Thai floral table arrangement

Hello friends! How is the week treating you all? My week as usual was divided between getting over the weekend relaxation and  planning for the next weekend. My mind has been drifting to our trip which we did around this time last year. We went to the very relaxing, stunning, colorful, green Thailand . Thailand has hot and humid climate which is perfect for many oriental varieties of flowers. 

We stayed at Mandarin oriental. It has every possible nook, corner and table ravishingly,  elegantly decorated with exotic , colorful, vibrant floral arrangements. The concrete bowls with floating lotus were placed in the garden which led to the outdoor pool and restaurant. These pop of colors were so soothing  to the eye and relaxing in the hot weather. It instantly puts you into the state of nirvana !!

 Floral arrangements need not be elaborate,  grand , eye popping all the time. Single stem flower arrangements look equally exquisite and elegant. They blend gorgeously in the setting and rest of the decor. These minimalist arrangement complement the setting well especially when there is limited space or the arrangement need not  be the center of attraction. The color combination of the flower and the vase in first picture which was taken in the outdoor restaurant is soothing. The lovely stem/s are displayed angelic in a clear glass vase. 

I would love to have tea like this every day.. A white plate, banyan leaf cut round, orchid, green tea with lemon and honey in a clear glass.  Divine!!! 

I would really enjoy recreating all these arrangement for my dining table .. That is if I find lotus here and I don't think they look any good with artificial lotus.. So till then I will dream and reminisce !!!!

Joining the party at Tablescape Thrusday, Home and Garden, Home sweet Home, Show and Tell!! 

Wat Pho- Temple of the reclining buddha

We had been to Bangkok last year sometime when Avaneesh was 1 year old. Compared to now it was quite easy to go any place which is not kid friendly or has nothing to do with kids. Now we have to think and research if there is anything for kids before we go anywhere. Although I must admit he loves to see beautiful places and things. 

Coming back to the topic we went to the beautiful Buddhist temple in Bangkok. Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok. It features the largest single Buddha - the famous reclining Buddha - measuring more than 160 feet in length. 

The image of the reclining Buddha is made of stuccoed bricks and gilded with gold leaves. It is 46 meters long, 15 meters high at the head end and 3 meters at the feet end. The The 3 m high and 4.5 m long feet of Buddha's sole (in the last pic below) are inlaid with mother of pearl. They are crafted with 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha in Thai- Chinese art style.

The gorgeous wall mural is made with gold and ink in the Hall of the Reclining Buddha in the temple. The great wall mural is composed of a coordinated series of paintings illustrating the life stories.

       The intricate mural are some 200 year old and are made all through the top on a 100 feet tall wall. The doors and ceiling look stunning with beautiful patterns made in combination of either black & gold or red & gold.

Some features I attracted to and saw everywhere in the Wat Pho were beautiful metal bells, stone statues,Chinese guards, Foo dogs,  ballasts from ancient trading ships from China, Miniature gardens to name a few.

The roof and entrances are heavily decorated with carved images with multiple tiers.  Ornamented multiple tiers style of roof is reserved for roofs on temples, palaces and important public buildings. Two or three tiers are often used, but some royal temples have four.  Dynamic visual rhythms is created by layers of roof - smallest at top , larger in the middle and the largest at the bottom.

In the inner large ground of the temple were images of 1000 Buddha  from different temples which were ruined.We ventured in other parts of Vihara-  Chedis of four kings, Thai Massage school, Ordination Hall, Pang Nak Prok and some more.  

It was hot and humid on that day. We were exhausted by the end of visit. We had kept one day of our trip to the city to view only temples. There are around 400 Wats in Bangkok. We saw only a few. This was one of them. 

 Wat Pho was on our ' must visit' for long time. 

Joining Travel Tuesday!!

Thai table decor

We just came back from a 5 day holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. I had heard about beautiful Thailand for long ..not only about the natural, historical, handicraft beauty but the beauty of its culture, decor and aesthetics. Well, Thailand turned out to be more beautiful in all ways many times better than I had imagined. 

Although we have moved and traveled around quite a bit around the globe with my 20 month old but this was the first time we traveled at night. As you could imagine we both spend the night sleepless and stressed. So when we reached our hotel we were so happy and instantly felt relaxed when we were greeted with a wrist garland of fresh heavenly smelling jasmine and orchids. 

Then we were whisked to our room with an escort..We stepped into a beautiful colonial style room with a view of the river. The room was decorated with lovely orchids of varied colors .. pink and white blooms in a big vase in the entrance, white orchid plant in the bathroom, yellow orchid flowers in the sitting room, purple in small vase in the bedroom. 

A big platter of fresh tropical fruits was on the center table which had the juiciest fruits of the season which we all relished every day.. I just loved the arrangement!!  I am so glad that my son never spoils the table arrangements.. 

The teak wood tray had  hand made ceramic plates ,gold (-plated!) cutlery, a bowl with a floating orchid , nicely rolled white napkins and a sweet little note..

Soon a waiter rushed in with a welcome drink .delicious blend of aromaticand refreshing   lemon grass, tea,sugar, mint ..wow..what a combination!!!!

I was very impressed by Thai hospitality and warmth.