Where on earth did you find this place?
It was featured in one of the travel magazines. Khao Yai, situated about 3 hours drive towards the northeast of Bangkok, boasts a national park. The Khao Yai National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, blessed with mountainous landscapes, waterfalls, valleys, rich wildlife and rare tropical birds.
But that was not where we were headed. What caught our attention is this vineyard at the foot of the national park, through a small side road into the lush Asoke Valley, there lies the GranMonte Estate. A family owned vineyard and winery, producing wines out of home grown wine grapes from the local soil.
Little did we know that wines could be produced from a valley with tropical temperatures instead of a chilled highland. It wasn't only one type of grape, but various types have been grown - Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Semillon - to name a few. It's admirable how one man is able to turn his passion for wine into a successful business with international recognitions. We were fortunate to have met the founder and his wife during our brief stay at the estate.
Yes, we did put up a night at the estate. The GranMonte Guesthouse is at the edge of the vineyard and about 15 minutes walk from the main entrance. No transportation was provided, and there was a real good reason for it. The rooms, with its dark hardwood floors, had been so comfortable that the friend had opted to sleep on it instead of the bed.
There was just so much to take in - the beautiful landscape, the vines, the morning whiffs, the trail, the pond, the flowers, the birds. The tranquility of its surroundings, the stillness of the night... words just couldn't do them justice. You ought to be there in person to experience it all.
We departed with such a heavy heart, for the second time now. The mind kept lingering back to that view of the sun peeking out from behind the mountains to cast a soft glow to the row of vines below. If only I could wake up to this every morning.
Since we were in the area, we stopped by at another tourist spot to see what did they have to offer - Farm Chokchai. An extremely large dairy farm and one of the biggest in Asia. We signed up for a tour to take us around the farm and to understand more of what they do. Boy, were we disappointed!
The entire tour was conducted in Thai. We had no idea what the narrative was all about. The few stage shows that was in store had been so lame that we were shaking our heads at the end. We were not able to see the cow cattle roam the field - they were all kept in sheds. Perhaps the only thing enjoyable was watching a demonstration of how a sheep dog chases a herd of sheep up to a truck. Even if you have time to spare on your trip, it would be advisable to leave out the place. It was not worth it.
It was featured in one of the travel magazines. Khao Yai, situated about 3 hours drive towards the northeast of Bangkok, boasts a national park. The Khao Yai National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, blessed with mountainous landscapes, waterfalls, valleys, rich wildlife and rare tropical birds.
But that was not where we were headed. What caught our attention is this vineyard at the foot of the national park, through a small side road into the lush Asoke Valley, there lies the GranMonte Estate. A family owned vineyard and winery, producing wines out of home grown wine grapes from the local soil.
Little did we know that wines could be produced from a valley with tropical temperatures instead of a chilled highland. It wasn't only one type of grape, but various types have been grown - Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Semillon - to name a few. It's admirable how one man is able to turn his passion for wine into a successful business with international recognitions. We were fortunate to have met the founder and his wife during our brief stay at the estate.
Yes, we did put up a night at the estate. The GranMonte Guesthouse is at the edge of the vineyard and about 15 minutes walk from the main entrance. No transportation was provided, and there was a real good reason for it. The rooms, with its dark hardwood floors, had been so comfortable that the friend had opted to sleep on it instead of the bed.
There was just so much to take in - the beautiful landscape, the vines, the morning whiffs, the trail, the pond, the flowers, the birds. The tranquility of its surroundings, the stillness of the night... words just couldn't do them justice. You ought to be there in person to experience it all.
We departed with such a heavy heart, for the second time now. The mind kept lingering back to that view of the sun peeking out from behind the mountains to cast a soft glow to the row of vines below. If only I could wake up to this every morning.
Since we were in the area, we stopped by at another tourist spot to see what did they have to offer - Farm Chokchai. An extremely large dairy farm and one of the biggest in Asia. We signed up for a tour to take us around the farm and to understand more of what they do. Boy, were we disappointed!
The entire tour was conducted in Thai. We had no idea what the narrative was all about. The few stage shows that was in store had been so lame that we were shaking our heads at the end. We were not able to see the cow cattle roam the field - they were all kept in sheds. Perhaps the only thing enjoyable was watching a demonstration of how a sheep dog chases a herd of sheep up to a truck. Even if you have time to spare on your trip, it would be advisable to leave out the place. It was not worth it.
From there on, we made our way to the old city of Thailand, one that is not known to many.....
Thailand - Part IV : Ayutthaya
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