Ampawa Floating Market is a famous floating located in Samutsongkram province in Central Region, not so far away from Bangkok, about 1.5 hours drive. The highlight of Ampawa is the firefly watch at night. Ampawa is an evening market while the more famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak Floating market is a morning market. However, both places have their own charms. They share some similarities but they are pretty different in my opionion. You've been with me to Damnoen Saduak Floating market twice when Hiro's parents visited and Wakaho and her boyfriend travelled to Thailand.
With Wakaho and Masanobu in 2008
http://namrinbussayadilokskul.blogspot.com/2008/08/namrin-with-her-japanese-friends.html
With Hiroto's parents in 2006
(The story is too old. I haven't re-posted it)
My mum, Sin, my younger brother, Tip, Sin's girlfriend and I went to Ampawa market together. We finally snuck out of chaotic Bangkok during state of emergencey. We first stopped at Kunlin (meaning familiar taste in English) Seafood Restaurant for lunch. It was a cool restaurant. It's next to muddy area where it is worm shell farm. I closely inspected mud and found that there are millions of little crabs out there. I also found my lovely mudskipper! The real mudskipper! I'm so glad to see the live mudskipper with my naked eyes! I have been fond of it for a long time. So cute! :-)
Kunlin Restaurant
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90542&id=592112018&l=ec7b31cb8f
In the late sunny afternoon, we reached Ampawa. We took a ferry to get into the market which were full of people but the officer said it's not as busy as New Year on 1st Jan. We stopped by Museum of Thai Desserts for the first stop as we expected that's going to be chilled in there (air con) but it's too crowded inside so the air con is not cool. However, I took quite many photos to present you how Thai desserts are like. We may not see everything they presented in the museum nowadays but most of them are available in Thai people's lives. I wish you could test it too!
Museum of Thai Desserts
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90632&id=592112018&l=24d2dec9ab
Because it was extremely hot my brother and my mother didn't bother walking around. They wanted to find some shades and relax. So we split and we said that we would be back to a certain meeting point to catch a boat to see fireflies.
I walked around on my own and found a lot of nice things for you guys especially for whom are outside Thailand. There's a lot of things to window shop but because it was packed of people, my walking speed was slow. There are 2 sides of the river and I could finish only a side. This means one day I have to come back to this place to check out the other side of the river.
In the late evening, we were in the line waiting for a boat to see fireflies. It's 60 baht/person for 1 hour and 10 mins. It's great! We saw fireflies along the way. Not all the time though. The river is broad so you need to keep on your eyes open and spot on "Lampoo" trees or Sonneratia caseolaris plant (If anyone knows its common name, pls let me know). Fireflies sometimes get together at a few trees/plants and blink as if those plants are decorated with little stars. It was breathtaking how nature creates such a beauituful thing. Unfortunatley I can't take a photo because it's too dark. However, I shot some videos which I doubt whether they worked or not and after checking, 2-3 videos work! So I post it here at the bottom of this blog.
To visit Ampawa, if you have time, you can stay over night a home stay too. The market finishes at about 9PM so you can enjoy your whole afternoon eating, shopping, spotting on exotic stuff until late night. However, we planned for a day trip so we went home after firefly trip.
It was a good hot day with a few complaints from my brother and my mother that they didn't want to travel during Songkran again LOL. I didn't want to but my time is running out so I want to see more of my own country.
Sixteen more nights to sleep in Thailand in 2009
Ampawa Floating Market
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90635&id=592112018&l=2e9a866cea
Firefly Video
Showing posts with label Thailand trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand trip. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Koh Chang with my brothers and Tip
I finally arranged a weekend trip to hang out with my 2 younger brothers. I personally think we should do this before we're too grown up and too busy to travel together. And in a month, I'm going to Australia for at least 1 year so this is the offer they can't refuse (hahaha!) Note: we also have an invited guest who is my first brother's girlfriend, Tip.
We drove to Trad, the very eastern province of Thailand to take a ferry to Koh Chang (Elephant Islands). This is the first time we get there by ourselves so we a bit struggle. However, Tip has a few friends who've been here often so we check the road by a map and by phone! LOL
At first we arrived at the wrong pier (Oops!!) so I took a few photos as a good memory hehe (first 3 pics). At the wrong pier, my youngest brother, Mai, thought that it would be cool to take a photo with the Eastern Apex sign so he suddenly got off the car. My first brother, Sin, saw that so he drove to park the car besides a giant coach. We assumed that when Mai turned around, he would find that we left him behind, LOL! Damn it! Mai could guess the prank so you could see him making a victory pose while I hid to take him a panic-faced photo!! :-D I'm a great sister you see!
OK, even though we lost, we caught the ferry in time and arrived at Salakphet Seafood and Resort 45 mins earlier than the half-day snorkelling trip. So we had to rush to have lunch and checked in. I also didn't miss the chance to introduce you our accommodation (by photo). This is a 4-bedroom which cost 2500 baht per night (about AUD 100/night). Our accommodation is in Fisherman area so you can see that this place also have natural pools for fishes and crabs. Cool!
Our first day of snorkelling at Koh Wai was OK! Koh Wai is a small island near Koh Chang. It's about 45 mins by boat. The snorkelling spot isn't as colourful as Koh Tao to be honest but only 6 hours away from BKK (including ferry) I think this is the best you can ask for. After that, we had snacks on the boat and headed to Koh Laoya which is famous for swimming, sunbathing and beaching. I had a nightmare here about 10 years ago. I fell off the wood bridge at Koh Laoya!! I (again) and Tip went to the bridge and we both were safe this time :-D Phew...
After got back from a half day trip, we just realised nobody brought playing cards and then they started blaming me! That's what wonderful brothers do, right? LOL Anyway, Mai prepared a game which I don't know how to call...sth like tower I guess so we played that for a few rounds until we starved enough. We had dinner at our place because it's not only a resort but also famous as a seafood restaurant :-)
On the 2nd day, we had a full day trip (9AM-5PM) to Koh Rang. We visited the islands around Koh Rang which are Koh ThongLang, Koh Yak Yai, and Koh Yak Lek. Then, we stopped by Koh Wai again for an afternoon break. Today's snorkelling was quite awesome. It's more colourful and had a lot more to see than Koh Wai. Unfortunately I didn't bring my silly underwater camera with me. That was quite a big mistake :-S
There was a bit of rain at Koh Thong Lang (1st dive of today) but you know I always bring my own sunshine so after half an hour or so, it's gone. And the rest of the day was bright enough to give me a bit of suntan :-D
Sin realised we almost ran out of petrol so he had to fill up the tank a bit and we found that the petrol price on the islands is about 10 baht more expensive than the mainland. (25->35 baht/litre) And I took a bit of gas station photo just for my own memory!
We left Koh Chang in the morning because Sin had a meeting with his classmates and his lecturer in Monday evening. Our trip was safe but we got 2 tickets from the police -_-" ....and I'm writing this for our own records! hehe
Next trip is during 10th-15th April to Surin Maritime National Park, the best snorkelling site in Thailand....oh I can't wait :-) I wish I could take you with me
Namrin
Photos (more photos than Facebook): http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202009/Koh%20Change%20with%20bros%20and%20Tip%2021-23%20Mar/
We drove to Trad, the very eastern province of Thailand to take a ferry to Koh Chang (Elephant Islands). This is the first time we get there by ourselves so we a bit struggle. However, Tip has a few friends who've been here often so we check the road by a map and by phone! LOL
At first we arrived at the wrong pier (Oops!!) so I took a few photos as a good memory hehe (first 3 pics). At the wrong pier, my youngest brother, Mai, thought that it would be cool to take a photo with the Eastern Apex sign so he suddenly got off the car. My first brother, Sin, saw that so he drove to park the car besides a giant coach. We assumed that when Mai turned around, he would find that we left him behind, LOL! Damn it! Mai could guess the prank so you could see him making a victory pose while I hid to take him a panic-faced photo!! :-D I'm a great sister you see!
