s central treasury of art and archaeology, providing an excellent introduction to the arts, crafts and history of Thailand. Two of the museum buildings, the Wang Na Palace and Buddhaisawan Chapel, are works of art themselves. Additionally, in the traditions of performing arts, the National Theater is a leading venue for Thai classical music and dance, while the Patravadi Theater is the only accomplished stage for avant-garde dance choreography and traditional puppet theater, with performances of stories from the Thai national epic held at the Aksra Theater at King Power. the 18th century, you can still see the glorious remains of both Khmer- and Thai-style temples. The largest is Wat Phra Sri Sanpet, once a royal palace and later an important monastery. For an optimum experience, visit this island-based town on a riverboat from and returning to Bangkok. En-route, the boat stops at the eccentric palace of Bang Pa, a former summer residence of the royalty. n Farther north among the rice fields of the Central Plains is Sukhothai, which pre-dates Ayutthaya to be the first Thai Kingdom capital (1238). The main attraction and the country’s most famous architectural wonder is Sukhothai Historical Park, built along the banks of the Yom River and stretching for more than 40 miles to embrace royal palaces, old temples, canals, city walls, gates and moats. Biking about is a good way to get around this UNESCO Heritage site, whose largest temple is Wat Mahathat. n River Kwai (86 miles NW): Take a full-day tour to Kanchana- buri, the city famous as home of the infamous single-track rail bridge over the Khwae Yai River, built under the Japanese occupation in WWII by Allied prisoners and linking Thailand and Myanmar (then Burma). From the well-known Hollywood film, we know it as the “Bridge Over the River Kwai.” Visiting the JEATH Museum and the Allied war cemeteries is a moving and sobering experience, and you can travel by train across the bridge along the “death railway” and cruise on the river. CHIANG MAI Thailand’s second largest city, set in the lush mountains of Chiang Mai Province, was founded in 1296 as the capital of the Lannathai Kingdom. Trade caravans that trod through here along the route between Burma and China helped establish Chiang Mai as the cultural and religious center of the North. On view from the past are hundreds of temples—the largest concentration outside Bangkok—built during the city’s most prosperous times, the 13th to mid-16th centuries. The super-star is the Wat Chedi Luang, whose park-like grounds contain assembly halls, chapels, a 30-ft.-long reclining Buddha, and the ancient › T5 BEYOND BANGKOK n Ayutthaya (48 miles NE): Now

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend October 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Coworth Park, London
Tour Talk: Cox & Kings
Paws Up Ups "Glamping" to New Heights
"Alpine" Adventure at Four Seasons Resort Vail
Hotel Beaux Arts Miami
Out & About in New York City
Adventures on Hayman Island
It's the Good Life at The Leela Kovalam Beach
Peninsula Shanghai & Hong Kong
Silversea's Silver Spirit
Thailand Travel Planner
Luxury in the Wilderness, by Best of Patagonia
Savoring St. Vincent & the Grenadines
CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Anguilla
Luxurious Egypt
A Good Turn for Bern, Switzerland
Mexico's Luxury Trail

Recommend October 2011