Jim Thompson was an American who volunteered for the Army during the second World War, and ultimately ended up working for the Office of Strategic Services (what ultimately became the CIA). As the war ended, he became station chief in Bangkok, and ultimately fell in love with the place and the people.  Thompson, when discharged from the Army, headed to Bangkok and became well known for revitalizing the silk industry (to this day, they make beautiful products!). He revived not only the artistry of silk, but the craft.

Jim Thompson became an incredible collector of Asian art, which he placed in his beautiful home and grounds.  With amazing teak structures sitting on a canal, his home is a tranquil space in the middle of bustling Bangkok. There are lots of fountains and lots of turtles!

If you are interested in Southeast Asian art, Jim Thompson’s house is a must see. Thanks to his family, visitors can enjoy his home and vast collection.  The tour takes about 45 minutes, and is well worth your time. Despite the stifling heat of Bangkok, the classical Thai structures have a constant breeze and cooling interior. There are sketches, paintings, silk, statues, and more. Neither of us are “into” art, but we both really enjoyed the tour.

But the mystery of Jim Thompson: he disappeared in Malaysia in the late 1960’s, never to be seen again (who doesn’t love a mystery?)…there are lots of theories out there about what might have happened, though no evidence has ever been found.

And….after the Jim Thompson house, we’d highly suggest hitting up the restaurant/cafe! It’s a hugely popular place for expat business meetings. Yes, it is “expensive” for Thailand, and yes, there is fresh street food right outside the gate. But it was very, very good. Plus, if you are craving desert–and I don’t mean Thai desert–it has an incredible selection of cakes and pies. The photos prove it!

The Jim Thompson house provides a glimpse of the history of silk, of Bangkok, a view of much incredible art, and of an American who truly fell in love with the people and the place. It’s definitely worth a stop if you are in Bangkok!

Visit notes: if you are planning to eat, do it early or late or make reservations. You can easily spend an hour looking at the art, silk, etc. in addition to the tour of the house. It’s a pleasant place just to stop and wander around!

In this edition of Academia Meets Life, I’m reviewing an article about something that I think is in the back of every travelers mind. However, how we handle this information and knowledge varies dramatically from person to person and traveler to traveler.  I’m talking about perceived travel risks: what if something really bad happens when we are traveling?

This article assessed whether risk perceptions of traveling abroad impact decision-making. In particular, the authors were interested in assessing whether or not first-time and repeat travelers have different perceptions of risk, particularly after terrorist incidents and SARS.

Common sense would indicate that the answer to this question is “definitely”. Without a doubt, I think familiarity helps to reassure people and lower risk perceptions. As a species, we tend to gravitate to what we know. With travel, the first experience probably needs to be a good one: I’d hypothesize that if something bad happened to you–or you were inconvenienced by an event that occurred–that perceptions of risk will be higher.  Not to say that these individuals wouldn’t travel again to the same location, but they may change their behavior.

But we should never assume anything…so I think it’s appropriate the authors decide to do some actual, empirical research. Thailand is a good case, too, as it’s a very popular destination. They interviewed inbound tourists to Thailand and then also interviewed service providers in the hospitality industry. The first interviews were conducted during an outbreak of bird flu (more appropriately known as highly pathogenic avian influenza) and while terrorism was occurring in the southern provinces, but before the terrorism in Bangkok.

The authors–with qualitative and quantitative results–report that travelers cited SARS, bird flu, and terrorism as the top three reasons that they wouldn’t travel to Thailand. I think this is amusing, considering terrorism was ramping up in some regions of Thailand at the time and there was already bird flu there…and these travelers were already IN the country.  So clearly the travelers perceived these to be important risks–but they weren’t risks that changed their behavior. In large part, the authors suggest this is because they did not see the threat as relevant–it was in a different part of the country, infrequent, and they knew how to protect themselves from bird flu.

As expected, there were differences in how first-time travelers and repeat travelers perceived risks. In particular, first-time travelers perceived higher risks of disease than repeat travelers (i.e., they worry about getting sick way more than repeat travelers!). Repeat travelers perceived higher risks from increased costs or travel inconvenience (i.e. costs going up and/or being inconvenienced was a major concern for them and would be a reason they would avoid Thailand).  The two groups really didn’t view terrorism differently, which I thought was an interesting finding.

So how did this impact the tourism industry in Thailand? The authors used a qualitative approach and interviewed 15 tour operators/agencies. I wish they had done more quantitative analysis on this subject–as we all know that 15 tour operators/agencies are a drop in the ocean of those that exist in Thailand. Nonetheless, they do find that disease did have some impact–particularly on restaurants serving chicken, but terrorism did not have any impact until the bomb blasts in Bangkok.

From an academic perspective, I do think its important to discuss the generalizability of the article–in particular, the sample size of travelers (i.e. how many people were interviewed) was small, and most people were 20 to 39. I’m guessing this is pretty representative of the people that go to Thailand, but I would be careful about generalizing these results to “all” travelers or “all” destinations. And as mentioned, I thought the analysis on tour agencies/operators was incomplete: drawing conclusions from only 15 operators seems a bit premature, particularly barring any other quantitative analysis on occupancy rates, sales, and the like. I also worry that interviewees may have felt like they needed to say something worried them–i.e. terrorism or higher costs–in order to complete the survey, even if they didn’t actually feel that way.

