ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
River Cruise in Bangkok ? Sightseeing on the Chao Phraya
A river cruise in Bangkok gives an insight to the community life on the Chao Phraya River and the legacies on this river of kings, a picture of stark contrasts. It needn't have to be an elaborate affair; you can cut the frills and expenses. Plan the river cruise yourself for a more meaningful Bangkok sightseeing tour from the Chao Phraya River. The Chao Phraya River is the longest river in Thailand stretching 370 km from Nakhon Sawan, more than 200 km north of Bangkok. The river continues past Bangkok to flow into the Gulf of Thailand in Samut Prakan to the south. Chao Phraya is also the highest title in ancient Thai nobility, similar to the Duke in British nobility. The title is no longer in use. Attractions, landmarks and views in a river cruise in Bangkok Start the river cruise from the Sathorn Pier near the Taksin Bridge; five minutes walk from the Taksin Bridge skytrain station, the terminal station for trains from the city center. Proceed northwards passing the scenic water front hotels like the old Oriental Bangkok where famous writers like Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham left their mark. The first recommended stopover, in a river cruise in Bangkok, is the Ratchawong Pier which leads to Yaowarat Chinatown, Soi Sampheng where Chinatown started and Soi Sun Yat Sen named after the father of the Chinese Revolution. The Memorial Bridge, the next stop, is dedicated to King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok. His monument, near the bridge, depicts King Rama I on a throne gazing at the bustling city he founded more than 220 years ago. Pahurat, the Indian community in Bangkok is further inland. Historical aspects of the Chao Phraya Further upriver on the Thonburi bank, near the mouth of the Bangkok Yai Canal, the white ramparts of Fort Vichai Prasit come into view. This was an old Ayutthaya fort built in 1688. King Taksin's Palace is here in the complex that's now the Royal Thai Navy HQ. Next to this old citadel, stands the glittering Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn, a temple built in the Ayutthaya era. The Bangkok Yai Canal and the Bangkok Noi Canal, further upriver, used to be the original course of the Chao Phraya River. This long meander was straightened out by a canal in 1542 to shorten sailing time to Ayutthaya. The new canal subsequently became the present course of the Chao Phraya River. The river cruise in Bangkok will now pass the most majestic sight along the Chao Phraya River, the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in old Rattanakosin, the historical center, which is the origin of modern Bangkok. The Thonburi bank, across from the Grand Palace, is where old communities have lived long before Bangkok was established as the capital. The Bangkok Noi Museum, further inland, preserves the history of these communities. The Royal Barge Museum is located in the Bangkok Noi Canal near the Phra Pin Klao Bridge. The river cruise in Bangkok next passes Fort Phra Sumen, built in 1783 to fortify the old city. Located near the mouth of the Banglampoo Canal, the second protective canal ring, it's one of the two remaining forts left from the Bangkok era. River life and scenes on the Chao Phraya On the banks, rickety old wooden houses on stilts can be seen in stark contrast to the spanking new houses and condominiums. The noodle vendor in a boat sells her food from house to house as restaurants provide riverside dining near the some of the piers. The most spectacular bridge across the Chao Phraya River encountered in a river cruise in Bangkok is the King Rama VIII Bridge, a suspension bridge that stands out like a giant harp over the water. Bang Khun Phrom Palace, which houses the Bank of Thailand Museum, is nearby. Bridges across the Chao Phraya River serve as useful landmarks in a river cruise in Bangkok. Some piers, located near these bridges, are named after them. You'll pass under eight bridges in the entire river cruise. Further upriver life gets less touristy and more rustic, particularly on the Thonburi bank. Many piers are named after wats (temples) located nearby, around which community life is built. Some of these temples, though less well known, are equally beautiful as their city counterparts. Chao Phraya boat services for a river cruise of Bangkok Chao Phraya River boats ply along the river during the day stopping at regular piers. These boats are an inexpensive and convenient way for a Bangkok sightseeing tour of the river. A Chao Phraya tourist boat service is also available for a day tour of selected areas and piers. Boat rental services are also available for groups of 20 or more. A total of 34 Chao Phraya river piers located along this 25 km winding stretch of river. You don't have to go all the way though, just take your pick and get on and off where you wish. A river cruise in Bangkok provides a very different perspective of life in the city on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, an aspect you can't get from the usual Bangkok city tour. This article, by Eric Lim, first appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies, a historical travel site on people, places and events that shaped the landscape of Bangkok. Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok Thailand.