Thursday, November 28, 2013

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - Rachaburi Province - Thailand



Damnoen Saduak is a tourist friendly floating market in Rachaburi Province about 100k outside Bangkok. It is interesting to see the wooden boats selling produce both to people on land and others on boats. It is a colourful scene but the main area is definitely very tourist orientated.


Arriving by boat is a must if you go to this particular floating market as otherwise you do not fully appreciate that the area is an extended water based community and not just the market which sadly tends to be mainly a tourist trap. The sights we saw en route to the market were we felt just as interesting if not more so in a way than the actual market, as we were seeing peoples homes and shops. I will let you judge for yourselves by sharing my photos, let me know what you think.


If you have read my earlier post River Trip to the Grand Palace - Bangkok you will know we were in Thailand at the time of some serious flooding. If you look closely at the photos above, you will observe that the water levels were very high en route to the market, the gardens of the residents are under water.




A sea of colourful umbrellas heralded our arrival at the market.









Finally this friendly Thai soldier was collecting donations for to help the flood victims all over Thailand. I hope you enjoyed your virtual trip to the market.


The following website links may also be of interest.
Trip Advisor - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market   There are many markets in Bangkok, which you can check out on the Markets in Bangkok - Wikipedia  page.

All photos are my own taken in October 2011. 
 Copyright All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection 
More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Bourneville and Cadbury World


I have just spent the weekend with my youngest daughter and her fiancĂ©, we decided to meet up and stay in a hotel somewhere instead of them driving all the way up to Wales. The decision was made to stay in Bourneville, just four miles outside Birmingham, an easy train journey for me, which gave me the opportunity to put my Senior Railcard to good use instead of driving! There was an ulterior motive in selecting the Birmingham area as my daughter wanted to visit Cadbury World, I must admit I was a little sceptical but was looking forward to exploring the village of Bourneville as I had heard a lot about it. Well I was pleasantly surprised as the tour of Cadbury World  was very much more interesting than I had anticipated and far more orientated towards adults and the history of chocolate than I had expected.

The hotel where we stayed is one of the original buildings that were there in 1879. 
Bourneville village is a very special place as it was set up by the Cadbury family. In 1879, they moved their business to Bournbrook Hall, 4 miles (6.4 km) to the south of Birmingham. The location was chosen as it was regarded as cleaner, healthier and more amenable to longer-term expansion plans. Although rural, it was already serviced by a railway station, which itself was located right next to the canal.
The Cadburys named the area 'Bournville' after the Bourn Brook (now known as The Bourn); with 'ville' being French for 'town' then  the Cadburys began to develop their factory in the new suburb. Loyal and hard-working workers were treated with great respect and relatively high wages and good working conditions; Cadbury also pioneered pension schemes, joint works committees and a full staff medical service, way ahead of the times!
In 1893, George Cadbury bought 120 acres of land close to the works and planned, at his own expense, a model village which would 'alleviate the evils of modern more cramped living conditions'. By 1900, the estate included 313 cottages and houses set on 330 acres of land and many more similar properties were built in the years leading up to World War I, with smaller developments taking place later on in the 20C. These almost 'Arts and Crafts' houses were traditional in design but with large gardens and modern interiors, and were designed by a resident architect William Alexander Harvey. These designs became a blueprint for many other model village estates around Britain. It is also noteworthy that, because George Cadbury was a temperance Quaker, no public houses have ever been built in Bournville; however, since the late 1940s, there has been a licensed members' bar at Rowheath Pavilion.





The above photos show Bourneville Village shops, the Village Green and the Parish Church 'St Francis of Assisi'which was built in 1925. Up until that time services had been held in the adjacent village hall, to which the church was later connected to by cloisters.
The Rest House was built in 1914, designed by local architect W.Alexander Harvey, based on a medieval market hall in Dunster, Somerset, the original home of the Cadbury family. The Rest House was a gift from Cadbury employees around the world in recognition of the Silver Wedding Anniversary of George and Elizabeth Cadbury. As the name suggests it offers space to sit, reflect and enjoy the surroundings. The building is now a visitor centre, selling local crafts and souvenirs as well as exhibiting the history of  the Bourneville Carillon


