A Journey Trough Thailand, A night in Bangkok’s Chinatown
Chinatown with it’s Yaowarat road has become one of my favorite places in Bangkok. It was also the first place i stayed when first arriving in Thailand Back in November 2022. It hard to describe the feeling when arriving there. Its just so buzzing with life and exotic foods and smells. It its overwhelming on all senses. So lets take a little journey in Bangkok’s Chinatown! First up a bite to eat:
We get off the MRT train at Wat Mangkon station in Chinatown. Very close to is my absolute favorite Pork Satay street food stand. Cost 10 baht per piece, and that sauce is divine absolutely divine.
Just across the street from this place is a very famous street side restaurant serving an amazing crispy deep fried Mussel Omelette. That omelette is probably the best meal I’ve had so far in Thailand. The place is very popular, so be prepared too wait a bit for a table.
From here its just a short walk to the famous Yaowarat road, you have probably seen pictured before from this place. Famous for its street food and neon signs.
The best time to visit is in the evening, all days except Monday. All the street food stalls are closed on Mondays. The street is packed with all kinds of street-food. And I would argue that this is the best place in Bangkok for food in general. Chineese food, Thai food and lots of different fusion food can be found here:
Last but not least is the Kuan Yim Shrine. It is located at the far end of Yaowarat road, towards the Chinatown gate. Kuan Yim is the Chinese Goddess of mercy. It was hard to get a good photo here as there was always people walking by. But this is what I managed to get:
Chinese New year is coming up, so i suspect there will be another Chinatown post coming up. Lets see :) Stay tuned for next blog post.
A Journey Trough Thailand, Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok
Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram, another gorgeous temple in Thailand located in the Dusit District of Bangkok. It is well known tourist atrraction, but interestingly I never saw big crowds here. Could be as its a bit out if the center, and not reachable with public transport. It is however very “Photogenic”. Is popularly reffed to as the “Marble Temple”
I actually ended up going 2 times here as I felt there was more possibilities for Photography there. I am sure glad i did! Love this place, and I will surely be back in the future.
The Temple was built in 1899 from Italian marble, thus the nickname “Marble Temple”. It was built at the request of King Chulalongkorn, as he had his palace nearby. It was designed by the Kings half brother, Prince Naris.
The temple is under consideration by UNESCO as a potential World Heritage Site. It is also depicted on the Thai 5 Baht coin. I don’t usually like it in front of the camera, but here is an exception:
I recommend to come a little before sunset. Its not a very big area, but during sunset and when it starts getting dark is when its most beautiful. Here is the Photo I came back the second visit for. Still not sure if I’m completely happy with it, so maybe I will go back soon :)
And lets finish off with the entrance. Not my greatest photo, but I’ll include it anyway:
A Journey Trough Thailand, Elephants at Chai Lai Orchid Eco Lodge
Chai Lai Orchid Eco Lodge
This blog post will be a bit different than my previous ones. And I have to admit I was very skeptical to visit a Elephant Sanctuary. I don’t like animals in captivity for human entertainment.
There is so much information (and misinformation) online about Elephants in Thailand. But as I’m here as a Photographer, visiting this Eco Lodge seemed like a good compromise.
The Eco Lodge is located about one hour drive from Chiang Mai, at the foot of Doi Inthanon. You stay in open air Bamboo Huts. No Airco, and the bed has a mosquito net. Which is definitely needed here. Its basic, but comfortable enough. And the food in the restaurant was surprisingly ok, and didn’t break the bank. If you visit this place, don’t miss having a drink at the bar during sunset.
I’ve been reading how there are so many non-ethical Elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. Supposedly this place is one of the “ethical” ones. But what does that even mean? No riding? No Bathing? Wild Elephants?
Well here is the confusing part; There are almost no wild Elephants in Thailand. There is simply almost no land left for wild Elephants to thrive. They have been domesticated for thousands of years in Thailand. And nowadays is mostly related to tourism.
One argument to visit sanctuaries and places like this, is that it keeps the places funded and keeps the elephants away from Poachers.
But this Photo I took touched me deeply. I wanted to get a close up shot of the eye, but then noticed that the Animal looks like its crying.
