Archive

Archive for January, 2010

Bangkok Trip, Travel and Fun – Part 1

January 19th, 2010

During my last two posts about Phuket here and here, it is my visit to Thailand.
Following the Phuket trip, I flown from Phuket to Bangkok, and it’s quite cheap with Thai AirAsia. 🙂

Like to know what are the interesting places and activities I visited?

Chao Phraya Cruise

The Chao Phraya (Thai: แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา) is a major river in Thailand. By now, you might have known that I booked most of the tours from Hotels2Thailand.

dsc_0438

I was interested with the Chao Phraya cruise as it is a 2 hour cruise program with dinner on a cruise along the Chao Phraya river with scenic views.

chao_phraya_cruise
Click to enlarge

The very friendly customer service of Hotels2Thailand recommended me to travel by taxi to the River Pier this time around as it is much cheaper than getting the additional charges for pickup, due to the hotel that I stay is near. Again, I am delighted with the Thais’ efficiency in work and friendliness.

dsc_0446

The booking, as we know when we arrived River Pier 1 at Siphraya (Charoen Krung 30 Rd.) is that we will be boarding the Chao Phraya Princess Cruise 3.

There were many such cruises providing dinner and with similar program.

dsc_0521

It was a buffet-style dinner suitable for family, groups and also romantic for couples.

dsc_0552

Passengers can also mobilize to the front of the cruise to enjoy the wind and scenic views by the Chao Phraya river.
The passengers are entertained by singers and the dance floor is open for everyone after the dinner.

Learn more about it from Hotels2Thailand or ThaiCruise.com.

Sightseeing and shopping

They say that Bangkok is a shopping haven.
Travelling with BTS, you can stop at Siam station and within walking distance, you can shop at Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Center or MBK Center, all within Siam Square which is a shopping and entertainment area in the Siam District.

dsc_0762

Things are cheaper at MBK center as it is a shopping complex more than a shopping mall.

dsc_0755
I went for the Mc Donald’s samurai pork burger as well.

Tony Roma’s

In Bangkok, along the streets you can see hawkers selling various types of food and something that I don’t see often in Malaysia is pork noodles, and pork rice.

That brings us to the Tony Roma’s!

dscn2933

When Tony Roma’s first came to Malaysia, I yearned to try their baby back ribs again, but unfortunately, Malaysian Tony Roma’s only serves beef.

dsc_0792

Tony Roma’s famous baby back ribs, are porky. They are juicy, tender and super soft.
Well, if you’re non pork eater, you may want to try their appetizer sampler. The sauce for the Fire Wings are the same as the baby back ribs if I’m not mistaken.

tony_roma_menu

There are only two Tony Roma’s restaurants in Bangkok.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

The floating market is a one of the place you have to visit. Although I have been to Bangkok before, this is my first time to the floating market and it is truly an eye-opener.
The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is located at Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi Province, about 105 kms from Bangkok.

The tour that I signed up for include round trip transfer (pick up from hotel but return to Khao San Road). It is a very good tour, for only 350 baht per person, you get to travel more than 100km from Bangkok and back, and with boat paddling service provided along the floating market.

dsc_0833

Apply sun protection cream and remember your sun glasses. 🙂

dsc_0881

Vendors make sales on their own boat, as well as those that put up their stalls by the river.

dsc_0009

After one round of paddling through the floating market, you will be given time to walk around the market before travelling back with their van transfer.

The coconut ice-cream is my favourite. Pork noodles and tom yam noodles by the river is a must-try. Price around 25 baht a bowl only.

dsc_0041

If you’d like to visit the floating market, as recommended by a friend of mine, I joined the Mama Travel & Tour as it is much cheaper than the other advertised tour.

Mama Travel & Tour
144 Khao san Rd., Pranakorn, Bangkok,10200
Tel : 02-6291163,02-6291045
Fax : 02-6291046
email : mamatour1 [at] hotmail [dot] com

More details of the floating market here and here.

Up next : Bangkok Trip, Travel and Fun – Part 2

Good To Know, Review, Travel , , , , , , , , , ,

Places to visit and things to do in Phuket – Part 2

January 15th, 2010

This is the sequel to Places to visit and things to do in Phuket – Part 1.

