On Sunday, we went for an enjoyable bicycle ride in Bangkok. At first glance, this would sound like a crazy idea. But, it is amazing that after only a short boat ride across the Chao Phraya River, we were surrounded by lush green vegetation and almost complete silence. In fact, for most of the 25 kilometre route we cycled through jungle, along canals and down some side roads. There were only a few stretches that ran along major roads. The area that we visited has the nickname of "the lungs of Bangkok". Due to a giant loop in the river this area is virtually cut off from the mainland and access is limited. The only way to go there by car is over the bridge at the southern end. This crosses a short-cut canal which is centuries old. From Bangkok you can cross the river by boat from the Klong Toey Port.

There are many companies in Bangkok that can arrange cycle trips for you. You can easily find most of them by doing a quick google search for "Bangkok bicycle tours". We decided to go for Recreational Bangkok Biking. They are a very professionally run organization with quality bikes and talented guides. I was impressed with the information on the website and also the managing director, Andre Breuer, who quickly answered all of our inquiries. We decided to go for their "Colours of Bangkok" tour which runs twice a day at 8 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Unlike some of the other tour groups, Recreational Bangkok Biking limit tour groups to only eight. It is advisable to book in advance so that you are not disappointed. In theory, it does sound that the morning session would be cooler, but really, in Thailand, it is already maximum temperature by 8 a.m. So, just go at a time convenient to you. In fact, if you go in the afternoon you might find yourself with a smaller group.

The tour guide we had was called Mon and her English was excellent. In our group we had the full number of eight people. Andre gave us the briefing first telling us that we were about to see a side of Bangkok that not many tourists have ever seen before. He wasn't really exaggerating. The tour would take us to Bangkrachao in Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan. I have explored this area half a dozen times already. But it was like I was seeing it for the first time. Going by bicycle not only lets you see things from a different viewpoint, but it allows you to go down narrow lanes and canal paths that aren't possible for cars. After the briefing, Mon helped us choose a bike and gave us some instruction on how to use them. It should be noted that these are not cheap bikes bought from Tesco Lotus. They are heavy duty bikes which are both comfortable and easy to ride. Before you set off on the tour you should take the time to familiarize yourself with the bike and gears and to make sure everything is in good working order.

Once were all ready, Mon led us off for our tour which would last about 4-5 hours. It may sound daunting to cycle for so long, but really, it is all flat in Bangkok and so you don't have to be a sportsman to join this tour. It was really easy going. We had regular breaks where Mon would buy us some drinks. I couldn't believe that after we got back she told us that we had cycled 25 kilometres! That just shows you how comfortable the bikes were. The office for the bicycle company is down a small lane off Rama III Road. Fortunately for us, Mon knew some back lanes so we were able to avoid the busy main roads for most of the time. We did have to cross the busy Rama III Road at one point in order to get to the boat, but luckily there was a subway under the road. At one point, Mon took us through some slums. Here, like in other places in Thailand, it is always amazing how people in mansions can live right next to slums. There is no segregation here and everyone lives in harmony. In the slums everyone was very friendly as we passed by down the narrow lanes. The kids shouted out "hello" or wanted to give us a high five.

One of the things that I was impressed about this company is their sterling efforts in giving back to the communities that they visit. In the case of the slums, they help sponsor one of the schools there. Over the years, they have helped to raise millions of baht in donations. They also use the services of people along the route, whether it is buying drinks or snacks or hiring a boat. This is responsible tourism at its best with a very low carbon footprint. After the slums, we ended up at the river where our bikes were loaded onto a boat for the crossing to the jungle on the other side. I always enjoy boat roads as it provides natural air-conditioning and grand views. Once on the other side we were back on the bikes and heading down narrow lanes and along raised concrete pathways that passed through banana trees and nipa palms. Our first stop was the hidden oasis of Sri Nakhon Khuankun Park. This is a lovely park tucked away in the middle of no-where. There is a lake here where we fed the fish. If we had time, we could have also rented a boat on the lake. From here we continued our journey around the artificial island. Our pace wasn't very fast and Mon allowed us to stop to take as many pictures as we liked. She even took us to an old temple and explained about the different buildings and Buddha images.

