Life, Travel, GRACE

This place was recommended by a friend. It's not a zoo. It's Safari World. We took about an hour journey to reach here. Lots of animals to see. The kids were happy. As I haven't been to any safari theme park, I consider this place good for family to spend a day together. I personally like the dolphin show. The crowd, mostly Indians, were very enthusiastic. On the other way, I pitied the elephants. They must have been treated badly during their training. Just my opinion.

Earlier this year (it was in March) we went to Bangkok for a short family trip. I had two free tickets from MAS worth RM1600.00. Since I only can redeem for two adults, therefore I needed to pay the fare for the children. Well, the lowest cost offered was to Bangkok. So that was how we ended up going there for 3-night stay. Haven't been to Bangkok for quite time; so it would be a great opportunity to see their development over the past few years. Bangkok is still as vibrant as before. We stayed in Asia Hotel. It was the most convenient place -  the BTS station was just outside the hotel. Unfortunately, there wasn't many street food vendors in that area. The plus size would be the spacious room. As it was a short stay there, most of the places would be nearby - easily accessible via BTS Skytrain. One of the new places that had gained popularity there was Asiatique. The was a major refurbishment of an old warehouse. I felt like I was in Australia (although I have never ...

Probably the best tourist attraction in Bangkok. It is about 2 hours drive from Bangkok. Each morning traders flock to this village selling their stuff on boat. Really a wet market.

Our faces made it to the billboard and poster. Check it out. [Photos from Thailand trip, 2008 March]

If you are in Chiang Mai, pay a visit to Karen long-neck tribe's village. Said to be refugee from Myanmar, this tribe embraces brass coil on woman's neck. The purpose - protection from tiger? Or a resemblance to a dragon? Girl will start wearing the ring as early as 5 years old. This is really unusual and interesting, at least an eye-opener for the diversity of the people and tribes. Often the minority tribe is exploited for tourism purpose. Not sure how much they will get for each visitor per day.

I think everyone heard the infamous Golden Triangle in Thailand before. It is an area referring to the intersection of the border of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. So you will have two rivers meet at the intersection of the three countries. There's nothing special there other than a casino in nearby Myanmar land, a Thai temple and a Laotian souvenir village. You can actually stamp your passport at the Laotian village. It's not the official passport stamp though. Never mind about the lousy itinerary in Golden Triangle, we had a great lunch then. The Golden Triangle "arc" Thai Temple Myanmar's casino Laotian village

Get a tour package and jump into different places featuring various homemade industries around Chiang Mai vicinity. If you don't want to join the tour group, hire a driver and ask the driver to bring you around these places. The local knows where it is. Noteworthy to visit is the paper umbrella making. Forget about the gem stone and carpet.

What to expect in Chiang Mai? Temple, hill tribe, hot spring, strawberry (yup, you can find it in northern region), and the not-so-interesting Golden Triangle. The town itself is very easy to navigate. The old town is bordered with moat in a square area. Four gates are built since centuries ago. Out of the old town, you will find shopping malls, high end hotels and golf course. Perhaps the only must-visit place in Chiang Mai town is the temple of Doi Suthep which is located at the hill. From there, you can have a bird's eye view of Chiang Mai town. But it was hazzy when we went there. Probably due to its dry season. Oh, mind you, there are 300 over steps to climb before you get to the top.

Brought 3 books to Thailand during the last visit there. The aim was to sell em all to the second hand bookstore. Managed to strike a transaction deal for two books. Say good bye to Soul Mountain and Deception Point . Deception Point (a novel by Dan Brown) was brought and sold to the same bookstore - Gecko. There are few bookstores which accept your old books in Chiang Mai (and also in Bangkok). The rate was ok. The rate was better in Chiang Mai though. Tried to sell my Lonely Planet. Quoting price was: B200 (Chiang Mai); B70 (Bangkok). At last, decided to keep it for the next trip though the new edition has been released. Where in Malaysia can I trade my old books? Pay Less Book ?

OK, they have come back from Thailand. They have visited Bangkok and Chiang Mai. She likes the Chatuchak weekend market while he likes the Loft in Siam Center. As Thailand has different culture and environment, perhaps it will be good to know if the Malaysia Bolehland can adopt some of the things. There are... (1) Long live the King No doubt the Thais like their King. You can see the King poster in every corner. There was one time the King wore a pink jacket (as contrast with the royal yellow color), pink has become a hot color. There was one time also when the King wore a wrist band. And it become a hit for the Thais. Everyone has the orange wrist band and pink shirt. Well, we don't even bother what our Sultans wear. (2) New airport The new Survanabhumi airport is so big and crowded. I think I'm a bit ashamed of our KLIA. Though the interior design might not be as extravaganza as KLIA, there are some parts which are bold and creative. Check out the male toilet. (3) Fruit jui...

Life, Travel, GRACE will go travelling next week, after absence from any trip for the past ten months. It's been a long draught for him. The idea came very last minute after he could get a week off before starting a new job. Initially planned to go north by bus (Hat Yai, Krabi, Phuket). Comparing the cost, it would be wise to fly directly to Bangkok and then slowly explore the surrounding. They may stop in Chiang Mai. As he has been to the land of elephant numerous times, he will take up the role as a tourist guide. Hope everything is smooth.

Day 1 (6 May) Dr Mic and I flew to Bangkok at 10.40 am. The plane departed from the new airport - LCCT. It was crowded - all took air asia flight of course. Reached DonMuang International Airport, Bangkok around 12 pm (they are 1 hour behind M'sia). While landing, had noticed a golf course in the middle of landing strip! The first plan was to purchase or enquire a connecting ticket from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai. Had found Laos Airline office and they quoted the fare more expensive than you buy in Laos. So we thought we would try our luck in Laos (Vientiane or Luang Prabang). The ticket cost USD108 as compare to initial fare of USD81. Having found the air fare too costly, we went to enquire train ticket to Nong Khai. The train station is situated just opposite the airport, a rather quite convenient but it a bit run down. Had secured 2 sleeper seats to Nong Khai. The fare cost about 600 baht. Well, after had settled the transportation mode to Thai/Laos border, we had the whole aft...