MangoVine
Adventures in East Asia

Entries in Attractions

 03 December, 2009
Thursday Wat Pho Part 1 - Bangkok’s Oldest and Largest Temple
Wat Pho - no, not a temple to the great Vietnamese noodle, but Bangkok's largest and oldest temple, which is also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Apart from the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is home to over one thousand more Buddha images.

Wat-Pho1

Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions. Today, Wat Pho remains to be the most popular place in the world to learn the art and techniques of Thai massage, as well as to receive it.

Read more... 03 December, 2009
Thursday The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok
The Grand Palace was one of those landmark attractions that we had to see in Bangkok. Offering a taste of some gloriously traditional Thai design and architecture, its apparently one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Grand-Palace1

It houses the royal residence and throne halls as well as some government offices and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Read more... 02 December, 2009
Wednesday Bangkok’s Central World Shopping Complex and Square over Christmas
Central World is the largest shopping complex in Bangkok and actually the second largest in Southeast Asia, the largest being a mall in the Philippines.

Central-World1

It's marketed as a middle class shopping centre, which kind of gives an idea about the range of brands inside. To me, normally quite accessible and mostly affordable. Buying something however, is another matter, since there's sometimes little point in shopping for goods that look like they'd be available in Europe and besides, we're on a (travel) budget.

Read more... 01 December, 2009
Tuesday The Decorative and Active Erawan Shrine
Since arriving in Bangkok, the Erawan Shrine was the first real taste we had of Thai religion. We passed it via the elevated walkway from BTS Chit Lom skytrain station, on the way to the Central World shopping mall.

Erawan-Shrine1

The Erawan Shrine, built to placate the spirits displaced by the building of the old Erawan Hotel beside it, is a shrine to Brahma, the ancient Hindu creation god and Erawan his elephant.

Read more... 27 September, 2009
Sunday Thean Hou Temple - Malaysia’s Most Visually Impressive Temple
The Chinese Thean Hou Temple is apparently one of the most visually impressive in Malaysia and was built by the Hainanese community living in Kuala Lumpur. It's dedicated to the Heavenly Mother, Thean Hou and her statue takes centre stage in the main hall.

Thean-Hou-Temple-Altar

Featuring six-tiers, this Chinese temple is located on a hill overlooking Jalan Syed Putra and was officially opened in 1989. There are a couple of ways to get there and we took the monorail to Tun Sambanthan station, which resulted in a half hour walk and then a climb up the hill (via a road). We probably could have taken a taxi, though nothing beats the exercise.

Read more... << Newer Posts   |   Page 5 of 30   |   Older Posts >>