Adventures of Anette: Thailand

Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Back to Thailand: Chatuchak Market, Baiyoke Sky Hotel and the end of our trip

Anonymous 2:42:00 PM

After spending a couple of days in Siem Reap it was time to move on, and go back to Bangkok. Our return flight from Bangkok to Osaka was getting closer, and we wanted to spend a couple of days in Bangkok before going back to Japan.

Since we wanted a more comfortable bus ride back to Thailand we decided to go for the more expensive bus to Bangkok, since the staff at the hotel claimed that we would arrive earlier, and that there wouldn´t be a lot of people on the bus so the travelling would be comfortable and crossing the border would be faster as well. So we got up early in the morning waiting for the bus company to come and pick us up. Then we got dropped of outside another hotel where we and some other tourists waited for a while before another car showed up.

In the end me, Adaora, a Chinese girl and a guy from Japan turned out to be the ones who were going with the bus. Though for some reason none of us had seen any bus yet, which we did find a bit strange.

Anyway, the new car drove for a while before the driver suddenly stopped the car and went out. Our patient was already running low since it was early in the morning, and all the waiting was getting on my nerve.

After another 5-10 minutes the driver shows up again with another girl, who turned out to be German, and me Adaora, the Chinese girl and the German girl ended up sitting rather uncomfortably squeezed in the back of the car.

There was still no sign of that comfy bus we was promised though. After a while the German girl got a phone-call from her friends, and they asks her about the trip. Their questions make her ask the driver when we will reach the bus we were supposed to travel with, and the driver answers: “Bus had accident. I take you to border. . Trip take 2 hours”

Back in Bangkok we stayed at my teacher Tiengs place again, and in the evening he took us out for dinner at an outdoor buffet which is very popular among the locals. The food was really great, and we had a good time.

Chatuchak Market
On Sunday me, Adaora and our French friend Lulu went to the Chatuchak weekend market in the north part of town. We had heard that the market would be crammed, so we got up extra early to avoid as many other tourists as possible. Getting there was easy, and the area was huge, so even though not all of the shops were open when we arrived (around 9 o´clock) there was still a lot to see.

A button collection..

The market is actually divided into different areas depending on the stuff they sell, and you can basically find anything here..

But there aren´t all the parts of the market that I liked that much. It just hurts me to see dogs caged up like that, and the market actually has a whole area where they sell pets, all of them placed in uncomfortably small cages. It made me feel sick just to watch them like that.

But there was also some entertainment in the market, beside all the tourists and stores. Here is a funny-looking guy who had a little dance-show going on..

He looked veery pretty.. Indeed.. :p

Our last day in Thailand me and Adaora went to the city center again, this time because we wanted to get a view of the city before going back to Japan.

After walking around in the city for a while we ended up in the so-called Baiyoke Sky Hotel, which has an observatory on the upper floors.

In addition to the nice view the Sky Hotel also has some interesting backgrounds and stuff for tourist who likes to fool around taking pictures. And we definitely did.!

We never got the chance to take an air-balloon trip in Cambodia, so this was the closest we got to "the real thing"..

Not to much to say about the weather though, it was pretty bad during our whole stay in Thailand, both the first time and also the second time.

Adaora checking out the view.

The Bangkok Sky Hotel was the last place we went to on our trip. In the evening we left Bangkok again, and this time we were heading for Japan again.
It had been a really nice and funny trip, but at the same time I think we both were happy that the traveling was over for this time. Especially because of all the problems that had occurred in Japan during our one-month long trip we were actually quite excited that we were able to return to Japan at all.
But now it is back to reality and school here in Kyoto. I'm pretty sure I still have a lot of adventures ahead of me here in Kyoto as well, so stay in tuned;)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Thailand

Sightseeing in Bangkok: Chao Phraya and must-see temples by the riverside

Anette 11:25:00 PM

The river Chao Phraya goes straight through the western part of Bangkok, and from there it is easy to travel by boat to major tourist attractions for only a few Bath. This picture is taken at a small harbor close to our hotel, and shows the view towards the southern part of the city.
There are a couple of different boats you can take to get to the area with all the temples. Some are really cheap, but they also have a little bit more expensive tourist boat where a lady talks about buildings and attractions the boat passes by on the way (she even started singing on our trip..!).

From the boat we had a good view to some of Bangkok's most famous tourist spots, here represented by the temple of the Dawn; Wat Arun.

After getting of the boat we went toWat Phra Khaew which is said to be the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand.

There are a lot to see inside the temple area, and both the architecture, statues and paintings are really nice.

The details in the temple are also beautiful..!

The only thing I can complain about was that we unfortunately did not have much luck with the weather.. And neither had we brought umbrellas with us on this particular day, so the sightseeing was not as fun as we would have hoped. I am pretty certain we would have spent much more time there if it wasn't raining that much..

Some interesting statues..!

And a little close-up of one of the painted walls.

After seeing the Wat Phra Khaer temple we went next door to the palace. When you pay to see Wat Phra Khaer you actually have to pay for the entrance to the palace area as well, so even though it wasn't all too interesting we stopped by the place for a quick view.

... And since I did order a dress a couple of days ago we dropped by the tailor as well to try it on and to check if there was any necessary adjustments to be made.

The dress was a little bit to big, so one of the ladies had to help adjusting the size.

Agoda Partner Links

Hotels in Thailand

Hotels in Bangkok

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Thailand

Thai Massage Course in Bangkok!

Anette 6:15:00 PM

One of the things I really wanted to try out while in Thailand, was a course in thai massage!
After doing some research I discovered that most of the places however only offered 5 days courses, and since we didn't have that many days in Thailand 5 days were not possible for me.
But luckily the owner of Shiva Ashram Hoslistic Health & Thai Massage studio, Tieng, let me take the course over fewer days than normal.