I’ve read about how Elephants are deeply emotional. To me this seems to confirm it. Made me a bit uncomfortable. This was in the morning, all huts gets visited in the morning by an elephant to feed them sugar cane. Maybe I’m wrong, but to me that definately looks like tears.
In any case it was quite an experience, and I don’t regret going. But would I do it again? I’m nor sure.
There is indeed no Elephant riding here, but there are organized bathing and Photo shoots. Here is a couple getting romantic while swimming with the Elephant
I was amazed how huge they are. These are massive animals. And considering they are vegetarians, I suspect they must be eating pretty much all day to sustain themselves.
The place has also adopted allot of dogs and puppies that walk around freely, and likely will visit you at your hut. They were all very friendly and happy, and it added to the charm of the place.
Final Thoughts
Don’t get me wrong, although I’m against animals in captivity for human entertainment, I’m no not a animal rights activist or radical environmentalist. I do eat meat, and I have no problems with hunting and raising livestock for food/milk.
There is one thing that leaves me wondering though. On their website they claim there is so much misinformation about elephants in Thailand, and allot of it makes sense. However they also made the claim that there are no wild Elephants left in Thailand at all. Upon further research I found this to not be quite correct. There are not many left, but there appears to be wild elephants in Thailand still.
If you plan to see Elephants in Thailand, please do your own research and make your ow conclusions.
A Journey Trough Thailand, trip to Chiang Rai.
Wat Rong Khun
Only spent two days in Chiang Rai, but very glad i made the trip. Obligatory is a visit to Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple. It a privately owned art exhibit that was constructed in 1997. A magnet for tourists, for obvious reasons. The light conditions wasn’t optimal with harsh sunlight and dark shadows, but what a marvelous construction this is.
The bridge in from of the main building is called the “The light conditions wasn’t optimal, with harsh sunlight and dark shadows. But what a marvelous construction this called "the cycle of rebirth". In from of the bridge is hundreds of reaching hands symbolizing unrestrained desire. The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desire. (source)
Wat Rong Suea Ten
Another must visit in Chiang Rai is Wat Rong Suea Ten, or Blue Temple. This is also a very young temple designed by Putha Kabkaew, a student of the artist who built the White Temple. Also very impressive in its own right. Especially the interior of the main building was impressive. The following image is a horizontal 3 shot panorama.
Its quite a small area, so not much time is needed here. But i would definitely recommend the visit. There is also no entrance fee here, and its close to the city center.
A Journey Trough Thailand, Royal Park Rajapruek
The Royal Park is definitely worth the 30 minutes trip by car. Its a fairly large park with stunning buildings and gardens. You can choose between the free shuttle that takes you around the park, or rent a bicycle to explore the park i little more freely. I chose bicycle.
The Main building/temple is a quite sight, and with the right conditions can be seen with gorgeous reflections.
A Journey Trough Thailand, Chiang Mai City Temples - Wat Sri Suphan
One thing I really like about Thailand is how rich the country is in culture. Coming from Europe this is really refreshing. There are beautiful Buddhist Temples everywhere. And some of them are simply breathtakingly beautiful.
My favorite temple so far is the gorgeous Wat Sri Suphan, also called The Silver Temple. Its not so big, but its so majestic and beautiful. Standing inside it I got goosebumps. Really an incredible experience.
The temple was originally built in the 16th century during the Mangrai Dynasty. Crafted from silver and Aluminum it is really one of a kind. A must visit when in Chiang Mai. A little but unusual, but at this specific temple, only men are allowed inside.
I recommend to visit on a Saturday during the Saturday weekend Market nearby as it is open late and you can witness some amazing ceremonies. Also the Temple gets lit with colorful lighting that changes.
I was lucky to witness the candle ceremony where chanting monks (and invited guests) walk around the temple several times.
A Journey Trough Thailand, Three Chiang Mai Temples.
Wat Pa Dara Phirom Phra Aram Luang Is one of the most spectacular temple I’ve seen, and it had some very unique possibilities for Photography. This photograph is a multiple shot vertical panorama. One of my favorite Photos from the trip.
It is located in the Mae Rim District, just a short drive from Chiang Mai City. Its a complex consisting of multiple temples. From a tourist point of view its relativekly unknown, and I couldn’t find allot of information online in English. Apparently its the 7th Royal Temple of Thailand.