OK, even though we lost, we caught the ferry in time and arrived at Salakphet Seafood and Resort 45 mins earlier than the half-day snorkelling trip. So we had to rush to have lunch and checked in. I also didn't miss the chance to introduce you our accommodation (by photo). This is a 4-bedroom which cost 2500 baht per night (about AUD 100/night). Our accommodation is in Fisherman area so you can see that this place also have natural pools for fishes and crabs. Cool!
Our first day of snorkelling at Koh Wai was OK! Koh Wai is a small island near Koh Chang. It's about 45 mins by boat. The snorkelling spot isn't as colourful as Koh Tao to be honest but only 6 hours away from BKK (including ferry) I think this is the best you can ask for. After that, we had snacks on the boat and headed to Koh Laoya which is famous for swimming, sunbathing and beaching. I had a nightmare here about 10 years ago. I fell off the wood bridge at Koh Laoya!! I (again) and Tip went to the bridge and we both were safe this time :-D Phew...
After got back from a half day trip, we just realised nobody brought playing cards and then they started blaming me! That's what wonderful brothers do, right? LOL Anyway, Mai prepared a game which I don't know how to call...sth like tower I guess so we played that for a few rounds until we starved enough. We had dinner at our place because it's not only a resort but also famous as a seafood restaurant :-)
On the 2nd day, we had a full day trip (9AM-5PM) to Koh Rang. We visited the islands around Koh Rang which are Koh ThongLang, Koh Yak Yai, and Koh Yak Lek. Then, we stopped by Koh Wai again for an afternoon break. Today's snorkelling was quite awesome. It's more colourful and had a lot more to see than Koh Wai. Unfortunately I didn't bring my silly underwater camera with me. That was quite a big mistake :-S
There was a bit of rain at Koh Thong Lang (1st dive of today) but you know I always bring my own sunshine so after half an hour or so, it's gone. And the rest of the day was bright enough to give me a bit of suntan :-D
Sin realised we almost ran out of petrol so he had to fill up the tank a bit and we found that the petrol price on the islands is about 10 baht more expensive than the mainland. (25->35 baht/litre) And I took a bit of gas station photo just for my own memory!
We left Koh Chang in the morning because Sin had a meeting with his classmates and his lecturer in Monday evening. Our trip was safe but we got 2 tickets from the police -_-" ....and I'm writing this for our own records! hehe
Next trip is during 10th-15th April to Surin Maritime National Park, the best snorkelling site in Thailand....oh I can't wait :-) I wish I could take you with me
Namrin
Photos (more photos than Facebook): http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202009/Koh%20Change%20with%20bros%20and%20Tip%2021-23%20Mar/
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Namrin in Pattaya for foam party and more
Hello,
I'm back. Actually this album should my SCUBA diving trip that I did in July but occasionally, I make an express way for my own favour lol. Surely next album will be underwater photos with sharks and more! Pls stay tune!
There are quite a lot of photos as it is 2-day activities. The main purpose to come to Pattaya this time is to go to the foam party at Hard Rock Hotel with Ploy (my friend who lives in Pattaya). Sound interesting, huh? But before we explore how the foam party like. Let's go through the story step by step.
I don't know what happened to my life but this is the second time in a month that I had to wait for my friend for a very long time. How long? It's only one and a half hour. The worst record was 2 hours and a bit!! My question is why it had to occur within a month? I try to think that it's time to pay back for myself being late a bit here and there to other people (if you believe in Karma). Colin, Ploy's boyfriend, drove me to Pattaya. Thanks Colin even though I had to wait for quite a long while but I'm not angry. We arrived at noon and went straight for lunch. After that, Ploy told me that she and her elder sister would like to go to the temple to release some fish and birds back to nature. It's a good deed Thai Buddists do. I don't know whether I have ever really done that as I'm not practically religious. Anyhow, I joined Ploy's sister and her sister's friends. I felt great after doing a good thing! We bought eels, a few types of fish and frogs or toads and free them in a big pond in a temple. I hope they are all fine and won't be fished back to the market :-)
Next stop, we passed the Silver Lake which is a grapes farm. They sell the grapes' products here and also built a resort for people who travels to Pattaya. It's mountaineous with a huge lake and nice flower garden. I didn't feel like I was in Pattaya which is a beach city. It's like I'm in North of Thailand, hahaha. Nice views with some pretty girls there!!
Then, our main activity is here! We went to Hard Rock Hotel where they hold the foam party every Saturday. It was really crazy and fabously fun. Dress Code: swimwear, bikinis, spaghetti tops, shorts, you get the idea, don't you? I don't remember how long we were in the foam pool but seemed like a few hours. It closed at 1AM and that was the time we left, hahaha! After the foam pool, we jump into a swimming pool to get rid of the foam from our bodies and then played water basketball with other hotel's guests. I did score one but Ploy, Colin and P' Kay (Ploy's friend) didn't see it! Oh, NOOO!!! That was my impressive shot! How could you guys miss it?? D'oh!! lol
It rainned in BKK and other provinces around but it didn't rain in Pattaya throughout this weekend. Told you I bring my own SUNSHINE! LOLOLOL ;-) It was great weather and kinda too hot actually. I woke up late after a long night. After lunch, we went to the go-kart circuit. This is also my call, lol. Something I fancy doing in Pattaya :-D To be honest, I'm not a master driver but you know the thing that you like doesn't need to go into the same direction as the thing you are good at. i.e. a big football fan doesn't have to play football brilliantly, right? Just like that :-D It was a great excitement when driving on the circuit. And when you hear the sound of go-kart engines, I just can't imagine how it would be if this was Formula 1 racing.....Feel good! I was not quite racing with my friends. There are a few other people driving in the same round too. And I have to say wow! They were fast and furious. Two are Westerners and 1 are Thai guy and one of the girls in our group, she drove very well too. Those were on a race lol. Ploy, Colin, I and if there were a few more, we just leisurely drove LOL but still didn't have time to enjoy the view of the trees and the pond. Everything seemed to be quick and I needed concentration, and we were so close to the ground!! And that is exciting and challenging you can feel!
That's all for now. Coming up next...let's go under water (go under me-Nam!! hehe :-P)
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Pattaya-Foam%20party/
I'm back. Actually this album should my SCUBA diving trip that I did in July but occasionally, I make an express way for my own favour lol. Surely next album will be underwater photos with sharks and more! Pls stay tune!
There are quite a lot of photos as it is 2-day activities. The main purpose to come to Pattaya this time is to go to the foam party at Hard Rock Hotel with Ploy (my friend who lives in Pattaya). Sound interesting, huh? But before we explore how the foam party like. Let's go through the story step by step.
I don't know what happened to my life but this is the second time in a month that I had to wait for my friend for a very long time. How long? It's only one and a half hour. The worst record was 2 hours and a bit!! My question is why it had to occur within a month? I try to think that it's time to pay back for myself being late a bit here and there to other people (if you believe in Karma). Colin, Ploy's boyfriend, drove me to Pattaya. Thanks Colin even though I had to wait for quite a long while but I'm not angry. We arrived at noon and went straight for lunch. After that, Ploy told me that she and her elder sister would like to go to the temple to release some fish and birds back to nature. It's a good deed Thai Buddists do. I don't know whether I have ever really done that as I'm not practically religious. Anyhow, I joined Ploy's sister and her sister's friends. I felt great after doing a good thing! We bought eels, a few types of fish and frogs or toads and free them in a big pond in a temple. I hope they are all fine and won't be fished back to the market :-)
Next stop, we passed the Silver Lake which is a grapes farm. They sell the grapes' products here and also built a resort for people who travels to Pattaya. It's mountaineous with a huge lake and nice flower garden. I didn't feel like I was in Pattaya which is a beach city. It's like I'm in North of Thailand, hahaha. Nice views with some pretty girls there!!
Then, our main activity is here! We went to Hard Rock Hotel where they hold the foam party every Saturday. It was really crazy and fabously fun. Dress Code: swimwear, bikinis, spaghetti tops, shorts, you get the idea, don't you? I don't remember how long we were in the foam pool but seemed like a few hours. It closed at 1AM and that was the time we left, hahaha! After the foam pool, we jump into a swimming pool to get rid of the foam from our bodies and then played water basketball with other hotel's guests. I did score one but Ploy, Colin and P' Kay (Ploy's friend) didn't see it! Oh, NOOO!!! That was my impressive shot! How could you guys miss it?? D'oh!! lol
It rainned in BKK and other provinces around but it didn't rain in Pattaya throughout this weekend. Told you I bring my own SUNSHINE! LOLOLOL ;-) It was great weather and kinda too hot actually. I woke up late after a long night. After lunch, we went to the go-kart circuit. This is also my call, lol. Something I fancy doing in Pattaya :-D To be honest, I'm not a master driver but you know the thing that you like doesn't need to go into the same direction as the thing you are good at. i.e. a big football fan doesn't have to play football brilliantly, right? Just like that :-D It was a great excitement when driving on the circuit. And when you hear the sound of go-kart engines, I just can't imagine how it would be if this was Formula 1 racing.....Feel good! I was not quite racing with my friends. There are a few other people driving in the same round too. And I have to say wow! They were fast and furious. Two are Westerners and 1 are Thai guy and one of the girls in our group, she drove very well too. Those were on a race lol. Ploy, Colin, I and if there were a few more, we just leisurely drove LOL but still didn't have time to enjoy the view of the trees and the pond. Everything seemed to be quick and I needed concentration, and we were so close to the ground!! And that is exciting and challenging you can feel!
That's all for now. Coming up next...let's go under water (go under me-Nam!! hehe :-P)
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Pattaya-Foam%20party/
Monday, 8 September 2008
Namrin with her friends-Koh Tao
Hello, everyone.
Due to a business call, Aom, my Thai friend decided to go back to Bangkok 1 day earlier. So you see, taking a long holiday leave in Thailand is not easy somehow. Sigh!
Koh Tao??? The first time when you think about Koh Tao, you think about turtle. The second time when you think about Koh Tao, you talk about SCUBA diving. The third time when you think about Koh Tao, you talk about snorkelling. The forth time when you think about Koh Tao, you think and talk about turtle, SCUBA diving and snorkelling. hahaha!
Due to a business call, Aom, my Thai friend decided to go back to Bangkok 1 day earlier. So you see, taking a long holiday leave in Thailand is not easy somehow. Sigh!
Koh Tao??? The first time when you think about Koh Tao, you think about turtle. The second time when you think about Koh Tao, you talk about SCUBA diving. The third time when you think about Koh Tao, you talk about snorkelling. The forth time when you think about Koh Tao, you think and talk about turtle, SCUBA diving and snorkelling. hahaha!
Unfortunately, it's now very difficult to find turtles here. Koh Tao literally means Turtle Islands because this islands is famous for the place that sea turtles came to hatch their eggs. But now, I'm not sure whether it has become only a tale yet. Never heard of people talking about it for a loooong time.
For my own unlucky bit, I lost some photos because of sun exposure. The ones that can be used are in little blue tone. I used the half auto/half manual camera with waterproof case but I didn't know how to remove the film from the camera's case LOL. The photos underwater I posted are only parts of a film. If I could change a film, we would have more photos. We found a very big interesting fish down there too. But I don't know the name and didn't have a film left to take its photo :-(
Our schedule of that day is simple:
Got up in early morning. Picked up by a van that took us to a pier in Koh Samui
Light breakfast and got on the ferry. This boat is better and bigger than yesterday's one. It has air-con and hundreds of seats. You can tell this is a little longer distance.
Departed to Koh Tao
Arrived at 1st snorkelling spot: Go snorkelling
Lunch on board
Due to unpredictable weather (from past 3 days), we didn't go to Koh Nangyuan for our own safety:-(
Traveled to 2nd snorkellin spot: Go snorkelling
Then, headed back to Koh Samui
Tomorrow is the last day of my Gulf of Thailand trip
Namrin
PS. Actually it didn't rain that day. It's a shame we didn't stop by Koh Nangyuan. Therefore I have to go there again next year. lol
28 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Koh%20Tao%2028%20July/
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Namrin with her friends-Angthong National Marine Park
Hello, everyone.
Back to the beach. This was another day Aom and I travelled together. We went to Angthong National Marine Park which I think this is the biggest National Marine Park in Gulf of Thailand. Angthong National Marine Park consists of 42 of islands around.
There was a funny thing we observed when we arrived at the ferry. Actually it's rather pity. From the very first photo you may see that there were some Thai wearing office outfits on the boat. I and Oam thought we got on the wrong boat but later when more tourists (mainly foreigners) came on board, we knew we were on the right boat. One person from the office outfit group asked me what's there at Angthong Islands. I explained from what I knew. And then, we found out that her group were having the seminar but none of them had been informed that the trip to Angthong is the beach trip. So women wore cut-shoes or high-heeled shoes and men wore leather shoes. And of course, none of them have brought their swimwear! OH! How terrible! I guess the organiser who managed this seminar was not the boat otherwise he or she would receive complaints from morning until afternoon! hehe
I have to say this day trip is not the best for people who loves snorkeling because the snorkeling sites they took us are too sandy. Perhaps you can have a good snorkeling at the other sites but you would need a two-day trip I guess. However, if you are a beach lover, you will love it! We hit a very nice sandy beach at the main island-Koh Woa Ta Lab. Unfortunately it was cloudy so the photos may not be so great. But it was only cloudy really and nothing more. The sky didn't dare raining when I was there! It's all in control! HAHAHA!
As this is the Marine Park, 82% are sea but it also has rain forest area too. Unfortunately it rained a night before so it was too dangerous to climb to the top of Koh Woa Ta Lab. However, we took risk to go up for a bit to get some photos for you guys LOL. How nice I am!! And that was our first stop.
Our second stop was at Koh Mae Koh. I guess it means Mother of islands for literal translation. For about 10-15 mins of climbing up to get inside the mountain. Here Koh Mae Koh welcome you with a breathtaking view of locked sea or lagoon inside the mountains. In Thai, we call it Talae Nai. It was very beautiful! It's like the green lake rounded by mountains. I can't really describe more so you'd better check the photos below :-)
27 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Angthong%20National%20Park%2027%20July/
Namrin
Back to the beach. This was another day Aom and I travelled together. We went to Angthong National Marine Park which I think this is the biggest National Marine Park in Gulf of Thailand. Angthong National Marine Park consists of 42 of islands around.
There was a funny thing we observed when we arrived at the ferry. Actually it's rather pity. From the very first photo you may see that there were some Thai wearing office outfits on the boat. I and Oam thought we got on the wrong boat but later when more tourists (mainly foreigners) came on board, we knew we were on the right boat. One person from the office outfit group asked me what's there at Angthong Islands. I explained from what I knew. And then, we found out that her group were having the seminar but none of them had been informed that the trip to Angthong is the beach trip. So women wore cut-shoes or high-heeled shoes and men wore leather shoes. And of course, none of them have brought their swimwear! OH! How terrible! I guess the organiser who managed this seminar was not the boat otherwise he or she would receive complaints from morning until afternoon! hehe
I have to say this day trip is not the best for people who loves snorkeling because the snorkeling sites they took us are too sandy. Perhaps you can have a good snorkeling at the other sites but you would need a two-day trip I guess. However, if you are a beach lover, you will love it! We hit a very nice sandy beach at the main island-Koh Woa Ta Lab. Unfortunately it was cloudy so the photos may not be so great. But it was only cloudy really and nothing more. The sky didn't dare raining when I was there! It's all in control! HAHAHA!
