Koh Phangan, Thailand
Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth “You owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky. – 14th Century Sufi poet Hafiz (Photo taken during my 2012 Thailand visit)
Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth “You owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky. – 14th Century Sufi poet Hafiz (Photo taken during my 2012 Thailand visit)
R E M I N I S C I N G Thinking back on an excursion my sister and I went on, located off the coast of Koh Samui, Thailand: It was a preserved national park and we spent the day kayaking, hiking alongside monkeys to the top of the mountain, and taking in the gorgeous views.
Thinking of escaping cold winter blues anyone? Considering a trip to Thailand in the near future? You’re in luck because I just returned from a fabulous 3-week trip and have lots of info and thoughts to share with you!
“Phra Nakhon Khiri” or “Khao Wang” is an old summer palace located in the province of Phetchaburi, Thailand that was built under the reign of King Rama IV (the famous King from the movie The King and I or the modern version Anna and the King). The beautiful structure and decor is a combination of Thai, Chinese and European styles and the final construction was finished in 1858.
I’ve jotted down some thoughts from previous trips of mine as I’ve been there on holiday at different times of the year (and also lived there for a short period of time years ago). I’ve included lots of photos and maps since I’m a really visual person – so hopefully that will help some of you as well 🙂 Feel free to comment and/or ask any questions that come up and I’ll try to give you any insight I have.
One of my favorite things to get when I visit Thailand is a dessert called Khao-Lam. It’s a speciality of the province of Phetchaburi, my dad’s hometown, which is famous for its cuisine and desserts. (Apparently, the cooks in the King’s Palace are always from this region, as they are “the best in Thailand,” which sounds a little biased, but quite honestly, the food there is pretty much amazing!). The dessert is made up of a sweet sticky rice (with coconut milk) and black bean mixture which is then placed into hollowed out bamboo pieces and grilled until the sticky rice becomes soft and warm… it’s seriously delicious. It’s pretty rich, so in the future I have to remember to not make the mistake of telling my relatives I love it or else they will buy endless bags of it, which you just can’t refuse (it’s a little like Italian culture in that respect). It’s like you can’t say no and hurt their feelings, so you are almost obligated to keep eating until you feel like you’re going to …
The old summer palace (aka “Monkey Hill”) in the province of Phetchaburi, Thailand that was built by King Rama IV. The decor is a combination of Thai, Chinese and European styles and the final construction was finished in 1858. There’s a tram that will take you up to the palace as it’s situated on a hill – the only thing I’ll warn you of is that the palace in inhabited by monkeys that freely roam to and from, and enjoy stealing from unsuspecting tourists. Keep your belonging tucked away!