Continue reading "Tour Bangkok Legacies – Paperback Edition"

Reigniting memories
from an Aussie!

Eric, Thank you so much for your wonderful travelogue and photos. I look forward to your emails and photos. Keep safe and keep on posting. Rhond

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from an Aussie!"

Khlong Sip Song 100-year-old Market, Lam Luk Ka

30 September 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

Welcome back to the Bangkok Travelbug. In this October issue we will be visiting Lam Luk Ka in Pathum Thani, which is to the east of the Chao Phraya River.

Lam Luk Ka District in Pathum Thani is intersected by several canals which irrigate the rice fields in the area. To get to our destination, the Khlong Sip Song 100-year-old Market, we crossed 10 canals (Canals 2 – 11)! At the market we got to cross the 12th canal.


Alley leading to the market

Let's visit this old market, take a walk through the alley where it's located and relive some old memories.


The old coffee shop


Brewing coffee the traditional way

For more, please see, Khlong Sip Song 100-year-old Market, Lam Luk Ka

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – We visit a cactus farm and another canal side market in Pathum Thani

Tour Bangkok Legacies – my first e-book

If you are an independent traveller, here's a handy e-guide book, Tour Bangkok Legacies, which will help you along as you explore the streets of Bangkok and discover its old treasures. It's complete with historical descriptions, maps and detailed directions on how to get to these places.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Khlong Sip Song 100-year-old Market, Lam Luk Ka"

Hello from Shanghai, China

Dear Eric, Thank you for your deeply informative site, and your clear love of the place. I found this site when researching an article about the current

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Thung Na Mon Bo Thong Pathum Thani

16 September 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

Welcome back to the Bangkok Travelbug. In this September issue and the next couple of issues, we will be exploring some of the quaint cultural attractions in Pathum Thani, which is just north of Bangkok.

These places are ideal for days trips out of Bangkok and you don't have to travel too far. Many places in Pathum Thani still retain that old charm of Thailand in the past.

This trip we visit a farm and it’s a very special farm, Thung Na Mon, a Mon farming community in Bo Thong, Lat Lum Kaeo.


Thung Na Mon


Colourful entrance to the farm

For more, please see, Thung Na Mon, Bo Thong, Pathum Thani

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – We visit an old canal side market in Pathum Thani, Khlong Sip Song Market, Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani

Tour Bangkok Legacies – my first e-book

If you are an independent traveller, here's a handy e-guide book, Tour Bangkok Legacies, which will help you along as you explore the streets of Bangkok and discover its old treasures. It's complete with historical descriptions, maps and detailed directions on how to get to these places.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Thung Na Mon Bo Thong Pathum Thani"

Patpong Museum – the dark secret

Patpong Museum traces the origins of this place famous for its raunchy bars, loud music and scantily dressed dancing girls. Not many visitors to the place would know that it also held a dark secret.

Continue reading "Patpong Museum – the dark secret"

Eternity Village – poverty expressed in art

10 August 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

My apologies for missing out on the July edition of the Bangkok Travelbug. We were busy setting up our new home and moving there which took up the better part of July.

Please let me make it up to you with something very special and different in this August edition. This issue is about an art exhibition in Bangkok!

I have rarely written about art in any form as I don't feel qualified to comment. Somehow, this artist and his inspiration appealed to me, tugged at my heart strings.


Pachara Piyasongsoot

I visited his exhibition, got to meet him, talked to him and bought his book to understand better the inspiration behind his work. Although the exhibition will be over by the time you read this, the work of this artist is worth placing on record.


Lighthouse 2020 – oil on canvas, 80 x 120 cm


Sunset 2019 – oil on canvas, 90 x160 cm

For more, please see, Eternity Village – poverty expressed in art

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – We visit an old canal side market in Pathum Thani, Khlong Sip Song Market, Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani

Tour Bangkok Legacies – my first e-book

If you are an independent traveller, here's a handy e-guide book, Tour Bangkok Legacies, which will help you along as you explore the streets of Bangkok and discover its old treasures. It's complete with historical descriptions, maps and detailed directions on how to get to these places.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Eternity Village – poverty expressed in art"

Hi Eric, this is Peña from Madrid

It really impresses me your travel descriptions. This last one with your recaps of the past makes wonderful reading, the photographs are outstanding.

Continue reading "Hi Eric, this is Peña from Madrid "

My daughter-in-law in Lampang

Dear Eric, I like your site very much. I mostly read all the stories and look at the beautiful pictures from that country far away. Right now my son

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Memorable Travel Photos

17 June 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

Best wishes to all of you as you stay well and safe at home. As we are still unable to travel, I dug into my collection of old travel photos dating back to 2009 and came across some very pleasant surprises. Some photos I completely missed back then; others brought back very pleasant memories.