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Scotland - The New White Water Rafting Capital of Europe Scotland has taken its place as the new Mecca for white water rafting and extreme sports enthusiasts. With over 120 activity centres around the country you can do it all here - from jumping off cliffs, sliding through canyons and rolling down hills in plastic balls, to more traditional activities such as white water rafting, quad biking and clay pigeon shooting. Costa Rica White Water Rafting Trip Costa Rica's mountainous topography and copious rainfall are both responsible for one of the best white water rafting river choices in the world. Experienced rafting outfitters regularly run about half a dozen of rambunctious rivers, and those river trips not only provide plenty of excitement, but also allow enjoying gorgeous scenery. Not only do white water rafting enthusiasts flock Costa Rica, including several Olympic kayaking teams, but every year tens of thousands of visitors experience here the thrill of rafting for the first time. Lightweight Backpacking: How Light? You aren't lightweight backpacking if you are carrying twenty-five pounds for a summer weekend. I invent these standards, but I try to be reasonable. I backpack with less than fifteen pounds total weight for a weekend trip. With a few new pieces of gear, and a little knowledge, you can probably carry less than twenty pounds for a three-day trip, and less than thirty for a week-long trip. A Torrent of Influences ? Tourism in Goa Sun, Sand and Surf ? an apt description for Goa? But Goa is much more. Ancient temples and old churches? Yes. Portuguese Colony? Carnival City? The original refuge of the hippies? Yes again! Beach Paradise, India's tourism capital? the list goes on. Hiking from Your Own Home Picture this. You are stuck at home knee deep in household chores. Your mind wanders from taking out the trash to hiking on a scenic trail with heart pumping terrain. You are an avid hiker and yearn to strap on your hiking gear and hit the trails. Unfortunately, a hiking trail adventure is not in the cards for you today, but you can find the next best thing by logging onto your computer. Too much to do in London! No one can truly say they know London well. To know London completely is impossible. London changes faster than pigeons descending into the fountains of Trafalgar Square. Home to inhabitants for over 2,000 years now London has grown from the protective circle of the Tower to a sprawling metropolis, the ideal platform for constant illustrious activity. Always where there is history there are tales to tell. Tourists are naturally drawn to the regular tourist attractions, yet it is the true travellers that seek deeper to find the gems of a 2,000 year-old town. It only takes a very small amount of investigating to find something more rewarding, more interesting, more inspiring in London, than the London Dungeons (although it must be said ? is a damn good laugh if you can bear the hour long queues!). For instance, not even a minute's walk from the London Dungeons is the Hay's Galleria. This gem is for some totally bizarre reason hidden from all guidebooks and tourist information ? no doubt to preserve its lack of thousands of tourists making it a less exclusive haven. Please go there! It's a beautiful indoor/outdoor menagerie of a few select shops, with a vast concourse of cafes, market stalls, bands, presentations, and of course, it overlooks a beautiful part of the Thames. Turn right from Hays Galleria and you find yourself in a Thames-side walkway next to the newest buildings in town. The architecture is phenomenal, and these lord-mayor buildings are still so new that you can imagine that the cellophane has just freshly been peeled off all the windows. You are welcome to enter the Lord Mayor's building (it's the one shaped like a golf ball), go to the top and marvel at the mind-boggling roundness of it all ? plus of course see the spectacular views of the HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge & the Tower of London. Continue strolling directly into the I-Witness open-air gallery, before maybe snacking on a hot-dog in the mini-fairground. Walk past the green that previously hosted many Hollywood film premieres in giant marquees, the David Blaine in-a-box episode, plus many other varied events, and you are literally underneath Tower Bridge, keep walking and you are now in Shad Thames, a true delight of traffic-free, cobbled streets full of people, giving you a precise feeling of how the London streets felt hundreds of years ago. It is as if these streets have been restored from long ago, thus delivering to the traveller a wonderfully rich blend of old and new in the same vicinity. Circle around Shad Thames, past the ever-changing Design-Museum, and find yourself in Butlers Wharf, a charming quay-side collection of bars & restaurants all overlooking the Thames opposite the equally picturesque St Katherine's Dock. Trust me when I tell you that Butlers Wharf is the ultimate in romantic settings. Hays Galleria to Butlers Wharf is one walk of quite possibly hundreds to choose from, in fact ? that's a whole day right there! There are equal delights even if you turned left out of Hay's Galleria instead, especially the Clink Street Prison Museum, Vinopolis (Wine Museum), Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, I could go on?. Great streets, great walks, great museums (forget the big-ones ? go to the Children's museum in Bethnal Green for a real treat). It is frustrating to think that the bulk of visitors to London wind up staying in some of the least interesting areas. Paddington & Bayswater are both great areas, being so close to Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens (now home to the finally-completed