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Golden Moments
JAMES WALLMAN REVEALS HIS TOP "GOLDEN" HIGHLIGHTS FROM BANGKOK AIRWAYS ‘ ROUTE MAP
TRIANGULAR TREATS
The Golden Triangle – an area with an infamous past straddling the borders between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos – is not just gold in name but in nature. For this is where Asia’s version of highly-prized black gold is mined. Also home to opium cultivation and smuggling for centuries, the mountainous terrain has protected the trade from governments until as recently as the 1980s.
Since then, new roads, law enforcement and crop-substitution programmes have prevailed so that, today, the Golden Triangle is a laid-back upland area. Travellers can now enjoy stays with indigenous hill tribes and at five-star resorts such as the Anantara Golden Triangle (tel +66 (0) 5378-4084, www.anantara.com) or the new Four Seasons Tented Camp (tel +66 (0) 5391-0200, www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle/).
Learn more about the region’s fascinating history at the Hall of Opium museum (tel +66 (0) 5378-4444-6, www.doitung.org), near Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai. The scenic three-hour drive here from Chiang Mai is highly recommended in Thailand.
FLORAL TREASURES
Each year, farmers in 13 Thai provinces plant thantawan (sunflowers) as a crop, unintentionally creating an unforgettable countryside attraction that attracts more than a million “sunflower pilgrims” to central Thailand between the months of November and January.
The drive from Bangkok to Saraburi and Lopburi, two such provinces, to see these flowers is a memorable one. Rice fields become rolling countryside, and bright yellow blooms fill field after field. The flowers’ faces are turned to the sun as they follow it from East to West every day until they are fully grown.
SUNSET STRIP
When it comes time to set, the sun seems to drag its feet in Asia and stunning skies of burnt hues are often one of the great memories visitors take home.
On the Laos and Thai border, the muddy Mekong River burnishes a watery bronze – a sight that is best viewed from one of Luang Prabang’s riverside restaurants or onboard a boat. East West Siam (tel +66 2651-9101, www.ewsiam.com) organises a two-day, one-night Mekong cruise from the town of Luang Prabang (except June).
Just before nightfall is probably the best time to see Duxiu (or Solitary Beauty Peak), a moment when Guilin’s most prominent karst peak glows gold in the sunset.
The 216m-high hill derives its name from the poetry of a local governor of the Southern Dynasty (about 1,500 years ago), who wrote that “none can surpass this solitary peak in beauty”.
There are 396 stone steps to the top, from where there is a glorious panoramic view of the city and the mountains.
ROCKY ROAD
Over 200km, and half a day’s drive from Yangon, might seem an awfully long way to go just to see a rock. But what a rock – or rather, as Lonely Planet puts it, what a “sublime balancing boulder stupa”.
The Golden Rock – Kyaiktiyo in Burmese – is a sacred site for Buddhists and often one of the highlights of a trip to Myanmar.
This religious site comprises a small pagoda built on a precariously balanced gold gilded boulder that legend says is kept in place by a precisely placed hair from Buddha.
As well as offering spiritual stimulation, The Golden Rock is also a great source of inspiration for photographers, who make the trek at sunset and sunrise to capture the striking sun’s rays reflecting on the massive, gold-leafed monolith.
TWINKILNG TEMPLES
Asia’s temples are often high on everyone’s list of “must-sees” – and in these sacred spots, gold is everywhere you look, both inside and out. In Buddhist mysticism, gold is a key colour as it symbolises fire associated with its sacred status with Surya, the Hindu god of the sun.
A few of the most famous examples of twinkling religious artefacts include Wat Xieng Thong’s gleaming roof in Luang Prabang and Lord Buddha in various poses elsewhere: reclining at Wat Pho in Bangkok, for example, and in meditation at the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh and the Linyin Temple in Hangzhou.
Wat Phra Thong (Golden Buddha Temple) in Phuket is less touristy than the better-known Wat Chalong and contains the upper part of a shimmering golden Buddha icon. Legend has it that a boy had tied his water buffalo to a piece of metal in the ground that turned out to be a pure gold Buddha statue. However, when the Burmese tried to excavate the statue, it broke in two and one half disappeared. The other (upper) half is what you’ll see at the temple.
SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT
It is true – all that glitters isn’t always gold. Sometimes, it’s nielloware – an ancient ~ ai way of making jewellery.
No one knows for sure, but indications suggest that local cra˚ smen near Nakhon Si ~ ammarat have been practising this technique for more than 500 years and represent a fast disappearing breed.
Called khruang thom, nielloware artists use a lead amalgam on silver and gold objects to create exquisite and intricate patterns on a black background.
Some things that glitter, however, are truly gold – particularly in ~ ailand, where the gold trade probably provided its fi rst contact with the outside world. ~ e old name for the country, Siam, even means gold in Sanskrit; while the Indians called the region Suvarnabhumi, meaning “land of gold”, and the Chinese called the area Jin Lin, “peninsula of gold”. See goldsmiths at work at Si Satchanalai near Sukhothai, where exquisite handmade gold jewellery can be bought as special souvenirs.
BEACH BLONDES
Brochure-perfect images of golden sand beaches fringed by azure seas and coconut palms are one of Thailand’s original tourist draw cards. And whether you live in Berlin or Bangkok, it’s hard not to while away a minute or two daydreaming about a visit once you’ve glimpsed such tropical paradise.
Some favourites include Bang Po, an undeveloped 14km stretch of sand in the northwest of Koh Samui, and Phuket’s 8km long Bang Tao beach served by the Banyan Tree and Dusit Laguna resorts. Fortunately, with so many stunning beaches all along Thailand’s coastline, there’s plenty of room for everyone to discover their favourite spot.
SOMETHING FISHY
While keeping fish is now a worldwide hobby, the pastime actually started in the East. The Chinese and Japanese have loved, petted and cultivated goldfish for over 1,000 years – China, in particular, has a long history dating back to the T’ang dynasty (618-907 A.D).
A common Chinese saying reflects that “in heaven there is paradise, on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou”. And one of the most scenic spots in Hangzhou is West Lake’s Huagang (Flower Harbour) Park where, alongside lots of flowers, more than a thousand pretty carp can be seen swimming through fallen petals at the Red Fish Pool.
At Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, the Goldfish Pagoda (tel +852 2552-0291, www.oceanpark.com.hk) might have fewer fish on display, but it boasts a greater variety. More than 100 species are represented among the 800 or so gilled residents, including rare breeds such as the Blue Phoenix Eggfish, Marble Fantail, Blue Fantail and Crown Pearlscale Moor.
FLAGS AND FLOWERS
The bronze and gold-plated Forever Blooming Bauhinia statue at Hong Kong’s Golden Bauhinia Square is considered priceless – and so might you consider the photo opportunity. Every day at 8am, the Hong Kong police hold a flag-raising ceremony at the 6m-tall statue of the state’s symbol on the waterfront promenade. Hundreds of visitors from the mainland solemnly attend this ritual which commemorates the British handing Hong Kong back to the Chinese in 1997.
Adopted as Hong Kong’s symbol in 1965, bauhinias are rather non-descript easy-to-miss plants for most of the year. However, when they bloom in late winter, they decorate Hong Kong’s parks and gardens with bright pink flowers.
ALL IN THE NAME
The cultural capital of Laos and UNESCO World Heritage site of Luang Prabang is also often spelled “Luang Phabang”. Both are correct, as the city was named after the Pha Bang statue, an 83cm-tall gold Buddha that is also known as the Pra Bang statue. A gift from a Cambodian king in the 14th century and twice returned from having conquered Thailand, the icon is more than 90% gold and depicts Buddha with both hands raised in the stance of Abhayamudra, dispelling fear and offering protection to those who honour it.
Today the Pha Bang/Pra Bang Buddha is kept safe in a shrine located in the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum in Luang Prabang, which was home to the country’s final monarch King Sisavang Vong. The palace compound is also home to countless other Buddha images sculpted from various precious materials set in different poses. There are even ones engraved onto elephant tusks – not surprising in a country once called the “land of a million elephants”.
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