Wat Chedi Luang is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, and situated in the middle of Old City. It is known for its old Ruin of the original temple that was started in the 14th Century. At night it can be seen from many places in Chiang Mai.
Inside one of the smaller buildings. Beautiful golden decorations.
Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan Is the most revered temple in Chiang Mai. Also located with the Old City. It’s a active temple with 100s of monks living there.
I recommend to go there around sunset to witness some of the rituals and activity.
A Journey Trough Thailand Part 4, Chiang Mai Food
A blog from Thailand without food, is not blog at all. It’s almost impossible not too talk about food in Thailand. Everywhere you walk there is fragrant food stalls of yummy street food. And there are many day markets, night markets and restaurants. So this blog cannot be any different. At the bottom I will list my favorite food related locations in Chiang Mai.
Siri-wattana Market (Tha-nin Market):
Every color of fruit and deserts you can imagine
Pork Rinds anyone?
Yumm, deep fried larvae and crickets
Now this where i draw the line of experimenting haha.
Street Food and local restaurants
Some of these are mobile snaps, but had to include them (I need a better phone)
Spicy pork rinds and beef :)
Who Loves crab?
This ended up being my favorite quick market snack. Quail eggs sprinkled with some salty fish sauce. Yum
Spicy Pad Kraphao with duck egg from the Langmor night market. One of my favorites
Spicy green papaya salad and crispy pork, can it get any better?
Thai red curry fish cakes.
Crispy pork and morning glory stir fry
Spicy northern thai Sausage (Sai oua) , one of my absolute favorites.
Love these egg wrapped salad rolls with the spicy green sauce.
Proper fried chicken. No thick KFC batter here :)
My favorite places:
Night Markets (street food)
Langmor Night market. - My absolute favorite night market. Its a bit outside the old city, but worth the trip. Also cheap, they cater mainly to students.
Chang Phuak Market - Small night market next to Chang Phuak Gate. Famous for the cowgirl Stewed pork leg (Which is also yummy). Also a lady there that has very nice curries.
There is also the Saturday and Sunday walking streets. Very tourist oriented, but worth at least one visit.
Day/Morning Markets
Siri-wattana Market (Tha-nin Market), just ouside the city center. (See images above). Great market for fresh fruits, vegetables and snack. There is also a small food court next to it.
Mae Hia Fresh Market, A bit furrther from the city center. 10-15 minutes with car. Known for having very good Northern Thai Sausage (Sai Oua), highly recommend the trip there.
Restaurants
Hoi Khaa Rim Ping noodles, one of my favorite lunch spots
Guay Jub Chang Moi Tat Mai Best soup in town (Only Lunch)
ราชประสงค์ Classic and spicy Thai food where locals eat
Sorn Chan Tiny family resturant, small selection of delicious food. Best Northern Thai Sausage I’ve had.
ร้านตำยำช้างเผือก Very good green Papaya Salad. Spicyyyyyy
Now there are simply too many good restaurants to mention here, but that’s a small sample of my favorites.
That’s all, stay tuned for next weeks blog :) Don’t forget to sign up to email alerts.
A Journey Trough Thailand Part 3, Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon
Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep is a mountain just outside Chiang Mai, and it has a couple of temples and sights. I visited the main attraction, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. A golden beautiful temple with views over Chiang Mai.
From the parking, there a long staircase up the temple. But don’t worry, you can also take the cable lift. And its not very expensive. But I recommend to take the stairs at least one way. Quite the experience in itself.
To get here, there are red trucks (Songthaew) with sideways bench seats in the back that’s fairly cheap. Or take a taxi with one of the apps to get there. Its about 45 minutes on very curvy roads. I took taxi up and red truck back.
Around golden hour, right before sunset is best for Photos, when the sun is low but still illuminates the golden temple. It’s really a gorgeous site. But be prepared to share, as its close to Chiang Mai, it is very heavily visited by tourist. So very crowded the whole day. But its definitely worth the visit!
It was a bit challenging to Photograph due to the amount of people, so had to wait allot and time it correctly. But I think I got something out of it at least.
Doi Inthanon
The peak of Doi Inthanon is the tallest point in Thailand at 2565 m above sea level. A very popular tourist attraction. The peak itself isn’t very interesting in my opinion; there is a short walkway in the jungle and a sign, not much else to see. Drone flying is forbidden, so didn’t get to check further views.
