The Pinay Solo Backpacker

Aside from secluded white sand beaches,  I’m a freak of  ruins of  old cities and historical places.  Blame it  on my background in anthropology (and amateur archeology) I guess.  And  since all these years I have failed to practice my degree and I’m missing the field school a lot, I try to visit historical places, immerse in indigenous culture or simply practice the charm of the social scientist on my journeys.

The  ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya was  hailed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991, the Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767 until it was invaded by the Burmese.   This was once known to be one of the richest city in Asia if not in the world. (more…)

Bangkok is synonymous with shopping and Siam is one of the most intense and best shopping mecca in Bangkok where you’ll find a series of shopping malls which caters to different types of taste and budget from the opulent masses to the mid-range and the rather ordinary.  These malls are accessible by buses and the Skytrain (BTS).

inside Siam Paragon

One fine morning, I took a bus from KSR to Siam. The bus dropped most of the passengers at Siam Center, so I went along with the crowd.  The building is interconnected both to (more…)

Because of the King’s birthday celebration the night before I toured Dusit, the guards told me it is closed to the public.  Dusit is a relatively modern and spacious area north of  Ko Rattanakosin, established during the reign of the celebrated Rama V, King Chulalongkorn. Upon his return from Europe in1897,the king used his personal money to purchase orchards and paddy fields between Padung Krungkasem Canal and Samsen Canal for the construction of a royal garden which he named “the Dusit Garden”. It’s actually the farthest walking tour in my entire Bangkok trip, that’s why I wouldn’t recommend that you start the walking tour from Khao San Rd (KSR). Besides,  I couldn’t give the details of the  route that I took since I didn’t take note of  the street name & took short cuts by passing through some quaint street, monk houses and temples  but try to take me there and  I know exactly where to go.

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall

This area is not particularly easy to reach by public transport, and it’s probably best to use a taxi or tuk-tuk to get here. I got lost the when I took a bus and ended up at Siam area so be very careful if you’re riding a bus,  it should only take a few minutes if you’re from KSR to get there.  (Read Getting There at the bottom of this post).

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