Lunch was pad thai (stir-fried noodles) at a river-front restaurant. This meal and all the drinks were included in our package price of 1,000 baht which I think was really worth it. Although you could come to this area with your own bikes, it would be advisable to join a tour for the first time to see what the place has to offer. It has certainly opened my own eyes to this region and inspired me to think about buying my own bicycle. There are definitely more areas to explore which you would need to do with a sense of adventure. This is because there are no maps and few signs. It would be easy to get lost without a guide. Obviously if you are in Thailand for a short time or even an expat, it is not always practical to have your own bike. You might want to consider taking one of their other tours. After all, a quality bike like the one I used on this tour would set me back nearly 25,000 baht. It would be cheaper to pay 1,000 baht for a tour or maybe rent a bike from them which costs from as little as 250 baht per day. I really enjoyed my morning on this tour. I was a bit tired by the end of the trip but I had already decided that I would love to join them for another tour in order re-discover another area of Bangkok. Bicycles certainly allow you to see familiar streets in a different light.

More information can be found at their website www.bangkokbiking.com. I have also posted more pictures in our Samut Prakan Photo Album over at www.paknamphotos.com.

When we talk about horse polo, we usually think of the colonials in places like India. I watched my first polo match in Gilgit in Pakistan about 15 years ago. It was a thrilling game played out on a dusty pitch surrounded on all four sides by enthusiastic locals. For me growing up, I saw it as mainly the chosen game of the British royal family and the elite. It is not the kind of sport that the average person could try due to the high costs of keeping the horses. That is why I was surprised that they not only play horse polo in Thailand but they also have dedicated grounds for this. At the weekend I went to watch a polo match at the VR Sports Club in Samut Prakan.

Polo was first introduced into Thailand during the reign of King Rama VII. He had organized a demonstration game played by English people from Penang. A polo club was later formed but it was mainly for the expat communities and the social elite in Thailand. However, the public started to show some interest when the Thailand team won a gold at the Asian Games in 1998. The Polo Association was founded in the same year and then went national in 2004 as the Thailand Polo Association. The major tournament held in Thailand is the Thailand Polo King's Cup which has teams attending from Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The game is played on a field which is 300 yards long by 200 yards wide. At each end there are two posts that act as the goal. In some ways it is like football but there are no goalkeepers. There are also frequent breaks. We were only three minutes into the the first half when the time was halted so that two players could leave the field to change their horses. In football, of course, it would be the players who would be changed. The match is also split up into 7 minute long units called a "chukka". The match that I watched had a total of 6 chukkas. Three in each half with a three minute break in-between each chukka. One final rule that I found confusing at first was that every time a goal was scored they would switch directions. So, you really need to pay attention!

It was a fast moving game despite all the breaks. I think for most of the spectators the day was more of a social event than a chance to watch the game. There were many hi-so ladies all dressed up with colourful dresses and outlandish hats. Many of the photographers there took more photos of the crowd than the horses in the match. After all, there were many top actresses as well as Miss Thailand contestants. Everyone who was anyone was there. For myself, I preferred watching the game from behind one of the goal posts. Though, as you can see from this photo you have to be quick on your feet as these horses don't exactly have brakes! I had to quickly jump to one side after this goal was scored.

I have posted some more pictures in our Samut Prakan Photo Album over at www.paknamphotos.com.

The Chinese people of Samrong in Samut Prakan Province believe that their God Jao Por Tap will help them get rich. Behind Imperial World, on the old Paknam Railway Road, they have built a large Chinese shrine dedicated to this God. Every year, on the last Sunday of January, they hold a parade through town which is attended by literally thousands of local people.

It was still dark when people started turning up at the Jao Por Tap Shrine. We arrived there shortly after 7 a.m. and both the road outside and the grounds of the shrine were crowded to capacity. This was the first time I had attended this parade and so didn't really know what to expect. There was so much going on in different directions that I didn't know where to focus my attention. The Governor of Samut Prakan was there as well as local politicians. In fact, anyone who was anybody had turned up for this event.

The opening ceremony involved the usual speeches and these came to an end with firecrackers and crashes of cymbals and banging of drums. This signalled the start of the parade. I think it would be fair to say that this was the largest Chinese parade that I have ever seen. As well as marching bands there were also the dancing dragons and acrobats. There was even this guy that had skewers through his cheeks.

The parade left the shrine shortly after 8 a.m. and made its way up the Old Railway Road and then turned right next to Samrong Hospital and headed towards Imperial World and then out onto Sukhumwit Road. Along the way, shopkeepers had set up small shrines on tables. The dancing dragons and acrobats did a small performance in front of these shrines and they were then given some money.

