Vinamek Mansion in Bangkok is a marvelous attraction that often gets only a quick visit, when it can be worth a whole day to see all the other palace buildings in the compound. One wing of Vimanmek Mansion

Little visited but much photographed, the small temple of Wat Si Chum in the ancient Siamese capital of Sukhothai contains the remains of a small chapel (mondop) that barely encloses a serenely seated Buddha image. View through the ruined prayer hall to the chapel.

The old city of Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand was always one of my favorite places to visit. I probably spent more time there than anywhere else outside of Bangkok. The thing about the ancient city is that there are a seemingly endless supply of interesting places tucked away just around the next corner.

While pundits continue to argue about what the extended travel bans mean in the long term for tourism, I believe it's safe to say that most destinations that were popular before the pandemic will, eventually, be popular again. That may leave some of you in a bit of a quandry: Do you really want to go where there are a lot of people, and therefore a higher risk?

As a one-time architect, I have a deep interest in the built environment. While the colonial era — some might say “occupation” — when European powers held sway over much of Southeast Asia had a lot of negative aspects, the wedding-cake confections of the buildings it left behind are still fascinating, where they still exist.

In reviewing my 20 years worth of content and photos for the rebuild of this site, I thought it might be a good idea to summarize my favorites in a single article, to give you some travel inspiration. In this first list, I've selected some of the most memorable historic sites.

Sights around Bangkok by the POSH Guide

Introduction to Bangkok by the POSH Guide.

Shopping tips for Bangkok by the POSH Guide

Introduction to Chiang Mai by the POSH Guide.