This elaborately-ornate roof in Bangkok, Thailand was photographed from the platform of a temple across the river. It is typical of traditional Thai architecture.

If you’re a frequent world traveler, you’ll end up in Bangkok at some point or another. It’s a major regional hub in Asia, and a relatively affordable city. So take your time. Enjoy the sites, restock your travel supplies and grab a massage or two. From there you can decide which additional destinations in Thailand you’d like to explore. For now, here are a few tips for exploring Bangkok proper.

River Bus Ride

Similarly to Venice, Italy, Bangkok has a river bus system. It’s an extremely affordable way to get around various parts of the city, and a great way to get some unusual photos you can’t shoot from the street. It’s also great for spotting various styles of boats, and riverside homes.

Temple Touring

There are a number of temples worth touring in Bangkok. Some of them historical, and others a bit more modern. That being said, anyone who likes photographing Buddha images and traditional Thai architecture can expect to be thoroughly entertained in this city.

Visiting the Thai National Museum

With an impressive collection of Thai artefacts and artwork, the Thai National Museum is worth a visit. Squeezed in between an affordable morning massage and an early dinner at the ever-popular restaurant Cabbages and Condoms, it makes for a pleasant way to spend a day.

Check Out the Grand Palace

Just like you wouldn’t want to miss the main palace in Cambodia, the Grand Palace in Bangkok is a must-see attraction. Ornate Thai architecture and loaded with tradition, it’s a gorgeous attraction and one of the main things to see in the city.

Nightlife

While there are numerous places in Bangkok to enjoy a little nightlife, the majority of independent travelers head to the backpacking havens of Khao San and Patpong Roads. Each location will provide you with the opportunity for budget to mid-range food, affordable Thai massages and a multitude of souvenir options.

Branch Out

Once you’re done vacationing in Bangkok, branch out to some of the other Thai destinations like Chiang Rai, Ayutthaya or Phuket. The city is also a major international hub from which to fly out to other countries in the area affordably.

Regardless of how long you’re in the city, Bangkok has enough to keep you entertained.  So get a massage, have a suit custom made, and tour some temples. There are plenty of restaurants to splurge on in the evenings, and plenty of hotels with swimming pools to relax by in the afternoon. As major cities go, it’s not a bad place to regroup, and get some business accomplished at the same time.

Photo Credits: These pictures of Bangkok were photographed by the team at Trek Hound, and are available for use through a creative commons agreement through our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

Easily accessible from modern-day Bangkok, the former Siam capital of Ayutthaya, Thailand has a number of cultural locations to tour, including an historical archaeological park which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent nearly a week there before heading to Cambodia, enjoying great Thai food and exploring ancient ruins. Here’s a basic rundown of what you can expect.

The Ayutthaya temples are the main attractions.

There are a number Ayutthaya temples to tour, and many of them are quite impressive. The grounds of one are a popular picnic destination for locals, while another hosts the unusual photo op of a Buddha head in a Banyan tree. The roots have grown around the head portion of an ancient statue, making for a unique distraction. Not all temples are from the old kingdom. Several are more modern, but still house beautiful gold statues tended to by monks in mystical orange garments. For my tourist time, these are just as interesting to visit and photograph.

It’s possible to rest your head affordably while you tour Ayutthaya, and still have a private room.

We managed to stay for $12 per night at a place called Bann Kun Phra. The rooms were tiny, but clean and we had a private bath. The establishment also had an affordable restaurant with a riverside patio. The food was really quite good, and in the evening the place was lit with a myriad of white lights. The inside seating area for the restaurant boasted unique loft-style tables with glass tops and the wrought-iron bases of antique sewing machines. All in all, quite a bit of charm for the price.

If you want to squeeze in as much as possible, book a tuk-tuk driver for the day.

You’ll see people renting bicycles, which is fine if you live there and have the luxury of spending your entire break seeing just that one town. Even with six months off, that wasn’t in our schedule as we had other countries we wanted to visit. Besides, the city of Ayutthaya is quite expansive. Spending too much time biking between temple attractions really leaves you short on time to strategically plan for photo ops and enjoy the actual temples themselves.

All in all, Ayutthaya, Thailand is a great place to spend a few days before heading further north to Chiang Mai, or through Korat on your way to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It’s also a great place to spend a long weekend for expats living and working in Bangkok.

Photo Credits: The Trek Hound team photographed these particular Ayutthaya images, which are available through a creative commons agreement on our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

This image is proof positive that you just can’t tell where your next photo opportunity will come from.

We were touring an archeological site and trying to get the best image of a stone statue, when we realized how close we had gotten to the edge of the park. At that point, we were actually standing along the edge of a row of houses that sat along one side of the site. One of them had a cute goldfish pond with these three stone elephants standing guard.

Not an ancient statue at all, these were simple concrete yard ornaments available for a song. The flowers and cascading water paired with the afternoon light however, to make this charming shot.  What’s your favorite unexpected travel photo?

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

Taken in Thailand, this dragon is one I’ve seen in numerous other travel photos. Still, I couldn’t resist. He deserves to be photographed, don’t you think?

A friend of ours is completely enamored with dragons, so we were on the lookout for anything dragon related on our world tour. This particular dragon is so colorful and has such texture and depth, he just commanded our attention.

Got a favorite dragon pic? Share a link to it in the comment section below.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This statue of a warrior guarding a temple is made of a mosaic of broken porcelain dishes. We toured the complex on a day excursion during a brief stint in Bangkok.

We arrived by river bus and toured the pleasant compound, which provided numerous photo opportunities. It was a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city.

If you ever have a chance to visit Bangkok, I recommend including some of the more sedate temples and visiting them by river bus. It’s a much more relaxing way to spend the day then being stuck in city traffic, and you get the cool breezes from the water to boot.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This giant stone head from an ancient Buddha statue has been framed where it fell by the roots of a giant banyan tree.

Taken in Ayutthaya, Thailand, this Buddha image is one of the many reasons my husband and I love to tour archeological sites for photo opportunities.  There’s always something unexpected and poignant.

We found this root-encased Buddha image at the end of the day, just before sunset. He provided a  thoughtful end to that particular excursion, and something to contemplate and discuss over dinner that evening.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

To be honest, Buddha statues aren’t exactly hard to come by when touring Southeast Asia. For some reason, however, this one caught my eye.

The scale is elegant, and the side view provides a glimpse of the serenity provided by disciplined meditation. This particular image was shot in Thailand, although it could have easily been obtained elsewhere in the region.

Got a favorite Buddha image in your travel photo collection? Link to it in your comment below.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

As bustling as Bangkok is, there are still places you can go to get zen. Such is this little spot at a monastery we visited there. 

At the majority of the Buddhist monasteries I’ve been to in East Asia, the coordinators are almost always open to respectful visiting travelers.  In addition to a wonderful cultural experience, these make for a relaxing break in the middle of an otherwise hurried and possibly frustrating travel day.

I still love looking at this bell image for its serenity, drama and commanding presence. What’s your favorite way to get zen when traveling to a busy, intense country?

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This photo was submitted to the March 5, 2010 edition of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.Com.