There must have been over 1,000 people in the parade but there were also thousands of people lining the parade route through town. It was a big event on the calendar for Samrong. From where I stood taking pictures and shooting video, it took them about 45 minutes to pass by me. Then as quickly as it started it was all over. Though, of course not for them. They still had a long way to go.

You can see many more of our pictures and also a video over at www.paknam.com and www.paknamphotos.com.

TOUR2 : Bang Nampheung Floating Market, The Erawan Museum, Reclining Buddha at Bang Phli and finishing with a meal at sunset at the Bang Pu Seaside Resort.

Samut Prakan Province is sandwiched between Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. As it is so close to the capital of Thailand it doesn't receive many independent travellers. Most people see it as just the suburbs. Even the mighty Lonely Planet Guidebook for Thailand has now dropped the chapter on Samut Prakan. However, despite this, the province has a lot to offer for people who want something different. In Samut Prakan Tour 01 I told you about a day trip to see all the highlights such as The Erawan Museum, Ancient Siam and the Crocodile Farm. What I am going to do today is take you to a floating market, the largest three headed elephant in the world, the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand and the most expensive toilets in Thailand.

The first stop on this tour is the Bang Nampheung Floating Market. Probably the easiest way to get there from Bangkok is to go by Sky Train to Krung Thonburi BTS Station and from there take a taxi which will take about 20 minutes to reach the market. Don't go there expecting a picture postcard Damnoen Saduak kind of floating market. This was mainly set up for local Thai tourists. So, plenty of shade and stalls selling food and local handicraft and OTOP products. However, you can rent a boat if you are crazy enough to go out in the blazing sun. It is best to go here early as it can get crowded. I usually aim for 8.30 a.m. at the latest and spend at least two hours here. A great place to have breakfast. Don't forget, it is only a weekend market and usually wraps up by about 2 p.m. With luck you should be able to find a taxi that has just dropped someone off. If not, take a motorcycle taxi to the river ferry at a local temple to catch a boat to the other side. Here you will find a taxi for your next destination.

Your next stop is the giant three-headed elephant at The Erawan Museum. If you go there by taxi then make sure he takes the Kanchanapisek Outer Ring road as there is an exit right by the museum. If you had to cross the river by boat, a taxi from the other side would only take about 15 minutes or so. To join a tour costs 150 baht each for adults and 50 baht for children. There is a museum in the basement and then you are taken up into the belly of the elephant. You really need a wide angle lens to get some good pictures of this giant elephant. It really is massive and worth every penny. It is a unique tourist attraction in Thailand. You will be spending at least an hour here if not longer. To get to your next destination, you will need to go by taxi again. Don't worry, you won't have any trouble in finding one. The trip shouldn't take much longer than about 25 minutes.

From The Erawan Museum, you need to get back on the Kanchanapisek Outer Ring Road and head east to Bang Phli. It will be the third exit. Your first stop will be the Reclining Buddha at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang. It is 53 meters long and much bigger than the famous one in Bangkok. In addition, you can go inside this one and see the Buddha's heart! After you finish here, take a motorcycle taxi to the nearby Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai. It shouldn't cost more than 20 baht. This temple is popular for Thai people because of the revered Luangpho To image. You might find the nearby 100 year market more of interest which runs alongside the canal. The temple also has a 5 million baht toilet. At the weekends, you can join boat tours in front of the temple. If you want to do this, then come straight to this temple as the Reclining Buddha is on the boat tour.

From Bang Phli, there is a road that heads straight south to the Gulf of Thailand at Tam Ru. You shouldn't find it difficult to take a taxi from Bang Phli to your next destination at Bang Pu Seaside Resort. I would think it would take no more than 30 minutes to get here. The best time to come is late afternoon. In addition, if you come between October and March then you should have the added attraction of being able to feed a handful of the thousands of migratory seagulls here. This is a very popular place for Thais to come at the weekend to enjoy the fresh sea breeze. You can also do bird watching here and eat at the restaurant at the end of the pier. If you are here at the end of the day then you might be lucky to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the gulf.

Click here for a map of this tour. Also visit the Samut Prakan Forums where I have posted some more details and where you can swap tips with other people.

