Showing 41 - 50 of 64
Culture on a string
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 29/10/2014
» While the epic Ramakien is told through nang talung, the art of shadow puppetry from southern Thailand, a shadow puppet from Hamburg, Germany, will portray a child waking up in the middle of the night.
Radiance reburnished
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 18/09/2014
» Standing tall and graceful in the compound of a Thai-Chinese school near Hua Lamphong railway station is a villa built in a mixture of European styles. Its exterior features identify it as a fine period building, although the architectural style is not easily categorised. It is only when one ventures indoors, however, that the true glory of Phraya Sri Thammathirat's former residence is revealed.
City of 11 gates
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 28/08/2014
» Situated right in the middle of Isan, the country's northeastern region, 512km from Bangkok by road, Roi Et has been a major settlement for more than 300 years. It was once called Saket Nakhon and referred to as "a large city with 11 gates and 11 vassal cities", but in modern-day terms it would be more accurately described as a medium-sized market town.
A place of royal vessels
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 07/08/2014
» This popular verse of an ancient Thai poem on the royal barge procession crosses our mind when we step into the National Museum of Royal Barges in Thon Buri and see a royal barge with the figurehead of a mythical swan. The Suphannahong Royal Barge is one of the eight stunning royal barges on display along with objects used in the procession.
A man of arts and sciences
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 07/08/2014
» Stepping into the Itsarawinitchai Throne Hall in the compound of the National Museum Bangkok, visitors may be stunned when they see the big changes there. Now, the hall is full of glittering thrones, royal chairs, palace decoration items, paintings, musical instruments and centuries-old books. This is the Fine Arts Department's special exhibition, "When East Meets West: A King's Treasure At The Front Palace", which will run until Aug 31.
Dutch treat in Ayutthaya
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 03/07/2014
» Nestled on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in the ruins of the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, next to Wat Phananchoeng and the remains of the old Japanese quarter, is a building of red and white bricks erected in memory of the Dutch settlement which had its headquarters here from the early 17th to the mid-18th century. Opened to the general public last year, Baan Hollanda now serves as an information centre on early Thai-Dutch relations.
Royal apparel, inside out
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 05/06/2014
» While many Thai and foreign visitors stroll around the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles to see the hundreds of traditional costumes and other attire once donned by HM the Queen, few consider what goes on behind the scenes to ensure the beautiful displays are kept immaculate.
Reliving ancient civilisation
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 08/05/2014
» Only about 130km northwest of Bangkok, Suphan Buri province has a lot for visitors to see and do, ranging from forests to cultural attractions. However, the U Thong National Museum is often overlooked by visitors although it displays several of Thailand’s outstanding artefacts of the Dvaravati period (6th-11th centuries).
Creating a renaissance
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 21/04/2014
» Throughout an hour spent in the Traditional Thai Art room of the National Gallery, we saw only a few Western tourists walking in and around the stunning red Western-style room to admire several of Thailand’s masterpieces. Within 10 or 15 minutes, those visitors left, then it was very quiet at the “Louvre of Thailand”, the Kingdom’s only state-run museum of art with the largest collection of traditional and contemporary artworks.
Echoes of a Storied Past
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 12/09/2013
» Kanchanaburi has long been a popular destination for day-trippers. Legions of tourists, both local and foreign, regularly make the short trip from Bangkok to visit scenic Sai Yok Waterfall and remnants of the infamous Death Railway like Hellfire Pass and the renamed "Bridge On The River Kwai". But astonishingly few visitors venture into the oldest section of this laid-back town which boasts some fine examples of architecture, well-preserved buildings dating from just before World War II right back to the mid-19th century.