Thailand: My Hosteling International HI Experience in Bangkok

Before I went to NZ, I signed up for Hosteling International (HI) membership for 2 years. It helped me save some bucks in accommodation especially when I bought the vouchers in bulk. Since I was traveling alone in Bangkok and my stay was short, I opted to stay in YHA.

Actually I have nothing much to tell from this point onward. facepalm!
I was in Sukhothai bus station and planned to catch the bus at 5pm to Bangkok. When it's my turn in the queue, ticket was sold out and the next bus to the city was at 8.30pm. Lol. Due to the 3.5 hours gap, I arrived in Bangkok at 3.30am in the morning. My plan was to wait until daybreak so that I could catch a train to Siam station and check in to Lub D hostel. After some time, I realized that this was not a good idea so I decided to check in to a hostel first and catch a sleep. Prior to my arrival, I wrote down a few YHA addresses and informed the metered taxi driver to send me to the YHA in Dusit area. HI Baan Thewet and HI Bangkok are located nearby. In case there's no 24-hour reception, I still have an option. That's my so-called contingency plan. Lol. After some troubles finding out the location of the hostel, finally I made it there. The problem of traveling in Thailand is the locals couldn't understand address in English and I have problem writing Thai language. I gave up before the taxi operator giving up. I need to thank him very very much. Kop khun ka!



There's a late-middle-age guy arrived before me. His nationality is France but he looked like an Asian. He wanted to save some bucks so the receptionist reckoned him to stay in dorm instead of single room. She told him that he had to bunk with another Thai guy in the dorm. He popped a question, "Is it safe?". Lol. He must be a first-timer.
Since it's still early, I asked the receptionist where could I do dana offering to the monks. She showed me the map and explained to me that the Thais make offering in odd number like 1, 3, 5 etc. She didn't know why and that's the practice so I just followed suit. Streets in Bangkok are lively early in the morning and alms offering is best to be done before 7am. I bought several ready-made fried rice packets and offered to the monks. Some monks would chant a prayer after the alms-giving. Take a read at this blog post to learn more about offerings to monks. H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche explains best.

This plant looks special to me. You can't find it in KL, only soi in Bangkok on YHA wall.


The hostel did provide pretty decent breakfast. Toast, eggs and coffee/ tea. I shared the same dining table with a Thai business man and a few Cambodian undergraduates. The undergrads got scholarships from the government to obtain their tertiary educations in Thailand university. One of them speaks English well and others just afraid to talk, I guess. And the course that they enroll in is IT. Opps!
The hostel host is an American guy from San Francisco. He's patient because I overheard his conversation with the Japanese guys and he repeated the same sentence for a hundred times. Lol. He hired the locals to help him in cooking and cleaning. One Thai lady let me try a cup of blue-purplish chilled drinks. She said the plant is called "Butterfly Wing" and showed the flower to the host somewhere outside the hostel. I think it is made from the flower that made up the color of nyonya kuih. The locals just boil it and drink like herbal tea. My favorite Thai beverage still goes to Roselle. :p

Hostel is not luxurious but being a frugal traveler, I'm satisfied. I call YHA in NZ home.

Thailand: Sukhothai Underwater

Sukhothai Underwater 

It's monsoon season and I was in Sukhothai 2 weeks ago. Yes, it did rain and the water level was high. I stayed at Sila Resort which is near to the Yom river bank. I could see the water level was really high. I thought that it's a norm there and the town is guarded safely by the flood wall. Seems like reality is not as what I thought. When I watched the news in CNN today, a big NOOOOO uttered in my heart. The town is flooding. A place where I got my sunburn is now flooding. Kinda hard to believe right? Hopefully the water will recede very soon and everyone is safe. Pray hard! 

Photo taken from my room window. I visited Wat Si Chum and it started to rain heavily in the evening. 

I even saw double rainbows. Last seen in Glenorchy last year.

Thailand: The Sleeping Buddha and The Sleeping Cat

When Buddha entered nirvana at the age of 80 years old, he lied by side with his right palm supporting under his head. When Shakyamuni Buddha is in this posture, we call him Sleeping Buddha or Reclining Buddha. When I was in the temple, this sleeping cat lied nicely in front of the altar. What a beautiful coincidence!



Photo taken at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Thailand: On The Street Part 2

Bangkok offers a variety of exotic food like fried grasshopper, bug or cockroach. I had seen a couple of stalls selling those at night but I didn't take any picture because I afraid the grasshopper would jump out from the wok while the seller deep frying it. Besides that, there are also many hawker stalls selling local food at soi (small street or lorong) in the city. This post is to share some local food available by the roadside. I didn't try any of these because I afraid my weak stomach couldn't handle it if the hygiene if not up to par. I hang out at MBK Level 6 food court and Yum Saap a few times during my stay there.