Nonetheless, this research does confirm some of what I assumed: first time travelers and repeat travelers to a destination do not have the same perceptions of risk while traveling.  I’d be really interested to dig below the surface: what is the tipping point for experienced travelers? I.e. when are the risks (of higher costs, inconvenience, or disaster) too big to continue traveling to a destination? For inexperienced travelers, how do they gain information about risk, and what is the empirical evidence about how the source impacts the perception?

What do you think? How do risk perceptions factor into your travel decisions and destination selection?

Citation: Rittichainuwat BN & Chakraborty G. 2009. “Perceived travel risks regarding terrorism and disease: The case of Thailand.” Tourism Management. 30. 410-418.

I’m not one to just rave about hotel experiences. It’s very rare for me to really, really like a hotel.  But our experience with the COMO properties in both Bangkok and Bhutan were excellent, and I would not hesitate to stay at another COMO property in the future. (COMO did not pay for our stay or provide us any compensation for this endorsement, just so we’re up front here.)When we were first planning for our trip, the idea was to stay at the Metropolitan by COMO in Bangkok for one night–as we received a complimentary night for booking our Bhutan package with COMO.  Then, I had planned to use points to stay in a Marriott for the other two nights.  That plan was sort of scrapped when I drained most of my Marriott points in Naples, when we went to visit Pompeii. But one of the Marriott hotels was still less expensive, so we were considering a move.

I came to my senses and we realized how silly that was, with how little time we were spending in Bangkok. Did we really want to change hotels? No. Plus, we got a promotional rate at the Metropolitan, through COMO, since we had booked them as our tour operator in Bhutan.  So the Metropolitan it was.

The Metropolitan is not a small hotel (well, until you see the towering Banyan Tree next door); I think it has about 130 rooms. That said, we were addressed by name at the front desk each time we needed something, and we rarely saw more than 5-6 other guests at a time. While I think the hotel was relatively full (though it was off season, and I know Bangkok tourism is still suffering a bit from all the political change and protests earlier in the year), it felt far from crowded.Before our 3:40am transfer to the airport, they made us a hot breakfast, with freshly squeezed orange juice and all, to take with us.  They initially promised that it would be delivered to our room so we could eat it beforehand, and were most apologetic when it was not ready in time to be delivered. We were most certainly not expecting a fully cooked, fresh breakfast in a bag awaiting us at the front desk, after nothing showed up at our room!  It was most appreciated at that hour.

DH liked the Metropolitan too, even before we got an upgrade to the penthouse suite! Shout-out to the Metropolitan for that totally unprompted and unforeseen upgrade, we enjoyed ourselves. (Real question though…seriously, what do people do with all that space?!!) I also liked the Metropolitan because I thought the price point was extremely fair for the service, amenities, and rooms. No, it wasn’t the absolutely nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed at–but it was a hotel that I can afford to stay in without cringing at check out.

While I think a review of COMO as a tour operator in Bhutan deserves a separate review of its own (all great though), I will say the properties in Bhutan were a bit smaller and boutique than the Metropolitan in Bangkok. It seemed the staff always knew what you needed, where you had been, what you wanted to do–there was no having to repeat yourself to your guide, to reception, to the host at the restaurant. It was all seamless. And personalized: they knew what table you wanted after you asked the first night, always remembered what you ordered the morning before, and were always willing to go above and beyond. When I was sick the first night, they immediately just told DH they would serve us dinner in our room and suggested some things which might sound good to me. Of course, when I emerged the next morning I was asked numerous times if I was feeling better by multiple staff members.So COMO, you impressed me. The properties “fit” into their environments (both interior and exterior), both in Bhutan and Thailand.  Service was understated but yet so attentive and personal. Food was impeccable in all locations (and I’m picky). Shambala spa products are amazing. Everything was always clean. Heated towel bars rocked.

We’ll be back…maybe Turks & Caicos?  So many choices!

Have you stayed at a COMO property? What did you think?

I’ve been sort of mum about Chiang Mai as there is sooo much information from travel bloggers about the city and surrounding area. And I’m sure I’ll get some hate mail for what I’m about to say.I’ll fully admit that when everyone loves something (as much as so many people purport to lovvveeee Chiang Mai), I’m immediately suspicious. In fact, I tend to dislike things that everyone likes.

So, Chiang Mai had a lot to live up to.

After having been there, I can totally understand why everyone lovvessss (said in an annoying sing-songy voice) Chiang Mai so much. I get it. And I get why ex-pats would enjoy living there.  But from my perspective as a traveler–though we had a great time–I doubt we will go back, or at least make it a priority to return since we don’t travel full-time. Here’s why:

1. Sorry Chiang Mai, but your weather broke me. I survived Bangkok without much fuss, but Chiang Mai was beyond what I want to manage on a daily basis. Maybe it is better at different times of year, but seriously, dripping in sweat at 9am sucks. There was no amount of showering or swimming that made me like Chiang Mai’s weather, and I know that’s not Chiang Mai’s fault. But it was heinously uncomfortable and there isn’t anything to do “inside” so….

