Howe to Travel

How to Avoid Travel Fatigue

2014-03-24T01:05:00.000+07:00

Whether you travel at home or abroad it is stressful and debilitating; effects of travel fatigue afflicts many travellers. Here are some hints on how to reduce travel fatigue and stress.

Organise Early

To avoid any disagreeable events like a missed flight, poor accommodation or lack of an affordable hotel room, plan early. Search the net for special deals and when found, research the hotel and review the airline or travel company’s terms and conditions. If all is suitable and you are happy then book immediately.

Better still get a professional to take the strain, travel agents are indispensable resources who can save you money and trouble. A badly planned trip can sap the energy and drain the stamina of the most experienced of travellers, mistakes are less likely to happen when you use a travel agent.

Do not try to cram everything into a holiday schedule, it's impossible and will only cause disappointment. After a long air, train or car journey too full an itinerary is exhausting so pace your schedule to sightsee those charming villages, historic buildings and fantastic shopping experiences. See just one castle or cathedral a day, leaving the rest to take a leisurely stroll around your area, take in the shops, sit at a cafe and watch the world go by.

If you know that an historic site is best seen at dawn or dusk clear the decks to get there as the sun rises or sets. There are also likely to be fewer visitors.

Circadian Rhythms Keep you On Track

Even though sleep is an important restorative, keep to the local hours. Reaching a destination at, say mid-day after a long flight, take a walk on the streets, go window shopping or take a stroll in a local park, and go to bed in accordance with local time. This will quickly reset your internal clock and restore normal circadian rhythms.

Request a room away from the hurley burley of the hotel’s high use areas like lift lobbies. Avoid the noise of street traffic if at all possible.

Safe Long Distance Driving

When taking a long drive ensure you build in some rest time to get out and stretch your legs or simply to take a short nap to avoid tiredness that can prove fatal. Have a hot coffee or tea. Keep moist facial wipes not just to cleanse the road grime and dirt but to freshen up. They really do keep you awake if used frequently. Stop for five or ten minutes every two hours.

Exercise for Wakefulness

Despite what may be expected, maintaining an exercise regime when travelling will keep fatigue at bay. Sensible levels of exercise will boost your energy, leaving you feel physically and mentally refreshed and revived.

Homesickness

If away for an extended time and homesickness creeps upon you then a quick phone call to friends and relatives is an excellent morale booster and will banish those homesick blues. I also like to send postcards to family and friends.

Travel is exciting and exhilarating, it is challenging and educational, and it broadens the mind, but it can sap stamina and energy. Following these tips will help to banish the negative effects of travel and improve personal well-being, allowing you, the traveller, to get more out of new experiences

Ayutthaya Thailand's Ancient Capital

2013-09-29T22:36:00.000+07:00

City life takes its toll on all of us and all of us have yearned for a get-away-from-it-all long weekend to refresh the lungs, rejuvenate the body and recharge the brain cells.

Thailand

is blessed with weekend destinations for every taste. Fancy a relaxing few days in the countryside, or snorkeling, diving or merely lazing on the beach? What about visiting one of the Kingdom’s many ancient monuments and sites.

Travel back to a different time in one of the country’s many impressive historical sites. Ayutthaya is just a couple of hours from Bangkok and is one of Thailand’s UNESCO listed heritage sites, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya for over 400 years before the Burmese sacked it in 1767 forcing King Taksin the Great to move his capital to Bangkok.

It its glory days the magnificence of Ayutthaya, and of Siam, was legendary with many visitors claiming that Ayutthaya was the most illustrious and glittering city in South East Asia.

The splendor of Ayutthaya’s past can be glimpsed in its magnificent ruins that are scattered like pebbles on the beach around the modern city. Majestic is a word that does not do justice to the relics of this ancient kingdom. Phra Nokhon si Ayutthaya Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, this vast stretch of ruins is near the heart of the modern city. It is home to many significant ruins like the Wihan Somdet Hall, which is cloistered on three sides and was the first building in Ayutthaya to be covered in gold leaf. A fitting decoration for coronation, and investiture ceremonies that used to he held there.

While relaxing away the long weekend visit the Viham Phra Mongkol Bophit in the Ayutthaya Historical Park it is home to one of the

Thailand

’s largest bronze Buddha images, even though a restoration of the original which was badly damaged by a lightening strike this Buddha image is still impressive.

The ancient city walls are visible below their later reconstruction by Rama IV; it is fun to have the kids trace the original extent of this old city. The building style too is interesting being a fascinating mix of Hindu and Khmer-inspired motifs and styles.

A little way outside Ayutthaya is the Prasat Nakhon Luang the skeleton of the former summer retreats of the Ayutthaya kings. It sits on the banks of the Pasak River, one of the rivers and canals that formed the city’s defences.

Today there are groups of ruins and rows of headless Buddhas where once a grand empire thrived, but even in their present un-restored state the relics of Ayutthaya are breathtaking in their grandeur and awe-inspiring in their antiquity.

The little known Thai Boat Museum contains intricately hand carved models of traditional Thai and South East Asian boats. There are over 100 detailed models on display tracing the development of South East Asian naval architecture and design.

There are so many sites of interest in and around the city that the most efficient way to see them all is to hire a bicycle at one of the many hire shops.

First Aid in a Tropical Climate.

2012-11-18T12:03:00.000+07:00

Travelling in tropical countries can be exciting and exhilarating, but it can also be dangerous. At home it is rare that health concerns cross anyone’s mind, but in the tropics health may frequently be considered. Bowel movements may be disturbed, insect bites are not just a nuisance but may become infected perhaps leading to hospitalisation. Is your tiredness because of a dreaded disease? All these besides the insects, sunburn, blisters, and water safety can be major anxieties.

So when in the tropics think like a boy scout and always ‘be prepared’.

Even travelling in countries with well-developed emergency and medical systems accidents and injuries occur these may require on the basic minor first aid treatment, at other times accidental injuries may require the attention of a health care professional.

Accessing health care in an unfamiliar country especially for a minor injury or cut may present problems, these problems may be doubly difficult in the developing world where good facilities may be many hundreds of miles away or indeed located in another country; it is wise then to assemble a basic travel first aid kit.

The further you travel from large population centres the more difficult it is to find any kind of good health care facilities. This is especially so in countries like Burma, Laos and Cambodia and many African countries too, where a basic first aid kit is essential.

It is unnecessary to buy expensive pre-packed kits from pharmacies, drug stores, outdoor pursuit shops and the like as it is easy to assemble and adequate kit yourself.

What you pack will depend on a number of factors: your destination, your gender and age, pre-existing conditions, length of travel and the like.

What to pack?
Well there are the obvious items like:
• Assorted sizes of waterproof medical plasters (Band-Aid or Elastoplast)
• Bandages from ½ to 6 inches (1.25 cm to 15.25 cm) wide both conforming and support and safety pins to fasten them
• Adhesive tape like ‘Steristrip
• Gauze pads’
• Triangular bandages to support injured arms or secure large dressings to cuts and lacerations
• Sterile eye wash for the removal of grit and dust from the eye
• Artificial tear eye drops – two bottles and mark one for the left and the for the for the right eye to avoid cross contamination
• Eye patches
• Calamine lotion to sooth sunburn, skin irritations and minor insect bites

Then pack these
• Antibiotics for the treatment of mild to moderate diarrhoea (dysentery is very different and needs hospital treatment)
• Paracetamol (acetaminophen in USA) or Aspirin for aches and pains and to decease low grade fevers of 38.5 C (101 F) and below
• Gut calming tablets like Imodium
• Water sterilising tablets
• Mild laxatives
• Cough expectorant and also a suppressant
• Strepsils or some other lozenges for sore throats
• A nasal decongestant spray or tablets
• 1% hydrocortisone cream for stings and skin irritation
• Antifungal and antimicrobial creams.

Pastes, ointments and gels are considered to be liquid so unless they are absolutely necessary pack them in check-in bags.

Other items
Take with you:
•Digital or disposable thermometers
•Scissors
•Tweezers
•Sterile cotton buds to use as applicators
•Sterile cotton swabs or balls
•Waterless hand cleaners
•Oral rehydration tables/powders.

Reading material
While not the absorbing bodice ripper or murder mystery many of us read in the airport departure lounge a good first aid book is essential. After all if you’re travelling companion has a motorbike accident the last thing you want is to make his injuries worse (or causes his demise) by inappropriate care and handling. You will also need to know how to use the equipment you have brought.

A little forethought can prevent a great deal of trouble, pain and distress. So like the boy scout – always be prepared.

Felin Fach Griffin Restaurant Brecon

2012-11-12T12:15:00.003+07:00

Walking the apple blossomed path takes you to the weathered front door of the Felin Fach Griffin gastro pub and swinging it open leads you into a comfortable front room. The cluster of leather settees and large armchairs, have seen many a backside slide comfortably into the cushions, an open fire grate is loaded with logs ready for a chilly night or the approaching of a cold winter.

Take a Sherry Before Eating
Before sitting at your table spend a little time in this anteroom, soak up the atmosphere of past generations. Sip on a pre-prandial sherry while scanning the small collection of books or picking up a newspaper and catching up on the latest news of Wales and the World. It is easy to allow this cozy room to lull you into a state of tranquility and stillness but don’t spend too long here before wandering into the dining area.

Felin Fach Griffin Cuisine
Choose a window seat to gaze on the green landscape of this Welsh Golden Triangle: within easy striking distance are the used book capital of the World, in medieval Hey-on-Wye, Bruce Chatwin’s beloved Black Mountains and the rugged, sheep speckled mountains of the Brecon Beacons.

In the summer months al fresco dining sharpens the appetite. The menu is extensive enough and most of the ingredients are locally sourced, fresh and farmed using organic and sustainable methods. Some indeed comes from the Felin Fach Griffin’s own organic garden.

Fresh Local Produce.
On my last visit I ordered the creamed and smoked haddock on toast with a poached duck egg. The haddock was fresh and delivered that day. The poached duck egg sat on top like the king of eggs and as soon as the knife broke the surface and sank into the haddock and toast, a mini torrent of golden yolk bathed the lower reaches of the bread. The taste combination was just right, a lingering smoky fish perfectly complementing the creamy egg and fusing into a meld of subtle flavours.