The Bournville Carillon was erected in a semi-rural location in 1906, before the onslaught of urban development and the building of the busy main road by which it now stands adjacent. 
This carillon ranks as one of the finest and largest in Great Britain, having 48 bells hung below a domed copper cupola above the tower of of the junior and infant schools on Bournville Village Green. It is owned and administered by the Bournville Village Trust,  Normally the carillon will be played twice every Saturday commencing at 12.00 noon and 3.00 p.m. for approximately one hour on each occasion. We were able to enjoy the live concert broadcast live whilst we were exploring the village on Saturday afternoon.
Selly Manor Museum
Selly Manor is a historic building that George Cadbury rescued from a nearby location when it was threatened with demolition and had re-erected in the village. It is now a museum, which sadly this time I did not have time to visit. Maybe a return trip one day!
Men's Sports Pavilion
The Men's Recreation Ground was laid in 1896 and the Men's Pavilion was opened in 1902, a gift from the firm to the male employees to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII.

Having found the concept of Bourneville Village of great interest I was intrigued about our visit to Cadbury World on Sunday. As I mentioned at the start of this post I found the tour more interesting than I had anticipated and far more orientated towards adults and the history of chocolate than I had expected. Below is a brief description of what to expect from your visit followed by some of my photos. The link to my full album of the visit can be found at the end of this post.


About Cadbury World

A trip to Cadbury World will uncover a world of chocolate delights and interesting facts about the history,  making and the magic of Cadbury confectionery.

With fourteen different zones, there is plenty to interest the whole family. From learning how your favourite confectionery is being made and uncovering the fascinating story of Cadbury chocolate, choosing your own delicious taste sensation covered in warm liquid Dairy Milk.

You'll discover the origins of the cocoa bean amidst trees and waterfalls in the Aztec jungle, before jumping on board the magical Cadabra ride and meeting the infamous Cadbury drumming gorilla!

The average visit time to Cadbury World is around three hours. There are places to eat and drink, and you'll be able to stock up on all your favourite treats at The World's Biggest Cadbury Shop




Photos above from the areas where photography is allowed from tableaus in the Aztec Jungle to Advertising and finally. Did you know how long various Cadbury chocolate products have been in production?




Official visitor video produced by Cadbury World.




 I actually enjoyed letting the train take the strain and look forward to more weekends like this one.


I hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit today. I have included some further information and links in case you are planning your own trip, or just wish to learn a little more about Bourneville and Cadbury's World.


  1. Address: Linden Road, Bourneville, Birmingham, B30 2LU
    Phone: 0844 880 7667

    Hours:

    Monday10:30 am – 4:30 pm
    Tuesday10:30 am – 4:30 pm
    Wednesday10:30 am – 4:30 pm
    Thursday10:30 am – 4:30 pm
    Friday10:30 am – 4:30 pm
    Saturday10:00 am – 5:30 pm
    Sunday10:00 am – 5:30 pm





There is car parking on site, but it is also just a short walk from Bourneville Station which is on the Longbridge Line from Birmingham New Street.

The following website links where with thanks to the sites, I obtained the factual information used here may also be of interest:

Bourneville - Wikipedia  Bourneville Carillon  Bourneville Village Trust  Bourneville News







All photos are my own taken in November 2013. 
 Copyright All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection 
More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho - Bangkok - Thailand.



After leaving The Grand Palace - Bangkok behind we walked through a local market to see The Reclining Buddha that is in the same vicinity. A short ten minute stroll that took us longer as we browsed the stalls and I took photos.




                                                     We soon arrived at Wat Pho



The reclining Buddha is 15 m high and 43 m long with his right arm supporting the head of tight curls is supported on blue box pillows encrusted with glass mosaics. The 3 m high and 4.5 m long foot of the Buddha is inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The panels, around the Buddha display the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories. Over the statue is a seven tiered umbrella representing the authority of Thailand. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha, where people drop coins as it is believed to bring good fortune, as well as helping the monks maintain the temple.






It is worth taking time to look around the rest of the complex as although there is lots more to see. Unfortunately many tourists only take time to view the main attraction of the Reclining Buddha and therefore miss out on soaking up the rest of the atmosphere. 








I hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit today. I have included some further information and links in case you are planning your own trip, or just wish to learn a little more about Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha.


  1. Address: 2 Sanamchai Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
    Phone:+66 2 226 0335

    Hours:
     
    Daily 8.00am - 5.00pm




The following website links may also be of interest.


All photos are my own taken in October 2011. 
 Copyright All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection 
More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled