my Travels...
Buddhist kingdom founded in the region as early as the second century that appeared in many accounts by Chinese travelers, the most famous of whom was the Buddhist pilgrim I-Ching.
The kingdom drew trade from Chinese, Indian, and local traders as a stopping place for ships bound for, or just arrived from, the Gulf of Thailand.
The island was referred to as 檳榔嶼 (Bīnláng Xù) in the navigational drawings used by Admiral Zheng He of Ming-dynasty China in his expeditions to the South Seas in the 15th century. Early Malays called it Pulau Ka-Satu or “First Island”.
Champasak ( or Champassack ) as once, 1400 years ago, the centre of power in the lower Mekong basin, later a revered outpost of the Khmer Angkor empire and, later still, one of the three kingdoms to rule over the remains of Lane Xang. A fine heritage that, according to the last prince of Champasak, was brought to hard times by a former queen’s indiscretion.
Pha That Luang (great stupa) is the most important national monument in Laos
Pha That Luang (Paa T-had Lu-uang) (Great Stupa in Lao) is a Buddhist stupa in Vientiane, Laos. It was built in the 16th century under King Setthathirat on the ruins of an earlier 13th century Khmer temple, which the Lao believe was in turn built on a 3rd century Indian temple built by Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire who were sent by the Emperor Ashoka.[citation needed] Relics of The Buddha are said to be contained here.
Petaling Street is a place that never sleeps. It is a great place for locals to get some goods at bargain prices and certainly an eye-opening experience for tourists.
Looking for cheap clothes, fabrics, souvenirs, electronic items, watches, CDs and more? Then Petaling Street is the place for you. It is easy getting to Petaling Street as numerous bus companies service the area.
Legend has it that the Shwedagon Pagoda is 2500 years old. Archaeologists believe the stupa was actually built sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries by the Mon, but this is a very controversial issue because according to the records by Buddhist monks it was built before Lord Buddha died in 486 BC. The story of Shwedagon Pagoda begins with two merchant brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from the land of Ramanya, meeting the Lord Gautama Buddha and receiving eight of the Buddha’s hairs to be enshrined in Burma.
If Koh Samui is well known today, the first reverent mention of the name was most likely heard in the packed downstairs restaurant of that dirty but charismatic tryst. Amongst the pungent smoke billowing from the cook’s wok, word frequently passed around about an idyllic island in the south east of Thailand, very difficult to reach, a place with only walking tracks, and as close to being paradise as Mother Earth can possibly provide. Furthermore, this was no tiny islet, but a large and mountainous tropical haven with rushing streams, thick forests, and dozens of deserted pristine palm-fringed beaches, the stuff of dreams and fantasy.
The most comfortable shopping district of Bangkok, it is nevertheless worth a visit even if one isn’t interested in items bought cheaply there. The main roads of Chinatown are the New Road (Charoen Krung) and Yaowaraj Road. The most picturesque shopping street is Sampheng Lane (see below), parallel to Yaowaraj Road.
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