Let me share with you these memorable travel photos. For readers who have subscribed way back then, it will be nostalgic, for the new readers, catch up on what you missed.


Who stayed here in the 1920s?

I've added links to these old articles if you want to find out more about these places. Hope you enjoy this virtual journey and relive some interesting travel tales while you are home.


Where is this place?


Where is this beautiful garden?

To find out, please see, Memorable Travel Photos.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – We visit an old canal side market in Pathum Thani, Khlong Sip Song Market, Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Memorable Travel Photos"

Maps of old Siam

15 May 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

I trust all of you are well and safe at home. We are still doing virtual travelling to bring you some interesting travel tales to keep you occupied while you are home.

Back in 2015, we were just past Ayutthaya on Route 32 (Asian Highway) heading north on one of our travel trips. We stopped at a food shop in a rest area for a quick meal. It was like any of the food shops along the highway serving various types of vegetables, meat dishes served with rice (khao kaeng), hot and cold drinks.


Khao Kaeng Sian Lor

But this shop had something different, it displayed a huge poster showing the maps of Thailand. But on a closer look, these were maps of old Siam since 1786 in the reign of King Rama I! Over the centuries, wars, conquests, colonisation and cessation of territories have changed the boundaries to what they are today.

We returned in October 2019 to take photos of these maps and view the details. What a story they had to tell. Please sit back and join us as we review the maps of old Siam through the centuries.


Maps of old Siam

For more please see, Maps of old Siam.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Old travel photos

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Maps of old Siam"

Koh Si Chang Chonburi

16 Apr 2020

Dear friends and readers of the Bangkok Travelbug,

I trust all of you are well and safe at home. We had to put our travel plans on hold during this difficult period and thought that the Travelbug had to cease publication for a while.

Then I recalled a trip we took in December last year, when we spent Christmas in Bang Saen, Chonburi about 85 km south-east of Bangkok.

On Christmas Day we took a drive to Si Racha about 35 away from Bang Saen. On an impulse we decided to take a boat ride across to Koh Si Chang just off the coast of Si Racha.


The Gulf of Thailand laid out before your eyes

When we reached the pier at Koh Si Chang, a tuk tuk driver offered to take us on a tour of the island for 250 baht. As we didn’t know our way around the island and no cars are allowed on the island, we decided to take up his offer.

The tour turned out to be a cultural and historical gem. Not only did I have something to write about this month, readers can now take a virtual tour of the island while they are home.

Join us on this virtual tour of Koh Si Chang during this time when we are encouraged to stay home.


Scenic beauty in Koh Si Chang

For more please see, Koh Si Chang.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Maps of Thailand through the centuries

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Koh Si Chang Chonburi"

The Three Pagoda Pass, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

17 March 2020

Hello and welcome back to the March issue of the Bangkok Travelbug. This month we visit the Three Pagoda Pass in Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi to review the strategic importance of this area and the events that passed through here over the last two millenniums.

The pass is named after the three pagodas located here. These pagodas are believed to be constructed during the Ayutthaya era as a symbol of peace, which proved to be elusive for centuries to come.


Three Pagodas – symbol of peace

Join us as we take a tour of this area that has seen so much of history passing through.


Border crossing at the Three Pagoda Pass viewed from Thailand looking towards Myanmar

For more please see, Three Pagoda Pass, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Koh Si Chang, Chonburi

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "The Three Pagoda Pass, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi"

Abandoned Temples in Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

6 February 2020

Welcome back to the February 2020 issue of the Bangkok Travelbug. In this issue we take a boat trip to locate some of the temples abandoned as a result of the flooding of the upper Kwae Noi valley caused by the construction of a dam downriver.


Boat trip to abandoned temples, Sangkhla Buri

Let's take a closer look at the reservoir created by this dam and then the affected temples.


View of reservoir from the dam looking north to Sangkhla Buri


Top of a submerged temple

For more please see, Boat trip to abandoned temples, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – The Three Pagoda Pass, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Abandoned Temples in Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi"

The Mon Bridge, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

16 January 2020

Welcome back to the Bangkok Travelbug for the year 2020. In this issue and the next two, we feature Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi province. It's one of the most scenic places in Thailand I have had the pleasure of visiting.

For the January Travelbug we visit a famous landmark in Sangkhla Buri, the Mon Bridge, the Mon community who live around the area and a beautiful Mon temple.


The Mon Bridge, Sangkhla Buri

Let's take a closer look at this famous wooden bridge and the Mon community there.


Sightseers streaming across the bridge

Here are some of the beautiful scenes you will encounter in this virtual tour.


The bridge on a chilly December morning

For more please see, The Mon Bridge, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Boat trip to sunken temples in Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "The Mon Bridge, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi"

Love your focus

Love your focus on legacies, learned much about Bangkok's historical places, especially with my interest on foreign influences and contributions. Fun

Continue reading "Love your focus"

Khok Mai Den Ancient City, Nakhon Sawan

12 December 2019

Welcome back to the merry month of December! In this last issue for the year 2019, we will visit the last place in our itinerary on the last day of our trip to Nakhon Sawan.

This month we visit an ancient city, the Khok Mai Den Ancient City which is located about 35 km south of Nakhon Sawan City. It's just off highway 1 that leads south and back to Bangkok, a convenient stopover on the way back.


Remains of the Khok Mai Den Ancient City

Join us and take a virtual tour of this ancient city in Nakhon Sawan.


Discoveries up on the ridge

Here are some of the relics and ruins you will encounter in this virtual tour.


Relics and ruins from the ancient city

For more please see, Khok Mai Den Ancient City, Nakhon Sawan.

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Mon Bridge, Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Khok Mai Den Ancient City, Nakhon Sawan"

Nakhon Sawan City Attractions

9 November 2019

Welcome back to the November issue of the Bangkok Travelbug. In this issue of the Travelbug, we will take a tour of some of the attractions in Nakhon Sawan City and in the surrounding city district (amphur mueang).

We start our tour by going up a long ridge in the city centre on which is located a chedi and a tower that gives a panoramic view of the city.


Winding up the long ridge


View of Nakhon Sawan City

Here are some of the beautiful images you will encounter in this virtual tour.


Wat Sri Uthum Porn

For more please see, Nakhon Sawan City Attractions

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Khok Mai Den Ancient City, Nakhon Sawan

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Nakhon Sawan City Attractions"

Nakhon Sawan – Start of the Chao Phraya River

23 Oct 2019

Welcome back to the October issue of the Bangkok Travelbug! This month we take you to Nakhon Sawan, a province where the Ping River merges with the Nan to form the start of the Chao Phraya, a river many of us are familiar with.


Start of the Chao Phraya River in Nakhon Sawan – the Chao Phraya is to the left in the photo

The Chao Phraya River is formed by the waters of four rivers; Ping River from Chiang Mai, Wang River from Lampang which joins the Ping in Tak Province, Nan River from Nan and the Yom River from Phayao which joins the Nan in Nakhon Sawan.

The Ping and the Nan merge in Paknam Pho District in Nakhon Sawan City to form the Chao Phraya River – the River of Kings.


Looking downriver at the Chao Phraya – the Nan is to the left (south) and the Ping is on the right (north)

Join us as we take a virtual tour upriver to see the start of the Chao Phraya River.

For more please see, Nakhon Sawan – Start of the Chao Phraya River

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Nakhon Sawan City Attractions

My Journey through Thailand Part I The First Steps

This is my second e-book and the first in the series of travel journals on my trips to explore the various provinces in Thailand. This edition, which covers my travels from late 2009 to mid-2013, will guide you to historical sites, cultural monuments and exquisite Thai handicraft, across a vast spectrum of cultural and ethnic diversity.

You can have a virtual tour with this e-guide book or take the first steps yourself in this journey through Thailand.

My Kindle e-book

My Smashwords edition

Continue reading "Nakhon Sawan – Start of the Chao Phraya River"

Ban Rai Attractions, Uthai Thani

25 Sep 2019

Welcome back to the September issue of the Bangkok Travelbug! This will be the last instalment on our visit to the beautiful province of Uthai Thani.


Ban Rai Attractions

Ban Rai is home to a number of beautiful cultural and natural attractions. We were so impressed with the place we returned for a second visit. Please let us share our visit to these attractions with you in this issue.


Wat Tham Khao Wong

Join us and tale a virtual tour of this fascinating district in Uthai Thani.


Ban Na Ta Po Weaving Centre

For more please see, Ban Rai Attractions

Read what other subscribers have said about us, and subscribe to the Bangkok Travelbug.

Next month – Nakhon Sawan – the source of the Chao Phraya River

Tour Bangkok Legacies - Kindle paperback edition

For those who prefer reading printed books rather than e-books, here's a handy paperback, Tour Bangkok Legacies, which will help you along as you explore the streets of Bangkok and discover its old treasures. It's complete with historical descriptions and directions on how to get to these places.

My Kindle paperback edition

Continue reading "Ban Rai Attractions, Uthai Thani"