Koh Phi Phi

Over the years the Phi Phi islands have been famous among backpackers as a remote tropical paradise. Like many other places in Thailand it was soon discovered by the more resourceful tour operators who first built little huts then followed up with reasonably comfortable bungalows. Now there are several hotels, discreetly fitting in with the island scenery so as not to detract from its unique charm.

Don Muang International Airport

Most of Thailand's air traffic is handled through this Airport. It is located 22 km (14 mi) north of the city center.

Chitralada Palace

Once King Chulalongkorn's summer residence, Chitralada Palace stands in about 1 sq. km (247 acres) of grounds incorporating several artificial lakes. At each corner of the park is a fountain adorned with Late Baroque figures drawn from mythology, evidence of the cultivated taste of Thailand's rulers.

Chitralada is hardly a typical royal residence; visitors, were they to be granted access, would be reminded more of an agricultural research station. The palace indeed doubles as a sort of experimental farm, aimed primarily at boosting the income of rice growers in the north by providing fish stock. The royal fish ponds are therefore much more than just a hobby. There is also a beef-rearing unit and an

experimental dairy.

As befits their status, the famous royal "white elephants" also have their quarters at the palace, where they are taken after first spending some time in Dusit Zoo. King Bhumibol now owns more albino elephants than any of his predecessors; never before have so many been presented to a monarch in the course of his reign.

The moat around the grounds made headlines during the unrest in 1973 when student demonstrators sought, and found, refuge inside the palace railings.

Ocean World Leisure Park

    Bang Saen is always overcrowded at weekends when people from nearby Bangkok come in their thousands to relax on the sandy but desperately overcrowded beaches (and all the accommodation is taken up). "Ocean World", an American-style leisure park complete with swimming pools, opened on the promenade a few years ago.

Bang Saen Aquarium

Bangkok Education College's interesting Scientific Marine Center (in the inner courtyard of the College) exhibits numerous species of fish found in the Gulf of Thailand.

Khun Phaen House

Khun Phaen House is built on an artificial island where a prison once stood. The traditional Thai house, one of the very few remaining, was constructed in 1940 from material salvaged from other old dwellings. It is not unlike Jim Thompson's House in Bangkok.

Banyong Ratanat Building

Further along on the right, past the Ayutthaya provincial government offices, the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum was founded by King Bhumibol in 1961. It houses some valuable and interesting items in the Lopburi, U Thong, Ayutthaya, Dvaravati and Sukhothai styles including finds from Ayutthaya, sculptures in bronze and stone, terracotta and lacquer work, ceramics, wood-carvings, votive panels and gold jewelry set with precious stones. Outstanding among the many earlier works of art are a seated Buddha (Dvaravati, 11-12th. c.) and a huge bust of the Buddha in the U Thong style.