2. Fake “adventure” isn’t really my thing. We did the elephant thing, but ATVs in the jungle, zip-lining, and rafting just don’t really appeal to me. I don’t think they are exciting, I think the adventure is in large part manufactured, and it’s not how I want to spend my money. Plus, I’m sort of (strike that…really) squeamish about swimming in fresh water where there still are reported (albeit rarely) cases of Schistosomiasis. Sorry.

3. Crowds/Atmosphere. Even in the “off” season, so many visitors. Everywhere. And not only were there people, there were pushy people, loud people, girls wearing things that I thought were wildly inappropriate (all I’m asking for is a tiny bit of modesty people, mainly bras and underwear), etc. Beer pong bars? And the hygiene of all that….can’t handle it.   I felt like Chiang Mai was a fraternity/sorority party at times (complete with the various groups of jocks, hippies, and some weird older, creepster/cougar alumni).Not my scene.

So now that I’ve done the haterade thing on Chiang Mai, I’ll tell you why we had a great time and are happy we went…for just a few days.

1. FOOD. Our best food, by far, was in Chiang Mai. We had delicious, delicious Tom Ka and Tom Yum, as well as Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, and Drunken Noodle to die for. A huge shout out to Lemograss restaurant near the night market, it was SOO good and I was absolutely crushed that it didn’t open until 5pm the day we left. I so badly wanted to fill my little stomach with some delicious noodles for the plane ride home.

2. Elephants. If you haven’t seen Asian elephants up close, Chiang Mai is an awesome place to do so and actually the reason we opted for Northern Thailand over the beach for a short hop from Bangkok. DH had a fantastic time with the elephants. That said, please do your research on ethical and appropriate elephant excursions. There are many bloggers that have written a lot about it.

3. Markets, Particularly Artwork & Wats. I thought there was some incredible artwork available in the night market in Chiang Mai, and DH and I had a lot of fun looking around. Well, I did, I’m sure DH will say he was just trying to get me not to buy anything which was really just energy-consuming. Someday we’ll go back to bring home a giant painting.  The Wats in Chiang Mai are also definitely worth a stop. Despite the heat, DH and I had fun exploring them (and then running for the shade).

So, if you are in to partying and staying up late with lots of other travelers, or are traveling solo and want some friends, I’m sure Chiang Mai probably will be a great place for you. But for me, 2 days was plenty to spend in Chiang Mai; though I will admit that it could be fun to do some hiking in the surrounding areas.  Now if only I could have fit more art in my suitcase and more Pad Thai in my stomach.

While Drukair was for many years the only carrier flying to Bhutan, there are now actually two airlines flying to Bhutan, Bhutan Airlines and Drukair. Drukair is the official government carrier. Druk still has service to more cities, but both airlines do serve Bangkok. Additionally, Druk services Singapore, Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Mumbai, among others.

It seems many visitors wonder whether business class is “worth it” on Druk, so I thought I would give our experience flying to The Land of the Thunder Dragon!

Our Experience from Purchase to Check-In
We decided to splurge for business class seats going to Bhutan. And I use the word “splurge” lightly…they were only $70 more each way ($140 round trip, per person). Tickets to Bhutan were not cheap in the first place, so we went for it. Our itinerary was Bangkok-Paro, with a stop in Guwahati (about 3.5 hours total, with stop).  The return was Paro-Bangkok, with a stop in Bagdogra. I believe the tickets were $846 RT per person.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones to think that way–I think all of the tourists on the flight, which was probably a grand total of 8 or 9 on the way to Paro, were in business class. The flight leaves Bangkok at some absolutely ungodly hour, 6:40AM to be exact. And you have to be there two hours in advance per the usual with most international flights. I’d advise getting there a bit earlier, so you can get in line just as the counters open because…

I have never, in my life, seen so much baggage. Nope, never. Ever. DH forbade me from taking photos, though it was crazy tempting.  There were bags that took 3 men to lift them on the scale! Each person seemingly had at least one large (40″+) flatscreen. Comforters–yup, the fluffy brightly colored things–were also really popular. One person had 8 of them (two full luggage carts worth), and most people had at least 2-3. There had to have been at least 17 flat screens, if not more, on that flight to Paro.  Were they selling these things in Bhutan? Or giving them to friends/family? I’ll never know, but it was quite the insanity to get them all checked in, seeing as there were about 7 bags per every two people (not kidding).

When we got to the counter (fortunately we were there early enough to be 3rd in line…there was not a business class line open at the time…but that still took at least 20 minutes), the agents were extremely nice and multi-tasked the printing the hundreds of baggage tags with getting us checked in.  We also got a “fast pass” to go through the rapid security line and the rapid customs line.  That was fantastic, and we were through security and customs in probably 5 minutes flat.

On the return flight, there is a totally separate check-in counter for business class passengers, which is and of itself a lounge. They let you sit down and check you in…it was a pleasant and personalized experience!  You then just walk to the customs agents, who quickly take care of your passport and then point you to the upstairs lounge. Again, very quick and seamless.

