Thailand Day 6: OMG! I saw Bae Yong Jun! :D

February 7, 2011
"THE LAST DAY"

On our final day in Thailand, I saw Korean actor Bae Yong Jun!!! :D For those who are not familiar with his name, he was the leading actor in Endless Love: Winter Sonata.

But before that fateful meeting, my mom and I had the chance to visit Jim Thompson House, less than 5 minutes walk from Lub D Siam! ;) The entrance fee is 100 baht which includes an English guided tour.

This popular tourist spot does not only showcase teakwood houses and antique furniture but it also lets us take a peek into the life of Jim Thompson, an American expat who revived the silk industry in Thailand. Unfortunately, Jim Thompson can no longer see the popularity of his home by the canal because he mysteriously disappeared in the Cameron Highlands on March 1967. :(
 

A spirit house


This lovely balcony faces the front of the canal.


You can also buy beautiful items made from silk in the Jim Thompson store.

Afterwards, we were off to Siam Ocean World located at the basement of the upscale Siam Paragon mall. For only 800 baht, we were able to avail of the glass bottom boat tour, back of the house tour, fish spa plus free popcorn and pepsi. :)

Though I have been to Manila Ocean Park before, I did not get bored of this place because:

I was amazed by the stingrays


It was my first time to see water rats


I got to experience many colorful fish swim around me


I saw myself on TV with some jellyfish


I had a close encounter with a shark




Best of all, I got the chance to see penguins in real life! ^___^

And as for my encounter with Bae Yong Jun, I admit that I have been sneaky with you guys. I did see Bae Yong Jun but it was not the real one, hehe. It was only a wax figure! :D

The wax figure was displayed at the lobby of Siam Discovery Mall to promote the newly opened branch of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I guess this is how popular Korean actors are in Thailand that he was used instead of a Hollywood actor. :)  I wish that next time, I will meet the real life Bae Yong Jun! ^_^

Well, that's the end of my Thailand trip chronicles. :) I do hope that you enjoyed reading my stories about Thailand and that I helped in some way in planning your itinerary. Thank you very much for visiting my blog. Take care and have a nice weekend! ^_^

Thailand Day 5: Chatuchak Market

February 6, 2011 (Sunday)
"SHOPPING ON A BUDGET"

Chatuchak  Market is one of the world's largest weekend market. And what better place to shop than here! ;)

Aside from the usual clothes, shoes and accessories, you can also find handicrafts, gardening tools and even cute puppies for sale! ^_^ Don't worry if you get hungry as there are many food stalls scattered around the area.

The place was really huge! You can get lost around the maze of stalls, hehe. :D I suggest that if you plan to go here to allot at least 3 hours or more so that you can scout for good items.

Though I am not a shopaholic, I could not resist buying some items especially since it was cheap, hehe.

1. piano passport holder - 80 baht
2. red shorts - 99 baht
3. metal wire cloth headband - 29 baht
4. handpainted canvas shoes - 280+ baht (sorry, forgot the exact price)

My favorite is actually the handpainted canvas shoes. I have seen shoes like these in Multiply but it was expensive. Some stores sell it for P1,000+. So I was very happy to see an affordable version in Chatuchak! ^_^

If you want to go to Chatuchak, it is very easy thru BTS. Just go down at Mochit station and follow the crowd. The fare from Siam to Mochit is 35 baht.  HAPPY SHOPPING! ^_^

Thailand Day 4: Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-in Summer Palace

February 5, 2011 (Saturday)
"RELIVING HISTORY IN AYUTTHAYA"


Group Tour Package from Noi Tours (beside Sawasdee Inn Khao San)
Whole day Ayutthaya by van and Bang Pa-in Summer Palace
Cost: 600 baht for the Ayutthaya tour and 50 baht for the entrance to Summer Palace

Like the previous day, my mom and I also joined a group tour. The journey to Ayutthaya was not that long compared to going to Kanchanaburi. We arrived in about an hour to Chedi Wat Phu Khao Thong (Golden Mount). It is one of the tallest pagodas in Ayutthaya. 

After that, we travelled to Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To give you a brief background about Ayutthaya, it was the former capital of Thailand until the year 1767 when the Burmese came and destroyed the place. That is the reason why you can see many ruins here.

We went with our guide to the reclining buddha where he asked us to stick a coin in the Buddha's feet. He said that if our coin does not fall, then we are lucky and have powers.You only have three chances to stick the coin. Fortunately, my coin sticked to the Buddha's feet on my first try. :)

It was interesting how this woman in our tour group failed to stick the coin as hers always fell down. Coincidentally, she had a stroke of bad luck as her clothes were splashed with coke during lunchtime! 0_0

After that, we were left to tour that particular area of the park on our own. Here are some interesting pictures:

After that, the tour group had lunch. The menu was still the same with our free lunch in Kanchanaburi but this time we had free fruits. ^_^

The next stop was Wat Phra Mahathat. It is where you can find the Buddha head enclosed in the roots of a Bodhi tree. Also, you can see a lot of headless buddhas as the heads were stolen.

