It’s amazing what you can pack into a short visit if you have the energy of a Duracell Bunny. On my last day in Bangkok I decided to spend the morning at the Ancient City, the afternoon in the Farangi (Foreigner’s) quarter and the evening in Chinatown. Of course, there is no point in foreign travel if you stick to air-conditioned tour buses, so I went to the Ancient City in the only way that you can go – first by bus, then a wonderful open-air taxi to the venue itself, about half an hour from Bangkok. I loved sitting crammed at the back of this taxi between two office girls in their new bright clothes and high-heeled shoes and an old woman in flip-flops and a straw hat with bags full of fresh green stuff that looked like spinach but could have been anything. The taxi-driver and all the passengers shooed me out when we arrived at my destination and there I was, on the side of a busy country road with no Ancient City in sight. I showed my guidebook to a passing cyclist and he – with a gap-toothed smile – pointed off down a side road, flanked by shallow canals stuffed with huge floppy water lilies. After a long hot walk over a bridge and between these nodding lotus flowers, I arrived at the Ancient City. I had no idea what I was about to find, apart from the fact that the name was evocative and the guidebook had called it ‘a little-known gem.’ As you might have gathered, I’m big on little-known gems. And what a gem this turned out to be. The Ancient City is a theme park, Thai-style. A Bangkok millionaire with history as a hobby purchased a huge tract of land and began recreating all the prominent buildings, monuments, natural features, archeological, cultural and historical attractions in Thailand. The property itself approximates a map of the country with the buildings in roughly equivalent settings. The result is possibly one of the most magical adventures I have ever had. At the entrance you are offered a free bicycle to ride around the park. Having no idea of the scale of the place I was about to refuse but then decided to take the two wheels. This was a good move – the park is so vast that it is impossible to cover it on foot. Of course the conveyance I chose proved to be the most uncomfortable bike in the world. The front wheels and back wheels had definite ideas of which direction they wanted to go, and these ideas did not coincide with each other’s or mine. Already my muscles had been grumbling about my walking schedule and I very quickly knew that soon a whole new set of muscles would be ringing up to complain. But after a while I forgot about the wayward bike and the saddle-burn and lost myself in a trip back into a jewelled and sparkling history. There are more than a 110 – yes, you read that right – 110 replicas in the Ancient City, from the Emerald Palace to a floating village, a water-borne Royal Pavilion moored to a vista of water-lilies, royal dragon barges, stupas, bridges, statues, ruined temples, villages and farms. The buildings are one-third of the real size, so even though they look like toys they are big enough to walk into. They are cleverly melded into their gardens or screens of trees to form a constant surprise, one after another. So, even as you cycle round a lake with a giant multi-coloured serpent in the middle, you spy a small fishing village through the trees. Then the road veers abruptly to the right, and you come across a colourful arched bridge over a stream, perfectly carved into the most fantastic shapes and creatures.  Around another corner there is a glittering wat with a perfect manicured garden – and then, suddenly, a ruined temple, overgrown with strangler figs. The whole effect is of an enchanted country, adrift from time, perfect in its diminutive size. Even more charming, these are working models. The villages teem with life, the temples are used for prayer, and the gazebos and pavilions offer places to rest or meditate or to have lunch. And every little cluster of huts has a craft shop and restaurant, which features the crafts and foods from that region. I was surprised by how empty of visitors the place was, especially as it obviously requires a lot of money for upkeep. An official told me that the park was not popular with locals, as they regarded it as unnecessary to have replicas, when the real things still existed.  “They say that this is a fake,” said the lady. But that is surely missing the point completely. In one enchanted morning a visitor can see all the most interesting and attractive buildings - authentically recreated - in the entire country, sample all the different life-styles and enjoy the different terrains. All this in a most attractive park-like setting, quiet and shaded and peaceful. It was the highlight of my visit (and a stark and substantial contrast to my later venture into Chinatown). I don’t know how anyone can go to Bangkok and not visit the Ancient City, that’s all I have to say.