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the battle with the French on 17th January 1941 near the island of Koh Chang. In dispute were some of the territories in Indochina that Thailand wanted to claim back. Although the Thais fought bravely, they lost two torpedo boats and the warship HTMS Thonburi was badly damaged. Thirty six Thai soldiers and sailors also lost their life in the battle. The HTMS Thonburi was later salvaged and repaired by the Japanese. It later saw life as a training ship. Today the bridge section and the front guns can be found at the Royal Thai Naval Academy where it was set up as a memorial for the brave soldiers and sailors that died defending Thai sovereignty.

On Sunday 17th January 2010, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Kamthorn Pumhiran presided over the wreath-laying ceremony and the merit making ceremony in front of HTMS Thonburi at the Naval Academy in Samut Prakan. The event started with wreaths being laid by representatives of many Thai ships and organizations.

Then nine monks led the chanting in order to gain merit for the Thai servicemen that died during the battle. Attending the ceremony were some of the survivors of the battle and also families of those that lost their life.

Finally, the Admiral laid his own wreath which was followed by the call of a bugle and a minute's silence for the dead. A similar service was held at Koh Chang Naval Battle Memorial in Amphoe Laem Ngop in Trat Province.

You can see many more of my pictures of this event at www.paknamphotos.com and also a video at www.paknam.com.

It would seem that the longer I stay in Thailand, the higher the frequency that I attend funerals. In fact, I have two sets of funeral clothes now. I thought today I would give a brief overview of a cremation in order to help any foreigners who might find themselves attending a funeral while in Thailand. Normally, a funeral will go on for three, five or seven days with the actual cremation taking place on the last day. It is possible that you might be invited to attend the chanting during the week. You would do this if it was a close friend or a relative of a close friend. However, most people would only attend the actual cremation on the last day.

For this cremation, most people were invited to turn up at 5 p.m. By the way, cremations never take place on a Friday. During the afternoon, the coffin was transferred from the main hall where the daily chanting took place and was taken in a parade to the crematorium. Before it was taken up the steps, it was taken around the crematorium three times. Normally, we would do this in a clockwise direction. But, for funerals, this is always done in an anti-clockwise direction. The coffin is then put on a stand in front of the crematorium and the photo of the deceased placed to one side.

At some cremations I have attended, there were performances such as traditional Thai dancing and also music. However, as this all costs a lot of money, most funerals keep it simple. After the history of the deceased person has been read out, distinguished guests and close family members then present monk's robes in front of the coffin. Notice on the right a piece of cloth that goes up and into the coffin where it is attached to a piece of string that leads to the deceased person. What happens is a monk will then take the robe from the tray as if the deceased person had presented it themselves.

The monks in attendance, distinguished guests and close family members will then place sandalwood flowers underneath the coffin. This is symbolic and is as if each person is helping light the fire. Then everyone else, including you if you attend a funeral, go up the steps of the crematorium to place the flower too. What most people do is tap the coffin a couple of times, place the flower in a tray under the coffin and then give a quick "wai". You are also supposed to say a short prayer telling the deceased person that you forgive them for any wrong doings in the past. On your way down, you will be given a kind of souvenir of the funeral to take home. Sometimes this a book about the life of the deceased person. Notice in this picture how people are dressed. You should wear black or white or combination of both.

At this stage, most people would go home. They have paid their respects. For this particular cremation, it was over within twenty minutes. Others I have attended took about an hour as there were performances too. It is mainly family members that stay for the actual cremation. What happens first is that the ornaments decorating the coffin are removed. The coffin is then lifted off its base and then carried towards the crematorium oven. The lid is then taken off. A coconut is cut open and the juice poured over the deceased person. The coffin is then pushed inside the chamber. This is the last chance for family members to pay their respects. Some even threw more sandalwood flowers into the coffin.

Everyone then went down to the bottom of the steps where they gathered around to watch the cremation. At some funerals I have attended, rockets were fired into the sky. However, this is banned in residential areas. They don't wait for the fire to finish. They will come back the next day to collect the ashes. There will then be more chanting before the ashes are scattered on the Chao Phraya River. This is where I went today and I will share my pictures with you later in the week.

The annual National Children's Day for Thailand took place today. Children are considered as the most valuable resource of the country. There is a Thai saying that goes, "Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, the country will be prosperous." To help stimulate children to be aware of their significant role in the country, the National Children's Day was held for the first time on the first Monday of October 1955 and continued like this until 1963. Then it was changed to the second Saturday of January.

