A Slice of Ancient Siam

The reconstructed Ayutthaya Palace (Sanphet Prasat Palace), Ancient City, Samut Prakan Province, Thailand

It’s time for Songkran! Thai New Year / Water-Splashing Festival, and a host of New Years around the Buddhist and Hindu world! And I’m still here in Abu Dhabi, now cloaked in pre-summer dust and heat, …not very fun at all. I am also up to my neck in contractual work, while my mind dreams of faraway places to visit. …Sigh!

So here’s another picture post – Tada!


Replica of Saraburi’s Temple of the Buddha’s Footprint, Ancient City (aka Ancient Siam), Thailand


Replica of the Grand Palace (Dusit Maha Prasat Palace) of Bangkok

This is Ancient City (Muang Boran), a sprawling park located not too far from Bangkok city. It features replicas of famous historical / traditional monuments, buildings and temples from all over Thailand. Some are actual buildings moved from its original site to preserve them. Some are replicas, recreated from historical evidence (and a fair amount of creativity I’d say), while others are a complete figment of the architect’s imagination. This place was founded by Lek Viriyaphant (1914 – 2000), an eccentric Thai millionaire, who also founded other equally fantastical places like the Erawan Museum and the Sanctuary of Truth (that’ll be posted, …in due course, hehe). I don’t know how true it is, but this place is dubbed the world’s largest outdoor museum! See for yourself.




The Floating Market (made from salvaged real buildings) – at the centre of the park, and our favourite, especially for the kids – because it was connected with bridges and platforms over water, like a maze on water. Fun for the kids, but not so fun for mommy and papa (and grandpa, and aunt). (What?!? …we had to run all over the place to keep the little one away from the water!)


Floating Market – notice the floating Taoist temple on the right?


And on the left, the building with the boats is a church on stilts!


A bridge over the many canals in the park (what’s Thailand without canals?), near the Ayutthaya Palace – notice Justin on the bridge?


A traditional house facing the Ayutthaya Palace (called Khun Phaen House in the tourist map), Ancient City, Thailand


Giant water lilies in a canal – Behind, beyond the bridge, are the walls of the miniature version of the Phimai Sanctuary of Nakhon Ratchasima


One of the many stupas around (this one is err… checking the tourist map, …Wat Phra That Sam Muen of Chaiyaphum)

And now for something created completely new for this place: -


The Sala of Ten Reincarnations


The Pavilion of the Enlightened

That’s all, folks! Have a great Songkran, Baisakhi, Rongali Bihu, Thingyan, etc! Happy New Year!!!

Carpet Merchants of Persia

“The ceilings have holes! They’re for the flying carpets to go in and out!” (If only that were true) – Ceiling of the Timche-e-Amin-od-Dowleh (Aminoddoleh Caravanserai), in the middle of Kashan’s covered bazaar


Bazar-e-Kashan (Bazaar of Kashan) showing the Aminoddoleh Caravanserai

Happy Easter everyone! I can’t seem to find any Easter related thing to post (or maybe I’m just plain lazy, ahem), so I am continuing with my post on Kashan, Iran, since I’ve already dug up all the photos!!

Here’s a tale of some carpet merchants in 19th century Persia. A carpet merchant named Borujerdi wanted to marry the daughter of another carpet merchant named Tabatabaei. Now, Tabatabaei was a rich man in Kashan, and lived in an opulent palace of a home, complete with courtyards, gardens and fountains. He gave Borujerdi only one condition, that his daughter must at least be able to live in a home as grand and charming as her original home. Borujerdi set out to do just that and completed his own palace of a house 18 years later. See for yourself!


Tabatabaei Historical House, Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran


Muqarnas (the hanging stalactite-like formations) in the Tabatabaei House looking like the fangs of a menacing monster. Whoever the architect is, he must have a perverted sense of joy of scaring the bejesus outta little children!


Anu at Borujerdi's House


The domed ceiling of the Borujerdi Historical House, Kashan

Kashan is filled with houses like these. Here’s another historical house: -


Abbasian Historical House, Kashan

And this was our hotel: -


Manouchehri House


A living room in the Manouchehri House

There’re more to Kashan than just markets and houses. Rich people need to relax and enjoy. What better way than a bathhouse?


Hammam-e-Sultan Amir Ahmad (Sultan Amir Ahmed Bathhouse), Kashan, Iran


The roof of the Sultan Amir Ahmed Bathhouse

And here’s a mosque with a courtyard like the Persian houses around: -


The Agha Bozorg Mosque, Kashan

To see more photos of Kashan, click here.

Adventures in Persia

Yours truly, on the roof of the Sultan Amir Ahmed Bathhouse, Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran

In another part of Asia, across the vast Indian Ocean from Bali, another New Year takes place in March, Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Nowruz coincides with the March Equinox (which is today), symbolizing spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the day in which the sun crosses the equator and enters the Northern Hemisphere, which also means that it’s gonna get really hot, pretty soon around these parts of the world! Hmmmph!

Here’s a little write up on Persia (i.e. on our Iran trip at the end of 2016), which I prepared for the Company’s magazine a year ago. It should be 300 words or more. If published, I’d be richer by AED 200! (It’s not much, but any money is good money, right? …If earned honestly, that is). Unfortunately for me, they didn’t pick my article!?! (That may be because I wrote 2 articles on the Iran trip. I thought I’d cash in on 2 articles with 1 trip, since there’re so many things to see). That didn’t work, but my first article (on Dizin, Iran) was published! Hehe.