When taking a picture with the Buddha head, your head should be lower than the Buddha's head as a sign of respect.

Afterwards, we went to Wat Lokayasutha where the huge reclining buddha can be found. The reclining pose  meant to represent the exact moment at which Buddha achieved enlightenment. I believe that the buddha has been replaced as the buddha that I have seen in other blogs looked different. You can see a picture of the old buddha in this link.

The last Wat or Temple of the day is Wat Phra Si Sanphet.This is where the royal palace once stood.

The chedi in the background is one of the three chedis located in the area. It housed the remains of the royal family.

This is my favorite Wat in Ayutthaya. As you can see, I had fun posing for pictures here, hehe.

By the way, if you would like to try riding on an elephant, this is where the starting point of the elephant ride can be found.

The last stop of the day was Bang Pa-in Summer Palace. Compared with the Wats, the place had  more of a European feel. Also, it is so big that there are golf carts for rent (400 baht) which you can use to tour around.

Overall, I really enjoyed  Ayutthaya. :) If you are planning to go to Thailand, I hope you can spare some time to visit this place.

By the way, I want to thank the great travel blogger Chyng Reyes for the tip about using flickr for my pictures. ^_^

Thailand Day 3: Floating Market, River Kwai and Tiger Temple

February 4, 2011 (Friday)

3 Places in One Day o_0


Group Tour Package from Noi Tours (beside Sawasdee Inn Khao San)
3 in 1: Floating Market, River Kwai and Tiger Temple plus free lunch
Cost: 650 baht for the tour + 600 baht for the Tiger Temple entrance

Since these three places are outside Bangkok and far from each other, it is advisable to book a tour.  There are many tour agencies in Bangkok but the rates in Khao San are usually cheaper as it is aimed toward the budget travellers staying in that area.

What to expect upon pick-up and departure

If you are not staying in Khao San, there are designated pick-up points depending on your tour agency. For us that were staying in Lub D Siam, we had to be picked up at Asia Hotel which is around 10 minutes walking distance. The pick up time was 6:30 am. 

Expect the driver to pick up other travelers in different hotels until you reach the block next to Khao San. There, you will be grouped according to your destination so you will either stay inside the van or go to another van. After that, the driver will go around the block and pick up the remaining passengers that are staying in Khao San. 

First Stop: Floating Market

Upon arrival at the Floating Market, a guide will gather the group and will put a sticker on your shirt to identify that you are part of the group. Please listen carefully to the guide especially on what time you have to be at the meeting place as you will be left behind if you are late.

We were given an hour to tour around the place. You either have the option to walk around the market or experience riding a paddle boat. The paddle boat ride will cost you 120 baht/person.

Though we only bought a few items as the goods were a bit expensive, the experience in riding a paddleboat is fun. There were so many tourists riding the paddle boats and longtail boats that it caused a traffic, hehe! :D

Also, do not be surprised if upon going to the meeting place you will be led to the longtail boat dock. It is part of the tour package that you will have a free ride. But what was not mentioned was that you will be led to the Cobra Show. You have the option to watch the show for a fee of 200 baht or just explore the area. After that, we were grouped again because other travellers only availed of the floating market tour.

Free Lunch

Do not expect a buffet lunch. Like the tour package that we availed in Shenzhen, the food will already be prepared on the table. I did not enjoy lunch as most of the food that were served were vegetables and I do not like vegetables. :c

2nd stop: River Kwai

After lunch, we were on the road again to Kanchaburi province where the Bridge of the River Kwai is located. The bridge is not just an ordinary bridge. The history behind it is that many lives were lost in building this during World War II. :( The prisoners of war were forced to build this bridge in one year instead of the estimated three years building time. This story also spawned a movie which the trailer can be found in this link.

Today, the area around the Bridge of the River Kwai has floating restaurants, souvenir shops, restaurants and the Jeath War Museum.

3rd stop: Tiger  Temple

Before going inside the tiger temple, you will be asked to sign a waiver form stating that if ever something happens to you, the temple would not have liability. Don't be afraid of that! :) There will be guides to assist you in the picture taking with the tigers.