Many organizations around the country and popular tourist attractions for children, like zoos, put on special activities for children. Most of these allowed children to go in for free. Some public transport was also free today for children. In Samut Prakan, children didn't have to pay to go to the Crocodile Farm, Ancient Siam and The Erawan Museum. Other places, like the Royal Thai Naval Academy, opened their doors especially for children and their parents. Here two boys are playing on a warship. There was also dog shows.

At the City Hall Plaza in Samut Prakan, there were many activities for the children to take part in. Many of the fun games had prizes which they gave away. But there were also some booths, like this one, where they were just handing out presents to the children. There was also free food and drinks for everyone including parents. The fire brigade was there allowing the children to have hands-on experience of putting out fires.

The emphasis was on having fun and there was certainly plenty of that despite all the crowds. The event was opened by the Governor who told the children of the motto for this year which is: "Think creatively, learn diligently, uphold morality." He also allowed the children to go and visit his office where he works and have their picture taken with him. Children all over the country certainly look forward to this day.

You can see some more of my pictures over at www.paknamphotos.com and a video at www.paknam.com.

When I first came to Thailand fifteen years ago there wasn't really that much in the way of English media. All we had at the time were two national newspapers in English and a few programmes on television if we tuned in to a certain radio station to get the English soundtrack. Also, if I travelled into Bangkok I could watch the latest Hollywood movies with the original soundtrack. Things have certainly changed. Some of the national television stations now broadcast both Thai and English audio channels. This is great for watching movies. Even the evening news has an English voiceover if you want. Then there are a growing number of Thai programmes that have English subtitles. More DJ's on the radio are speaking English and playing the latest songs from Europe and America. We now, of course, have satellite stations from people like True Visions (formerly known as UBC). This means we can get the latest news from CNN and BBC and also Hollywood movies from HBO and Star Movies. However, this comes at a high price. But, the biggest innovation for us expats in Thailand was the dawn of the Internet. This suddenly gave us access to a lot of media from back home.

The first gadget that I bought to stream media from the Internet was an Internet Radio box that I bought a couple of years ago in the UK. At that time they didn't have them in Thailand and really, even now, they are hard to come across. I never really listened to Internet Radio on my computer before. But the Internet Radio that I bought works independently from your computer. It looks a bit like an old-fashioned radio. However, it is very modern as it picks up the Internet wirelessly. This means I can plug it in anywhere around the house and I can listen to thousands of radio stations from around the world. Some of my pre-set channels include BBC Radio and a few local channels. I have it on all the time in the office which is my link with the home country. I like the Internet Radio so much that when I went back to the UK the next time I bought two more in the sales! Now I have one in the living room and one in the bedroom. One good thing that I like is that it has an "on demand" menu for some of the stations. So, if there is a particular radio programme that I would like to listen to, I can just choose to listen to when I like.

I was never really into downloading movies and t.v. programmes from the Internet. I just didn't fancy watching these on my computer. However, after True Visions dropped the BBC Entertainment channel I was forced to look elsewhere for British programmes. That is when I discovered two things. The first was the ease of downloading with torrents and the second were the new DVD players that have a USB port. So, all you had to do is download a programme in say .avi format, copy this across to a USB thumbdrive, plug this into your DVD player and then you could watch it on your television. So, when True Vision suddenly cancelled the BBC channel when I was halfway through several seasons, I was now able to finish watching these programmes. Then of course, I discovered new shows and some old favourites from years ago. I started to get hooked to downloading. However, it was still a little inconvenient. After I had downloaded the programmes, I had to copy across to the USB drive and then physically take it to the DVD player in the other room. But, now this has all changed for me.

The latest gadget that I bought to help me get in touch with programmes back home is this media player called PlayOn!HD. Media Players have been around for a few years now but they were never readily available in Thailand. The first ones that came out weren't really that good. Now we have two or three alternatives that have transferred my leisure time. The main two features of this media player is that it is a HD version so I can use a HDMI cable to plug it into my big LCD t.v. Secondly it can be plugged into the network. This means that from my t.v. I can browse files on my computer and then stream any that I like. Even .MKV files which my DVD player couldn't play. When I bought the PlayOn!HD I also bought a hard disk as well. This has two advantages. Firstly, I can store all the files on the hard disk which allows me to turn off the computer. More importantly, I can download torrents directly from the Internet onto the media player. As it uses less power than leaving my computer on to download programmes, I can just leave the media player on all night and then the next day sit down to watch my favourite programmes from the UK.

If you want to know more about where to buy media players in Thailand then visit the Paknam Web Forums where I have opened a thread on this subject.