I followed this with roast calf’s liver in a beetroot risotto. I am still salivating over this dish. The moist, crimson-tinted rice was tart with the addition of beetroot and the liver tender and fluffy with the right resistance to increase the satisfaction of every bite. The dish was perfect and substantial, pleasing the eye and the taste buds in equal proportion.

The wine list was interesting as it contained labels that are not normally seen in the common-or-garden supermarket racks. Indeed the Felin Fach Griffin’s proud claim is that if one of their wines is to be found at such enterprises then it is not good enough for their customers.

Marques de Caza 2010 a Delight
I choose a bottle of a fine Rioja style wine, Marques de Caza 2010 from Spain’s La Mancha region and produced from the tempranillo grape. As it rested in the glass its garnet colour was highlighted with a shaft of sunlight from the window. As it ran slowly to into the glass a soft summer fruits nose was pleasing. The nose followed through to the palate with an after-taste of blackberries that lingered sufficiently to satisfy the taste buds. It was dry to the finish leaving a well-balanced after taste. A pleasant medium bodied wine light on tannins but made its presence known.

The service was unobtrusive yet attentive and the waiter had a good knowledge of the menu and wines. The Felin Fach Griffin is one of Wales’s best pubs and a foodie’s delight.

Contact
The Felin Fach Griffin, Felin Fach, Brecon, LD3 0UB, Wales, UK
Phone: + 44 (0) 1874 620 111
Email: enquiries@felinfachgriffin.co.uk

Angkor Wat the Eighth Wonder of the World

2012-11-03T11:26:00.000+07:00

I rode Pooh-Bah-like in the back of a sedate saamlaw (tuk tuk) along a pine tree lined, endless crow-flight-straight road. The morning sun was soft-focused by a film of high diaphanous clouds that did nothing to ease the humidity. The promise of blazing sunshine lurked behind those clouds.

My guide Sarun and I drew nearer to one of the world’s greatest wonders trundling along he pointed out the changing landscape from tropical forest to scrub and finally a wide expanse of green fields. As we passed by lazy monkeys half-heartedly occupied themselves scratching and grooming and occasionally nibbling on the titbits thrown by the passing tourists. Chit, our saamlaw driver, slowed so that I could marvel at a 190 metre wide Moat surrounded the entire temple. The water was mill-pond calm and its surface reflected a mirror image of the temple.

Suran my guide

Chit stopped at the steps of a once ceremonial sandstone causeway Sarun climbed out, but I sat mesmerised and slack-jawed, awed by the vastness and magnificence of Angkor Wat; truly one of the world’s renowned ancient monuments.

The morning sun had at last burned off the flimsy clouds and the temperature rose as we walked the causeway to Angkor Wat. In front of us three massive sandstone pinnacles dominated the view, a ceremonial archway sat directly below the largest central pinnacle on each side long cloisters stretched into the distance and encircled the entire complex. On the walls deep bass relief carvings showed Hindi gods and scenes of everyday life.

Angkor Wat

For five hundred years Angkor Wat was the world's most populous city being home to a million people. The city was sustained by a vast network of reservoirs, lakes and distributed through hundreds of kilometres of canals and irrigation channels. However Angkor Wat was abandoned to become one of nature’s greatest vanishing acts; long hidden as the jungles of northern Cambodia slowly reclaimed and devoured the site in a thick tangle of trees. The massive roots of the silk cotton trees and fig trees embraced the temples in a raptor-like grip.

Acting on the stories of local people the ruins were rediscovered in the 1860s by rummaging French archaeologists.

Starting sometime in the 9th century CE, the Khmer King Suryavarman built Angkor Wat over 35 years. Angkor forms the central temple of more than 100 religious buildings that are spread over an area of 150 square miles (388.5 sq kms). Angkor was the capital city and seat of power for the ancient Khmer kingdom that stretched from Vietnam in the east to Burma and India in the west and southwards to Thailand. By the mid-12th century the Khmer empire was in decline and sometime in the mid-1400s it fell completely through conquest and inertia. Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples were abandoned to the fates and the jungle spirits.

Centuries later Angkor was to be placed in peril once more during Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge tragic reign of terror that started in Year Zero (1975) and ended over four years later with a Vietnamese invasion. The temples around this sight carry the reminders of the four years of terror for every arch, every doorway, many columns are scarred by the pock marks of Khmer Rouge bullets.

Walking through the central ceremonial door and into the temple itself I was confronted by a three metre tall statue of the many-armed Hindu god Vishnu carved from a sold block of sandstone. At his feet oil lamps and candles flickered casting a dim amber light around the darkened chamber. Joss stick smoke lazily curled into the air and disappeared but their sandalwood fragrance lingered on.

The central temple complex is three stories tall, each story forms a square gallery each gallery is intricately linked to the upper galleries by passageways and stairs. The first level contains a gallery of a thousand Buddhas, each Buddha statue placed there for safe keeping. But many of the statutes were looted or smashed and the few that now remain are desecrated, defaced and bullet-ridden by the Khmer Rouge forces.

The second and third levels are reached by a precipitously steep set of stairs, As I climbed the sixty or so steps I held tightly on to the single insubstantial handrail, I thought that it was a long tumble to the bottom. The effort to reach the third gallery is rewarded by an awe-inspiring view of the dense forest canopy, lush fields, and of the temple itself.

As dusk falls the scene magically transmogrifies, a pantomime lighting effect changes the formally grey sandstone to a radiant golden glow as the setting sun casts a tangerine light on to the living stone. Adding majesty to the magic the still waters of the moat shimmers and shines like a massive blanket of polished copper. This view burns into my memory to be carried far away from Angkor Wat and way into the future.

Time to call it a day for tomorrow Sarun, Chit and I will visit the temple of 500 faces: Bayon.

Malacca, Malaysia's Oldest City

2012-08-19T10:57:00.000+07:00

Malacca the name is redolent with intrigue Malacca the sound itself conjuring images of romance and piracy; of plundering Portuguese privateers creating mayhem for ancient seafarers. Malacca is a sleepy town that has a fascinating 600-year-old history.

Like the legend of the founding of Rome, Malacca too was established through the courageous actions of a very timid animal – a mouse deer.

Local folklore claims that Prince Parameswara, banished from his Sumatran homeland and weary of wandering the seas made landfall with his faithful but belligerent dog at what was to become Malacca.

Parameswara’s dog seeing a mouse deer made to attack the deer but it proved to be more fearless than the dog standing its ground the deer rapped its hoof repeatedly on the dog’s muzzle until the hound was driven backwards into the sea. Parameswara, resting under a Malacca tree was impressed by the deer’s courage and taking it as an omen of good fortune he resolved to establish a trading post at the place and what better name to give his new settlement than the tree he was sitting under? Malacca was born.

Strategically located on the ancient spice route that linked China and the Far East to India and westward to Europe, the sea lanes off Malacca were continually busy with passing ships and re-stocking with provisions.

Parameswara’s new community flourished from the duties levied on ships that had to pass through the narrow straits and soon Malacca grew into a thriving trading centre. The town’s streets and markets were alive with peoples from all over Asia, and early European adventurers. The town was a vibrant mix of national dress, and a cacophony of diverse dialects and languages.

The revenue from this trade allowed court, cultural and artistic life to flourish, but the halcyon days were numbered. The wealth of this little nation attracted the covetous eyes of the emerging European colonial powers. But the first to settle in Malacca were the Siamese in 1446 and ten years later in 1456 invading Siamese forces were warded off so stopping any further advance into the Malay Peninsula.

Then nearly 200 years after founding the city it was annexed by the first of its colonizers; the Portuguese arrived in March 1511 and stayed for the next 150 years when in 1641 the Dutch took control who in their turn were ousted by the British in 1824. With a brief interlude in the Second World War the British stayed in Malacca and the Malay Peninsula for the next 136 years.

European colonisation saw a transformation in Malacca not least in the architecture; from the mishmash of temples, shop houses, and princely palaces rose European style cathedrals, forts and imposing government buildings.

Any exploration of Malacca should start at the centre of Dutch control, the Dutch Square, better known as ‘Red Square’ because the original Dutch buildings are painted in a striking red.

Central to the square is an enduring symbol of Dutch control; the imposing Stadthuys, built in 1650 it served as both the seat of government and as the governor’s residence. At over 350 years old it is believed to be the most ancient Dutch structure in Asia. It is now home to both the History and Ethnography museums.

Echoing the grandeur of the Stadthuys is the solidly built Christ Church again painted in vivid red it was constructed in 1753. Once inside look up at the roof and marvel that its wooden structure contains neither nails nor screws and to all intents is a jointless construction. Take a while to rest in the original handmade pews to enjoy the church’s glazed tile decorations.

Walking back into the square you are confronted with a display of colourful flower beds that leads the eye to the red painted clock tower and to the Victoria Fountain that plays water against a granite column and is a reminder of the 130 years of British control.

Plying around the square are a host of extravagantly decorated trishaws and their equally colourful drivers. On a hot and humid day a trishaw is the best way of taking in some sightseeing. They work a well worn route and my driver, Wanson certainly knew the history of this part of Malacca.

First stop was the sight of the 16th century Portuguese fort A’Fomosa all that now stands is the Porta de Santiago a sturdy gatehouse flanked by two ancient cannons. Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of modern Singapore, can be thanked for his timely intervention in preserving this piece of contemporary Portuguese military might.

Only a stone’s throw away you can wander around a faithful reconstruction of a Malayan royal palace, an imposing edifice that faithfully recreates an ancient Malay royal palace. A stroll around the gardens is an opportunity for some peaceful contemplation. The palace has been faithful to the traditional building style and is

a gallery of intricate carvings. The palace also houses the Cultural Museum of Malacca this is a wonderful introduction into pre-colonial Malaccan life.

Behind A’Fomosa is St Paul’s Hill a short hike to the top are the ruins of a Portuguese chapel built in 1521 and originally called the Lady of the Hill, St Francis Xavier, a founder of the Society of Jesuits, preached many sermons at this spot and on his death in 1533 was buried here. Some years later his body was disinterred and found to have been preserved it was eventually moved to Old Goa in India and can still be seen in a glass coffin at the Cathedral of Bom Jesus.

The Lady of the Hill chapel was renamed St Peter’s Church by the Dutch it is now just a bare-walled roofless shell that affords magnificent views of the estuary and the Straits of Malacca just beyond. Looking down the hill from the church is what seems to be a beached ancient Portuguese galleon. This is the imaginatively designed Maritime Museum that time-lines the history of Malacca from pre-colonial days to the present.