As this is the Marine Park, 82% are sea but it also has rain forest area too. Unfortunately it rained a night before so it was too dangerous to climb to the top of Koh Woa Ta Lab. However, we took risk to go up for a bit to get some photos for you guys LOL. How nice I am!! And that was our first stop.
Our second stop was at Koh Mae Koh. I guess it means Mother of islands for literal translation. For about 10-15 mins of climbing up to get inside the mountain. Here Koh Mae Koh welcome you with a breathtaking view of locked sea or lagoon inside the mountains. In Thai, we call it Talae Nai. It was very beautiful! It's like the green lake rounded by mountains. I can't really describe more so you'd better check the photos below :-)
27 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Angthong%20National%20Park%2027%20July/
Namrin
Monday, 25 August 2008
Namrin with her friends-Koh Pha-Ngan
Hello, all.
You may notice I don't say my Japanese friends in the subject because my Thai friend joined this tour too:-) I'm so proud to be a guide for my Thai mate! Manisa or for short, Aom, is my long-time friend since undergrad life. Actually we went to the same high school too but I didn't know her well at that time.
Some of you may need to learn a few Thai words. I hope you still remember; Wat = Temple
New words of today are
Koh or Ko (G sound) = Island(s)
Khao or Kao (K sound) = Mount or Mountains
Haad (similar to 'hard' sound) = Beach
And more importantly you should be able to say "Sawasdee krub" for men speakers or "Sawasdee ka" for women speakers. Sa-was-dee = Hello
Only Oam and I stayed at Koh Pha-Ngan. Before and during this time, Wakaho and Masa wanted to try Phuket so they were on their own for 3-4 days.
Our plan:
Thursday 24th
20.00: The VIP bus leaves the South Station to Koh Pha-Ngan
Friday 25th
12.00: Arrive at Koh Pha-Ngan.
We met a Western travellers who said that the storm is coming for next 5 days. I and Aom's faces were pale. To break the silence, I told Aom and said "don't worry, Aom. I bring my own sunshine. We are gonna be fine."
13.00: Check in at the bungalow
14.00: Lunch
I thought the beach was rather quiet. I told Aom that tonight it would have a half moon party I thought it was gonna be more crowded here. It seemed so different from the full moon party. And I told Aom that the beach we are staying, Haad Rin is the most famous beach of Koh Pha-Nga beacuse they hold the full moon party here. But the half moon party will be held in a jungle.
15.00: Beach time....take a nap, sunbath, read, play games, etc.
It was cloudy at first but finally the sun came out!) Like I said, I brought my own sunshine hahaha!
19.00: Dinner time
20.00: Go for Thai massage
22.00: Meet up with other travellers and the hotel boy drove us to the half moon party
23.00: Sitting boringly! It's NOT in the plan!!
Aom said this party was pretty quiet. She thought it's because of rainy reason. I told her I had no idea. We set the time that at midnight we would go back to the hotel. The floor had too much space. We didn't know where ppl were!
24.00: Midnight. I and Oam are leaving the party but apparently hundreds of ppl just arrived.
What the ??? And Oam and I laughed. So the party started midnight! It became packed now but since we were too early so we were tired! We got back to the hotel. Okay, I'm a terrible tour guide! But next time, I won't miss it! hahaha
Saturday 25th:
10.00: Breakfast at the bungalow
Oam and I observed one thing. We are the only 2 Thais at this bungalow if we don't count Thai staff!! We weren't sure we were still in Thailand LOL! On the bright side, good time to practise English! hehe
11.00: Sightsee at Haad Rin Nai which is the other side of Haad Rin (Nok) where we are staying.
Oh MY GOSH!! We were little shocked when we saw the beach because the beach is dirty. It's not full of human garbage but natural garbage. Lots of rotten branches, leaves, some dead shells, etc. The beach is longer than Haad Rin Nok but it was narrower and less clean. Luckily I didn't choose to stay here. We walked further to see the ferry pier. This is the place we would take the ferry to Koh Samui in the afternoon
Walkd back to our Haad Rin. Nicer but it was very cloudy now.
12.00: Prepare to check out
Oops! Heavy rain. Rain likes cats and dog. Is that the correct expression? We had to wait for nearly 2 hours before it became shower. We had late check-out!
15.30: Get on the ferry
As it was still storming, the waves were big. The ferry was turbulent so I was kinda have seasick. Thank Buddha! We haven't had lunch so nothing came out from my mouth. The other side of our seats there were two young Western ladies putting their head down. I spoke to Aom to look at them and said that they shouldn't have done so, they would throw up. After 30 seconds, they vomited on the ferry!! Yuck! I glanced at them and I had to turn my face away quickly because that stimulated me to do the same thing. I put my face up- I needed some fresh air! Help me!!
16.00: Arrive at Koh Samui
After a slight seasick I had, I got refreshed after stepping on the islands again, the pearl of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui.
17.30: Check in at the hotel
19.00: Pick up Wakaho and Masa at the pier and had dinner
20.30: Come back to the hotel and go to bed
Tomorrow Oam and I will have a day tour to Angthong Islands National Park:-) Pls stay tune!
25-26 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Koh%20Pha-Ngan%2025-26%20July/
You may notice I don't say my Japanese friends in the subject because my Thai friend joined this tour too:-) I'm so proud to be a guide for my Thai mate! Manisa or for short, Aom, is my long-time friend since undergrad life. Actually we went to the same high school too but I didn't know her well at that time.
Some of you may need to learn a few Thai words. I hope you still remember; Wat = Temple
New words of today are
Koh or Ko (G sound) = Island(s)
Khao or Kao (K sound) = Mount or Mountains
Haad (similar to 'hard' sound) = Beach
And more importantly you should be able to say "Sawasdee krub" for men speakers or "Sawasdee ka" for women speakers. Sa-was-dee = Hello
Only Oam and I stayed at Koh Pha-Ngan. Before and during this time, Wakaho and Masa wanted to try Phuket so they were on their own for 3-4 days.
Our plan:
Thursday 24th
20.00: The VIP bus leaves the South Station to Koh Pha-Ngan
Friday 25th
12.00: Arrive at Koh Pha-Ngan.
We met a Western travellers who said that the storm is coming for next 5 days. I and Aom's faces were pale. To break the silence, I told Aom and said "don't worry, Aom. I bring my own sunshine. We are gonna be fine."
13.00: Check in at the bungalow
14.00: Lunch
I thought the beach was rather quiet. I told Aom that tonight it would have a half moon party I thought it was gonna be more crowded here. It seemed so different from the full moon party. And I told Aom that the beach we are staying, Haad Rin is the most famous beach of Koh Pha-Nga beacuse they hold the full moon party here. But the half moon party will be held in a jungle.
15.00: Beach time....take a nap, sunbath, read, play games, etc.
It was cloudy at first but finally the sun came out!) Like I said, I brought my own sunshine hahaha!
19.00: Dinner time
20.00: Go for Thai massage
22.00: Meet up with other travellers and the hotel boy drove us to the half moon party
23.00: Sitting boringly! It's NOT in the plan!!
Aom said this party was pretty quiet. She thought it's because of rainy reason. I told her I had no idea. We set the time that at midnight we would go back to the hotel. The floor had too much space. We didn't know where ppl were!
24.00: Midnight. I and Oam are leaving the party but apparently hundreds of ppl just arrived.
What the ??? And Oam and I laughed. So the party started midnight! It became packed now but since we were too early so we were tired! We got back to the hotel. Okay, I'm a terrible tour guide! But next time, I won't miss it! hahaha
Saturday 25th:
10.00: Breakfast at the bungalow
Oam and I observed one thing. We are the only 2 Thais at this bungalow if we don't count Thai staff!! We weren't sure we were still in Thailand LOL! On the bright side, good time to practise English! hehe
11.00: Sightsee at Haad Rin Nai which is the other side of Haad Rin (Nok) where we are staying.
Oh MY GOSH!! We were little shocked when we saw the beach because the beach is dirty. It's not full of human garbage but natural garbage. Lots of rotten branches, leaves, some dead shells, etc. The beach is longer than Haad Rin Nok but it was narrower and less clean. Luckily I didn't choose to stay here. We walked further to see the ferry pier. This is the place we would take the ferry to Koh Samui in the afternoon
Walkd back to our Haad Rin. Nicer but it was very cloudy now.
12.00: Prepare to check out
Oops! Heavy rain. Rain likes cats and dog. Is that the correct expression? We had to wait for nearly 2 hours before it became shower. We had late check-out!
15.30: Get on the ferry
As it was still storming, the waves were big. The ferry was turbulent so I was kinda have seasick. Thank Buddha! We haven't had lunch so nothing came out from my mouth. The other side of our seats there were two young Western ladies putting their head down. I spoke to Aom to look at them and said that they shouldn't have done so, they would throw up. After 30 seconds, they vomited on the ferry!! Yuck! I glanced at them and I had to turn my face away quickly because that stimulated me to do the same thing. I put my face up- I needed some fresh air! Help me!!
16.00: Arrive at Koh Samui
After a slight seasick I had, I got refreshed after stepping on the islands again, the pearl of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui.
17.30: Check in at the hotel
19.00: Pick up Wakaho and Masa at the pier and had dinner
20.30: Come back to the hotel and go to bed
Tomorrow Oam and I will have a day tour to Angthong Islands National Park:-) Pls stay tune!
25-26 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Koh%20Pha-Ngan%2025-26%20July/
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Namrin with her Japanese friends-Ratchaburi
Hi, all
Ratchaburi is a quiet and small province which is 100 kms south of BKK. In fact, Ratchaburi is bigger than BKK at least twice but the downtown is very small so people consider it a small province.
I took Wakaho and Masa to the famous floating market. It's a worth visiting sightseeing if you have a chance to go out of BKK. We took a boat and had lunch there. And for what's more interesting here, I'll keep it secret because you have to come here by yourself, hahaha!
Next stop is actually Ratchaburi's Muang or the official downtown of the Muang Amphur. Amphur is sth in between province and district or maybe sth in between city and suburb. It's pretty difficult to explain as your countries may have used different systems so I assume you all understand it now. LOL! Muang is supposed to be the main amphur of the 7 amphur that belongs to Ratchaburi. In Muang amphur, there are many districts and Namuang is the central district of this Muang amphur. In conclusion, the relation is like this: Ratchaburi (Province) -> Muang (Amphur)-> Namuang (Tambol/District) -> downtown (Moo/Village).
The reason I took my friends to the downtown is to just try the best Tom Yam noodles in the country! LOL I drove around my parent's house and went to my primary school for a bit because we have a nice temple there! Unluckily there was a search for ancient stuff around the temple so we couldn't get in. Therefore, we only took the photo outside.
After that, we got out of downtown of Namuang to visit the stalactite/stalagmite cave. It's a huge one in Wakaho's opinion. I could show only a few photos because the rest should be revealed when you guys visit here, LOL!
Next stop which is the last stop of today tour is the bat cave. The official name is Tam Kangkao Wat Kao Chongpran or literally means the bat cave at Mount Chongpran temple. This is actually a natural phenomenon. You know we can't force the bats to go out from the cave. They come out when the sun sets. And even today it rainned, they still came out because they have to eat!! This sightseeing spot is very local. It's not in the Lonely Planet I already checked and I only saw a few foreigners apart from my JP friends and you bet, those foreigners came with their own Thai friends. So I have to say this is an exclusive tour;-)
That's all for today. After this, it's storm...very heavy rain for 6 hours all the way from Ratchaburi to BKK until we finished dinner in BKK and went back to the hotel, it's still pouring!! Sth that's hard to avoid during rainy season. You can only count on your luck! lol
See you on the beach ;-)
19th July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Ratchaburi%2019%20July/
Ratchaburi is a quiet and small province which is 100 kms south of BKK. In fact, Ratchaburi is bigger than BKK at least twice but the downtown is very small so people consider it a small province.
I took Wakaho and Masa to the famous floating market. It's a worth visiting sightseeing if you have a chance to go out of BKK. We took a boat and had lunch there. And for what's more interesting here, I'll keep it secret because you have to come here by yourself, hahaha!
Next stop is actually Ratchaburi's Muang or the official downtown of the Muang Amphur. Amphur is sth in between province and district or maybe sth in between city and suburb. It's pretty difficult to explain as your countries may have used different systems so I assume you all understand it now. LOL! Muang is supposed to be the main amphur of the 7 amphur that belongs to Ratchaburi. In Muang amphur, there are many districts and Namuang is the central district of this Muang amphur. In conclusion, the relation is like this: Ratchaburi (Province) -> Muang (Amphur)-> Namuang (Tambol/District) -> downtown (Moo/Village).
The reason I took my friends to the downtown is to just try the best Tom Yam noodles in the country! LOL I drove around my parent's house and went to my primary school for a bit because we have a nice temple there! Unluckily there was a search for ancient stuff around the temple so we couldn't get in. Therefore, we only took the photo outside.
After that, we got out of downtown of Namuang to visit the stalactite/stalagmite cave. It's a huge one in Wakaho's opinion. I could show only a few photos because the rest should be revealed when you guys visit here, LOL!
Next stop which is the last stop of today tour is the bat cave. The official name is Tam Kangkao Wat Kao Chongpran or literally means the bat cave at Mount Chongpran temple. This is actually a natural phenomenon. You know we can't force the bats to go out from the cave. They come out when the sun sets. And even today it rainned, they still came out because they have to eat!! This sightseeing spot is very local. It's not in the Lonely Planet I already checked and I only saw a few foreigners apart from my JP friends and you bet, those foreigners came with their own Thai friends. So I have to say this is an exclusive tour;-)
That's all for today. After this, it's storm...very heavy rain for 6 hours all the way from Ratchaburi to BKK until we finished dinner in BKK and went back to the hotel, it's still pouring!! Sth that's hard to avoid during rainy season. You can only count on your luck! lol
See you on the beach ;-)
19th July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Ratchaburi%2019%20July/
Friday, 15 August 2008
Namrin with her Japanese friends-BKK tour
Hi, everyone.
I'm so lazy to write a travel diary LOL. I think hard to make it more entertaining but I think I would fail because I would write too long story again. I have an idea of a new way to present my travel diary. Just hope that it will work!?? Only you can tell though....
I have 2 friends from Japan visiting Thailand and me for their first time. I love it!
Namrin: Hi, Wakaho.
Wakaho: Hi, Namrin. It's so nice to see you. This is Masanobu.
Masanobu: Hi!
Namrin: Hi, Masanobu. Remember me? We met last year when I went to err...Takaasaki.
Masanobu: Yeah, yeah I remember you! (Laughing)
Wakaho: No, actually it's Gunma Prefecture. Takaasaki is the station you got off.
Namrin: Ah, right.. (hahaha)
N: OK, first stop we gonnaxz go to Vimanmek Mansion. Let's hail a taxi!
Arrived at Vimanmek Mansion
N: Oh! Hang on! I'll speak to the officials a bit.
(Speak Thai) N: What?!? It's closed today? But you open on the weekend, don't you?
Officials: Yes, 'Mam but Today is a public holiday. We open everyday including the weekend but we close on public holiday. Sorry.
Namrin turned to Wakaho.
N: Oh no... Sorry Wakaho. It's closed today. Today is a public holiday for government sector. I didn't know it closed on a public holiday.
W: Don't worry, Nam.
N: What a lousy guide I am! Sorry ...well we go to the temple then. I'll add another nice temple in, ok?
