2008.03.14-20 - Thailand
The enormous paintings on the walls and the walkalators of the Suvarnabhumi Airport greeted us upon our arrival on March 14, 2008. The airport is almost twice the size of NAIA and everything was automated. From there, you’d have a clue how many tourists were visiting Thailand. The immigration line was pretty long.
The Chao Phraya River Cruise was our first stop on our first night in Bangkok. The cruise serves not only international buffet dinner but also a beautiful view of the city at night. The cruise passes by infamous landmarks like The Grand Palace and the Temple of Dawn. It's basically Bangkok in a nutshell. Lovely!
The Temple of Dawn is even more gorgeous at night.
The Royal Temple was the first ‘wat’ we visited on our second day. According to Kay, our tour guide, the temple is maintained by the royal family.
The chandeliers and the circular patterns against the warm red color of the temple's ceiling are just exquisite.
The Golden Buddha in Wat Traimit is made of pure gold. According to history, the Thais covered it with plaster to hide it from those who had interests to steal it.
After riding the BTS from Mo Chit to Siam stations, we decided to walk from the Siam Discovery Mall to our hotel to enjoy the streets of Bangkok. We passed by this phone booth at Phaya Thai Rd. Unlike in the Philippines, phone booths are still pretty big in Thailand. We also passed by a bar full of emo kids. It was only 5PM then but it seemed that the bar was already in full swing. We learned later on that clubs and bars in Bangkok open as early as 3PM!
The Grand Palace is as majestic as its name. It was my first time seeing something so grandeur and actually being in it. The sun was scorching hot, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the view. And taking pictures, of course.
The Reclining Buddha is gigantic. I reckon the Buddha was built first before the structure that housed it.
Aside from the Buddha, the tall, intricate structures, (I don’t know what they’re called) that I guess were there only for their aesthetic value, are also sights to behold in Wat Po. I can’t imagine how long it took for them to be built. Each had its meticulously-crafted and unique design. It’s amazing.
Sha, Harbs and I had coffee at Starbucks at the Siam Discovery Mall. I took this picture just to have a remembrance of how the streets of Bangkok looks like.
On Tuesday, our fifth day, we set out for Pattaya City! From the shores of Pattaya we went by boat (three to be exact) to reach the Coral Island. We were only there for a few hours but it made our Thailand experience complete. We were allowed to seat at the front most part of the boat on our way back. Definitely an i'm-the-king-of-the-world ala Leo di Caprio experience.
One of Thailand’s famous sights is the Floating Market in Ratchaburi. We went there on our last full day in the country. We made our way to the market via a motor boat. Upon reaching the market, we rode another small boat to make our way through the crowded river full of vendors who sold everything from fruits to bags to hats to souvenirs, and yes even fresh meat.
Even this dog had errands to do. Hehe.
The elephants showed their acting, soccer and dancing skills at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. They were so adorable, not to mention intelligent, that it made me wish I can take one home. Hehe. In the zoo, elephants are able to walk outside their cages (with supervision, of course). The baby elephants were especially cute that you’d like to hug them. We even had a picture taken with them. The zoo also had crocodiles but we weren’t so fond of them. Hey, who is?
How I wish the trip never ended. Every single day there was memorable. Our motto all throughout the trip was, “Minsan lang ‘to!” and that prepped us up for anything and everything from trying out uber hot dishes to crossing the psychotic streets to navigating Bangkok with nothing but our map and gut feeling to guide us on our way back to the hotel to meeting people of different nationalities. Hopefully we can do this again, guys! I’m oh so broke right now but I thought every penny I’ve spent is sooo worth it. Let’s swap pics already so that we can get started with the scrap book!