The replica ship provides an excellent impression of the cramped living quarters and dangerous conditions faced by those early sailors. It is almost possible to smell the stale and dank air as you walk through the exhibits.

Old Malacca is a shoppers' paradise, a maze of narrow streets and alleyways packed with everything from shop-houses, art galleries, antique and bric-a-brac shops and local traditional craft sepcialists. Bargaining is the order of the day and it is possible to pick up some true bargains and great reminders of a Malaysian experience that will not be forgotten.

Bangkok Protestant Cemetery

2012-06-14T10:24:00.000+07:00

The metal bolt came to rest with a clang. I pushed the bottle green steel gate open and walked into a different world.

As twilight advanced the sun boiled into the slothful waters of the Choa Phraya River. The day was fading as I walked along a concrete carpet, aware that to the left and right white marble stones reflected the dying tangerine sunlight enhancing my stroll with a mellow and melancholic atmosphere.

I was alone except for the memories of ages past, for here in the heart of Bangkok an islet of peace and strange beauty took me from the transient outer world to a location where eternity is commonplace. At the end of the path stood a small chapel, its entrance open to the elements and the rear wall perforated with a cruciform through which a glimpse of glistening water was visible.

The Bangkok Christian Cemetery on Charoen Krung, Soi 72/5 is a fascinating place to visit, for here rest the remains of those westerners who lived, worked and died in 19th century Bangkok. Two of them stand out as eminent men of their time whose legacies are part of contemporary Thailand. American Dr Daniel Beach Bradley and Briton Henry Alabaster both served the Siamese people with a fealty that lingers.

An imposing obelisk marks the grave of Daniel Beach Bradley an American physician and preacher who arrived in Siam as a missionary determined to convert as many Siamese to Christianity as possible. In this task he was singularly unsuccessful, but he gained greater success and possibly glory by freely tending to the needy and sick. He was a better doctor than an evangelist and missionary. It was he who established one of Thailand’s first hospitals, the Bangkok Christian Hospital which today stands on Silom Road.

Henry Alabaster a British diplomat and later advisor to King Chulalongkorn, has an imposing shrine; a gift from a grateful king. In the mid-1800s Henry Alabaster was dispatched by the British foreign office, from London to Bangkok however he incurred the ire his London overlords because they considered him to have ‘gone native’. Worse he advised the King on Britain’s and France’s intentions for the region and Siam; he was instrumental in thwarting both of the European powers colonial ambitions for Siam. After many years in the service of the British Crown he left the diplomatic service and became an advisor to King Chulalongkorn.

Henry left two important bequests to Thailand; he designed, planned and oversaw the building of Thailand’s first paved road Chareon Krung, or New Road, which remains one of Bangkok’s main motorway arteries. His second great achievement was the establishment of what was then the Siamese Royal Mail. Henry put in place the structure of the post office, the delivery and collections times and the positions of pillar boxes.

Henry married a Thai lady, Rama V conferred on him the surname of Savetsila (white stone), his direct descendants retain influence in Thailand as Henry’s grandson was an Air Chief Marshall and in the 1990s the foreign secretary.

Dr Bradley and Henry Alabaster are just two of the famous people laid to rest at the Christian Cemetery. Their stories are well known recorded in the archives and history books. Death they say is a great leveller and that is adequately demonstrated in this cemetery for among the handful of pioneers of modern Thailand: DR Bradley, Henry Alabaster, a slue of generals, admirals, consuls and ambassadors. All of them left their mark on today’s Thailand.

But lying amongst the marble graves, the grand obelisks, the ornate headstones of the 19th century foreign establishment of are more touching reminders of the harshness of Bangkok life 150 years ago. Here are the monuments to the unknown, the unremembered; those ‘lessor mortals’ of the embryonic city. There are poignant reminders of the frailty of life in those early Siamese days.

But perhaps most affecting of the many graves is a small stone with the simple inscription Little Amy and nothing else. Who I wonder was Amy? Then Marie aged only two days old who died of small pox is interred with her mother. These are the real people who made Bangkok and whose story is unknown and untold they are remembered only in the inscriptions carved into lifeless crumbling stone. But they too played their part in the development of what is now a vibrant and lively world capital: Bangkok.

To get there take the BTS Skytrain to Sapan Taksin station leave at exit number 1 and hail a taxi for Charoen Krung Road Soi 72/5.

The cemetery entrance is on the corner of Soi 75/2 and Charoen Krung Road.

Dijon Cuts the Mustard

2012-05-24T12:17:00.000+07:00

Half way between Paris and the Swiss border lies the town of Dijon famous for it’s mustard but there is more this quaint little town than mustard.

For the keen there are many ways to enjoy this ancient city and its delights. Here are some suggestions.

Palace of the Dukes
This is the town’s crowning glory and from the top of the Tour Philippe le Bon (or Good Philip’s Tower) that sits at the heart of the town. The 46 metre-tall tower encompasses the power and majesty of the Dukes of Burgundy.

Photo: Dijon Tourist Centre

The view from the tower is a spectacular mish-mash of church spires, cathedrals and glinting copper domes. Each building seemingly jostles for space with Gothic cathedrals nudging into Renaissance mansions.

The ancient Palace was rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century and now serves as the town hall. The once grand kitchens and reception halls have been converted into a museum of fine arts.

Chapels and Spires
La Chapele de Elus (Chapel of the Elected Representatives) was built between 1738 and 1739 and dates from the time of Louise XV. The walls of which are lavishly sculpted and carved.

Dijon is also known as the “town of a hundred spires” because Dijon is home to as many convents and churches.

Shopping
Dijon is not short of shopping opportunities either, visit the Galeries Lafayette and the La Toison d’Or for branded goods and other treats such as typical French cafes, chocolate shops and patisseries, and boutiques of every kind.

Mustard and Vinyards
Dijon is synonymous with mustard. Dijon mustard is made with grape juice and white wine. And a perfect gift for those back home is a bottle of genuine Dijon mustard.

But there is more to Dijon mustard because at the central market there are a myriad of stalls that specialise in flavoured Dijon mustard and a joy to the palate they are too. The market was built in the middle of the 19th century and its glass-work and wrought iron work are stunning in themselves.

France of course, is famed for its wine and Dijon is fortunate enough to be located nearby some of the best Burgundy vineyards. For serious lovers of wine a visit to the Cote de Nuits is essential; here a visit to the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot and its 12th-century cellars is a real must. Travel through the golden-hued vineyards before retiring to the cool cellars to enjoy the wine tasting that is included in the tour.

Some of the best wines in the world are to be found at the Route des Grand Crus, also known as Burgundy’s Champs Elysees. The reds here are famous around the world for their quality.

So put aside the idea that Dijon is just mustard; it is much more. Grand houses, churches, convents and cathedrals, excellent shopping opportunities, fine wine are just a few of the delights of this beautiful region of France.

Getting to Dijon
The best way to visit Dijon is by SNCF's TGV rapid train service. The journey from Paris to Dijon takes about 90 minutes and connections are available from Charles De Gaul Airport too.

By Air: the journey from Dijon Burgundy Airport takes about 20 minutes. There is a limited service from London Gatwick.

2012-05-14T20:18:00.001+07:00

Three Welsh Castles

To the west of England the Principality of Wales juts into the Irish Sea extending its two peninsula arms are like arms out to embrace its Celtic cousin, Ireland.

After centuries of skirmishes, battles and guerrilla warfare Wales was finally annexed to England by King Henry VIII, a man of Welsh ancestry. But the centuries of turmoil and strife have left a permanent mark on the Welsh landscape: the principality is encrusted with castles.

With a population of just three million Wales has more castles per person than any country in Europe. All of them built by medieval English kings to quell the rebellious natives and strike fear into their hearts.

From Chepstow in the south to Conway in the north, Wales’ castles have been described as the Ring of Iron. Most of the more impregnable and impressive castles were built by the Anglo-Norman King Edward I who called upon the foremost castle architects of his day to design and build these fortresses. So impregnable were his castles that centuries later they even resisted the mighty onslaughts of Oliver Cromwell’s Roundhead.

Chepstow Castle Defends the Border
The impressive Chepstow Castle has defended the river crossing between England and south Wales for more than 900 years. High above a steep cliff the castle was built after the Norman Conquest in 1067. The castle’s riverside walls seeming to grow from the rock upon which they are built.

Chepstow Castle

With its round towers and great hall, barbican and bailey the castle’s riverside walls stretch the full length of a sheer ridge that drops many metres into the surging river below. From this vantage point the castle would look just as comfortable in France’s Loire Valley as it does at the lower reaches of the magnificent Wye.

Chepstow’s powerful walls and ‘D’ towers were so resilient to attack that they continued in use until the late 17th century. Set in the charming small border town of Chepstow where England is just a step away from Wales both the castle and the ancient town are worth visiting.

Chepstow Castle

Impenetrable Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle is perhaps the most impressive and certainly the most unassailable of Henry I’s Iron Ring. Built on a towering bluff in the late 13th century that once overlooked Tremadog Bay it boasted the most advanced fortifications of the age and was considered impregnable.

Armies that were foolhardy enough to attempt an attack would be faced by a maze of gates, portcullies and loopholes. Its defences were tested first just after its completion in 1294, when a garrison of just 37 men repulsed a siege by the Welsh Prince Madog.

Its next trial was in 1404 when Owain Glyndwr, the last native Prince of Wales, attacked the castle and overpowered the English defenders. It was held by Owain for four years but he could not sustain the occupation and he capitulated to the English overlords in 1408.

The castle saw action just twice more during the War of the Roses, when for many years it resisted the Yorkist attackers and again in the English Civil Wars fought between 1640 and 1651.

Not satisfied with its heroic exploits the castle is linked with Welsh myth in stories of the tragic heroine of Branwen, the daughter of Llyr, of the Mabinogion

Caerphilly Castle one of the Greatest of European Castles
Caerphilly (or in Welsh Caerffili) Castle is one of the great fortifications of medieval Europe that still survives. The castle and its 30 acres of land is second only to Windsor in size. It’s substantial gatehouse, wide and deep moat and its concentric construction made this castle almost impenetrable.

Built between 1268 and 1271 by Earl Gilbert de Clare the castle must have presented a formidable sight to those would-be invaders. It has a magnificent faithfully reconstructed Great Hall and a tower that leans further than the famous leaning tower in Pisa.