Here’s the article, and pictures of Kashan, a Persian town filled with bazaars, traditional villas of rich merchants and public baths, the sort of setting you’d imagine if you were a Prince of Persia! Here goes!


“What does that hole in the ceiling do, Papa?” Timche-e-Amin-od-Dowleh (Aminoddoleh Caravanserai), Kashan Bazaar


“To let the genies come in…” (Nah, just joking) – Close-up view of the ceiling of the Aminoddoleh Caravanserai

Adventures in Persia

The name Persia always evokes a sense of ancient empire in my mind, of magic lamps and badass thieves, with treasures hidden in magical caves, of exotic belly dancers and flying carpets,... Well, that’s what you get when you watch too many action fantasy films or play too many computer games… (Can’t blame me when I grow up playing games like the Prince of Persia, can you?)

Well, Persia is just across the sea from Dubai, or 2 hours by flight, and it’s easy to visit and cheap. It’s actually called the Islamic Republic of Iran now. Sure, there’re no flying carpets, or skimpily clad veiled girls doing belly dances, but there is still a treasure trove of places waiting to be seen. There are ancient remains of great empires, like Persepolis, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site. There are historical palaces, mansions, gardens and town squares like the Naqsh-e-Jahan Square in Isfahan. There are beautiful Iranian mosques with its turquoise coloured theme and hanging beehive-like formations (murqanas). There’re traditional covered bazaars with its Persian rugs and people that are nothing like the religious zealots that the West portrays Iranians to be. Of course, there’ll be that bad egg in the basket, but overall we found Iranians to be friendly, helpful and forthright.

There’re also ancient hill villages, exotic desert towns, desolate salt lakes, and mountains where you can ski in winter and where wild flowers blossom in spring. And best of all, there’re so little tourists, you can have the place all to yourself (the less popular places anyway, when we were there in winter).

So do I recommend a trip to Iran? Definitely, especially if you are a cultural buff. After all, Iran is not only the seat of everything Persian, it is also the de facto centre of Shia Islamic culture.

And what about the kids? Nope, there’s not much for the kids here unfortunately, unless your kids love running around, which in that case, there’re plenty for the kids, …Isfahan’s town square is one of the largest in the world, for example. And of course, there’s the snowy mountains near Tehran for skiing, and for a good ol’ snowball fight!


Hammam-e-Sultan Amir Ahmad (Sultan Amir Ahmed Bathhouse), Kashan, Iran


Close-up view of the ceiling, Hammam-e-Sultan Amir Ahmad – holes in the ceiling seems to be a trend, huh?

And here’re some traditional Persian merchant houses: -


Our hotel during our stay in Kashan – Manouchehri House, the left-most 3 windows on the ground floor was our room


Dining room of the Manouchehri Traditional House Hotel


Iranian mommy (Anu) serving naughty kids breakfast at the Manouchehri Hotel dining room


Entrance of the Tabatabaei Historical House, one of the many historical houses in Kashan, of which the most well-known are the Tabatabaei, Borujerdi and Abbasian Historical Houses


Compound of the Borujerdi Historical House


Lunch at the Abbasi Teahouse and Restaurant, which is actually a part of the Abbasian Historical House – Having lunch here was one of the highlights of our Iranian trip I’d say!


“C’mon, let’s dig in. The food’s here!” Abbasi Teahouse & Restaurant, Kashan, Iran – That blue jug contains doogh, a yogurt-based drink like lassi, which is drunk like water in Iran!


The backstreets of Kashan, between our hotel Manouchehri Housse, and the Bazaar of Kashan – Kashan is a cosy little town where most of the attractions are within walking distance of one another


The Agha Bozorg Mosque at dusk, Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran

Life on a Mystical Island

Beach at Nusa Dua, with a view of a volcano (I think) in the distance …I wouldn’t be surprised if that was Lombok, the neighbouring island

Since we’re at Bali, I might as well continue, hehe. Here’re glimpses of what we did in Nusa Dua and Kuta in 2016. By the way, today happens to be Bali's New Year, Nyepi, the Day of Silence, where everything's closed and no work or play is allowed. Even the airport and internet are shut, for 24 friggin hours!! Don't believe me? Google it!

There, another short post done! Hah!


1.5 years old Jayden, at our hotel in Nusa Dua, the Tanjung Sari Inn


The courtyard at Tanjung Sari Inn, Nusa Dua, Bali


The hotel shrine …every hotel has its shrine!


The neighbourhood temple ….every street has its temple, …or maybe not, but temples are all over the place in Bali


Jayden in the hotel room. Notice semi-nude Balinese lady in the painting? You’ll only see that on paintings…


Ngurah Rai Airport, the only airport in Bali, the one that will be friggin CLOSED, on Nyepi, the Day of Silence, which happens to be today! (See previous post)


Justin posing with a Garuda, Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Indonesia


Taking a break in Kuta, at the Mamma Mia Restaurant


The food’s finally here – Fish & Chips for Justin, Mixed Seafood for Mommy, and Crispy Duck with Rice for yours truly, something like that, but it’s not cheap


Now that’s more like it, Lobster! And cheap! At Bamboo Corner, Kuta – if you’re spoilt for choice, pick this place!


And my favourite Balinese dish is …Babi Guling, roasted pork prepared in many styles, one of my favourite pork dishes in the world, I’d say – There’re countless warungs (food stalls) selling babi guling, but this picture is from a stall on the way to Tanah Lot, called Men Agus near the junction of Jl Raya Canggu and Jl Batu Mejan