Princess Diana shrine). Kensington & Earls Court have their highlights too, but there is more to London than the tried and tested tourist routes. I recently stayed in a five star hotel in the middle of the city on the weekend for less than one hundred pounds a night, and was amazed at exactly how completely empty the city of London was. I was in heaven! There I was in the middle of one of the oldest cities around, and I had it all to myself! City hotels are notorious for being completely empty on weekends, hence the great rates. I am sure tourists pay over the hundred pounds per night threshold to stay in 'trendy' Kensington etal, when they could easily stay next to Tower Bridge, St Paul's, Millennium Bridge etc, for much less. Needless to say that the City of London (the financial centre) is absolutely coloured with history, everywhere you go there are buildings proclaiming their 16th century origins, and they are in abundance. I was recently taken to what is supposedly one of the oldest London pubs in existence. Again, this pub is not only hidden from the guidebooks and the common information sources, it is also hidden from the public! I had to be taken there, as I would never have been able to find it unless accompanied. This pub is hidden from the world. It is sandwiched between two narrow streets and therefore completely obscured from any main thoroughfare. It has its own courtyard and as you stand supping a pint outside, it is as if you are in Victorian London. Look down the misty streets and it is easy to conjure up an old bobby on the beat blowing his whistle, or Jack the Ripper lurking in the shadows. Oh - and there's a 150 year old tree growing through the building, to add to the oddity of the pub. Hampstead is another great area waiting to be discovered. Covered in green spaces, Hampstead (North London) is perfect for the idyllic setting combined with the close proximity to the big-smoke. Steeped in its own folklore, Hampstead was home to Dick Turpin (apparently he was born at the Spaniard's Inn ? hugely popular and famous pub on the Heath) of which his ghost still roams Kenwood house, and the surrounding woodlands. The high streets of Hampstead, Belsize Park, and the immaculately kept Primrose Hill are possibly the last untouched-by-commercialism streets in London (no Starbucks here!). If you want breath-taking views of the city, historical sites detailing the 'first entry point into London', combined with al-fresco dining, and an altogether more relaxed atmosphere, Hampstead is the place, and less than 15 minutes on the tube to the city centre! Now do you see why it seems frustrating that tourists stay in less desirable areas when they could stay in an altogether more inspiring location, just as close to all the major attractions? Of course, Hampstead is one of London's many beauty spots, yet the city is not all about beauty. As with any home to approximately 10 million people, varied activity is rife. London events cannot help but affect all, every Londoner has an opinion on the congestion zone, on the ill-fated Millennium Dome, on Tony Blair, in fact on any topic you care to mention. Start a conversation with any London black-cab driver ? typically famous for their outspoken views, and you will find yourself immediately thrown into the debate of the day. So, when visiting London do not even attempt to see it all ? you cannot. In a city where already this year a Roman road has been uncovered a mile below ground level dating back to 1 AD, and where Paddington workers uncovered Brunel's first iron-bridge ? one they didn't know existed - London is forever creating wonders on a regular basis. enq@VisitHotels.com www.VisitHotels.com Zambezi Sharks Under Threat at Protea Banks Sharklife.co.za has been fighting an ongoing for the protection of the Zambezi shark on Protea Banks but has been informed that a fishing charter is still trophy fishing for these sharks. A Hiking Guide to Easter Island Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I'll probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you'll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano. Survival in the Wilderness: What to Do, What You Need Summer is for picnics, hikes, outdoor concerts, barbeques ... and enjoying the wilderness. Review: Russell Shortos The Island At The Center Of The World Up to now the preponderant view held by many historians is that Dutch contribution to American history and particularly to that of New York has been one of irrelevancy. As we no doubt realize, the winners write history, and unfortunately, whatever the losers may have contributed, it seems to be lost or forgotten in the shuffle. The Royal Barge Procession ? Splendor on the Chao Phraya River The Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok, conducted on very rare occasions, is a spectacular royal armada on the Chao Phraya River. This procession is normally conducted on the following occasions: Stay Warm - A Backpacking Skill Stay warm or die. That's what it comes down to at the extremes. More people die in the wilderness of exposure than from any other cause. Staying warm, of course, also means more comfort, and for backpackers, it can mean going even lighter, without more risk. A Thumb Sketch Outline of Tanzania?s Attractions and National Parks The Northern Circuit is probably Africa's most dramatic wildlife area. Game safaris never fail to satisfy with the thrill of the big game; they also offer diverse flora, panoramic landscapes and spectacular mountains; the game migrations across the plains defy description. The Serengeti is an 'Immortal Eden' where nature reigns - vast endless plains echo with thundering hooves of over two million migrating wildebeest. Discover The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden In Arcadia California In The city of Arcadia California, right next door to Pasadena http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com you will find The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, a beautiful and peaceful 127 acre botanical garden and historical site jointly operated by the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The Arboretum is located across from the Santa Anita Race Track is at 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA, 91007. It is open daily from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; admission closes at 4:30. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors (62 and over), $5 for students with ID, and $2.50 for children 5- 12. Children under 5 and members are admitted free. Unlike most attractions these days, parking is free. In the middle of the Arboretum sits the four acre Baldwin Lake which has been used in filming numerous movies and television shows. "Johnny Weissmuller swam in LASCA Lagoon/Baldwin Lake for three decades as Tarzan and later Jungle Jim. A local news story reported that he, in fact, set an unrecorded Olympic swim record when a cage of crocodiles was accidentally opened during filming (Weissmuller beat the crocs to the lake shore). Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour took up a month-long watery Baldwin Lake residence in homes on stilts for the filming of Road to Singapore in 1939, the same year the Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.,/Madeleine Carroll film Safari managed to sink a paddlewheel boat in the same lake. Undaunted, television's original "Fantasy Island" lowered a pontoon plane by helicopter onto Baldwin Lake and propelled it across the water to disembark visitors to Mr. Roark's island paradise. For Alex Haley's "Roots II", Baldwin Lake became Kunta Kinte's river home in Africa." Don't just peek through the windows of the Arboretum's Queen Anne Cottage, come inside to see the historic Treasures! The cottage, with its marble terrace, Victorian furnishings and treasures provides a charming opportunity for the whole family. Take the tram or walk through the gardens, spend the day being mesmerized by all of the well tended plants, flowers, flowering trees, cacti, succulents and the abundant wildlife (The Arboretum is famous for it's roaming peafowl.). The rose gardens alone are worth the visit. Stop and watch a wedding or see a commercial being filmed. Take your kids to the Discovery Node constructed out by Tule Pond, you'll find a variety of new activities for children of all ages to enjoy and explore. Eat at the Peacock Cafe. Sit down on a bench or under a tree, relax and feel your cares floating away. Visit the gift shop where you can buy plants, gardening books, photographs, paintings and other items (the prices are very inexpensive.). The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is a place where an individual or the whole family can spend the day and go home feeling rested and at peace with the world. For more information about the city of Arcadia, California see http://arcadia.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Arcadia, California guides and directories listing information, resources, services, things to do, places to go, restaurants, churches and more. Join the American Hiking Society Have you taken up hiking as a new form of family recreation? Are you a serious hiker that spends hours on challenging trails? Do you want to find a way to become more involved in hiking across the nation? Hikers of any background will want to check out the "American Hiking Society". This society is an alliance of local hiking clubs and provides a wealth of resources and activities for hikers of any background. What Do Cowboys-n-Campfires Have in Common? I bet you're wondering where the heck this articles going. After all what could cowboys-n-campfires have in common? Well lots actually! Eight Tips For A Bug-Free Summer (NC)-With approximately 42,000 mosquitoes for every person in Ontario, most of us spend a great deal of our summers swatting away these pesky insects. Protecting yourself against mosquitoes will not only make your summer more enjoyable, it will help prevent you and your family from getting annoying and sometimes dangerous bug bites. Sleeping Pads For Ultralight Backpackers Ultralight backpackers want to give up weight, not comfort. Sleeping pads are pretty much a necessity for backpacking comfort, but who wants to carry those monstrous old inflatables down the trail? Try some of these lightweight options instead. Yachats, OR: An Outdoor Lovers Paradise on the Oregon Coast There is something about a town tucked between the mountains and the sea. Often, it feels like one has reached the far end of the world when he or she arrives in a place like this. Some well-known examples are Bar Harbor, Maine and Big Sur, California. I have been to Bar Harbor and nearby Northeast Harbor, and indeed, these towns do have a special feel to them, with beautiful mountains on one side and sparking ocean on the other. About Table Mountain Cape Town - Well Known in South Africa and Around the World Table Mountain sheltered the original Cape explorers in the 16th century, the first European settlers and the many following generations of slaves, immigrants and Capetonians who helped to build and develop our special city.
|
|
|
|
|