Earl Gilbert flooded a small valley and built three artificial islands and built the castle on these. The massive fortifications contained the castle and four strong gatehouses the largest of which could be used to withstand a siege as an independent final safe haven.

Caerphilly’s final private owners the Bute family of Cardiff substantially restored and repaired the castle. They presented it to the state in 1950. All that was required was to re-flood the moat and lakes and to glaze the windows of the great hall.

Further information:
Many of the Welsh castles are under the care of CADW, the Welsh ancient monuments agency their website will give information on how to get to these castles and opening times.

Cardiff Bay Then and Now

2012-05-10T21:14:00.000+07:00

On a recent visit to my adopted home, I made a beeline for the regenerating Cardiff Bay, or Tiger Bay as I still insist on calling it. This is not the Tiger Bay made famous by Hayley Mills in the 1959 film, but a commercial and entertainment centre: an area of modern buildings, fashionable and expensive housing, of trendy restaurants and watering holes.

Cardiff Bay should be on the list of anyone visiting this city. While I was there I made sure that I experienced a little of the exotic east, the Izakaya is one of Cardiff's two Japanese restaurants. On the night that I visited it was doing a brisk trade, with many Japanese families among its clientele. The owner learned his trade as a chef in Japan, the cuisine and ambience is as authentic as it is possible to be.

Looking over the breeze-rippled water with the restored remnants of railway headings emerging from the waters of the bay, it is difficult to imagine that only 60 years ago Cardiff was the world's greatest coal exporting seaport. Only one hundred years ago tall ships were tightly moored at the docksides - it was possible for a stevedore to walk from one part of the dock to another, without stepping on dry land.

Cardiff Bay is home to the Coal Exchange, at the turn of the 19th century and until the end of the Second World War the Exchange set the global price for coal. Indeed it was here at the start of World War One that the very first £1,000,000 cheque was signed.

Children and adults alike will enjoy a visit to Techniquest, a hands-on science discovery centre. All of its 160 interactive exhibits combine fun with learning.
Visit the captivating white clapperboard Norwegian Church, now an arts centre. Founded in 1867 it was here that the writer Roald Dahl was baptised. Dahl's Norwegian businessman father made his fortune in the thriving Docks.

Cardiff: Europe's Smallest Capital

2012-05-10T19:34:00.001+07:00

‘Croeso i Gaerdydd’, welcome to Cardiff, Europe’s youngest and smallest capital city.

Cardiff is a compact, easy to navigate city with a pedestrianised shopping heart that is laced with a network of fine Victorian and Edwardian arcades that have earned Cardiff the ‘City of Arcades’. The arcades are crammed with family-owned shops and boutiques of all kinds; this is retail with an individual look and feel. Cardiff’s Duke Street, Royal, Castle, Morgan and Wyndham arcades will fascinate and delight those who cherish a different shopping experience.

In these charming covered streets snuggle exclusive shops: imbibe the atmosphere and inhale the musty whiff of once cherished books while browsing in an antiquarian bookshop. Or take in the exhilaration of odours from perfumeries whose aromas mingle with the tantalising bouquet of salamis, cured hams, smoked cheese, and fruits wafting from the few continental delicatessens.

If you dare throw caution to the wind and buy a piece of magnificence with handcrafted jewellery made from the same Welsh gold as the British royal family’s wedding rings, but be sure that your credit card does not crunch at the price.

Exhausted at the thought of shopping in unique surroundings take a brake at a traditional coffee shop and relish hot-off-the-griddle local delicacies like Welsh cakes or freshly baked Ty Sian Lap, perhaps a slice of Bara Brith which is a cross between a sweet fruit bread and a currant cake. Having sampled these traditional Welsh confections you are certain to be asking for more.

But if it is a more contemporary shopping experience then the city has its share of modern shopping malls too; St. David’s Centre, St David’s 2, Capital Centre, and Queen’s Arcade where high street names like Boots, Marks and Spencer, Monsoon, Top Man, Dorothy Perkins all vie for custom with small family owned speciality shops. Wander the recently gentrified The Hayes, for quality restaurants galore.

Sitting squarely at the heart of Cardiff is its castle, the beginnings can be traced to an original 2,000-year-old Celtic settlement. After the Roman invasion of Britain a fortress was established to quell any Welsh uprising. Parts of the Roman stone fortifications are incorporated into the present day castle’s outer walls, beneath which a Roman passageway and store room still exists.

Walking through Cardiff Castle's gateway the imposing Norman keep is immediately visible on a steep-sided moated motte. Climb to the top of the Norman keep look north and search for the second of Bute and Burgess’ collaborations, Castell Coch, or the red castle.

Castell Coch was built on the remains of a 13th century fortification this is the second of Cardiff’s castles. It stands on a hillside above the village of Taffs Well, take a number 332 bus and in 15 minutes you will be climbing the short hill to the castle. It is worth the effort as the castle interior is a medievalist dream.

In Castell Coch’s living room children will enjoy identifying characters from Aesop’s Fables. The castle is built on the foundations of an original 13th century fort with its round towers, conical roofs, a working portcullis and drawbridge leads to a circular courtyard it is designed to resemble mid-European castles. The castle has been used as the setting of many films and TV programmes with a Ruratanian theme.

Back in Cardiff proper the Welsh National Museum in the Civic Centre is home to the world’s second largest collection of French impressionist art, as well as exhibitions of rare Nantgarw and Swansea porcelain. Strolling through the interactive displays of the development of the flora, fauna and geography of Wales is an absorbing lesson in history, biology and geography.

Outside the museum you find yourself in the striking civic centre reckoned by many to be the finest examples of municipal architecture in Britain. The Edwardian buildings are constructed of Portland stone and designed in the English Renaissance style.

For such a small city Cardiff has an impressive amount of green spaces. In the centre are Bute Park, the Castle Grounds, the charmingly small of Cathays Park. Behind the National Museum and City Hall stretches a few acres of the Alexandra Garden a favourite sunning spot for the city’s office workers.

The regenerating Cardiff Bay has been developed into a commercial and cultural hub. The recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and the Welsh Government Assembly are two futuristic buildings. Indeed the Millennium Centre is now home to the renowned Welsh National Opera and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Here you can visit the white clapper-board Norwegian church where Rhoal Dahl was baptised.

Looking over the Bay’s breeze-rippled fresh water lagoon it is difficult to imagine that just under a century ago Cardiff was the worlds’ greatest coal exporting seaport. Tall ships were so tightly moored at the docksides that it was possible for a stevedore to walk from one part of the dock to another, without stepping on dry land.

As a reminder of this period the restored Coal Exchange is worth visiting, from the turn of the 19th century and until the end of the Second World War the Exchange set the global price for coal. Indeed it was here at the start of World War One that the very first £1,000,000 deal was struck.

Children and adults alike will enjoy a visit to ‘Techniquest’ a hands-on science discovery centre. All of its 160 interactive exhibits combine fun with learning. Then visit the captivating white clapperboard Norwegian Church, now an arts centre but it was here that Cardiff-born Roald Dahl was baptised. Dahl’s Norwegian businessmen father made his fortune in the thriving Docks.

Cardiff is a small city with a compact easy to get around shopping centre an impressive range of restaurants, pubs and bars and is able to offer world class entertainment, great sporting events, and a cultural showcase to wonder at. For the first time visitor Cardiff is bound to surprise and enthral and will call you back time and again.

Bangkok Millemmium Hilton 360 Bar

2011-12-05T12:44:00.000+07:00

One of the best places for a post-work week chill-out is the 360 Bar of Bangkok’s Millennium Hilton hotel.

Choa Praya Views

High above the slow moving waters of Bangkoks Choa Phraya River the Bangkok Millennium Hilton's 360 Bar looks like an interstella alien's flying saucer, as it hangs on the 32nd floor of this five star hotel.

The 360's floor-to-ceiling glass wall gives unrivalled views over the River of Kings and central Bangkok as it meanders its lazy way to the Gulf of Thailand.

As the blue of a Bangkok day fades to the purple twilight and then into a velvety black Bangkok night little Illuminated boats cleave the glistening Chao Phraya, strewing the a Kaleidoscope of coloured water into a thousand luminescent crystal-like shards across the surface.

Time then to settle for a relaxing night.

Bellini and More

The speciality of the bar is a classic Bellini just as it was first made over 60 years ago in Venice’s famed Harry’s Bar. The Bellini is deliciously peachy. But if you are in the mood for something different try what the 360 calls its Bellini Sunset Collection.

The 360’s Mixologists have concocted a distinctive collection ranging from Apple-Cucumber Bellini – ecstasy in a glass, to the Pear and Rosemary creation that the menu described as ‘a delicious medley of Prosecco stirred with freshly poached pear and rosemary puree.

As twilight fades into dusk and then to the shadows of the late night, the city’s lights flicker in the gloaming, you may want a snack and the 360 has a surprise in store here too.

Just like James Bond’s margarita the 360’s pasta dishes are shaken not stirred prepared piping hot from a cocktail shaker where all the ingredients are combined by the chef who proceeds to shake the constituents are served from the shaker to the plate. This certainly is a very different way to dish up a classic Italian favourite.

Jazz at 360 Bar

As night progresses and deepens the lights of Bangkok appear as fireflies hovering over the concrete jungle and the resident singer’s mellow jazz sounds lulls one into a state of funky reverie as the songs drift on the still air through the night and into the early morning. The chink of ice cubes falling into your cocktail glass and the ice-smooth jazz singers mellifluous voice are a match made in heaven.

For an evening of pure indulgence the perfect cocktails, the classic jazz, the glorious and ever changing river scene below and the 360’s ambience are just too good to miss and is as perfect as Bangkok gets.

A bonus is that the 360 serves what may be the best made cocktails in Bangkok, they cleverly designed to reflect the time of day. The 360’s' Extravagant Evening' drinks are just that ‘extravagant’ and meant to be enjoyed as the evening morphs into night.

Pasta at 360 Bar

Their Grilled Orange Margarita a classic cocktail made with grilled and pressed Valencia orange, Grand Marnier, bitters and lime shaken with a premium Mexican tequila is a margarita like no other, a satisfying drink that needs to be taken at a slow pace.

