Summary
- The Grand Palace and The Ancient City both probably have the most massive and gorgeous temple architecture in Thailand.
- The Ancient City is a reproduction of all famous places in Thailand, but its architecture is comparable to authentic temples, and we can actually get inside some of them. There is also the Erawan Museum operated by the same company, but this one is much bigger and definitely worth visiting.
- The temples here are stunning, but the museum is relatively small compared to others. China definitely has the best museums I’ve seen so far.
- The food here is very diverse, and creativity can be seen everywhere. Some of the dishes may even be superior to the Japanese versions.
Highlights
The Grand Palace
- The Palace costs 500 baht, but its appearance is exceptional. We can only explore a limited space of the palace, but the luxury and attention to detail were outstanding.
- Unfortunately, we couldn't get inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, but it is located in the largest temple. We couldn't take a photo of it, but it had a deep green color.
The Erawan Museum
- This museum was small but featured an eye-catching elephant tower. It has four stories. The first two floors have a grand hall with a stained glass ceiling, and there is a tiny observatory on the third floor. The fourth floor contains a big hall inside the elephant monument.
Museum of Siam
- The museum is small, and there aren't many eye-catching valuable items, but it has interesting information about the history of Thailand.
Terminal 21
- My friend from Indonesia recommended this place, and it actually has unique architecture inspired by an airport.
- Each floor has a different theme based on a specific city.
The Ancient City
- From the same company but much bigger than the Erawan Museum. It's definitely worth visiting considering it's about the same price. It’s a little inconvenient, but we can take a Grab for about 100 baht.
- It's impossible to visit every temple in Thailand, but we can take photos of them all in one place here. It's really fun to cycle around this park, and it costs just 150 baht to rent a bike. There is also a free-to-visit area before the park, which even has a gorgeous golden temple.
- Interestingly, this park is still expanding, and we can see how it's being constructed. It was amusing to see how the mountain was built.
- Some people might say it's just an imitation, but this place is much more photogenic and clean; in fact, not many people have visited, but probably this exhibition will motivate people to actually go to the real temples. The park's mission, "One day become a real Thai," is unique.
- Some of the features may be originally invented, and we can see ingenuity there. As with real temples, to pay respect to the Buddha, we have to take off our shoes inside some temples.
Food
- Papaya is similar to peach but has a slightly stinky smell. I thought it was rotten before I bought it, but it's probably a normal smell.
- The idea of putting chocolate on the surface of ice cream actually makes sense in Thailand. In less than one minute, the ice cream begins to melt, but this coating slows it down. We just have to spray it over the ice cream, so I hope every shop would do this for a better experience. Of course, it also tastes better.
- The sushi at the stall is usually unique and frequently uses meat. Basically, the only fish used is salmon and octopus. It was not bad, but it tasted too salty and did not go well with the rice. I think it is better to order white rice and BBQ separately. The BBQ, especially the golden chicken, is exceptional.
- I ordered different dumplings here; they tasted okay and the caramel-like sauce was actually great. The food made of wheat tends to have too much power like a textile sometimes. It's more like wet buns.
- I know that the beef here is exceptional, but I see chicken very often. Wontons are relatively commonly seen, and their crispy surface is really good.
Conclusion
- People are probably going to touristy places not because of their history but because of their architectural excellence and vibe. Therefore, the ancient city is a project designed to satisfy demand.
- The idea of bringing famous places together is common, even among well-known companies like Disney and MiHoYo. Frequently, ideas inspired by historical architecture outshine completely original concepts. I used to focus on entirely original ideas, but now I want to concentrate more on artworks that evoke famous works.
- Building temples used to take a tremendous amount of time, but as I observed a construction site, technological advancements have sped up this process. I want to create artwork that would normally take years to complete if not produced by a computer. Computers tend to generate artificial images, but I hope to create authentic-looking art just as it is done by hand.
- Sushi is usually made with authentic ingredients, but it would be interesting to create traditional items without using traditional materials, and I believe this idea can be applied to more than just food.
- Although a hot and humid climate is not comfortable, I usually feel very healthy in hot countries. I test my hypothesis when I visit similar climates with different food cultures.