Lounge
The Air France lounge in Bangkok is quite nice. Quick wifi, pretty good cappuccino and lots of snacks.  We owe a huge thank you to the Metropolitan by COMO who packed us the most awesome breakfast, so we weren’t very hungry–but the coffee was much appreciated.

On the return flight, there is a Druk lounge in the Paro airport, with drinks, coffee, etc. There were also speedy wifi at the Paro airport.  To me the lounge access in both Bangkok and Paro was a big benefit of the business class fare, as we had significant amounts of waiting time as both places required check in 2 hours (at least) before the flight.

Boarding
We were allowed to carry on our bags. We each had one carry-on and one personal item, with the carry on being approximately 8-9kg.  Druk does not have a jetway in Bangkok, so we were boarded–business class on a separate bus–to the aircraft.  Coach actually boards through a different door, so you never really see the rest of the aircraft, though I did duck behind the curtain to use the restroom when ours was occupied. We were immediately offered juice, champagne, and water when we sat down. Business class was full on our flight to Paro.

On the return to Bangkok, business class passengers were the last to board the flight, called just before take-off. We took off about 30 minutes early, as you could see the weather rolling in and I’m sure they were trying to get out ahead of the weather.  We were again allowed to carry all our baggage on the flight.

Food
As soon as we were airborne, it was a relatively quick 2.5 hour flight to our stop in India. We received a menu, with options for a breakfast. DH obviously had more champagne.  I chose a chicken and rice dish, DH had crepes and poached eggs. They were both served with fresh fruit, a cheese wedge, and bread.

We both declined breakfast on the return flight as we had just finished with a delicious breakfast at Uma Paro.

Service
The attendants were very attentive on our way to Bhutan.  Plenty of offers for drinks, meal service, and peanuts on the quick 20 minutes between India and Bhutan. Two hot towels–one before take off and another after landing. Additionally, their English is absolutely impeccable.

On the return flight to Bangkok…they were pretty lax.  Understandable on the short hop to India, but on the way from India to Bangkok I think we were offered one drink the entire flight. We did get a hot towel upon boarding. They were busy giggling and talking behind the curtain nearly the entire flight, though I will say they were more than happy to accommodate you for something if you buzzed them. I think I was just expecting a bit more because they were so attentive on the way to Bhutan.

It was obvious there were some regulars in business class both on our way there and our return, as they would chat with the flight attendants frequently. I’m not sure what, exactly, occurred when we landed in Guwahati on our way to Paro, but there seemed to be pretty major confusion. One of the Bhutanese flight attendants, and one of the Indian ground workers both came through the cabin at least 12 times counting passengers.  It seemed they were missing someone…not to mention, there were people switching cabins, children running back and forth, talking to flight attendants, using the restroom, etc. Definite bit of dysfunction, but not annoying in any way–just amusing.

Seats
Typical leather seats, with a 2×2 configuration with I think 4 rows, pitch was probably 38 inches. Plenty of leg room and space, but nothing out of the ordinary. No video system in either of the planes that we had, though with a short flight (well, short, after 14 hours across the Pacific), no big deal.  To see the Himalayas, you should sit on the left side of the plane on the way in to Paro, and the right side of the plane on the way out.  It was very cloudy on our ascent from Paro, but we did get a quick glimpse of Everest on the way in to Paro (we did not request seats in advance, just upon arrival at the airport).

Cliff Notes: Fun to do, but totally unnecessary. 
-Lounge access (huge plus).
-Priority security and customs handling in both Bangkok and Paro.
-Easy boarding.
-Larger luggage allowance.
-Decent service.
-Food is fine but nothing to rave about.
-Extra leg space (obviously).

Everyone says you can’t go to Bangkok without checking out a rooftop bar. So we checked out a rooftop bar. Not because we like to listen to what everyone says, but because we (like many visitors) wanted to see the Bangkok skyline and grab a drink after another hot day of being a tourist.We chose the Banyan Tree for one reason only: because it was next door to our hotel. If nothing else, we were consistently lazy after a day of sweating profusely and seeing Bangkok.  Fortunately for us, the Banyan Tree was just around the corner.  Unfortunately for us at the time, it was raining. In fact, it rained each night we were in Bangkok, which cooled off the city for just a bit in the morning. Considering it was still “rainy season” we counted ourselves as extremely lucky, and the respite from the heat in the mornings was also welcome!

We wandered over to the Banyan Tree hoping that it wasn’t enough rain to close the upper deck, but it was closed.  Good news, though– they have another bar on the 52nd floor called Latitude, which is covered, but where you can still see the view. I have no idea if the view is “the same”, though they said it was.  Everyone talks about the Moon Bar, but you never hear about Latitude–I’m sure the Moon Bar is better, but seeing as it was closed, we were happy there was an alternative. The view from the 52nd floor is definitely still impressive, and you can see the miles of Bangkok lights.

We were warned by our guide that drinks at the Banyan Tree were expensive, particularly for Bangkok. She was right. We had 2 drinks and an appetizer, and rang up a bill of $36.76 in US dollars…which is close to 1100 baht.   That’s an expensive set of drinks, even if we were at home in the US of A.On the upside, the drinks were large and good. I had a mojito, since that’s about the only cocktail I love to drink, and DH had a mango margarita, which he reported was also tasty. The food is not noteworthy. The appetizers/canapés at the bar on the 52nd floor are worth skipping, and there isn’t much to choose from. Yes, yes I realize that no one goes there to eat. You go there to party! Yea well, we were too exhausted.