Crab and Red Curry

2011-09-29T10:59:00.001+07:00

Sunday morning and Notch asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner. I told him that as crab is so cheap in Khao Lak and comes straight from the sea I would like to have crab cooked in a typically Thai style.

Khao Lak Beach

So off we set to a nearby fish market, as luck would have it there was just one lot of crabs left, they were smallish and black, about ten or twelve of them stacked shell to shell and tied together in a neat bundle.

I realised they were very fresh indeed when I saw one or two little stalky eyes pop in and out of its shell, because they were waving their pincers as if to say 'I wont bite, just let me get back to the water. I mentioned to Notch that I could not think of them being killed but he insisted that he would take them to his sister's restaurant and she would cook them in traditional style.

Well after wrestling with my conscience I decide that the temptation of the crabs in a spicy red curry sauce was too good to resist. I handed them over to the chef, and with some guilt I turned my back and walked away from the crabs, not wanting to witness their demise from living flesh to delicious delicacies.

Dinner time arrived and sitting on the table were the crabs, carapaces now a vivid red, lifeless limbs draped with a delicious covering of red curry. The bright colours of crab and curry contrasted with the snowy whiteness of the fluffy rice. Now for the difficult part; these crustaceans were completely encased in their shells. Not having had to dress a crab before I demurred to Notch’s dexterity. He showed me how to open them and then to break the blighters in half and proceeded to crunch into the shell as well as the meat. He must have seen the look on my usually well controlled impassive face and said it is ok that this is the way they are eaten.

Right I thought I will do the same, what was the alternative? I split it in two and sank my choppers into the shell; there was a crunch in my ears and an awful lot of shell in my mouth. After much gnashing and chewing I managed to swallow the meat and the shell, I must admit it was very tasty and somehow I got through a further two and a half like this.

But the effort was getting too much and I did not like the idea of breaking off the pinchers and sucking the flesh from inside. Besides by this time my mouth felt like a shell beach at low tide, dry and crunchy, thank God for Singha beer. Then the second course arrived; small shrimps again cooked whole and devoured whole, this was ok because the shell was thin and easily consumed.

So my first taste of authentic Thai food, prepared in an authentic Thai way and eaten as the burnished glow of the setting sun cast a sliver of watery copper-colour across the Andaman.

http://www.khaolak-holiday.com/hotels/fatherandson.htm

Thailand's Cuisine a Land of Culinary Smiles

2011-09-23T11:20:00.000+07:00

Like all national cuisines Thai food tells us a lot about the land and its people. Thailand sits between the two foremost Asian cultures of India and China and Thai food has been influenced by both. Yet like other foreign imports Thailand has maintained its own distinct culinary identity by adapting the cuisines of both cultures to its own palate.

Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. A major ingredient in Thai food are Chillies these were brought by Portuguese missionareis after who had acquired a takes for them while preaching and converting in 17th century South America.

Like most of Asia Thai meals do not have seperate 'courses' all of the dishes appear on the table at the same time. Rice makes up the main meal and is not a side dish as in so many Western countries. A favourite variety of many Thai chefs is Jasmine rice indigenous to Thailand it is sweetly aromatic and has a subtly exotic taste. Another favoured rice variety, especially in the northern parts of Thailand is glutenous (or sticky) rice.

Meat in Thai food is traditionally pork, beef or chicken. The country’s shortage of grazing land meant that in the past meat was very expensive this is why Thai cuisine contains less than would be common than in the West.

Thailand however, has an extensive coast line and a widespread network of canals and rivers it is not surprising then that sea food and fish plays an important part in Thai meals; fish sauce (nam pla) and shrimp paste (kapee) are the base for much of Thai cooking.

Mixed with these two elements are other exotic flavours from herbs and spices like lemon grass, tamarind, ginger, basil, turmeric, shallots, and of course the ubiquitous chilli. Coconut milk is also extensively used in Thai cooking.

Chillies and other ingredients are usually ground into a paste and incorporated into the meal, so providing a sometimes subtle and sometimes fiery dish.

Methods of cooking have not changed much over the years either stir fried usually in a wok, steamed, or grilled on a barbeque are the usual methods.

In the depths of Thai history the range of cooking utensils was limited perhaps only to one earthenware pot, but the inventiveness of Thai cooks produced many a dish that are still firm favourites in modern Thailand and beyond. With influences from the West and the arrival in the Kingdom of the range of new cooking utensils the best of Thai cooks and chefs have adapted and adopted traditional dishes to make new and exciting fare, blending the different styles into something that is uniquely Thai.

Thai cuisine harmonises five basic flavours either in one dish or as a theme throughout a meal. The flavours are hot or spicy, sour, sweet, salty and the optional choice of bitter.

Each region of Thailand has its own distinctive cooking with Issan food traditionally hot and spicy but the tastes of predominantly Muslim southern Thailand demanding leaves and green vegetables that are not found in other regions. Another typically Thai dish is sticky rice that originates from the Hill Tribes of the north and north east when cooked it is rolled into balls and dipped in the sauces or side dishes.

The West’s enthusiastic adoption and appreciation of Thai food is due to the increasing understanding that much of what Westerners eat is highly refined with a high fat and carbohydrate content and may be less than healthy.

Thai food offers something different and healthier. It is lighter and some of the herbs and spices used are claimed to have health-giving properties, they are also more aromatic than those used in the West so that the appreciation of the meal meets you well before the food itself. But best of all are the unrivalled flavours and tastes of the various types of Thai cuisine.

Thais are very adept at Siamese-ing foreign ingredients and preparation methods they are also expert at substitution for instance coconut milk is used in place of cows’ milk. The typical Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A meal might may include a clear soup, a meat dish, a fish dish, a hot salad and a variety of sauces into which food is dipped and of course the ever-present rice.

But to fully appreciate Thai food it is essential to understand how it is eaten. In Thailand eating is a truly communal, sharing experience involving two or more people perhaps because the more people are involved the more dishes are cooked or ordered. The dishes being served so that everyone around the table may share each item.

Generally speaking two diners will order three dishes in addition to their own individual plates of steamed rice, three diners four dishes, and so on. Diners choose whatever they require from shared dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Spicy dishes are "balanced" by bland dishes to avoid discomfort.

So individual diners get their own plate of rice but they do not have their own individual fish or portion of sweet and sour chicken; these and other items are shared from the table. Eating in this way is thoroughly enjoyable as the mixture of textures and flavours is guaranteed to titivate the tongue and please the palate and asking for ‘second helpings’ is no problem because you merely help yourself. Another feature of the meal that is different from the West is that soups are part of the main meal eaten with the other dishes and not at the beginning of the meal.

The items in a Thai meal are finely chopped and the meat is diced or sliced into small pieces so there is no need to cut up vegetables or meat on the plate and there is no need for a knife; the food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single dish such as fried rice with pork, or steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks. The fork is used to load the spoon and the spoon is used to carry food to the mouth.

The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A typical meal might include a clear soup, a steamed dish, a fried dish, a hot salad, and a variety of sauces into which food is dipped. All of this is followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh tropical fruits.

What gives Thai food its distinctive character is an accord in its tastes. There are soups that look plain in color but the taste combination is sour, salty, hot and aromatic. The use of peanuts and coconut in curries are characteristically Thai.

Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods.

Besides being healthy Thai food is also slimming, one thing that a foreign visitor notices and comments on is that Thais seem to be continually eating, Thais love to graze. This is no bad thing as taking regular small snacks tops up the blood sugar levels so preventing that mid-morning and afternoon hollow feeling and with it the temptation to top-up on sweet or fatty foods like chocolate or potato chips: carbohydrates after all pile on the pounds.

Much Western food derives its flavour from added sugar and fat, ask any reputable Western chef what gives food its taste and flavour and he will say butter or milk or other animal fats all of which are guaranteed to pile on the pounds. But with the intense flavours of Thai food the need for diary products like butter or full fat milk is obviated, instead coconut milk or fat or oil is substituted, both these are lower in calories and less fattening than diary foods.

Although Thais tend to add sugar to their food this is done after cooking not during it and the amount that is added is down to personal choice; less sugar equals less calories.

As we have seen the Thai eating experience is a shared one where every diner dips in and eating in the Thai way often means that one eats only what one needs and then stops. Communal eating means eating less with no pressure to ‘clear the plate’. So the weight conscious amongst us could to better than to try Thai style dining, the pounds will fall off and the waistline will shrink and unlike with faddy diets the weight loss is more likely to be permanent.

But most of all enjoy the occasion because there is nothing as exceptional as eating a Thai meal in the Thai way in Thailand; it is an event that simply can not be experienced in London, Paris, New York or any Western city. The textures are exotic, the flavours unforgettable and the experience unique.

Enjoy.

Bangkok Mini Cooking Courses

Now that you have been captivated and captured by the true Thai culinary experience you may want to try some of the recipes themselves. Finding a cooking course in Bangkok and Thailand’s other major cities is increasingly easy. Many of Bangkok’s best hotels provide short courses on Thai cooking the courses range from watch and learn with demonstrations and talks to hands-on selection of ingredients to preparation to presenting the final meal. What ever course you want you will find it.

Three of the longest established are to be found at the Oriental Hotel, the Dusit Thani Hotel and the Landmark Hotel.

The famed Oriental Hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya River conducts four day look and learn courses at its sala across the river from the hotel. The courses are conducted in English by Thai and Western chefs.

The Dusit Thani’s Benjarong Royal Thai Cuisine is one of the most sophisticated restaurants in Bangkok. Located in the five star Dusit Thani Hotel, right in the centre of the city. The course runs for twelve weeks on every Saturday morning from 9.30 to 12.30. Recipes are drawn from the restaurant’s menu and include snacks and appetisers, soup and salad, main dishes and desserts. Benjarong Cooking Class offers a very hand-on experience, and the instruction emphasizes practicality and inventiveness.

The Landmark Hotel’s Nipa Restaurant also offers a 7-day course that is designed to teach beginners all the basics of Thai cooking and enable them to prepare curries, soups, salads and other dishes that make up a Thai meal. The restaurant’s chefs lecture on ingredients and recipes, and then let students participate in the cooking and tasting.

Other courses can be had at the Amari Airport and Boulevard Hotels, Arnoma Hotel, Bangkok Mariott and Spa, Century Park, Indra Regent, Montien, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Shangri-la, and the Sheriton Grande Sukhumvit, amongst others.