W: That sounds good, yeah. (Speak Japanese to M to explain what is going on)
--Transport time--
N: OK guys. Here we are at Benjamabopit Temple. In English you can call Marble Temple. You can see the main hall is made from white marble................
-- Photo time--
W: Oh, this is very nice. I love the red bridge. Let's take a picture together.
-- Photo time--
M: It's good here but hot (sweating)
N: Which means we have a good weather! LOL
--transport time--
N: This is Golden Mount. We have to climb up a bit to see why it's called like that. OK?
W: Yep. But Nam, it isn't that far, right?
N: No, no. It's really walkable!
W: (speak Japanese to M)
--walking time--
W: Finally !! Oh, this is so big so GOLD!
M: So hot too.
N: From here you can see BKK's view as well.. (Pointing in different directions). You know some ppl come here and they donate..................
-- Photo time--
N: Wakaho. Masanobu. From here we have to walk a bit to the next temple but it's very near. And from there you will see it clearly why this place is called Golden Mount.
--walking time--
-- Photo time--
N: Now we are in front of Ratchanatda Temple. This temple was built by King Rama III and ............ ....... Let's go inside!
W: This is cool. You know even when we're at the 3rd floor, I still feel like I'm on the first floor.
M: Yeah
N: That's because the way it was built and design I guess. It's like 2 buildings together, one covering another one inside. Look at this pole it's not.......................................
W: Hey, that's Golden Mount. Oh, it really looks like a mountain from here (Smiling)
M: I'll take you a photo.
-- Photo time--
N: Are you hungry?
W: yeah a bit. He's more hungry than me. (hehe)
N: Let's have lunch then.
--lunch time--
N: This is Wat Suthat (Wat = Temple) or the full name is Suthatwararam Temple. It has absorbed some influence of Chinese architecture but there are still many Thai works if we go inside the main hall.............
W: Nam, I like it here.
N: Really? Tell you what. This is not the best yet. LOL
-- Photo time--
--Transport time--
W: This is Wat Pho, right?
N: That's correct! Wat Pho is very important and it's just behind the Grand Palace and the temple of Emerald Buddha where we will go on Sunday. Wat Pho or the official name is Prachetuponwimonmangklaram Temple. It used to be...........................
-- Photo time--
--Dinner time--
Saturday in Ratchaburi
Sunday in BKK again
W: Oh, it's rainning.
M: Umbrella? We've got it!
N: Too bad but it's not too hot, you know. Great! Everyone dresses properly. Let's go!
At the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple
N: Actually, the King and the Queen don't stay here. They stay at Chitlada Palace that the taxi passed by this morning. However, they actually rotated their stay..................
W: Which King is in the throne now? sixth?
N: No, it's Ninth. King Rama IX. Oh, you have to pay for the entrance fee too. It's 300 baht per person?!! Oh, it's 50 baht increase from last year. Sorry about that. Two tickets, please.
W: How about you?
N: No worries. I'm a citizen. I have already paid tax. I don't have to pay again LOL!
While getting through the entrace, a male Westerner with his son was complaining to the officials.
A Thai official: Sorry, can't go! Wrong pants. Sorry. Please change.
A male Westerner: What? I cover my legs to toes. Why can't I get in?
A Thai official: Sorry, sorry. Wrong pants. No no!
A male Westerner: I don't understand. This is Sarong. Don't you know Sarong? What's wrong with you?
Namrin: Ahh... sorry about that. You can't wear Sarong. You need trousers.
A male Westerner: Why?
N: It's too casual. Sorry but we consider it inappropriate. This is the King's palace.
A male Westerner: But it covers my legs. This is strange! (Shaking his head and getting upset)
N: Yeah, it's strange. That's why you're here. Sarong wear is too casual. It looks like you go to the beach and it's not a Thai dress. It's Myanmar traditional dress. Sorry about that...
I didn't listen to what he said next because I just realised where were my tourists??!! LOL
-- Photo time--
-- Wandering around--
-- Photo time--
W: Can we go back to the hotel to get changed?
N: Sure! Then, we go for lunch.
M: Okay.
--Change to lighter clothes--
--Lunch time--
N: Chatuchak weekend market is not far from my place. We can walk to get there.
W: Oh, good!
M: Yeah, Okay!
--Walking time--
N: We will have one round around the market and walk until 6 O'clock. If you want anything, pls let me know. So we can negotiate the price. There are a lot of things and there are a lot of same and different things. If you want sth and the price is good, just buy it because we may not be able to come back to the same spot again! I experienced this before. There are thousands of shops here.
W: Wow! This is huge! I can spend a whole day here! (hahaha)
M: Yeah but it's very hot.
N: Use my fan, then. :-)
--shopping time--
--wandering time--
W: Have you got a call from your dad?
M: Yes, we will meet at the Silom Complex and go for dinner together
N: Sure! No problem. :-)
M's dad: Hi. Sorry I'm late. It's because of the bus was stopped by flooding in Laos.
N: Oh, really? Sorry about that. But you're here now. I hope you like the restaurant.
M's dad: Yes, I like it very much. It's very nice to meet you too. I appreciate that you..............................
W: .........
M: ...........
N: ..............
M's dad: ........
--chatting time--
--dinner time too--
--bed time--
See you in Ratchaburi!
18-20 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Bangkok%2018%20n%2020%20July/
I'm so lazy to write a travel diary LOL. I think hard to make it more entertaining but I think I would fail because I would write too long story again. I have an idea of a new way to present my travel diary. Just hope that it will work!?? Only you can tell though....
I have 2 friends from Japan visiting Thailand and me for their first time. I love it!
Namrin: Hi, Wakaho.
Wakaho: Hi, Namrin. It's so nice to see you. This is Masanobu.
Masanobu: Hi!
Namrin: Hi, Masanobu. Remember me? We met last year when I went to err...Takaasaki.
Masanobu: Yeah, yeah I remember you! (Laughing)
Wakaho: No, actually it's Gunma Prefecture. Takaasaki is the station you got off.
Namrin: Ah, right.. (hahaha)
N: OK, first stop we gonnaxz go to Vimanmek Mansion. Let's hail a taxi!
Arrived at Vimanmek Mansion
N: Oh! Hang on! I'll speak to the officials a bit.
(Speak Thai) N: What?!? It's closed today? But you open on the weekend, don't you?
Officials: Yes, 'Mam but Today is a public holiday. We open everyday including the weekend but we close on public holiday. Sorry.
Namrin turned to Wakaho.
N: Oh no... Sorry Wakaho. It's closed today. Today is a public holiday for government sector. I didn't know it closed on a public holiday.
W: Don't worry, Nam.
N: What a lousy guide I am! Sorry ...well we go to the temple then. I'll add another nice temple in, ok?
W: That sounds good, yeah. (Speak Japanese to M to explain what is going on)
--Transport time--
N: OK guys. Here we are at Benjamabopit Temple. In English you can call Marble Temple. You can see the main hall is made from white marble................
-- Photo time--
W: Oh, this is very nice. I love the red bridge. Let's take a picture together.
-- Photo time--
M: It's good here but hot (sweating)
N: Which means we have a good weather! LOL
--transport time--
N: This is Golden Mount. We have to climb up a bit to see why it's called like that. OK?
W: Yep. But Nam, it isn't that far, right?
N: No, no. It's really walkable!
W: (speak Japanese to M)
--walking time--
W: Finally !! Oh, this is so big so GOLD!
M: So hot too.
N: From here you can see BKK's view as well.. (Pointing in different directions). You know some ppl come here and they donate..................
-- Photo time--
N: Wakaho. Masanobu. From here we have to walk a bit to the next temple but it's very near. And from there you will see it clearly why this place is called Golden Mount.
--walking time--
-- Photo time--
N: Now we are in front of Ratchanatda Temple. This temple was built by King Rama III and ............ ....... Let's go inside!