We wandered over around 6:15ish. At the time it was not busy but seats were rapidly filling up as we were leaving.The staff was friendly as they pointed us down from the Moon  Bar to the 52nd floor, though our server down there didn’t really speak English, which I found odd (not bothered, it was just a bit strange) for the Banyan tree. No worries though, with some pointing (and some confusion on the food front), and all was fine. They were also quite indulgent of taking what must be hundreds of pictures a night of guests.

So what did we think? Here are our Cliff Notes from Latitude at the Banyan Tree in Bangkok.

Cliff Notes: Glad we went, but probably wouldn’t return
-Great view, even though we weren’t on the very top
-Ridiculously expensive
-Good-sized and delicious drinks
-Cool menu (it was back-lit…I’m easily amused)
-Blah food choices, blah food
-Friendly staff
-Not obnoxiously loud music

We wanted to see most of the sights you read about in things entitled “Top 10 Sights of Bangkok”.  It would be a bit of a long day, but totally worth it.

What made it all easier was hiring a guide for the day.  Her name was Mandy (@Mandyguidesmile), and she was awesome (totally unpaid endorsement…we hired her)! She’s a registered tour guide, and helped us navigate the insanity of Bangkok with ease. No haggling with taxi drivers about turning on the meter, no getting lost (though DH is admittedly fantastic with a map…I….not so much), no wondering where to go in each of the temples, and with plenty of information and history to go along with each stop.

Our itinerary for a day-tour of Bangkok:
-Wat Arun
-Canals
-Grand Palace
-Lunch! (Most important spot of the day when Thai food is to be had)
-Wat Pho (including the Reclining Bhuddha)
-Flower Market
-China Town
-Stop for dim sum & awesome shakes! (Food always deserves exclamations)
-Wat Traimit (including the Golden Buddha)

Wat Arun: We stayed at the Metropolitan by COMO, which was fantastic (more forthcoming). Mandy met us at the hotel in the morning, and we took a cab over to Wat Arun to start the day, which was about 20 minutes but cost us about 60 baht…i.e. $2 or so (oh, Bangkok cab fares are to die for).  Wat Arun has the steepest steps, but a great view!  It was fun to be able to see so much of the city, and in particular, the Grand Palace.

Canals: The canals were a fun way to spend an hour or so.  There is an insane–I mean insane–amount of catfish in the very dirty canals, and they look very well fed.  I’m not sure what all catfish eat, but I’m guessing pretty much anything.  There are many homes that are on stilts directly over the river…so…well…draw your own conclusions on what sustains all of those fat catfish.  You can buy bread at the various temples to feed to the catfish; fish feeding never seems to get old, no matter how old you are.

Grand Palace: The Grand Palace was really crowded. Mandy helped us navigate to the most important locations, but there were people everywhere and most were trying to keep up with a tour guide. Never, ever, stop and wait for one person to go in front of you, because before you know it, there will be a stream of pushing people, shoving you to the side of the doorway, to all get through because I’m sure someone has gotten left and/or lost in the Grand Palace (shaking head).  This happened more than once. After experiencing similar things from large tour groups from particular nations at Angkor, I really should have known better.

Lunch: We had Pad Thai and Tom Yum Goon for lunch. It was delicious, and started the great food journey that was our two weeks in Asia. We also tried our first Singha, which was refreshing.  Fortunately–very fortunately–for us, it was overcast nearly our entire time in Bangkok. Thank goodness, because it was plenty hot+the humidity, without any sun to add to our pain. I still ordered lots of soup, though. Too good to pass up.

Wat Pho: The reclining Buddha is as cool in real life as it is in pictures. In fact, I think it even looks bigger in real life.  Wat Pho is also the birthplace of the Thai Massage, with inscribed drawings demonstrating the practice.  The incredible detail, of each of the temples and all of the stupas, is simply amazing.

Flower Market: We really enjoyed a stop in the flower market, which Mandy suggested but which wasn’t initially planned.  Flowers are typically purchased each morning as an offering, so going to the flower market is a routine affair. Orchids? Literally entire bunches sell for pennies (not pennies…but for approximately 30 baht, which is a little less than a dollar). Marigolds galore, and all kinds of other tropical flowers.

Chinatown: Chinatown was overwhelming. Busy, crowded, with more plastic sh*t than I’ve ever seen anywhere in my life. Hundreds of different stuffed animal keychains…hundred of different color hair ties…hundreds of thousands of iphone covers…just crazy amounts of stuff. There are also lots of different food stands, including those selling shark fins, which remains quite popular in that community.  I particularly enjoyed gawking at the crazy amounts of dried mushrooms. Plenty of whole ducks and chickens, too.

Wat Traimit: We decided to go to the museum at Wat Traimit, in addition to just seeing the Golden Buddha. There is an interesting museum on the junk ships that made the trade route from China to Thailand, carrying things like porcelain and spice. It was a very elaborate and well-done exhibit (though the life size Chinese sailors were a bit creepy).  The Golden Buddha, which was covered in plaster to hide the gold, is truly incredible.