Hong Kong Stanley Post Office

2011-07-28T11:41:00.000+07:00

Hong Kong Post has restored one of its oldest offices, reinstating many original features.

The Hong Kong postal service (HKP) has a history that stretches back to 1841 when the first post office was established, just after the introduction of the Universal Penny Post in the United Kingdom. From then up to the early 1950s a 110-plus years later, only eight post offices existed in the territory.

However since the 1950s the number of post offices has grown and now Hong Kong has an extensive and comprehensive network of post offices that cover the whole territory. One of the ex-colony’s very earliest offices stands at the head of bustling and popular Stanley Market. Built in 1937 Stanley Post Office is Hong Kong’s oldest serving office.

Stanley Post Office One of the Oldest in Hong Kong

The office still occupies its original building and was extensively refurbished and restored in 2007. One of the priorities of Hong Kong Post was to maintain Stanley Post Office’s historic character. It was the intention of Hong Kong Post to keep the special charm of the building by restoring some original features.

Restoring Original Features

Counter grills with the curlicue ‘GR’ cipher were re-instated while outside an original GviR Post Office Red cast iron wall posting box and a stamp booklet vending machine were installed. Unfortunately these are not intended for postal use but are only for display purposes.

Besides the original counter grills other original features have been reinstated. The building’s roof has been returned to its original state, inside the office the modern ceiling has been stripped away to reveal original teak beams and purlins. And the once very common terrazzo floor painstakingly brought back to an ‘as new’ condition.

Hong Kong Post Resists the Trend of Closures

In today’s age where instant communication is possible from any point on the globe, it is gratifying to know that some postal authorities are resisting the trend of administrations world-wide with closures of rural and suburban offices and that HKP appreciate the value of maintaining a comprehensive post office network.

Hong Kong Post has made a virtue out of restoring a historic building, while improving the services and maintaining an important post office which continues to serve the small community of Stanley village, its visitors and tourists.

Hong Kong Post Commitment to Service

Hong Kong Post’s commitment to service is paying off, on a recent visit Stanley Post Office was doing a roaring trade and quite a queue formed to buy postcards and stamps. Many also took away a free nicely illustrated leaflet of the office’s history, development and restoration.

HKP and Stanley Post Office may offer a lesson to the world’s postal services that by providing an efficient service with nods to a glorious past these still relevant facilities can be profitable and survive by serving as a reminder of a slower more leisured age.

How to Keep Children Occupied on a Long Journey

2011-06-26T10:57:00.000+07:00

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?" These words are guaranteed to drive every parent
to distraction. Travelling with children can be a delight, or sharing the
journey with your kids can be hell. If the journey is not prepared with
the child in mind they will naturally become bored, fractious and
troublesome. This exercise needs preparation and the co-operation of
the child.

Every child is unique and different, so what works for one may not work
for another. The age of the child also has to be taken into account, age
specific games and activities are required. However, if you find
something works for one journey then it will probably last for the next
one too. Good tactics for keeping kids occupied, happy and quiet will
keep from journey to journey and year to year.

Leaving a pet when going away particularly on a long journey may be a
worry for adults, but for children it can cause great distress. They will
be worried about pets that are left behind. If you have a babysitter or a
close friend who has agreed to take care of your pet make sure that
your child knows of this. They can make regular telephone calls to your
friend or the babysitter to check on the pet.

Because the house or apartment is being attended too this will give you
peace of mind too. If you are taking your dog or cat to a kennel or
cattary, a good strategy is to take the child along to visit beforehand,
and when the pet is being `booked in' also.

Use the car boot to best advantage, do not to clutter the seats with your
bags or packages, give the kid some room. After all you know that they
will be fidgeting and squirming. Give them space to move, but keep their
toys near by. The more room they have the less they will moan.

Children will need to be kept interested and active, it is best that the
journey starts with a visit to a discount store. Buy sufficient cheap toys,
colouring books, crayons, plain paper writing pads and the like. It is
best to avoid toys with small bits and pieces that may be lost down the
back of the seat.

But do not give these toys out at the same time. To get the most out of
them spread their distribution throughout the journey, then the kids do
not tire of them quickly.

Old standbys like `I spy' will pass some time, more time will be passed
by a `car registration word game'. Each child competes to make the
longest word from a car registration letters, the longest word containing
each of the letters has a point, if the letters are used in the sequence
they appear on the plate bonus points are awarded. Arithmetic games
can be used in the same way.

Buy a disposable camera, notebooks and coloured pens, they can take
photographs of things they find interesting, and of the places you stop.
This along with a journey diary will form the basis of a `memory' box.

Have your child pack a backpack with favourite toys, games and
pastimes. If they have a favourite cuddly toy animal this must be taken
along, as it will give reassurance and comfort on long journeys and
during stressful times.

The same applies to food and snacks, allow your child to choose some
favourite healthy snacks, then buy mini packs or make individual packs
yourself. Each of your off-spring will then be able to choose their own
snack without the need to open a large pack.

Mini bottles of water with bigger bottles of top up water are useful, as a
special reward they may have pure fruit juices, again in individual
bottles. Nuts, currents or raisons, and favourite fruits will keep mouths
quiet and hunger at bay without being unhealthy.

With the CD player on random, record music, this way the tunes will not
be in a predictable order, and they can be played on a personal cassette
player. Take along tapes of their favourite stories and tales, this way
they can listen to the doings of `Efalump the elephant' without driving
you to distraction. Don't under-estimate the value of reading buy some
new books. Books with a favourite or loved character are good buys.

Laminate a route map, or have your darling make a strip map with
various towns, landmarks and features marked. As these come and go,
the little one will indicate this on their map with a coloured pen or a
sticker.

Take along a large serving tray or two, these can be used as craft tables
or for playing card or board games and puzzles and for jig-saw puzzles.

Keep puzzles and games secret and every half an hour or every fifty
miles or so give them a new game or puzzle. This will keep their
interest going and will act as a reward for good behaviour. These new
things will also be useful at your ultimate destination.

Finally buy rolls of low value coins from a bank, every time they ask `Are
we there yet?' take a coin from the roll. Children don't like having
money taken from them, this little trick may be worth the few baht spent
on a few rolls of low denomination coins.

Aces High - First Flight

2011-06-26T10:52:00.000+07:00

Aces High

The evening horizon was flame red shading to indigo. I felt confident that the adage 'A red sky at night shepherds delight' foretold its traditional promise of good weather.

The ambition to be a train driver never kept me from childhood sleep. Not for me the pedestrian trundle along some branch line on a slow stopping train to places that have names out of a Flanders and Swan ditty: Armly Moor, Arrom, Dog Dyke, and Windmill End. Not for me a drafty coal blackened footplate, neither the grime of the sidings, nor the mess of an engine shed. My ambitions were more glamorous.

I wanted to walk along the concourse of a busy international airport, wearing a navy blue uniform with gold stripes suitable to my rank. I wanted to be a Pilot. In my pre-adolescent imagination I would fly into airports whose names are now legend. JFK, Dulles, Orly, Hong Kong.

Thirty years later and Cardiff Wales Flying Club offered trial flying lessons at reduced prices. Eagerly I paid my money and booked a lesson.

On the morning of the lesson, I phoned the Club to ask if the weather conditions were suitable. The voice on the other end asked me to 'hold on' she would check. I imagined her consulting a hi-tech computer, viewing and interpreting satellite images, then making an informed decision. Not so. The over-heard conversation with her colleague was not so much meteorological as chatty.

"Weather OK for the 12 o'clock lesson?" She asked.

"Yea should be fine, tell him to come down." Was the less than inspiring response.

Julian, my instructor, was a man whose confidence oozed from every pore. After completing the aircraft log and informing air traffic control (ATC) of our departure, we strode to the apron and my first sight of the aircraft: a tiny and fragile looking thing; merely a pod, two wings and a tail.

Julian talked me through the external checks, unscrewing a cap on the port wing he peered into it, 'That's ok.' He said. He repeated the performance on the other wing.

'Fuel level's fine. Now I'll check the brake fluid and engine oil'.

Lifting the engine cowling Julian, went through a routine that reminded me of oil and fluid checks I did on my very first car, a pre-loved 1958 Morris Minor. I was a little disconcerted because the self same car nearly killed me before I had reached the age of twenty.

In the cockpit Julian explained the battery of dials, and controls; testing the 'flaps' and 'rudder' he seemed happy enough to let air traffic control know we were ready for take off. To my great pleasure the ATC made a KLM flight to Amsterdam wait for our take off. This was a triumph of David over Goliath (I later learned that they did this because of something called the slip stream). The lights of the KLM Fokker 70 glowered at the edge of the runway waiting impatiently for us to depart.

Then the rush of tarmac past the undercarriage, coming up to 90 knots and the sensation of leaving the ground is more intimate than that of a commercial aircraft. We climb to 1.500 ft while, and banked to get a TV transmitter in view, passing this we climb further to3000ft.

Heading first east to fly over the centre of Cardiff the Millennium Stadium is a prominent landmark, then north to the smaller of the twinRhondda Valleys - the Rhondda Fach. The land beneath me is what I expect, a rugged landscape of steep valley walls and the river meandering like a silver snake on the valley floor. Tiers of houses clinging to the steep hillsides. Then below I see the little village ofBlaenllechau, my birthplace. Just three rows of houses straddle the hillside but the emotion is immense. Picking out the landmarks of my childhood was an emotional experience.

The small, well tended park where I played as a child, the football field by the farm. The small infants school, and the eternal hillsides above the village, where I camped out with friends in those balmy days of childhood. Even the 'tumps' where our 'den' was located were still there. But the site of my first home, sadly gone, demolished as substandard in the late 1960's.

Time now to return to Rhoose airport, but first a visit to Caerphilly and a chance to photograph the second largest concentric castle in Europe.

Soon we were again over the centre of Cardiff and heading for the Bristol Channel, and another chance to test my ability to keep the plane steady, straight and true. Not easy but a brave attempt, or was Julien being polite? I really did not care because the experience was exhilarating and wonderful, seeing my little world from this privileged position was an experience to be savoured for a long time.

But now for the final approach to the airport, I lined up the plane, looking at the runway race towards me was exciting, and this is where Julien took full control. The tarmac strip raced towards us and soon Julien had made a perfect and soft landing, a strange and empty feeling overcame me, difficult to explain but certainly tangible.

