BBC World News Presents The Travel Show: Thailand, with Rajan Datar

The Travel Show: Thailand with RajanDatar will be aired at the following times:

• Saturday, 6th December, 2014, 10.00 am and 7.00 pm IST

• Sunday, 7th December, 2014, 12.00 pm IST

Despite its enormous popularity as a sun and sea holiday destination, thanks to its Buddhist traditions, Thailand has also retained a reputation as a country where spirituality is of big part of everyday life.

As a result it's become a destination that's visited by many travellers who want to disengage from the pressures of everyday life and reconnect with something altogether more meaningful - but are they chasing a dream?

In this Travel Show Special presenter Rajan Datar visits Buddhist temples, monastic retreats and exclusive spas across Thailand in search of enlightenment and asks if the country's reputation as a spiritual sanctuary could be under threat as increasing wealth and consumerism take hold.

Please click on the link for high resolutions images on the same: http://we.tl/jLcEyhidyT

And the captions are as follows.

1. Thailand portrays itself as a devout Buddhist country but our experience is that is not so true anymore in the big cities and on the holiday islands...

2. Meeting Thailand's first female Buddhist nun, the remarkable Bhikkhuni Dhammananda.  She is not officially recognised by the Thai Buddhist hierarchy and had to be ordained in Sri Lanka. She believes that women should become monks (or "nunks") and that there is urgent need for reform in Buddhism. 

3. The Chivasom International health resort in HuaHin in Thailand is a luxury exclusive upmarket spa and wellbeing centre with over 200 different treatments and services. But does it really offer a path to spirituality and insight? 

4. The Travel Show team spent two days at the Wat Boonyawad forest monastery in the east of Thailand, meeting the Abbott and several foreign monks with colourful backgrounds... 

5. Interviewing Phra Anil, a senior monk in Bangkok at the first anniversary of the death of Thailand's Supreme Patriarch of 24 years.  Phra Anil became my Buddhist advisor on my journey to find spirituality in 21st century, increasingly consumerist Thailand.