Bangkok, Thailand: Quick Glimpse
Sawatdee Kah, which means "Hello" in Thai. When going to a different country, it is useful to learn a few of their mother tongue. It is a good way of showing that you are really interested in learning more about the place. And of course, it can also help you communicate with the locals, in a simple manner.
During a visit to Thailand in 2011, we were lucky to have some friends residing there to help us roam around Bangkok. The very first thing that caught my attention upon arriving in Thailand was the size of the Suvarnabhumi Airport. It looked so huge and wide that I could get lost easily. It's big!
Packed with much courage, we took the train from the airport instead of riding a cab to take us to our hotel. From the airport to Phaya Thai, it was just a short trip. But we were kinda lost so we decided to take a cab, finally! The challenging part was the cab driver doesn't speak English. Yikes!
The solution: we called up the receptionist of the hotel and let her talked to the driver to instruct the address. It was a good thing we bought a sim card to contact our friends. Whew! And viola, we were able to check-in at last. We set aside the excitement to wander around as we needed to take a quick nap. The travel was around 4 -5 hours from Singapore and mind you, Thailand is one hour behind of Singapore. Oh time zone......
Late in the afternoon on the day we arrived, we headed out to the popular landmarks in Thailand - those located at the heart of Bangkok.
The Grand Palace was such a beautiful sight to behold. The architectural structure of the buildings was so amazing and impressive that it made me wonder how long did it take for the palace to be constructed.
There's a dress code in the palace - no shorts, sleeveless tops, and above the knee bottom for both male and female. They will provide a sarong to those who are wearing shorts, even for guys. :D So better follow rules!
I never missed the opportunity to pose with the palace guard. :-)
It is said that the palace served as the official residence of the Kings way back in time, though, some functions are still held in the palace these days. Despite the test of time, the palace remained an incredible possession of the nation.
This temple is widely known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha considering that it housed the largest Buddha image in the entire country. Many tourists like me were stunned with the enchanting spots inside the temple.
We roamed around and took pictures of the Prang in the inner courtyard as well as in the Medicine pavilion. The rich history of the temple has captured the interest of many tourists from around the world.
The night started to fall, so we decided not to go to the Wat Arun and just looked at it from a far. :-( The Wat Arun was so captivating to look at from the opposite side of the Chao Praya river. We were informed that a few days from that day will be the lantern festival, which is very popular in Bangkok. Ah so sad.. It would have been fun if we can witness it.
Unfortunately, we were not able to go to the floating market as we no longer had enough time. But we had a wonderful nightlife as we headed out to a popular nightclub in Bangkok - Shamrock. There was a local band that sounded boring at first, but when the clock ticked midnight, they started playing my favourite songs - Metallica and Guns 'n Roses. Wohoo!!! Party time!
Okay, there are many places to visit for shopping in Bangkok, such as Siam Paragon, Central World Plaza and the Emporium. But going to MBK Mall was superb! It's a good place to shop for clothes of any kind at cheap prices. And so, I was able to buy some souvenirs for everyone back at home.
One of the malls in Bangkok displayed few of the famous wax figures of celebrities as part of the promotion for Madame Tussauds. Oh yeah I was able to hold and take picture with Leo, Tom and Jacky Chan. lol
Oh Tom, I 'll never get tired of watching Top Gun, I swear. ;-)
With regards to foodie, yes I am picky and I can't dare to eat exotic foods. So we dined in ordinary restaurants. However, I didn't came home without tasting the famous "Tom Yam Goong" dish.
Yeah, I kinda love spicy foods but it was too much for me. The soup is a mixture of spicy hot and sour flavours. T_T
On our second day in Bangkok, we attended the wedding of a Thai friend. We didn't really witnessed the traditional wedding ceremony as it was exclusive for family members - I think.
The wedding reception was held in Rama Gardens Hotel (where we checked in). We were stunned as the event was like the infamous "Oscar Award" complete with red carpet, tarpaulin and photographers. Whew! But we survived the night. It was a lovely wedding. Sadly, I didn't have enough pictures during that time. Arg...