The experience of a lifetime and the ambition of years had been accomplished, and I had the certificate to prove it. My first hour towards a Private Pilot's Licence was under my belt. Now it was just a simple matter of the other 45 hours to get through.

Khoa Lak

2011-06-16T21:43:00.000+07:00

Cool times in a hot climate (some like it lazy)

When Bangkokians ask me where have I been in

Thailand

, I tell them Khao Lak and always I am met with a puzzled look and the question “Where’s that? My reply is always the same “It’s where wood and waves meet.”

This village sits on a narrow strip of land between the primeval tropical mountainous Lak jungle and the warm waters of the Andaman Sea. Although Khao Lak is only an hour’s drive from south

Thailand

’s holiday Mecca of Kho Phuket, this part of the upper Andaman coast remains relatively unknown and so far under-developed.

Returning to the village for the first time since it was devastated in the 2004 tsunami it is heartening to discover that the village and the whole area have made excellent attempts at recovery, although here and there reminders of the worst natural disaster ever to hit

Thailand

remain. Much has been done to regenerate the tourist industry and five star hotels are returning to the beach front. Much as before there are small family run modest guesthouses and beach bungalows available at very affordable rates.

Khao Lak’s clean rock peppered beaches are extensive, golden and almost deserted. Children will enjoy exploring the many rock pools that stretch along the beach. This is the kind of place where time slips by just watching the turquoise Andaman waves roll in. A big event is walking to the local mini-market where the daily English language newspapers do not arrive until two in the afternoon. And where the gin is cheap and Schweppes tonic water cheaper still and pint bottles of cooling Heineken can be had for under one pound.

I stayed at a recently completed bungalow behind Nom’s Family Restaurant, although simple it was comfortable. A bonus is the restaurant itself it serves excellent traditional local southern Thai cuisine at a fraction of the price, and ten times better than many of Bangkok’s five star hotels and restaurants. For families and those who want more luxury Khao Lak has a number of small new beachfront bungalow complexes and hotels.

My first visit the nightlife is quiet with very few bars and no discos, but the regeneration schemes have added a couple of low-key discos to the night-time entertainment, and the beach has a few colourful seafood restaurants. They serve freshly caught fish, crab, lobster, and shrimp cooked to your taste.

Khoa Lak Beach

Khao Lak faces west, the sunsets are dramatic and tangerine coloured. It is one of

Thailand

's wettest regions and low season afternoon thunderstorms give way to magnificent misty, purple sunsets. There is nothing as romantic as eating fresh seafood by candlelight with your toes in the sand listening to a tropical storm with the rain fading to dusky purple-pink sunsets that casts a quixotic glow upon the evening.

Besides its beach Khao Lak has other attractions; Laem Pakarang or the Coral Cape is a pine tree draped beach. Through the ages the Andaman currents have deposited mountains of white coral along this shore, the beach has a long shallow ledge that is ideal for safe bathing. The Tone Chang Fah waterfall lies in a quiet and shaded area where the water is clean and cool. Khao Lak itself forms part of the Khao Lak-Lamroo National Park.

The jungle that covers much of the park is a remnant of a 160 million-year-old forest. It has a vast number of animal species from hornbills to owls, Asian Black Bears to Barking Dear, wild elephants to gibbons, flying foxes to many types of bat. There are a number of local tour operators who will tailor make a trip.

The friendly staff at Khao Lak Land Discovery speak fluent English and have extensive local knowledge and experience. I decided on a two-day visit to the National Park and tried a number of activities. The most exciting was trekking through the forest on the back of Dia an 18 year old elephant that stopped to munch on leaves and twigs whenever she felt the need, and demolished young trees when she could not be bothered to walk around them.

But the most relaxing was a ride on a bamboo raft down a clear stream watching brilliant blue butterflies and bright iridescent crimson dragon flies dance at the waters edge. And marvel at the silvery giant spider-webs threaded through the bamboos dipping to the water.

The village's other attraction is its nearness to the Similan Islands. Many tourist venues claim to be the world’s best in this or that, and the Similan Islands are no different, their claim is to have the world’s best diving, and they may well be right. On a day trip to the Islands I met many divers who had travelled the world in search of a perfect dive. Without exception these divers enthused about the quality of the experience here. Even an amateur snorkeler is generously rewarded by multi-coloured corals that are grazed by many different types of fat, colourful fish that even took titbits from my fingers. This is certainly an experience I will not forget. If you want rest and relaxation, a holiday away from it all, but still offers unforgettable experiences, then Khao Lak is the perfect place for you and your family. ---

How to get to Khao Lak

A number of airlines have flights to Phuket International Airport from Bangkok’s Suwaranabwmi International Airport or Don Muaeng International Airport. From Phuket it is an hour's drive to the resort.

Where to stay

There are many family owned bungalow complexes that are reasonably priced. There are also luxury beachside resorts with full facilities. These of course will cost more.

I have listed three of the most popular resorts all of which are three star. Room rates vary with season and room location.

The website http://www.khaolak-hotels.com/ will provide information on all hotels in Khao Lak.

Where to eat

Avoid hotel restaurants fusion food and eat at the many family owned restaurants in the village, they are usually cheaper and serve authentic food.

My favourites

Nom’s Family Restaurant, serves good quality food at almost give away prices, popular with holidaymakers. They also have reasonably priced basic bamboo or brick built bungalows that are basic but spotless.
http://www.khaolak-holiday.com/hotels/fatherandson.htm

Ban Lampu has a romantic location at the head of an Adnaman lagoon, it is some distance from the road and the moon and star light have to be experienced to be believed.

Other options

Phu Khao Lak another family owned restaurant also a popular eating place. Baan Suan, staff have limited grasp of English but food is of good quality.

When to go

Khao Lak has only two seasons wet and dry. It has a five-meter annual rainfall, this occurs in the wet season. The dry season lasts from October to April and it can be hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30’c.

What to take

Cash machines are limited and in the off season non-existent, take cash. Good quality insect repellent, one that contains DEET is best. Plastic sandals for beach combing, and a torch for walking home at night. Take care with food and drink and make sure that food is freshly cooked and hot. Drink only bottled water.

Ao Nang Jewel of the Andaman

2011-06-16T13:39:00.000+07:00

Ao Nang is just over 800 kms from Bangkok in Krabi one of Thailand’s most visually spectacular beach destinations.

Ao Nang has little of the clamour and few of the distractions of some other Krabi resorts or of its better-known Thai resorts which makes it less crowded and less claustrophobic where a peaceful time is almost assured. The town itself is small and a leisurely half-hour promenade takes you from one end to the other, so you can be guaranteed that the town and the beach are easily accessible to each other.

But its quiet face is deceiving because Ao Nang lacks few of the facilities that are found at other more popular locations. The town has a wealth of excellent restaurants and bars. For the more energetic and adventurous the area is renowned for excellent diving and rock climbing opportunities. When you crave the occasional night out then Krabi town and its bright light attractions are easily accessible by taxi.

Ao Nang beaches are world class, with long stretches of white talcum powder-soft sand pitching gently to the invitingly warm waters of the Andaman Sea.

The land and sea meet in dramatic fashion. Green-lined limestone cliffs drop perpendicular to the beaches and provide a spectacular backdrop to the sand and sea as well as a challenging climbing experience. Off shore limestone karsts tower over the shimmering sapphire-hued surface of the mill pond-still Andaman Sea.

The beaches of Ao Nang while being quiet have the usual massage huts along the strand some that advertise their practitioners as being Wat Po trained masseurs. What is better than a welcome therapeutic massage after a hard days’ diving, swimming or scaling the precipitous beach cliffs.

As a road separates the beach from the town no hotel or other developments can be built directly on to the beach. But this has an advantage as it gives access to every part of the beach with excellent and uninterrupted views from some of the hotels. The view is particularly short-hair-raising at sunset when the entire beach is bathed in a deep burnished golden luminosity. This is the kind of light that is normally only seen in romantic Hollywood movies.

Ultra-budget accommodation is not Ao Nang’s style but there is a large selection of mid and higher priced accommodation available. Prices range from over 3,000 baht per night to a reasonable 830 baht at the Ao Nang Cozy Place.

Cardiff Castle

2011-06-07T10:59:00.000+07:00

Sitting squarely at the heart of Cardiff is the castle. Cardiff Castle’s beginnings can be traced to an original 2,000-year-old Celtic settlement. After the Roman invasion of Britain a fortress was established to quell any Welsh uprising and as a fortification on the Bristol Channel coast. Parts of the Roman stone fortifications are incorporated into the present day castle’s outer walls, beneath which a Roman passageway and store room still exists. The last invader to occupy Cardiff Castle was the Norman French baron Robert Fitzhamon. The original wooden motte and bailey were replaced with a stone structure that still stands at the centre of the present-day castle.

After the English Civil War the castle fell into ruin, but in the late 1700s the first Marques of Bute rescued it. At the beginning of the 19^th century the Bute’s built a harbour to export coal from the nascent collieries of the Rhondda Valleys and started the transformation of the sleepy fishing-village of Caerdydd into the world’s biggest coal exporting port.

John, the 3rd Earl engaged the eminent Victorian architect, and enthusiastic medievalist William Burgess to add living quarters and so completed the castle’s makeover from modest family seat into a luxurious Victorian medieval themed bachelor pad. Walking through Cardiff Castle's gateway the imposing Norman keep is immediately visible on a steep-sided moated bailey.

Although, it was his grandson the third Marques and Burgess who shaped the modern castle: depending upon taste it has been variously described as outrageous and bogus to brilliant and opulent. By the mid nineteenth century, the third Marquis was one of the world’s wealthiest men, with an annual income of £300,000, much of which he used to re-construct and decorate the castle.

The rooms are a riot of styles ranging from medieval England to Arabia, from the Old Testament to the tales of the Brother’s Grimm. All of the décor pays intricate attention to even the smallest detail. The Marquis’ bathroom is lined with sixty different types of marble.

Climb to the top of the Norman keep look north and search for the second of Bute and Burgess’ collaborations - Castell Coch or the red castle. Built on the remains of a 13th century fortification this is the second of Cardiff’s castles. It stands on a hillside above the village of Taffs Well, take a bus and in 15 minutes you will be climbing the short hill to the castle. It is worth the effort as the castle interior is a medievalist dream.