The line on the left is for free pictures while the line on the right is for special pictures

Speaking of picture taking, you have two options: free pictures or special pictures with a fee of 1,000 baht. In my opinion, I'm already satisfied with the free pictures. I mean, when I checked my digicam, I saw that the guide took 26 pictures! :D So save a thousand baht, be patient with the long line and get the free pictures instead. ;)

By the way, please wear proper attire inside the tiger temple so no sleeveless and shorts for girls. Also, you can get free bottled water near the line for the picture taking. ;) Too bad we did not have the chance to walk with the tigers as we only had an hour to explore the place. :(

After the tiger temple, it was time to go home. The last stop was  Khao San  Road so we had to ride bus no. 15 to Siam. We went down at Tesco Lotus to have dinner at Pizza Company. Then we retreated to Lub D where we fell into a deep slumber, tired from the jampacked day.

Thailand Day 2: Wat Pho and Grand Palace

February 3, 2011 (Thursday)
PLEASE BE WARY OF SCAMS NEAR GRAND PALACE

Because of our hectic first day, we were not able to exchange most of our dollars into baht. We only exchanged a few dollars in the airport since the exchange rate was not good. MBK was not yet open since it was only 9:15 am so we tried our luck to go to Siam Exchange, a money changer that I saw on the way to Lub D.

When we got to the place, it was still closed but the employees were already inside. Fortunately, they opened early for us. ^_^

We were so thankful to discover this money changer as they had the best rates among all the money changers that we saw. If you will be staying in the Siam area, then you can find Siam Exchange  very close to Bangkok Art and Culture Center. It is on the side of Asia Hotel.

On the way back to Lub D, we took a picture of the area around Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

See the stairs in the picture? You can go up there to go to MBK which is at the opposite side. If you want to go to Siam Discovery or Siam Paragon then turn left when you reach the top of the overpass.

After paying Lub D the remaining balance, we asked for advice about going to the Grand Palace. The original itinerary was to travel by BTS to Saphan Taksin then take the Chao Phraya Express Boat. But the Lub D staff told us that we can just take the ordinary bus to Wat Pho. She gave us the bus numbers (sorry, I lost the paper but I still remember bus 47) and even wrote in Thai to drop us off at our destination. The bus stop is next to MBK near the National Stadium.

We were also lucky that the woman that my mom talked to works in Wat Pho. She guided us to come with her as we got down the bus and crossed the street. She even led us to the ticket booth! :) By the way, the entrance ticket in Wat Pho costs 50 baht.

Aside from seeing the reclining buddha in person, I also could not foget Wat Pho as it was where I tasted the such delicious coconut juice! :D Please look for an old woman selling coconut juice for 20 baht near this area:

It was scorching hot that day so we bought hats from the sellers outside Wat Pho before we ventured to the Grand Palace.

Please be wary of scams near Grand Palace!!! I have read about this scam before so I also want to warn you dear readers that if ever someone approaches you and told you that the Grand Palace is close, please do not believe him. Also, be wary of tuktuk drivers. This is what happened on our way to the Grand Palace:

We were not sure where to cross the street so I asked a man standing in the corner where the Grand Palace is. However, he told me that the Grand Palace had a ceremony that day and he would just take us to other temples. He even wrote the destinations on our map. It was a good thing that I read about this before so we escaped from him by telling him that we will take our lunch first.

After that, we came across a gate to the Grand Palace but the guard would not let us in. He told us to go around. Apparently, I think it was the gate for locals as there were also people coming inside. I was confused as I had not read about this situation. As we prepared to go around, a family from Spain(?) approached us also with confused looks on their faces since the guard told them the same thing. They told us that  they walked around but then a man approached them and said that there was a ceremony until 2:00 pm.  Alarm bells started ringing inside my head of a scam. So I said , we should still go to see. As we approached a corner and saw a small gate, we saw the man that the family was talking about standing near the guard. Fortunately, behind the man's back,the guard was pointing  the right entrance. Thank you very much to that helpful guard ! :D

The main entrance to Grand Palace is near the Royal Navy Club Restaurant. Entrance fee costs 350 baht which also includes the entrance to Vivanmek Mansion. If you want to avail of the free guided tour in English, here is the time schedule: 10:00, 10:30, 1:30 and 2:00.:)

Before I end this long blog post, I would just like to give some tips in visiting these temples:

1. Bring water because it is really hot in Thailand and you will need this for energy since the Grand Palace is huge! 

2. Please wear appropriate clothes. For females, this means no sleeveless tops, shorts and miniskirts.
3. Wear shoes that you can remove easily like ballet flats because you will have to be barefoot as a sign of respect in entering inside a temple. 

4. You do not need to join a group tour as you can easily go to Wat Pho and Grand Palace by yourself. Besides, its good to view the sights in a leisurely pace in order to appreciate the beauty of the place.^_^