His massage studio is situated really close to the airport, all I had to do was to take the train and get off at the Lat Krabang station, which is the stop next to the airport, and Tieng came and picked me up there.

A picture of the entrance to the massage studio

..And one of the reception.

This is the room used where my massage courses were being held.

But besides this they have some other nicely decorated massage rooms as well. The atmosphere was very relaxing and peacefull.

Not only did I got to learn a lot about Thai massage, but I also recived some myself as well!

Practicing some basic Thai massage on one of the assistants.

Adaora also recieved some Thai massage.

And after working for many hours I got to try out some stuff that was a little bit advanced as well..!

The last day I got a diploma from my teacher for having finished the massage course!

I can really recommend taking a massage course in Thailand, I think it is an unique experience not only because it is something typical for Thailand, but also because it's something I most likely not would have done back in my own country. To go out of your own country and coming back with new experiences and skills really are some of the best things of travelling, in my opinion.

I also strongly recommend this place, everybody is so nice and friendly, both me and Adaora felt that we were being taken so good care of.! If you are interested in learning Thai massage you can check out their internet page. There you can see the different courses they offer as well as more info about Thai massage and so on.!

Also, the adress of the place is:
459/304 Romklao Rd.,Ladkabang Bangkok Thailand. (3.5 mins. from Suvarnabhumi airport)

Thailand

The skies of Bangkok are crying for Japan

Anette 12:09:00 AM

The Norwegian government has requested that all Norwegian citizens leave Japan as soon as possible, and I don't know what will happen.. I just got a message that my university in Norway demands all students to return as well.

In the mean time the rain is pouring down here in Bangkok, even though it usually doesn't rain much at this time of the year. Another side-effect of the earthquake perhaps..?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Thailand

New Road Guesthouse, Bangkok - Thailand

Anette 11:17:00 PM

The place me and Adaora stayed at while in Bangkok, was a small hostel called New Road Guest House situated near the Sky Bar south-west in the city.

The main reason for us to stay there was the prices. We only payed about 7 dollars pr night pr person, and when you are travelling on a low budget that is just perfect. Arriving at the hostel it really looked like a nice place as well.

The entrance to New Road Guesthouse

And the reception

In the morning they hold information meetings here both in English and also Danish. In adition to this you can have them make phone calls for you. This costs 10 bath per minute, unless the phone call is made to a cellphone in which case they charge 20 bath per minute.

Also, they might try to rip you off when it comes to the length of the call, so I suggest you have a timekeeper avable so that you can make sure the call lasted as long as they say.

Another funny thing is that the evening we arrived the guy at the reception wanted 20 bath from us when we asked for a map of Bangkok, but we said no thanks. In the morning at the information meeting the lady who held the meeting gave us the same map for free.. Although it's not much money we are talking about, I still find it kind of strange that the other guy tried to make us pay for one the evening before..

They also have a nice little restaurant with a breakfast-buffet in the morning. This is not included in the price though.

Seperate from the main hotel building they have another building with a bar and a room you can rent for 200 bath (which you get back) where they have a TV and some DVDs you can borrow for a couple of hours (though this room was always taken already when me and Adaora wanted to use it).

If you want to use the internet they have computers here, and to use the computer they charge 60 bath/hour.
Anyway, the bar area is very cozy, here are some pictures of it:

They also have some books and games to keep you entertained during your stay.

If you go out from the back of the bar they have a small space outside as well.

Not to mention a billiard table!

All in all the hostel is quite alright, specially considering the price. The rooms are, however, not that nice.. There are mold in the walls and the rooms looks like it needs some re-decoration. Still, considering the price for staying here it is not that bad. You are probably not going to spend that much time in your room anyway.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Thailand

Exploring Asia: Bangkok - Thailand

Anette 10:13:00 PM

On Sunday me and Adaora left Taipei heading for Thailand's capital Bangkok. The plane was delayed by almost one hour, and when we finally arrived it was already late.

At first we were a bit sceptical to the place we were staying at: arriving late at night the area seemed kind of suspicious. Not to mention that our hostel, called New Road Guesthouse, was situated in what seemed like a dark back-alley. However, in the morning time on Moday the empty streets had turned into nice food markets, and in the area there was also a lot of small stores and things to see.

Adaora checking out local food at a nearby market.

Our hotel had an infomeeting in the morning, so after getting some tips about the area we headed out by Tuk-tuk (ตุ๊กตุ๊ก), which is a three-wheeled vehicle looking like a motorbike with seats for passengers.

This is an easy and cheap way to travel; tuk-tuks are basically everywhere, and they will NOT hesitate to try to convince you to take a ride with them. However, most of them has so-called "sponsers": souvenir- and tailor-shops gives them free petrol cards if they bring new customers to their store. so don't get confused if you end up in places you originally didn't plan to go.

Me and Adaora also experienced tuk-tuk drivers who did not want to drive us to a tailors store, because I had already already ordered the dress and was going back only for the fittings, which meant that the tuk-tuk driver would not get free patrol cards..

And yeah, as previously mentioned I ended up buying a new dress at one of the tailor stores. In addition to being pretty cheap (at least compared to what it would have costed back in Norway) it is an interesting experience as well.

Me being measured at the tailor-store.

After spending most of my dollars buying the dress me and Adaora continued our sightseeing-trip, heading for some of the smaller temples in the area. First stop was Wat Thepthidaram, a small temple in the west-side of the city.

Me and Adaora inside the temple.

And the temple from the outside.

Wat Benchamabophit

From the first temple we headed off to see the second for the day: Wat Benchamabophit. This temple was more interesting than the first one, not only because of it size but also because of the surroundings of the temple. Luckily the weather was nice (the only day in Thailand we had good weather), so we went for a stroll in the park there and just chilled out.