With it being Monday, and the outlook looking cooler this week in the UK (it seems we’ve all been lead to believe we suddenly live in a Mediterranean country!), I thought I’d share a few sunny snaps from my recent holiday to Thailand. I thought my pictures from buzzing Bangkok and Koh Samui would brighten things up at Novel Insights.
On returning to the Grand Palace for the second time, I’d forgotten how stunning it is. Apart from all the glitzy gold, I loved the intricate details and fine craftsmanship.
I loved the beautiful mosaics in a myriad of styles and designs:
As a lover of stories, I was intrigued by the paintings on the wall which seemed to tell of war, pillage, beautiful women muses and fantastic monsters. A bit of Googling suggest that they are scenes from the Ramayana:
Of course, in Bangkok two of the best things to do are shop…
…(I heart MBK shopping centre!), and eat…
Yummy tom yum soup
Sweet sticky-rice with mango and coconut milk
Nutty, caramel ice cream sundae pig-out!
Of course I checked out the bookish haunts. Our hotel in Koh Samui was really wonderful, but if I ever go back with lots of dosh, the hotel I would love to stay in is The Library – a chic hotel with a bookish theme:
I had to check out the bookshop in the MBK shopping centre too. Looks like there are plenty of avid readers in Bangkok:
Unusually for me, I only read two books the whole holiday:
The Road to Wanting
Bangkok 8
We went to two stunning bars – Skybar at the Lebua State Tower and my favourite of the two Vertigo, at the Banyan Tree where we spent our last evening. To really show off how amazing the Bangkok metropolis looks at night, here are a couple of pictures that my lovely photographer boyfriend took of the view:
Thailand has got culture, delicious cuisine, sensational shopping, beautiful beaches and a wonderful vibe. Though you can’t ignore that it has a seedy side, all of these things add up to a place licentious yet traditional, and ultimately pretty amazing!
Novel Insights 
Fantastic photos, Polly, did the boyf take these?
I love the reading statue and the beach and that food is making me salivate! Looks like you had a great time – looking forward to hearing about the books you read – I really want to read The Road to Wanting despite hearing mixed reviews.
Just the ones at the end – the cityscapes are his. The rest are taken with my fair hands 🙂
I’ll get my views up on TRTW soon so you can see what I thought!
The sticky rice and mango looks DELICIOUS. And I love the colourful taxis they have in Bangkok. I just love Bangkok.
It’s fab isn’t it. I remember the first time I went, I kept insisting that we only take PINK taxis!
I’ve never been to Thailand, but I feel I’ve experienced it a bit through your spectacular photographs. I adore Thai food; will you eat some for me? Thanks for the virutal trip!
I’m missing the food now! Glad you enjoyed the pics Bellezza 🙂
wonderful shots ,always great to see another place and books shops abroad ,all the best stu
Glad you liked the pics – knew my fellow book lovers would like the bookish pics!
Looks amazing Pol, also makes me insanely jealous!!!
Aw, maybe you should persuade The Library that you can do a review and we can go swan together there! That said, I think they’ve got a pretty good rep already 🙂 When I’m rich we can go over together and drink margaritas in the sunshine! x
Pingback: Bangkok 8, by John Burdett | Novel Insights
Looks like an amazing trip. I really should get myself to Thailand soon since it’s so much closer! Asian food and shopping are amazing though. They also have some really good bookstores (eg. Kuala Lumpur) but they’re quite expensive.
And oh, I want to stay at The Library too! I found a fantastic bookmark at work and traced it back to the hotel. One of our patrons must be ritzy!
The Library looks wonderful. I’m going to use one of their statues for Friday Picture Reading on my blog.
Such a nice place and the statues are brilliant aren’t they!?
Pingback: May & June Review | Novel Insights