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My 2016 trip was a visit to Thailand & Malaysia
Here are trinkets from my trip to Thailand & Malaysia These can be found on my desk at work. From left to right, the trinkets represent: Thailand Malaysia |
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Here are maps of Thailand and Malaysia showing the places visited on this trip. Thailand: Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Phi Phi Island - Phuket Malaysia: Penang - Cameron Highlands - Malacca - Kuala Lumpur |
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Malaysia (2016 November 25 - December 5) |
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The Grand Palace is located in the heart of old Bangkok. Construction on
the palace began in 1782. Until the twentieth century, this was the home
to the Thai Kings.
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The Giant Swing in Bangkok was built in 1784 and is 27 meters tall.
It was used in ceremonies to reenact elements of creation stories in the
Hindu religion. The swing ceremony had teams of Thai men in elaborate
headdresses competing to launch themselves into the air, where they would
use their teeth catch a sack of coins tied to the top of a pole 25 meters
above the ground. The ceremony has been discontinued since 1935 after fatal
accidents.
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We took a boat tour on the Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok. The river
is used as a means of transportation as well as a source for irrigation for the
region's rice paddies. Modern buildings now adorn the shore of the river.
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King Bhumibol Adulyadej had passed away October 13, 2016, starting a year long
period of mourning in Thailand. Here is one of countless memorials that
have been erected for the late King.
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Here I am about to board the train that will take me from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
This is an overnight train with sleeping compartments. The train ride was pretty
bumpy and it was amazing I got any sleep at all!
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We headed to northern Thailand and stayed in the city of Chiang Mai, to get
away from the "city" environment, We visited the Doi Inthanon National Park;
here I am at a base of a waterfall.
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Here is the Wachirathan Waterfall, located in the Doi Inthanon National Park.
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Our next stop on the trip was Phi Phi Island. There are actually six
limestone islands that form the Phi Phi Islands. Here is a view of the
largest of the islands, Ko Phi Phi Don; this is the one with the tourist hotels.
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Maya Bay is located on the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Le. This bay
is popular with tourists; there were a lot of people there when I visited.
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In Phuket, we stayed in Old Phuket Town, which is the historical town in Phuket
with old Sino-Portuguese buildings. It seems like this is the Chinatown of Phuket as well.
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The night market in Old Phuket Town had a great selection of street food. What caught
my eye was the diversity of colour when it came to foods offered. Mmmmm,
the squid on a stick was very tasty!
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Malaysia (2016 December 6 - December 16) |
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We took a flight from Phuket to Penang Island, Malaysia.
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We stayed in George Town, the capital of Penang. George Town is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, due to it's large assortment of colonial and Asian eclectic
architectural styles.
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In the Cameron Highlands, we visited a "butterfly museum". Besides butterflies, it
also hosted other bugs and lizards. Here was a gecko that found it's way
onto my shoulder.
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The Cameron Highlands, with an elevation of between 1135 to 1830 meters above
sea level, provide a cool respite from the usually hot temperatures of
the lowlands. This is an ideal environment for growing tea. Here I am
among the tea trees at a plantation.
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Located north of Kuala Lumpur, the Batu Caves are a series of caves located
100 meters above ground on a limestone hill. The caves are host to Hindu temples dedicated
to the deity Murugan.
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There are many macaque monkeys at the Batu Caves. They seem indifferent
to all the people visiting the caves.
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This is the view from the caves, looking out towards town, with a
view of the backside of the statue of Murugan.
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Located in the center of Malacca (Melaka) is Dutch Square. There were a lot
of tourists here snapping pictures of the red colonial Dutch buildings, built between 1660 and 1700, with
louvered windows and chunky doors with wrought iron hinges.
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Plying the streets of Malacca are colourfully decorated trishaws. These are
best seen at night, as they are lit up with colourful lights.
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Jonker Street is the location of Malacca's Chinatown and the night market.
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There was a large selection of food on the Jonker street night market.
Here the vendor is cutting me pieces of lamb ("Tender Slices" for RM 16). Mmmmmm!
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National Palace (Istana Negara) in Kuala Lumpur. Built in 1928, it is located along Jalan Istana and the 13-acre castle used to be the official
residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia. Here's the entrance to the Palace grounds.
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At night, Jalan Alor is transformed into a street of restaurants serving all sorts
of good Malaysian food at cheap prices. Being a street, there are moving cars among
the diners.
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No visit to Kuala Lumpur would be complete without visiting the Petronas Twin Towers.
Built in 1999, the 452 meter tall towers were the tallest in the world until 2004.
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Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about this trip or travelling in general! |
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Contact Chany