Guide: Hiring a guide was a great way to maximize our time, and avoid wandering any farther than needed in our sweaty-tourist state.  Could we have done it all ourselves? Absolutely!  But in this case, the easy way was the best way, and we enjoyed Mandy’s company all day to answer or silly (and not silly) questions about Thailand. Mandy charges $7/hour.

Cost: Entrance fees to all of these places do add up–we spent approximately 3000-3200 baht for the day, I think, which includes entrance fees for two, all transportation (taxi, tuktuk, metro), and also a private boat ride (which is the bulk of that cost–1800 baht). Lunch for three was a whopping 625 baht (about $20).

Clothes: You will have to either wear or carry appropriate clothing to enter the Wats; women’s shoulders must be covered and they can be strict about no flip-flops at the Grand Palace (like the super cheap plastic ones…I did see some Havianas there). Just to be safe we wore our Toms. I had a cardigan to throw on as needed. And pants for men and women, of course…capris are ok, but nothing more than about ankles can be showing. A long skirt would also work.

For the Germaphobes: After going to the temples in Cambodia where you were not allowed in with shoes OR socks, I assumed the same here. False! Most temples in Thailand do allow you to wear socks. OH HOW I WISH I KNEW. I sucked it up (yes…some of you will be shocked…completely), and took off my shoes at the temples and went inside, cringing every step. There was too much to see to stand outside gazing in. Yes, I wet-wiped my feet profusely that afternoon. Yes, it still bothers the crap out of me. And no, I didn’t get a contagious ailment. If you are germ-phobic, bring socks.

I can say, without much hesitation, that we’ll be back to Bangkok (and….we’d probably stay at the Metropolitan again, too). It’s a fascinating city, with many beautiful sights, and with so many dichotomies of a developing country megatropolis. There is so much left to see!  We very much enjoyed our time in Bangkok.

Wat Arun

Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho

Flower Market

Wat Traimit

]]> 43 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/2014/09/queen-saovabha-memorial-institute-bangkok-a-k-a-the-snake-farm-not-really-a-snake-farm/ Sun, 21 Sep 2014 18:55:00 +0000 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/1/post/2014/09/queen-saovabha-memorial-institute-bangkok-aka-the-snake-farmnot-really-a-snake-farm.html

When we were in Bangkok, we had briefly seen a mention of a snake farm. I mistakenly assumed that this was probably a farm, for snakes, since I didn’t know whether snake was a delicacy (or just an edible commodity) in Thailand, or perhaps for export. Or for skin for shoes, purses, ipad cases, whatever. Probably complete with cobra charming…Not interested in a snake farm for these purposes. At all. For many reasons.*ETA:  These types of attractions do exist in Bangkok, too.

Fortunately, I picked up my guide book and happened to be reading something else that was near the “snake farm”. So I stumbled into the brief description…What a misnomer! If anything, you could call it a “venom farm” or an anti-venom farm. And I guess in relation, it’s a snake farm since they “farm” (I don’t know if I would say farm…but I digress) snakes for venom. But it’s actual a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for research on venomous snakes and the production of anti-venom, named the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute.

UM, SIGN ME UP.

I’ve always been fascinated with snakes, particularly poisonous ones. I only have one irrational fear (truly irrational) in life, and that is of the yellow-bellied sea snake. I had books growing up that were compilations of snake-bite survivor stories! Not only that, but I think it’s so interesting what the various venoms do to the body, and simultaneously, how they work so effectively on prey. It’s really such an incredible evolutionary mechanism.Then I read they do a snake milking demonstration session every day at 11am. SO COOL. SO COOL.Logically, they focus on Asian snakes, and produce anti-venom for hospitals throughout Asia. I can’t remember how many die or are permanently disfigured from snake bites each year, and I realize that in comparison to the myriad of infectious diseases, it’s really not many. However, venomous snake bites are still a concern, particularly for those in rural areas that are working/living in the fields or forests. The more venom that is available, the more chance they have that it can be acquired and transported (either the patient to the venom, or the venom to the patient).

They do have snakes in an outside exhibit, including a huge number of King Cobras in a sort of chain-link enclosure. Yup, the links are pretty close together, but I was a little nervous putting my eyes to the links. Not so interested in meeting up with a cobra.

Their inside snake exhibit is very well done, with a large amount of educational information produced in a very user-friendly manner. For example, we had fun seeing which snakes lay eggs, and which have live young. I think it’s absolutely incredible there is such diversity, not to mention the shiver that runs down my spine when I think of 50 tiny teeny little snakes crawling from a mother. Not something I’d like to meet, in the wild, thanks.

Of course, we were first in the front row seats for the 11:00am milking (which is held behind a glass enclosure, for obvious safety reasons). There were three King Cobras. Two were docile, apparently used to or resigned to being handled, and generally disinterested in what was going on. The third, though, was not happy. They knew in advance, as they are pretty damn careful even tossing open the lid of the Tupperware they were transported in. That thing was out in a split second, and not amused.

