handmade journey
Take me to
the river
photo: getty images (main)
N o th i n g s ay s r o m an c e q u i te
l i k e g ett i n g a w ay f r o m i t a l l
o n the w ater . D an i e l Se i f ert
c a s t s o f f and d i s c o v er s the
be s t p l a c e s i n the w o r l d f o r
an a q uat i c a s s i g nat i o n
U N D E R T H E B A N YA N T R E E
07/12
2015
Journey by boat through a city’s central
river, and you are literally riding the
waves of history. And some waterways
evoke that weight of history with a
simple name: like Bangkok’s Chao
Praya, the River of Kings. No wonder
Bangkok still holds the title of ‘Venice of
the East’— more than 50,000 people still
ferry to and from the banks each day.
And you can be one of them. Step
on the Apsara, Banyan Tree Bangkok’s
riverboat, and you can enjoy a crafted
experience of local delights. Savour crab
claw in coconut broth as you watch the
Grand Palace and golden Rama VIII
Bridge light up for the night.
Things get more romantic still
on the Sanya Rak, or The Promise of
Love. This dainty longtail boat seats
just two people, allowing you and your
partner to soak up Phuket’s romantic
lagoons, melt-in-the-mouth cuisine,
and indigenous music. When you’re in
a new destination, after all, you should
travel as the locals do; and there’s no
more charming local conveyance than
a longtail boat, the craft that have
powered Thai trade for centuries. With
a sleek, narrow profile they are ideal for
navigating the jewel-like aquamarine
waters of Thailand. Many owners
adorn their longtails with bright sashes,
incense and lotus flowers. This is to
A B OV E : Meander along
the river with a romantic
dinner cruise at Banyan
Tree Mayakoba
l e f t : The waterways of
Bangkok have changed little
since this 1893 watercolour
by Henri Meyer, published in
Le Petit Journal
please Mae Ya Nang, a female spirit that
is said to live in the bodies of boats.
Across the Pacific, the Mexicans
have their own flat-bottomed craft,
dubbed trajineras. Step aboard Ixchel,
Banyan Tree Mayakoba’s boat named
after the Mexican moon goddess, and
navigate the mangroves in style. As
the sun sets, enjoy a cooked-to-order
menu, as Ixchel herself rises in the sky.
And if you want to watch
dolphins rising from the water just as
majestically, hop on a boat in Banyan
Tree Vabbinfaru. These Maldivian
finned funmakers will show you how to
enjoy the ocean the right way.
In
many respects, these majestic creatures
echo the words the famed journalist
Hal Boyle said about waterways: “What
makes a river so restful to people is that
it doesn’t have any doubt — it is sure to
get where it is going, and it doesn’t want
to go anywhere else.”
B a n ya n T r e e
B AN G -<