Most people go on organized tours, which can run in the 3-5000 baht range and quite a hectic program. To take it more easy, I recommend to drive yourself or use a personal driver (Which isn’t more expensive than tours) But depends what you like.
Rice field season was over, but I found the pattern it had left behind quite interesting. This is from a small village on the way up to the peak. And here i was allowed to fly a bit :) Fancy renting one of those villas?
The National Park of Doi Inthanon has a few waterfalls. And I visited two of them. The most interesting one I found to be a smaller one, almost at the foot of the mountain. “The Mae Klang Waterfall”. (first image). The largest and most popular waterfall, the “Wachirathan Waterfall” (2nd image) was a sight to behold, but for Photography not the most interesting. But I definitely recommend a stop there. There was also some restaurants here, so smart to time lunch here.
Now there is one location that got missed, and probably should not have, but ran out of time. So saving this for next time I’m in the area; The Three Pagodas of Doi Inthanon.
That’s all for this time, stay tuned for next week :) And sign up to the email list to get reminders.
A Journey Trough Thailand Part 2, Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai
© 2022 Tore Valberg
What an amazing surprise! I had no idea about this festival. It was pure coincident to arrive smack in the middle of it. And what an amazing experience!
What is the Loy Krathong Festival?
Celebrated annually usually around full moon in November, the Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival) has its origin all the way back to the 14th century. Its a Northern Thailand Buddhist holiday, where paper lanterns are lit and released to ask for forgiveness from the water goddess. It is also believed that bad luck disappears with the flying lantern.
The actual release of lanterns has been banned since 2019 due to various hazards (Fire, airplanes etc) , however this year a exception was implemented for Chiang Mai. Reportedly 60 flights was rescheduled for this. (Chiang Mai Airport is very close to the City)
The day of arrival just went into walking around to get to know the neighborhood (And decide to change hotel). After some food at a Night Market, I suddenly stumbled onto the Parade. Before that I had no idea this festival even existed….
I didn’t carry the camera the first night, but there was parade again the next evening. And what an amazing showcase of Culture! These big structures carried forward with diesel engines was just stunning.
The electricity for the lighting was generated using old diesel generators, and i have to admit the exhaust fumes got a bit much at times.
© 2022 Tore Valberg
The King
As you may be aware the Royal Family and especially King Maha Vajiralongkorn is a central focus in Thailand. There are Pictures of him everywhere in the Country. So of course he has to be represented here as well.
Consulate and embassy representation
The massive parade went on for several hours. And there was no end to beautiful displays and shows. It moved very slowly, and took regular stops for people to take in the display.
Several countries has their own representation at the Parade. Here are from the Chinese and US consulates (Click image):
Unfortunately I only saw the lanterns from a distance. Was just to exhausted from the heat and diesel exhaust. But at least I saw them :) `
One thing that really impressed me was the smiles. They were smiling for hours on end, and held it. Towards the end some of them looked tired, but what an impressive display. Some tourists was quite aggressive and intrusive with their photo snapping, but they just posed and kept smiling.
Here are some more Pictures from the Parade, click on them to see next :) Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for next blog post.
A Journey Trough Thailand Part 1, Arriving in Bangkok
Finally the day was here! Been wanting to go on a Photographic trip trough Thailand for a long time. After a spending a few months in Norway with back problems, now it was time to head to the far east. Its been over 10 years since I was in SE Asia last, so was amazing to be back. And first time in Thailand.
Spent just 4 days in Chinatown in Bangkok, before heading north to Chiang Mai. And let me tell you; Jetlag is a real thing! Enjoyed a bit of Bangkok, but was very tired and jetlagged for several days. So mostly roamed around and enjoyed the great street food Bangkok has to offer. But managed to do a little photography at least. Also waiting for the Drone registration to come trough at this point.
The first night it was time to hit the streets for some food, and this was one of the best meals. The smells, impressions and food was an explosion on the senses. Almost overwhelming. So far Chinatown near the Wat Mankong MRT station is my favorite area.
Shot with mobile phone from the famous Yaowarat Road
First street food in Thailand, boy was in yummy. Mobile Phone Photo
That is really all for this time, stay tuned for next blog entry from Chiang Mai.