While I’m sure that there are some animal-rights people out there unimpressed with the snake farm or the milking in Bangkok. As a WHO center I trust that their focus is on research as well as producing anti-venom for public distribution, and that these snakes are in captivity truly for the greater good. They also appear to have a strong education mission. Just sayin.

So, if you are in Bangkok, it’s about a 15 minute walk (depending on the wonderful heat, obviously) from Lumpini Park. It’s just past the hospital, and you walk to the rear to the newer building of the complex. I believe it’s 200 baht per person for foreigners.

]]> 44 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/2014/09/dining-at-nahm-by-david-thompson-in-bangkok-i-fought-the-thai-soup-and-the-thai-soup-won/ Thu, 18 Sep 2014 18:55:00 +0000 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/1/post/2014/09/dining-at-nahm-by-david-thompson-in-bangkok-i-fought-the-thai-soup-and-the-thai-soup-won.html We had one very expensive dinner while we were in Thailand, at Nahm in the Metropolitan by COMO. Since we were staying at the Metropolitan, and Nahm has been ranked as one of the World’s Best as well as one of Asia’s best, well, why pass it up?

We decided to do the tasting menu because who knows when we will return to Bangkok again. I’m definitely glad we did as it allowed (errr…forced) us to try some things I never would have ever dreamed of trying.

First, the service at Nahm was great. Attentive, but not annoying. Friendly and helpful, but not pretentious or condescending. Courteous. I’d definitely give it two thumbs up.

Now, on to the food…

Here is what we ordered. For the prix fixe option, you received all the appetizers (canapes, to be exact), one soup each, and then one dish off of every page on the menu (salad, relish, curry, and stir-fry/steam/grill), and then one desert of each diner’s choosing. The portions are generous.  Here is what we chose:

Canapes
Um…bad on us, but we don’t remember all of them.
DH’s favorite was the smoked mussels.
My favorite was a coconut crisp, with crab, ginger, and some pickled vegetables (pictured).

Salad
Grilled beef, with cucumber and mint.

Relish
Fried prawns and vegetables, served with a coconut cream with preserved shrimp and crab.

Soup
Hot and sour soup, mine was with mushrooms and chicken, DH had his with prawns.

Curry
Crab in a yellow curry sauce, with ginger (I think, I’m not good with my curries), served with pickled onions, peppers.

Stir-Fry
Stir-fried wagyu beef, with oyster sauce, Thai basil, and onions.

The stand-out sauce/taste of the night was the stir-fried wagyu beef. The beef in the salad dish was actually more tender/cooked a bit rarer, as we prefer, but the overall flavor of the wagyu was excellent.

Neither DH or I are really a huge fan of curry, but the curry was good. I think we are unqualified to say how good, but for people who don’t eat curry it was tasty.  The relish was interesting…the sauce was a bit overwhelming, which considering the amount of things provided to eat with it, I think was the intention.  The flavor was good, but it was just overpowering.

The salad was also quite good, and I’m a huge fan of the tender, delicious little cucumbers they use in all of their dishes.

Overall, while expensive (particularly for Thailand, not so much for Washington DC), the tasting menu was absolutely worth it and it was so much fun to try all of the different dishes.  While I think both DH and I love cheap Thai food too much to return to Nahm if we end up in Bangkok in the near future, we absolutely recommend the tasting menu and the restaurant if you are looking for a foodie experience.  It’s a fun thing to do once in a while (or, cough, more often than we should). Again, a definite two thumbs up.

(I’m purposefully being a bit vague and not terribly judgmental in describing the dishes. DH and I have gotten to be pretty food-oriented, but neither of us have much experience with Asian cuisine beyond take-out.  I totally did not know what to expect from Nahm and don’t really have anything to compare it to.  That said, good food is good food, regardless of style or influence, and this was definitely good food.)

My Favorite Canapes!

Counterclockwise: 
Bottom–Wagyu beef, then curry, pickled veggies (with the curry), fried prawns and veggies to go with relish, relish dish, cucumber and beef salad in center

Cucumber & Beef Salad

You notice I haven’t mentioned the soup…

The soup was incredibly delicious. DH actually preferred the flavor in other soups we had in Thailand to this one, but I loved this soup.  That stupid damn soup.

The waiter did ask me, when I ordered, if I could handle spicy food. I’m not one of those total wimps. I can handle a tiny bit. But perhaps worse, I like spicy food. Even when I can’t handle it, as I found out on this trip, I still like it. So I don’t have any persuasion to just say “no thank you, please send me the mild stuff”. Nope, I just say SURE, with an absolute sh*t-eating smile on my face.

Idiot.

First, I take one bite and start coughing and spluttering and slurping water (which, I will note, we had still water which was 300 baht, $10 a bottle). Mental reminder–don’t ever order expensive water if you will be chugging it simply to try to counter the fire in your mouth.

The waiter comes to the table and politely tells me how to eat said soup in coordination with the rest of the meal. You aren’t supposed to just eat the bowl of soup before the meal, you are supposed to eat it essentially as a palate cleanser being dishes.  And with a bit of rice.

Awesome, I think. That will make it so much less spicy. I’m sure I just a bit down the wrong pipe–I’m sure I can keep eating.