Fried rice. I like Malay fried rice, not sure how Thai fried rice tastes like.


Grilled banana. It's funny to see them selling grilled banana because we usually eat raw ripe banana or banana fritter in Malaysia. Personally, I like this shot because the seller was listening to his mp3 and wearing a RHCP tee while grilling banana. Kinda cool, right?


A close up look of 3 different types of grilled banana.


Sausage.


See how the seller hangs the raw meatballs.


Fritters. The one at most right looks like a river prawn fritters.


Waffles.


Pork satay?


Colorful kuih-muih. The seller looked stoned. It's 7 sth in the morning BTW.


Pre-packed breakfast. It's very convenient for monk offering.


I'm not sure what he's selling but the business was kinda good.


That's all for now.

Technorati Tags: Thai Bangkok Street Food Thailand Asia Travel Trip

Thailand: On The Street Part 1

The civil commotion in Thailand has ended. Viva la liberte. Things are getting back to normal and I believe the town will become lively again. Here are some shots captured while walking on the street.

Local folks follow the tradition from the days of Buddha to serve breakfast or lunch offering (dana) to the monks walking barefoot on the street with an alm bowl in their hands.


Other than the reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is also famous for its Traditional Thai Massage school. I saw this funny banner of a massage parlour with a sketch depicting "Herble" Compress massage.


The lady carrying lottery tickets in a folder is trying to sell lottery to the uncle during his morning walk.


Saw this when I was on my way to Vimanmek Mansion, world's largest teakwood mansion. The officer is transferring throne for the Royal to somewhere else.


The Aladdin Elephant street art on an old building.


Technorati Tags: Thai Bangkok Thailand Asia Travel Trip

Thailand: Buddha Jump Over The Wall

Behind the wall, there are peace and calm.


Photo taken at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Thailand: Bangkok Central World Experience

Bangkok, once a land of smile has now become a battleground. Skin color doesn't matter anymore as this is a battle between the Thais, between the reds and yellows and between the rich and poor. It is heart broken to see a peaceful city ending up in a political turmoil and turning into a bloodshed ground for the terrorists and innocent ones.

This photo was taken during my trip to Bangkok in July, 2009 while walking to Chidlom BTS station. Standing magnificent on the left was Central World shopping mall, which is now set ablaze by anti-government protesters and burnt into ashes. It was so happening back then with back to back mini concert on weekends, both Saturday and Sunday, right next to Isetan and the Four Face Buddha. It is so depressing to know that so much has changed in less than a year. Spot the golden head statue in my photo and this one published in BBC News Live event: Unrest in Bangkok. Can you imagine??


Quite a lot of events were held inside Central World shopping mall. I had seen event launch with superstar appearance that made the fans become mad. Also, a musical performance to promote PEACE. I want to hang out in the mall for one more time. It is only a dream that will never come true. Everything is gone.


The livelihood of Bangkok is now a history. My flight ticket to Bangkok will become a waste. Let's pray for Thailand. Peace!

Thailand: Elephant Show and The Rose Garden

My brain needs exercise so let me do some writing. I'm going to write about The Rose Garden to complete the day trip itinerary after Wood Carving Factory. Not much hoo-ha about this place and you may give it a skip if your schedule is tight. After the trip, I learnt that my parents also went there before 3 decades ago.

Other than the roses planted in the garden, this place showcases Thai local culture and lifestyle. Some of the traditional demonstrations include:-

Silk making process


Culinary arts of fruits and vegetables carving


Umbrella painting


Herbs as traditional medicine


Rice milling process


Not forgetting the mini paddy field for rice growing


I stumbled upon a bunch of kids who were resting while waiting for the next cultural show to start. They played a catchy tune when they saw me taking pictures of the traditional instruments.


After walking around for some time, it's show time!! It's kinda fun to watch the elephants doing some stunts with amusing background music. The audience burst into laughter, especially when one of the elephants poop. Of course this is not planned as part of the show.


Elephants can be your friend, when you gives him banana.


After elephant show, we moved into a hall for cultural show. The show comprised demonstration of some ceremonies like boys going into monkhood, wedding ceremony, martial art, Thai boxing (Muay Thai), cultural dance and so on. I sat quite far from the stage so these are what I've got.

Thai Wedding Ceremony


Ong Bak In Action


Bambo Dance


Cultural Dance in Traditional Costume


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Last but not least, the souvenir for you guys.


