Joanna James
Do you want to escape the noise of Bangkok? Although the city is very lively, it is possible to reach some pockets of calmness after an hour of driving or a jolt away from the city. Bangkok has rich, meaningful pockets of culture and charm just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps one of these hidden gems is your next short escape from one place-rich and meaningful to another.
This once-great kingdom's seat of power now graces the riverbanks with crumbling temples and towering stupas that beckon to its more glorious past. There's just something about the town, whose ruins seem to breathe kings and wars and the golden age long gone. Those who enjoy walking or cycling in early morning light through the old city are rewarded with temples basking in that light. Truly an escape from not only urban clangour, but from time itself.
Only two hours from Bangkok, this riverside province can really say a lot about the way traditional living in Thailand is. Long-tail boats travel on winding canals, past stilted wooden houses, and are washed over with the floating markets filled with local goodies. The evening will light the canal with a natural display of firefly lanterns as they insistently parade through the mangroves. Life here goes with the river, slow and easy, as if to tell the wanderers in the end that beauty is plainly a matter of rhythm—an experience that pairs beautifully with a stay at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, one of the city’s most elegant retreats after exploring the best things to do in Bangkok.
Across the Chao Phraya River lies Bang Krachao, Bangkok's so-called 'green lung.' This artificial island is apparently blessed by cool jungle, quiet pathways, and high wooden walkways. Everything seems distant from those skyscrapers, and just a stone's throw away across the water are memorials of life lived in the past. Cycling down obscure trails or hanging out in little gardens is blissfully restorative, and close to the city. Here, the air is cleaner. The pace is slower, and the probabilities for exploring truly endless worlds prove that it does not really require an escape far from Bangkok.
Koh Kret Island is surrounded by the Chao Phraya River to the north of Bangkok, which is a small traditional Island. It is under the Mon community that has preserved its culture for centuries and millennia. Across the island, workshops of pottery, temples of the local area, and street vendors of local snacks. One can even walk through its narrow lanes or cycle around it for a slow-paced, enjoyable day out. A day trip to Koh Kret might feel like walking into another dimension where history and art coexist with everyday life.
If lying to the northeast beckons anybody who seeks a peaceful sanctuary of nature, well then, Nakhon Nayok is. Waterfalls tumble through emerald canopies of forest, where the visitor is invited to plunge into their cool laps. Easy bike paths and nature trails wind through farms and hillsides for the active ones who would like to remain moving within a peaceful atmosphere. The whole area really has a gloriously simple feel, green, grounding, and just that good. Sometimes, though, those best vacations are the ones that allow a person to take a deep breath before returning to ground zero.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