W: This is cool. You know even when we're at the 3rd floor, I still feel like I'm on the first floor.
M: Yeah
N: That's because the way it was built and design I guess. It's like 2 buildings together, one covering another one inside. Look at this pole it's not.......................................
W: Hey, that's Golden Mount. Oh, it really looks like a mountain from here (Smiling)
M: I'll take you a photo.
-- Photo time--
N: Are you hungry?
W: yeah a bit. He's more hungry than me. (hehe)
N: Let's have lunch then.
--lunch time--
N: This is Wat Suthat (Wat = Temple) or the full name is Suthatwararam Temple. It has absorbed some influence of Chinese architecture but there are still many Thai works if we go inside the main hall.............
W: Nam, I like it here.
N: Really? Tell you what. This is not the best yet. LOL
-- Photo time--
--Transport time--
W: This is Wat Pho, right?
N: That's correct! Wat Pho is very important and it's just behind the Grand Palace and the temple of Emerald Buddha where we will go on Sunday. Wat Pho or the official name is Prachetuponwimonmangklaram Temple. It used to be...........................
-- Photo time--
--Dinner time--
Saturday in Ratchaburi
Sunday in BKK again
W: Oh, it's rainning.
M: Umbrella? We've got it!
N: Too bad but it's not too hot, you know. Great! Everyone dresses properly. Let's go!
At the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple
N: Actually, the King and the Queen don't stay here. They stay at Chitlada Palace that the taxi passed by this morning. However, they actually rotated their stay..................
W: Which King is in the throne now? sixth?
N: No, it's Ninth. King Rama IX. Oh, you have to pay for the entrance fee too. It's 300 baht per person?!! Oh, it's 50 baht increase from last year. Sorry about that. Two tickets, please.
W: How about you?
N: No worries. I'm a citizen. I have already paid tax. I don't have to pay again LOL!
While getting through the entrace, a male Westerner with his son was complaining to the officials.
A Thai official: Sorry, can't go! Wrong pants. Sorry. Please change.
A male Westerner: What? I cover my legs to toes. Why can't I get in?
A Thai official: Sorry, sorry. Wrong pants. No no!
A male Westerner: I don't understand. This is Sarong. Don't you know Sarong? What's wrong with you?
Namrin: Ahh... sorry about that. You can't wear Sarong. You need trousers.
A male Westerner: Why?
N: It's too casual. Sorry but we consider it inappropriate. This is the King's palace.
A male Westerner: But it covers my legs. This is strange! (Shaking his head and getting upset)
N: Yeah, it's strange. That's why you're here. Sarong wear is too casual. It looks like you go to the beach and it's not a Thai dress. It's Myanmar traditional dress. Sorry about that...
I didn't listen to what he said next because I just realised where were my tourists??!! LOL
-- Photo time--
-- Wandering around--
-- Photo time--
W: Can we go back to the hotel to get changed?
N: Sure! Then, we go for lunch.
M: Okay.
--Change to lighter clothes--
--Lunch time--
N: Chatuchak weekend market is not far from my place. We can walk to get there.
W: Oh, good!
M: Yeah, Okay!
--Walking time--
N: We will have one round around the market and walk until 6 O'clock. If you want anything, pls let me know. So we can negotiate the price. There are a lot of things and there are a lot of same and different things. If you want sth and the price is good, just buy it because we may not be able to come back to the same spot again! I experienced this before. There are thousands of shops here.
W: Wow! This is huge! I can spend a whole day here! (hahaha)
M: Yeah but it's very hot.
N: Use my fan, then. :-)
--shopping time--
--wandering time--
W: Have you got a call from your dad?
M: Yes, we will meet at the Silom Complex and go for dinner together
N: Sure! No problem. :-)
M's dad: Hi. Sorry I'm late. It's because of the bus was stopped by flooding in Laos.
N: Oh, really? Sorry about that. But you're here now. I hope you like the restaurant.
M's dad: Yes, I like it very much. It's very nice to meet you too. I appreciate that you..............................
W: .........
M: ...........
N: ..............
M's dad: ........
--chatting time--
--dinner time too--
--bed time--
See you in Ratchaburi!
18-20 July 2008
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Thailand%20trip%20with%20Japanese%20friends%2017-31%20July/Bangkok%2018%20n%2020%20July/
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Namrin in Khao Yai
Dear my friends around the globe,
If you remember, I just lost my camera. This trip was a week later from Maroon 5 concert so the photos during this trip are from my friends. (Thanks all).
I and another 10 friends (in fact, 9 adults and 1 kid) joined this green trip number..?? (nobody remembers but more than 10 for sure). They are my ex-workmates when I worked for a computer company. My ex-boss is the person who initiates the green trip. Therefore, he and his wife are like father and mother of the trip. He usually sets up a green trip to travel to many places in Thailand but mostly somewhere not too far from Bangkok. Our most popular destination is Pattaya but not this time. This trip we fancy forests and mountains, and the main activity apart from sightseeing is EATING! I had ice cream 3 times in 2 days ...until I had to refuse the 4th time.
What is Khao Yai? If you live in Thailand and you don't know it, you need a Primary-school book immediately or a Thai friend, maybe. For people who are not Thai or never live here, Khao Yai, literally meaning "great mountains", is the first titled national park and currently the third largest national park in Thailand which covers partly 4 provinces: Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Prachinburi. It has been nominated as World Heritage Site as well. Khao Yai consists of complicated mountains and there are 5 main forest types: Dry Evergreen Forests, Dry Deciduous Forests, Tropical Moist Evergreen Forests (70% of all), Hill Evergreen Forests, and Grasslands. The highlights in Khao Yai are flora, fauna, and waterfalls.
Unfortunately, March is the beginning of summer and before this was cool (& dry) season so waterfalls are quite dry. Also, we didn't see any stunning flora because we didn't intend to search for it so the photos are likely to show the activities we've done and "animal planet" program.
The first thing I'd like to present is a steak restaurant we had for lunch. It's the most "hard core" restaurant that I have ever experienced in terms of its service. Pls let me translate to Thai. If you get a chance to pass by Khao Yai, you may want just to pass Lex's Restaurant (with no stop) LOL. (see the photo below.
Word by word
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lex's Restaurant
Closed Monday (Except long weekend)
ditto (in Thai)
Suggestion: (Open 9.00Am - 18.00 PM) {they really say suggestion in Thai and write 18PM!!! which is 6PM)
As the restaurant provides service in American Style, all dishes will be served at the same time. Pls all of you in the same table order the foods at the same time because
CHEF will not switch his cooking to another table until yours is done except you order your own second dish. {pls tell me about the American style. i really wonder how it's like}
How to do steak:
Rare = 20%
Medium Rare = 40%
Medium = 70% (recommended)
Medium Well = 80%
Well Done =well done
We reserved the right to refuse service anyone.
We reserve our rights to refuse to serve anyone.
Extra plate (extra plate) 50 baht each {pricey! Normally the restaurant doesn't charge an extra plate}
(Only serve courses or sets in menu)
The rules above has been using since the first opening day (10 years +)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All I can say is we felt that we were threatened by the restaurant. LOL. However, I think the steak is very good. I got a bite of beef and it 99% doesn't smell for me that is very impressive. However, when the waiters were away, we discussed that this restaurant may have a lot of one-time customers because their service is just unbelievably strict and unfriendly. It's hard to stand in this business without one-time customers. Also, we really wonder how about other restaurants nearby because they are about 10 steak restaurants within this 5 km radius on the same road. Anyway, we had to keep our doubt quietly because this meal already cost 1/3 of our budget!! (Very expensive) :-O and we were just at the beginning of day 1!!
