Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand December 2014 / January 2015 | Page 51

Life & Travel

1

Go Glamping at
Khao Kheo Open
Zoo & Safari

Bangkok on a
Bike Tour
tory, culture and traditions—which
you likely never even knew existed.
Just Nok bike tours is one of the many
bicycle tour companies in Bangkok
offering a variety of full and halfday tours. We particularly like their
“Bangkok Behind the Scenes” tour,
which unfolds like a timeline of Bangkok’s history.

2

Travel Back in
Time at Talad
Rot Fai Market

During the summer months,
the thought of spending half a Saturday trekking around an infernally hot market such as Chatuchak
can be a little disheartening.
But as the weather gets cooler,
the experience changes and instead
of sweating profusely and being
ready to go home within minutes,
markets suddenly become—dare
we say it—actually enjoyable.
Bangkok has its share
of big weekend markets,
but there is one which stands
Rot Fai Market

out from the rest simply because
it is like no other. The Talad
Rot Fai Market (also known
as the train market) is split into
two parts. There is a familiar night
market to explore, but behind
the night market is hidden
a much more interesting antiques
market. It is the antiques
market that is another
one of Bangkok’s best-kept secrets.
Here you can wander around
the warehouses and rummage
among the huge variety of trinkets
and treasures. If trinket shopping
is not your ideal way to spend
an evening, bear in mind that
Talad Rot Fai Market is also home
to some beautiful vintage cars,
scooters and motorbikes as well
as some very hip, unusual bars.
Talad Rot Fai is open on Fridays,
Saturdays, and Sundays
in the evening, and the best time
to arrive is around 7:00 pm.

Khao Kheo
Located just an hour and a half drive
outside of Bangkok, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo is an ideal short getaway from the bustling city during
the cooler months. The sprawling
zoo spreads across 2,000 acres of land
and has all the usual suspects including
monkeys, giraffes, hippos, and elephants. Although it is possible to explore
the zoo and meet its friendly inhabitants during a one-day trip, we believe
a much more memorable experience
to be had is camping—or, more accurately, glamping—inside the zoo itself.
The Es-Ta-Te Resort offers large, wellequipped, safari style tents that include
full size mattresses and air conditioning. But the highlight of your experience won’t be the moder