Technorati Tags: The Rose Garden Elephant Show Thai Bangkok Thailand Asia Travel Trip

Thailand: Wood Carving Factory

After the thrilling Snake Show, we were brought to Wood Carving Factory to witness the artsy-fartsy carvers doing their jobs.


A tree trunk is transformed into a piece of art by this uncle. He must have devoted a lot of time and effort to carve on this teakwood.


After walking around the factory, I took a break at the gallery to enjoy the cooling air-con. Presenting woods on a wood. I forgot to look at the price tag!


Technorati Tags: Wood Carving Factory Bangkok Thailand Asia Travel Trip

Thailand: Elephant Ride and Snake Show

After visiting floating market, the tour guide brought us to an elephant ride. According to him, only the royal family could ride on elephant in the ancient times. The rider controlled the direction using the motion of his legs behind the elephant ears. Amazing isn't it? However, no one was interested in the elephant ride under this scorching heat.


So, the guide brought us to the Cobra Show after that. I was pondering whether I want to watch or not and the Canadian lady said "Let's do it!" and the snake show, there we went. We were welcomed by this python at the entrance. Guess where the python hid his head. Behind the young guy's butt.


There were quite a lot of audience waiting for the show to start. The chicken shit me chose to sit at the last row. Look at the so-called stage, the fence was really low.


First up was cobra show. The handler swung that piece of cloth left and right in front of the King Cobra. The cobra sensed the motion and attacked its enemy. The handler was responsive and skillful enough to escape from the strikes.


The Head Up King Cobra.


This is the cobra show that sends a chill down your spine. Have you ever seen a man kissing a cobra? Don't play play. I hope he has a life insurance.


After the show, the handler demonstrated snake bite using a glass and plastic. Plastic was used to imitate the human skin. The audience could see the fangs and the venom from the cobra through the transparent glass. The poison regeneration was faster than your mana regeneration. After that, the handler also showed the funny fact of a cobra. A cobra has 2 penises. Haha.


Before the cobra was moved away from the limelight, the handler walked around the audience and let us touch the creepy snake. Yes, I freaking touched it.


Next up, Mongoose VS Cobra. Mongoose is capable of killing a cobra. The snake was separated from mongoose before it got killed during the fight. That's brutal.


Python show. The 6-year-old python was strong and aggressive and it could swallow a cow anytime. After catching the cobra, the handler spun the snake in 360 degrees in a fast speed. The audience in the front rows screamed at the top of their lungs and ran away from their seats. There was a strong feeling that the python would flung towards your direction.


This was the last stunt. How to catch 3 snakes with bare hands? First 2 snakes were caught using hands and what about the third one? Let your imagination go wild or watch this video.


I feel glad that I did it and I won't do it again in my life.

Technorati Tags: Elephant Ride Cobra Show Snake Bangkok Thailand Asia Travel Trip

Thailand: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Floating market is a place not to be missed for a first timer who wants to experience trading on a boat. There are a few floating markets in Thailand with Damnoen Saduak as the largest and authentic floating market in the vicinity. On a fine morning, I followed the tour to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located in Ratchaburi Province on a 1.5-hour van ride.


The floating market is situated along a canal so we were transferred to a long tail boat at a mini jetty before arriving at the exact location. During the boat ride, we passed by many wooden houses built along the river. Folks there just live by the canal. The long tail boat is operated on engine, so be prepared because river water is going to splash on your face when it is speeding.


After a shot ride, we finally arrived at the floating market. We can either walk alongside the canal or take a boat ride at THB 150. For sure, I opted for the latter. The boat woman paddled the boat along the canal and simultaneously we did the shopping and photo shooting on the boat.


The floating market is jam packed with tourist boats. It could be congested and luckily there is no honk on the boat.


There are a lot of boats selling straw hat and souvenir as the target customer is mainly tourist. The boat is fully loaded with all sorts of goods and it makes me wonder how they maintain the balance of the boat. Some of the shopkeepers looked bored. I think they are stuck in a rut.


Besides souvenir, fruits can be seen almost everywhere. Sweet mango is tantalizing and some tourists are eating them on the boat. Driven by curiosity, how this fruit seller reaches the mangoesteen at far end of the boat.


From my observation. this fierce-looking uncle was the only butcher there. He monopoly the meat market.


Something amazed me was cooking on the boat. They somehow managed to load a gas tank into the boat and cook.


Uncle and auntie enjoying their food.


Hard selling.


One hand grilling meatball, one hand paddling boat.


There's gold in the fruits?


Fried banana. Pisang goreng.


Need a fag.


Buying & selling.


Cool boatman.


I need customer.


Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream.


Goodbye colorful floating market.


Technorati Tags: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Ratchaburi Bangkok Thailand Asia Travel Trip