After lunch, we had ice cream at Umm...Milk by ChokeChai Farm. It's the famous tourirm farm and their main business is to produce fresh milk so the ice cream is very milky. yum yum :-)
After arriving at Khoa Yai, we left our baggage at the accommodation which were 2 quite big semi-attached houses. It even has one servants' room as well. WOW! Then, we went to Haew Suwat Waterfall which means sth like Hell of Suwat (I'm not sure what Suwat refers to...it could be a name of hell in Buddha story) . After playing water, we had a light meal at another camp site where we found many deers walking around to eat grass (I think). We wandered around the camp site for about an hour. Then, ordered some foods for dinner. (Didn't we just eat?)
We came back to our accommodation, took shower and had a proper dinner altogether. It was about 7PM. We noticed that there was a big group of people partying near our place. Anyway, we didn't take it serious as it would be over before we went to bed for sure as this is a national park, not a club. At 8PM, we went to join the night safari by spotting the animals that came out at night. It was very dark and very fast so we had just a few photos. At 9PM, we came back. While we watched TV and chatted, 2 strangers knocked the door and said, "Today is Prachinburi's governor's birthday. We are sorry for the noise but we won't stay up late. Please join our dinner" And then, they brought 3 big foam containers fully filled with food inside. I think they thought we were relatives or children of a Minister because our places are called, House of Minister. You know what this meant. Yep, we had a late meal.
Next morning, we were willingly divided into 2 groups. The first group got up just before the sunrise and went out to wake up all the animals plus took some photos. The second group woke up when someone called "breakfast is ready!" hahaha, hmm...that included me :#) After breakfast, we just relaxed. At first, we planned to go for kayaking or rafting but it seemed that the river or the stream in this season is not quite suitable for those activities. So, we went to the viewpoint of Khao Yai, mainly covering Khao Kaew area (Green Mountains). It was a piece of cake to get there because it can be reached by cars. Not so long, it's noon....we had lunch and then, ice cream but this time we didn't go to the steak place so it's fairly cheap. We returned to BKK. And on the way back, half of our friends stopped by Umm...Milk again to have ice cream. But I had enough ....it was just too often. And this is why I wanted to call this trip, the eating trip! (When arriving at BKK, we also had dinner together. What a complete closure!)
Hope you enjoy the photos.
Namrin:-)
Link Version:
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Khao%20Yai%208-9%20Mar/?albumview=link
If you remember, I just lost my camera. This trip was a week later from Maroon 5 concert so the photos during this trip are from my friends. (Thanks all).
I and another 10 friends (in fact, 9 adults and 1 kid) joined this green trip number..?? (nobody remembers but more than 10 for sure). They are my ex-workmates when I worked for a computer company. My ex-boss is the person who initiates the green trip. Therefore, he and his wife are like father and mother of the trip. He usually sets up a green trip to travel to many places in Thailand but mostly somewhere not too far from Bangkok. Our most popular destination is Pattaya but not this time. This trip we fancy forests and mountains, and the main activity apart from sightseeing is EATING! I had ice cream 3 times in 2 days ...until I had to refuse the 4th time.
What is Khao Yai? If you live in Thailand and you don't know it, you need a Primary-school book immediately or a Thai friend, maybe. For people who are not Thai or never live here, Khao Yai, literally meaning "great mountains", is the first titled national park and currently the third largest national park in Thailand which covers partly 4 provinces: Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Prachinburi. It has been nominated as World Heritage Site as well. Khao Yai consists of complicated mountains and there are 5 main forest types: Dry Evergreen Forests, Dry Deciduous Forests, Tropical Moist Evergreen Forests (70% of all), Hill Evergreen Forests, and Grasslands. The highlights in Khao Yai are flora, fauna, and waterfalls.
Unfortunately, March is the beginning of summer and before this was cool (& dry) season so waterfalls are quite dry. Also, we didn't see any stunning flora because we didn't intend to search for it so the photos are likely to show the activities we've done and "animal planet" program.
The first thing I'd like to present is a steak restaurant we had for lunch. It's the most "hard core" restaurant that I have ever experienced in terms of its service. Pls let me translate to Thai. If you get a chance to pass by Khao Yai, you may want just to pass Lex's Restaurant (with no stop) LOL. (see the photo below.
Word by word
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lex's Restaurant
Closed Monday (Except long weekend)
ditto (in Thai)
Suggestion: (Open 9.00Am - 18.00 PM) {they really say suggestion in Thai and write 18PM!!! which is 6PM)
As the restaurant provides service in American Style, all dishes will be served at the same time. Pls all of you in the same table order the foods at the same time because
CHEF will not switch his cooking to another table until yours is done except you order your own second dish. {pls tell me about the American style. i really wonder how it's like}
How to do steak:
Rare = 20%
Medium Rare = 40%
Medium = 70% (recommended)
Medium Well = 80%
Well Done =well done
We reserved the right to refuse service anyone.
We reserve our rights to refuse to serve anyone.
Extra plate (extra plate) 50 baht each {pricey! Normally the restaurant doesn't charge an extra plate}
(Only serve courses or sets in menu)
The rules above has been using since the first opening day (10 years +)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All I can say is we felt that we were threatened by the restaurant. LOL. However, I think the steak is very good. I got a bite of beef and it 99% doesn't smell for me that is very impressive. However, when the waiters were away, we discussed that this restaurant may have a lot of one-time customers because their service is just unbelievably strict and unfriendly. It's hard to stand in this business without one-time customers. Also, we really wonder how about other restaurants nearby because they are about 10 steak restaurants within this 5 km radius on the same road. Anyway, we had to keep our doubt quietly because this meal already cost 1/3 of our budget!! (Very expensive) :-O and we were just at the beginning of day 1!!
After lunch, we had ice cream at Umm...Milk by ChokeChai Farm. It's the famous tourirm farm and their main business is to produce fresh milk so the ice cream is very milky. yum yum :-)
After arriving at Khoa Yai, we left our baggage at the accommodation which were 2 quite big semi-attached houses. It even has one servants' room as well. WOW! Then, we went to Haew Suwat Waterfall which means sth like Hell of Suwat (I'm not sure what Suwat refers to...it could be a name of hell in Buddha story) . After playing water, we had a light meal at another camp site where we found many deers walking around to eat grass (I think). We wandered around the camp site for about an hour. Then, ordered some foods for dinner. (Didn't we just eat?)
We came back to our accommodation, took shower and had a proper dinner altogether. It was about 7PM. We noticed that there was a big group of people partying near our place. Anyway, we didn't take it serious as it would be over before we went to bed for sure as this is a national park, not a club. At 8PM, we went to join the night safari by spotting the animals that came out at night. It was very dark and very fast so we had just a few photos. At 9PM, we came back. While we watched TV and chatted, 2 strangers knocked the door and said, "Today is Prachinburi's governor's birthday. We are sorry for the noise but we won't stay up late. Please join our dinner" And then, they brought 3 big foam containers fully filled with food inside. I think they thought we were relatives or children of a Minister because our places are called, House of Minister. You know what this meant. Yep, we had a late meal.
Next morning, we were willingly divided into 2 groups. The first group got up just before the sunrise and went out to wake up all the animals plus took some photos. The second group woke up when someone called "breakfast is ready!" hahaha, hmm...that included me :#) After breakfast, we just relaxed. At first, we planned to go for kayaking or rafting but it seemed that the river or the stream in this season is not quite suitable for those activities. So, we went to the viewpoint of Khao Yai, mainly covering Khao Kaew area (Green Mountains). It was a piece of cake to get there because it can be reached by cars. Not so long, it's noon....we had lunch and then, ice cream but this time we didn't go to the steak place so it's fairly cheap. We returned to BKK. And on the way back, half of our friends stopped by Umm...Milk again to have ice cream. But I had enough ....it was just too often. And this is why I wanted to call this trip, the eating trip! (When arriving at BKK, we also had dinner together. What a complete closure!)
Hope you enjoy the photos.
Namrin:-)
Link Version:
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd191/namrinb/Photo%202008/Khao%20Yai%208-9%20Mar/?albumview=link
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