Phi Phi Island Cruise

I went for a half day tour to Phi Phi Island.

dsc_0792l

It was a Phi Phi Island Cruise tour, where many people set foot on a cruise boat and took more than one hour from a pier in Phuket to Phi Phi Islands.

dsc_0780l

Where is Phi Phi Island?
Phi Phi consists of six small islands 46km south of Phuket.
View Larger Map

phiphiislandsmap

dsc_0825l

It is a hot (temperature) place and also a major tourist attraction for visitors to Phuket. On the way to Phi Phi island, we can see a lot of other tour cruisers too.

dsc_0827l

dsc_0838l

There are smaller speedboats as well, and according to Mr Bandit (our earlier tour guide), it is more expensive to get a speedboat, but I think it’s faster to reach the Phi Phi islands for your water activities and you do not need to follow the tour schedule.

dsc_0022

Click those images to see a larger version.

dsc_0030

If you choose the Phi Phi Island Cruise tour, it will allow you to transfer to a smaller boat for snorkeling and water activities while the cruise ship (should you choose not to go for snorkeling), will proceed to the pier.

dsc_0074

The cruise tour include lunch where both parties, that went for snorkeling and the rest that don’t, will meet at Phi Phi hotel for a sumptuous lunch.

dsc_0082

There are many long boats along the Phi Phi Island beach.

dsc_0176

And not missing out are the crowd that sun bath and enjoying the clear waters.

dsc_0203

I booked the Phi Phi Island Tour (by Cruise) from Hotels2Thailand as well and they include round trip transfer to and from your hotel in Phuket.
You might want to get a speedboat if you would like to avoid the crowd and the flexibility of your own time but the advantage of joining the cruise is you get to sit or take a nap comfortably as it is air-conditioned. Drinks such as water, tea and coffee are provided free and Pepsi was distributed on the return trip.
The tour was very organized and team was very efficient.

Simon Cabaret

That night, we took a tuk-tuk to Simon Cabaret from Patong.

dsc_0226

Simon Cabaret is a musical and dance show which is very entertaining. It is located near Patong beach and has a Simon Bar that serve drinks.

dsc_0229

The Best Show in Town
dsc_0230

Earlier, I tried to book the show from Hotels2Thailand’s website as well. Unfortunately, it was fully booked and I emailed Simon Cabaret directly : info [at] phuket-simoncabaret.com, and they reserved seats for me. The ticket costs 800 baht per person which include a drink that you can collect from Simon Bar and bring into the show.
Guess what I had?
dsc_0258

Recordings are prohibited, but I found this video from YouTube. Somebody must have been secretly recording clips of the show.

The performances are different and changes periodically I guess. Although the dance was nice (I especially liked the indian dance song and the pretty lead), but the songs were a bit old.

That was until the later part, they came out and performed Nobody by Wondergirls!

If you have no idea about Nobody, check out the official video below.

By the way, did I mention that the performers are all men?
Yes, men dressed as ladies.

dsc_0273
They are named ladyboys, some look prettier than ordinary ladies!

Phuket Carnival

It was a coincidence, during my visit to Phuket, it falls in the period of Phuket Carnival 2009.

dsc_0307

It seems to be an annual affair but not on the same date every year.
There was fireworks, beach party and various food stalls all over the stretch of Patong Beach.

dsc_0292

Mind you, the seafood are mostly XXL in size!

dsc_0293

XXL Shrimps.

dsc_0294

The XXL Grilled Fishes, looks too dry for me. I overheard they are selling for 150 baht each. It’s Huuge!

dsc_0295
XXL Oysters.

Holiday in Phuket?
In my personal opinion, Phuket is a good place for sea activities. It is a major attraction for European tourists, thus the locals tend to make money by offering services at high price, especially tuk-tuk and taxis. Remember to negotiate with them.
One thing you need to try is their massage as well, somewhere around 300 baht for an hour of Thai massage.

There are many attractions and things to do, as my trip is short and being a first timer, I couldn’t list out everything nice in Phuket.
Have you been to Phuket and is there anything you liked there? Please comment below this post.

For more things-to-do in Phuket, check out Jamie’s Phuket blog.

Good To Know, Review, Travel , , , , ,

Places to visit and things to do in Phuket – Part 1

January 12th, 2010

Phuket is an island in the south of Thailand and is famous for its beaches and water activities especially among Europeans.