So I try some more of the other dishes.  And then I head back to the soup. Three spoonfuls.  I am sweating, coughing, nose is running, eyes are tearing, and still trying to have another spoonful. DH is laughing, at this point, and I’m pretty sure the wait staff was amused, as they kindly came over to offer more rice.

Next spoonful, somehow I get a pepper. Not just on the spoon, I actually swallow the thing. And it sears…from my poor little tonsil, all the way down. SEARS. It’s like I’ve swallowed a match, except a match stops burning faster.

I cough some more, and decide to lay the spoon to rest for a bit.  At this point, my mouth is burning to the point where just about everything tastes good. DH reports the salad dish is just a bit spicy…I try it, and report back that it feels like ice. Wonderful, delicious, ice.

You would think, at this point, that I’ve learned my lesson. That I can’t handle Thai spice. That I should just chalk it up to a learning experience, and push my precious, delicious, bowl of soup to the side, despite the fact that I’ve barely made a dent.

Of course not. I continue to try to eat the soup. Literally after every spoonful, I’m stuffing rice down my face intermixed with some $10 water, which must be $1 a sip. The waiter comes over and asks if we want another bottle. I ponder (red, and sweating), and DH just says yes.  I look at him when the waiter leaves, and he’s like–“uh, what are you going to do when you don’t have water? Of course we need another bottle.”  I was too shy at that point to just be like…can we have some normal filtered water out of the pitcher (not sure if it even existed there…but I’m guessing it did).

After about 10 more spoonfuls, intermixed with the rest of the delicious cuisine, I know that I need to call it a night. I’m sweating…and for how absolutely freaking cold the restaurant was…I know that’s not normal. And starting to hear my subconscious…what if you get sick?  Do you know how painful this is going to be if you get sick, Heather? (Obviously, I did not).

So I laid my spoon to rest. I longingly looked at my soup. Seriously. I loved it so much. The taste was perfect, the mushrooms delicious.

But I had lost.

]]> 45 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/2014/08/packing-for-bhutan-thailand-accessories/ Sun, 31 Aug 2014 18:55:00 +0000 http://www.travelingsaurus.com/1/post/2014/08/packing-for-bhutan-thailand-accessories.html

 

Since all I can think about this week is packing, sorry for the overload of packing posts. My mind is seriously a list-making, packing, organizing Tasmanian devil. Since this trip is primarily about hiking and other activities, I don’t need much to get by.  As I mentioned before, we are having a few nice dinners, so I’ll need to look presentable for those.

Swimsuit: Can you go to Thailand without a swimsuit? I think not. I hope we have time to laze by the pool at the COMO Metropolitan in Bangkok for at least a few hours.  I’ll also need a comfortable swimsuit to wear under my clothes for time visiting elephants in Chiang Mai.

Baseball Hat: This is my go to hat–an old, Polo cap that has been on nearly every trip with me. I may take a larger sun hat, but when it is breezy, I don’t have to worry about this puppy blowing off of my head.

Coverup: This is UPF-50, and perfect with a hood to protect me from the sun both in Thailand and Bhutan. It will be perfect to wear over the swimsuit, but it’s also great as a tunic with leggings when I want a little extra protection from the sun when hiking or walking around town.

Necklace: Because I want to get a bit dressed up for dinner, I’m throwing in a bubble necklace that I bought off Amazon. It’s not worth anything, so if it breaks or something happens to it, no big deal. I don’t usually take expensive jewelry.

Earrings: In addition to my usual pearl studs, I’m throwing in a fun pair of fish studs from Kate Spade.  No particular reason, other than it’s nice to have a change and animals make me happy! I got these on sale as well, so while I love them, they don’t have sentimental or financial value.

Scarf: I’ll be taking a dressy scarf  in addition to an infinity scarf that snaps open.  The dressy scarf will be perfect for dinners, but the infinity scarf pictured above (I prefer a Vinyasa from Lululemon) can double as a blanket on the airplane, to a shawl when I’m freezing, to a scarf for chilly nights.

Ring: I don’t take my engagement or wedding ring on most trips. I don’t worry about them when they are on, but I don’t swim with them and I certainly don’t want to see the elephants with them, and I don’t really want to leave them in a hotel room, even in a safe. So they stay home. I do wear a cheap band I found online instead.

Watch: I love my lightweight Triwa for travel.  I got it off Gilt, on sale (as usual), and it’s been a great watch.  I don’t wear a watch at home, but since I don’t usually have my cell phone attached to my hand when I travel (like I do at home), I like it when I’m on the road!

Sunglasses: Yes, a splurge (though I did get them on sale, I swear!). I have Oliver Peoples aviators that I just adore.  They are super lightweight with great protection.  I sometimes wear croakies with them, as I have a bad propensity to get them tangled in my hair when I stick them on my head.

Cross-body: I don’t usually travel without some type of cross-body, and this trip is no different. This bag from Patagonia is lightweight, and packs into it’s own pocket.  Since it weighs next to nothing, it’s easy to throw in to carry water, camera, map, etc sightseeing while also having it as an extra bag in case I come home with a few more things than I expected.

There you have it, the accessory packing list for Thailand and Bhutan.  Leave me a comment if you think I’m forgetting something!

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