DAILY TRIP THAILAND
Hello incredible readers,
Today I'm bringing you my second article in the complementary particles series, and the key word for this spate of 9 posts is "summer time". I invite you to reread the first post on "the white to refresh your memory as to the whys and wherefores of this collective! And, as you may have guessed, we're giving you our take on the vacations! At a time when everyone has their noses in their suitcases, I have the feeling that bikinis, exoticism and long, salty days are distant, vague memories! My last vacation "cut off from the world", in other words without my computer, was last October. Well, if you follow me on Instagramyou've seen me spend a crazy week in Australia (the article about which is coming very soon!), and three out-of-this-world days in Dubai. But we'll say those were "work" trips... Today, I'd like to tell you about this incredible trip I took with backpack and camera slung over my shoulder in search of the sun, flea-jumping from island to island in southern Thailand. It's taken me a long time to write this post, but I think I really needed to mature this trip, as if writing it would put an end to all this escapism that remained an escape in the corner of my mind, so I'm taking you with me...
When I arrive in Bangkok, it's like landing in New Delhi a few years ago. With the difference that there are roads, even highways, this city seems to me sprawling, giant, modern, but at the same time dirty, heavy and incomplete, I feel like I'm in Mad Max... It takes me a few hours to begin to tame it. I remember arriving in sweltering heat, with the sky threatening to explode at any moment. We were to stay in Bangkok for 3 days, and as soon as we arrived, I sensed that it wasn't going to be my favorite place.
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It was in this famous Silom district that I found my bird rings that made you react so much on Instagram! But this neighborhood is also the spot for made-to-measure and "semi-made-to-measure" tailors, which is pretty funny because some of them even display prices in euros and dollars directly on their storefronts, but pay close attention to the materials!
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But of course I also wanted to have a suit made, but Mr Song didn't do anything for feminine curves, so I asked him where I could have a little one made. And he pointed me to a friend's little boutique just behind mine on the same block. The store looked like anything but a tailor, and a whole Thai family was busy making all sorts of clothes. I wasn't very original and asked them to make me a "favorite dress". The nice lady told me I could choose from the fabrics all over the store... I'm a picky eater when it comes to fabrics and nothing appealed to me. I didn't give up and asked the lady to point me in the direction of a store where I could find more. She gave me the name of a district on a piece of paper and told me to ask a tuk tuk to take us there. It was the CHINATOWN district. And then, my friends, FOLIE furieuse. Bangkok, it's amazing!
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After a day of intensive shopping - I'm ready to bring back kilometers of crazy fabrics in my backpack - we head home and decide that the next day will be more cultural. Head to Siam Square to visit the home of Jim Thompson, the former spy who, once retired, decided to turn his hand to reviving Thailand's silk industry by founding the Thai Silk Company. I love this kind of crazy story and destiny, and I recommend that you listen carefully to the guidebook when you visit the place. You'll learn lots of crazy anecdotes, with a special mention for Mr. Thompson's tragic disappearance during a walk... and whose body was never found, probably devoured by a tiger...
More great photos here! And here's more information on Jim Thompson's Silk House on the museum website. And here's the address to get to this little piece of paradise: 6 soi 2 Kasemsan in the Siam Square district. admission approx. 100 bht approx. 2.50 euros.
In the afternoon of that day, we went to Wat Phra Kaeo and the Grand Palais (not ours, eh?). I'm not a big fan of visiting temples and other religious shrines, but here I must admit I was blown away by the plethora of details, gilding, ceramics, scales, Buddhas, flowers again and again. My inspiration was in turmoil, my neurons on the alert, and I spent the whole afternoon taking in the details of these palaces.
Remember, ladies and gentlemen, if you're going to be there, make sure you're covered up - no bare legs or shoulders - it's time to get out your fisherman's pants. If you've forgotten, don't worry, you can borrow them from reception for a small deposit, which will be returned to you when you leave. But beware, there are a lot of people with their heads in the air, and you'll have to wait in a long queue... Entrance costs 400 thb, around 9 euros, and the address is in the Chinese and Indian quarter. Also worth seeing nearby is the famous giant reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.
To sleep in Bangkok, we stayed at A-ONE-HOTEL, which I found really not very good, off-center, and as Bangkok really is a huge city, it wasn't at all practical. Without charm, a huge modern complex, I don't even know how I came across this address, but it was a big disappointment. On the way back, however, we went to paradise: Ariyasom VillaA hotel in a family home hidden in a tropical garden right in the middle of Bangkok. The owner, David, is a real darling, and his hotel is truly a jewel, with 25 rooms tastefully decorated by his wife Khun. I know that for my next trip, this is where I want to return.
More great photos here! For more information on this hotel, please visit this site. And the address of Ariyasom Villa is 65 Sukhumvit Soi 1,SUk Rd. Reservations on the website or phone 254 - 88 - 80.
On the third day, we head for Phuket. I regret leaving Bangkok so soon; I'd have liked to have stayed an extra full day to see the flower market and lose myself a little more in Chinatown, next time... We travel from Bangkok to Phuket by plane, with the low-cost airline Air Asia. So low-cost that the stewardesses are wearing jeans. The plane crosses the sky between lightning strikes... I'm anything but reassured. We arrive in Phuket at night and it's the weather apocalypse... I know that our hotel is on the beach, and I already know that my night will be shaken by my Tsunami fears...
So far, Phuket hasn't made an incredible impression on me, but the "waterfront" and Patong district are downright creepy. Tourist traps, super-Westernized shopping malls, it's hard to find it beautiful and disorienting. And then, on our last night, we're going to spend it in a magical place, the Hotel Paresa, the paradise of all paradises - what a program!
It's really the most beautiful place I've ever seen in Phuket, and that's when the vacation really began, with the arrival of this paradise and the sun. I get chills just thinking about this hotel, this infinite pool whose horizon line dies into that of the ocean's horizon... And I'm not even talking about the cuisine in the hotel's restaurants... Magical...
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