I had a chance to visit it for a couple of days and some of the attractions I made footprints are:

Kata View Point

From this location, you can have a view of Kata Noi, Kata beach and Karon beach.

dsc_0091l


View Kata View Point in a larger map

Elephant Trekking

Elephant Trekking can be fun and exciting, rates are based on the duration of 30 minutes ride, 1 hour or more.
dsc_0222l
If you think it’s easy to ride an elephant like this with seats tied to eat securely, think again. Even when it moves slowly, the seat might sway from left to right and on steep grounds, it’s even more fun when the elephant slipped a bit!

Phuket Sea Shell Museum
Well, this place is kind of boring but if you have time to kill, you will get to see some extra ordinary huge shells and shells of different shapes, sizes and colours that you might not have seen before.
dsc_0265l

Monkey Show in Monkey School
This 30 minute show is expensive in my opinion, with some monkeys demonstrating skills such as catching a ball, riding a bicycle, working on numbers etc.
dsc_0366l
Check out this video for a short clip of the show.

The Phuket town is a mix of old and new development with more modern buildings and tourist spots by the beaches.
dsc_0378l

Mc Donalds are available in a few places in Phuket.
dsc_0379l

We were brought to the places above by a taxi driver who we picked up from the taxi stand beside the airport and offered to be our tour guide for half the day. He has a special name, which is Bandit, but he is a polite person, not a bandit at all.

However, he bought us to a Phuket Bay Restaurant (photo below), for lunch when I requested tom yam!
dsc_0408l
It was a seafood restaurant by the seaside, I hope you can imagine that, those that allow you to choose your lobsters, shrimps and crabs.
I guess the staff were a bit excited at first, until we sat down and ordered pad thai, tom yam soup and fried rice only. 🙂
In my opinion, prices of food and stuff in Phuket are a bit exorbitant, except those by the roadside. We were able to had decently priced hawker stuff by the beach in Patong near our hotel.

Phuket Pearl Factory

This is actually a small pearl shop that sells pearls that are farmed in the vicinity of Sapham Bay, on the west coast of Phuket Island in Thailand.
dsc_0414l
Entrance is free and a guide will briefly go through the pearl types and products. It’s a pearl shopping location.

Wat Chalong / Chalong Temple

Chalong temple is the largest temple in Phuket and it has a wide compound with a arched entrance.
The photos below doesn’t do justice.
dsc_0432l
Pra Jomthaibaramee (above) is not yet completed but notices say that construction will be completed soon. The atmosphere inside is quiet but bright and sunny. There are many different postures of Buddha images around the hall on the first floor.
dsc_0458l
View from Pra Jomthaibaramee.
dsc_0468l
Buddha images inside Pra Jomthaibaramee.
dsc_0469l
Artificial bronze statues of Luang Poh Cham , Luang Poh Chung and Luang Poh Kluam
Learn more about Chalong Temple here.

Phuket Fantasea


Photo from http://blog.tourismthailand.org/EugeneTang/?p=809
Located on Kamala Beach, just 9 km from Patong, Phuket FantaSea : The Utimate Cultural Theme Park offers a one-of-a-kind experience of culture and fun that no visitor to Phuket should miss! Created at a cost of over 3500 million THB, the result is a stunning 140 -acre theme park, pack with a multitude of activities and entertainment.
dsc_0551l
dsc_0552l
dsc_0571l
dsc_0595l
The magnificent Palace of the Elephants (above) is a state-of-the-art theater with wonderful acoustics and seating 3,000 persons. This is where the cultural show is performed, no camera or any digital recording devices are allowed in.

dsc_0641l

The Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant is the place for visitors to enjoy a feast of Royal Thai dishes and delicacies from popular international cuisine right before the show.

dsc_0657l

Phuket Fantasea is a not-to-be-missed item in the list of places to visit in Phuket.
I booked the Phuket Fantasea show online from Hotels2Thailand website and it includes the buffet dinner and round trip transportation! The transportation actually comes from FantaSea van transfer service and pick up passengers from hotels in the area of Patong and Kata.

For more information about the show, go here. More pictures here.

Expect many elephants, tiger cubs and fun!

Updated: Checkout the Places to visit and things to do in Phuket – Part 2 (the second and last part of my Phuket trip).

Good To Know, Review, Travel , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,