View of Castell Coch

In the living room children will enjoy identifying more characters from Aesop’s Fables. Castell Coch was built to resemble a mid-European castle; it has round towers, conical roofs, a working drawbridge and portcullis that leads to a circular courtyard. The castle has been used as the setting of many films and TV programmes with a Ruratanian theme. The view from every aspect takes in the now clean and salmon filled River Taff as it snakes its way from the mining valleys of the Rhondda to the Bristol Channel.

From this vantage point much of Cardiff is laid like an animated 3D map. The delightful Llandaff village and its ancient Cathedral, with the famous Epstein sculpture - Christ in Majesty, dominating its aisle. Cardiff Castle is visible, and just outside its walls the bustle of the city and the Bay area leading your eye to the Britsol Channel and on to the rugged Somerset coast. The Millennium Stadium,

Britain

’s newest and most advanced sports and entertainment complex is easy to pick out in this compact and lively city.

How to get there
The quickest and easiest way to get to Cardiff from London is by train. Great Western Trains run a half-hourly service from London's Paddington Station.

Getting around the city
Cardiff Buses provide a frequent bus service to all parts of the city. The day tickets are a great way to get around the city and outskirts.

Arriva Trains Wales have an extensive network of connections to many parts of Cardiff and the surrounding towns.

Where to eat
Visitors to Cardiff are spoiled for choice with restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and pub food galore. If your liking is for Thai, Chinese, Singaporean, Indian, Japanese, Turkish, Welsh, French, Italian, Vietnamese your tastes will be met.

Where to stay
Cardiff has an increasing number of four star hotels and one of the best and quirkiest budget hotels I have stayed at The Big Sleep
Visit Cardiff has a comprehensive list of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets.

What to do
Cardiff has a great choice of leisure activities, a choice of great entertainment venues to a spectacular French Impressionist paintings at the Welsh National Museum. St Fagans Museum of Welsh Life is a must see.

Bangkok Millennium Hilton - Cheese Room

2011-06-06T12:59:00.000+07:00

To say that I am a cheese fan is putting it lightly in the cheesy stakes I can out-cheese Treasure Island-marooned cheese-obsessed Ben Gunn.

I am often to be seen gazing misty-eyed at a supermarket cheese counter with a look of rapture on my face and my nose twitching like a rabbit that has caught the scent of a juicy carrot. But that is to be expected as I come from a small country that produces 450 different cheeses, 40 of them being the blue variety.

So when I heard of a new cheese experience at one of Bangkok’s best hotels I could not wait to sink my choppers into the delicious by-product of milk and rennet. It was with a great sense of anticipation that I jumped into the Bangkok Millennium Hilton’s barge and made the short but choppy crossing from Saphan Taksin to the hotel’s pier on the opposite bank of the Chao Phraya.

What led me to take this perilous voyage to Thonburi? Well the Millennium Hilton is a very fine hotel, its spacious forecourt and high-ceilinged, multi-chandeliered lobby attests to its five star status, as does its signature restaurant The Flow. The Flow presents its best face to the riverside and its soaring glass wall gives fantastic panoramic views of a sweep of the River of Kings.

I did not visit to glory in the riverside view but to get that Ben Gunn experience at a unique Bangkok eating sensation. The Flow has just gained the accolade as the epicentre of cheesiness in

Thailand

with its newly opened Cheese Room, I can tell you Ben Gunn would be bowled over and I was just as impressed.

There is no need to ask for directions to the Cheese Room just follow the whiff of the 30 cheese varieties and you will find the caseous repository tucked away in a discrete corner of the Flow. Be prepared for disappointment if you visit any day between Monday to Thursday, as the Cheese Room is open only on Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

Now for a cheese lover like me walking into the chilly air-conditioned glass-fronted Cheese Room and surveying the vastness of cheeses was just my idea of cheesy casein-laden heaven.

A cheese rainbow lay before me, blue cheeses, orange cheeses, yellow and green and pink mottled cheese from Britain and continental Europe. Cheese of every consistency and texture from hard to crumbly to runnily soft, even a cheese with embedded French truffles formed a true smorgasbord to regale the eye, amuse the nose and spoil the palate. And not a krafty slice or triangle of waxy processed cheese in sight.

And the finer points of cheese eating have not been missed either, for fresh fruits are dotted between the cheeses; apple, big red strawberries, juicy, tart raspberries or firm, crunchy grapes lay like temptresses ready for the taking. Biscuits, crackers and breads are also to be found in profusion.

Now there are three ways to enjoy this repast. For your delectation 950 baht will open the Cheese Room wide and you can eat your hearts content in front of an imposing display wall to ceiling showcase of wine.

If you want to sample The Flow’s free-flow wine and all-you-can-eat extensive buffet of South East Asian, Japanese and International food plus a cornucopia of cheese then only 1,500 baht will make available the whole range of The Flows truly impressive cuisine.

Or try what the Millennium Hilton calls the’ Wine Flight’, a selection of five cheeses with accompanying wine. The selection is yours so why not choose say a mature Cheddar with an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Brie and Camembert goes perfectly with a good red Bordeaux or dry whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Roquefort with a fine Zinfandel, Gorgonzola pairs perfectly with reds from Provence and the king of cheeses Stilton (of which the Cheese Room has a deliciously tart and robust variety) well there is only one wine and that has to be a tawny port.

It is fortunate that the Treasure Island is not located in the middle of the Chao Phraya because I would hate to fight off Ben Gunn in my next rush to The Flow’s Cheese Room.

Contact:

Bangkok Millennium Hilton Hotel

123 Charoennakorn Road

, Klongsan, Bangkok, Thailand, 10600

Tel: +66 2 442 2000

Fax: +66 2 442 2020

Email: bkki.informations@hilton.com

Bangkok's Street Food with a Difference

2011-04-20T13:49:00.000+07:00

Street Food as it Should Be

Bangkok has a plethora of sky-high restaurants where you feel it is possible to touch the stars while eating the pan seared foie gras and just looking down at the scurrying pedestrians 60 or 70 floors below is enough to provoke an attack of vertigo. So why stare down on people and wonder what they look like when you can eyeball to your heart’s content over a perfectly barbequed lamb chop?

But if elevated dining is not for you then simply walk a little way along Sukhumvit 11 and you will encounter a new type of Bangkok dining experience – street-side food. Now this is not the usual 30-baht-a-plate mom-and-pop-trundling-cart: the mobile café that is ubiquitous in Bangkok, no this roadside gourmet’s delight is a sophisticated barbeque terrace at the Grand President Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 11.

The evening that I visited the intimate terrace space was humming with diners tucking into a large plates of tender and succulent barbequed fare. The Grand President’s executive chef has had years of experience at four and five star hotels throughout Asia and in his native India.

Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner the Café 11 Grill really gets going after 6.30 pm when the junior executives in the know and savvy tourists sit and enjoy a cold beer with sizzling hot delights straight from the BBQ grill. The service is attentive and efficient with the small coterie of waiters willing to attend to your culinary and dining whims.

The Café 11 Grill is a little fortress protected from the hubbub of the street by an attractive low wall bordered by tropical greenery.

The food is simply delicious and done as your instructions. I ordered kind of selection platter because I was eager to try as many dishes as possible and not because I am a greedy glutton.

I ordered BBQ prawns (320 THB) when presented at the table I was astounded by the shear size of these fresh-water-river monsters; if the menu had described them as being mini-lobsters I would not have been surprised. Pairing the white flesh from the glossy pink shell and popping a morsel into my mouth the tang of the dressing of Mediterranean chilli emulsion only heighten the delicate shellfish taste. I finished these with relish and had to restrain myself from acting like Oliver Twist and asking for more.

The next delight was chunks of boneless white-fleshed fish marinated in cilantro and mint paste, cilantro is a kind of coriander but the flavour is much more intense. The combination of these two herbs suited the fish as a parasol suits the delicate complexion of a Hi-So gentlelady shading from the sun – they were simply meant for each other.

The char grilled fish absorbed the flavours admirably and the grilling gave an interesting seared taste and texture to the outer flesh. At 270 THB this is a dish well worth it.

Next on my plate a brace of New Zealand lamb chops (390 THB) they were grilled to absolute perfection the deep brown flesh was slightly seared and glazed making it sparkle under Cafe 11's soft lights. The inner flesh was pink and tender yielding to the light touch of a knife. The lamb from which these chops came could have been gamboling in a verdant

New Zealand

field only days before. The flavour was so meadow-fresh that I thought I could taste the morning dew from the beast’s last grazing. In short the chops were a delight of field-freshness.

I am a lover of Indian food, well when one’s erstwhile national dishes of fish and chips and roast beef have been replaced by chicken Tikka masala I think I can say I know my Indian food. So I was anxious to try something from the tandoori and not just the naan bread, which was delicious. The Tandoori Kukkad – chicken to you and me – was a wonderful evocation of the tastes and culture of the ancient and mysterious Indus Valley. This Tandoor chicken is a great dish at only a mouth watering 250 baht.

No barbeque would be complete without a sausage or two and the variety served at Café 11 was a thick and luscious bratwurst decorated on the outside with deeply seared hatches and served with a tangy mustard that certainly cleared the passages and brought tears to the eyes.

Don’t think for one minute that the Café 11 is a carnivores carnival because vegetarians are amply catered for. I tried the Char-grilled Seitan Chicken (200 THB)a wheat protein mock chicken barbequed over a char grill and it was good, in fact if I had to be told by the chef himself that it was not real chicken. I would certainly opt for this dish again.

Other vegetarian delights are cauliflower and broccoli florets marinated with Indian spices and yoghurt and cooked in the tandoor oven. Then a deliciously light cottage cheese marinated in mint and coriander and roasted in the tandoor served with a mint chutney. Again a revelation at how good vegetarian food can be.

For a dessert I choose a cheese cake that seemed to me to be a hybrid tiramisu and cheese cake. So light that it nearly floated from the dish straight into my mouth where it lingered for only the right amount of time to get the full impact of the flavours.

My judge of a good meal is when my companions’ knives and forks are slicing into the food with enthusiastic relish and where not a word is spoken. This is the measure of eating excellence and except for the odd ‘yummy’ appreciation of the chef’s art this meal was eaten in near silence.

Café 11 Grill, at the Grand President, Sukhumvit Soi 11 is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Best times to visit between 18.30 and 22.30 hours.

For reservations:

Tel: +66 (0)2 651 1200 ext 7