Third day in Bangkok was our last day, but before we checked out we wandered around the luxurious hotel. Sadly, we were not able to enjoy the amenities as we were dead tired before and after the wedding. Rama Hotel is indeed grand.
Anyway, it was just a quick visit to Bangkok but we had a wonderful time. There are so many other places to check out in Thailand. So, see you again Thailand!
Sept' 11
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| Photo Credit:blog.nobelcom.com |
During a visit to Thailand in 2011, we were lucky to have some friends residing there to help us roam around Bangkok. The very first thing that caught my attention upon arriving in Thailand was the size of the Suvarnabhumi Airport. It looked so huge and wide that I could get lost easily. It's big!
 |
| Photo credit: initialdescent.com |
Packed with much courage, we took the train from the airport instead of riding a cab to take us to our hotel. From the airport to Phaya Thai, it was just a short trip. But we were kinda lost so we decided to take a cab, finally! The challenging part was the cab driver doesn't speak English. Yikes!
The solution: we called up the receptionist of the hotel and let her talked to the driver to instruct the address. It was a good thing we bought a sim card to contact our friends. Whew! And viola, we were able to check-in at last. We set aside the excitement to wander around as we needed to take a quick nap. The travel was around 4 -5 hours from Singapore and mind you, Thailand is one hour behind of Singapore. Oh time zone......
Strolling begin
The Grand Palace
There's a dress code in the palace - no shorts, sleeveless tops, and above the knee bottom for both male and female. They will provide a sarong to those who are wearing shorts, even for guys. :D So better follow rules!
I never missed the opportunity to pose with the palace guard. :-)
It is said that the palace served as the official residence of the Kings way back in time, though, some functions are still held in the palace these days. Despite the test of time, the palace remained an incredible possession of the nation.
The Buddhist temple "Wat Pho"
 |
| Photo Credit: discoverythailand.com |
This temple is widely known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha considering that it housed the largest Buddha image in the entire country. Many tourists like me were stunned with the enchanting spots inside the temple.
We roamed around and took pictures of the Prang in the inner courtyard as well as in the Medicine pavilion. The rich history of the temple has captured the interest of many tourists from around the world.
The night started to fall, so we decided not to go to the Wat Arun and just looked at it from a far. :-( The Wat Arun was so captivating to look at from the opposite side of the Chao Praya river. We were informed that a few days from that day will be the lantern festival, which is very popular in Bangkok. Ah so sad.. It would have been fun if we can witness it.
 |
| Photo Credit: thailandtesol.org |
Unfortunately, we were not able to go to the floating market as we no longer had enough time. But we had a wonderful nightlife as we headed out to a popular nightclub in Bangkok - Shamrock. There was a local band that sounded boring at first, but when the clock ticked midnight, they started playing my favourite songs - Metallica and Guns 'n Roses. Wohoo!!! Party time!
Shopping Time!
One of the malls in Bangkok displayed few of the famous wax figures of celebrities as part of the promotion for Madame Tussauds. Oh yeah I was able to hold and take picture with Leo, Tom and Jacky Chan. lol
Oh Tom, I 'll never get tired of watching Top Gun, I swear. ;-)
Food!
 |
| Photo Credit: blog.effynius.com |
Yeah, I kinda love spicy foods but it was too much for me. The soup is a mixture of spicy hot and sour flavours. T_T
Second Day
On our second day in Bangkok, we attended the wedding of a Thai friend. We didn't really witnessed the traditional wedding ceremony as it was exclusive for family members - I think.
The wedding reception was held in Rama Gardens Hotel (where we checked in). We were stunned as the event was like the infamous "Oscar Award" complete with red carpet, tarpaulin and photographers. Whew! But we survived the night. It was a lovely wedding. Sadly, I didn't have enough pictures during that time. Arg...
Third day in Bangkok was our last day, but before we checked out we wandered around the luxurious hotel. Sadly, we were not able to enjoy the amenities as we were dead tired before and after the wedding. Rama Hotel is indeed grand.
Anyway, it was just a quick visit to Bangkok but we had a wonderful time. There are so many other places to check out in Thailand. So, see you again Thailand!
Sept' 11