Phuket

First visit: I traveled alone for 12 hours (by bus) from Bangkok and had to wait my friend for another 12 hours in Phuket town. I couldn't even wander around because that was "Songkran" festival and I would be definitely wet if I did. Can you imagine how lonely I was? hehehe To console myself I ate to my heart's content and was just imagining the beach and the place which was really one of my dreams to see. :-)  But one thing I realized that time, "There are many things that are worth the wait. And our waiting will never be a waste because we can appreciate more what we have and pursue what we don't have."  

Karon beach

Apparently, Karon beach has whiter sands and clearer sea compared to Patong beach. And the latter is more crowded for it's the center of the city. You can go shopping at Jungceylon mall and watch a water show. Of course, you may enjoy different activities at night and have fun at the Walking Street (smaller than in Pattaya).

Actually, at night my friend and I were just contented with sightseeing at the Walking Street (which it didn't surprise me anymore) and  enjoying different foods. But the place we looked forward to was the Phromthep Cape. It's the most photographed and perhaps the best-known location in Phuket for its  incredible sunset. But unfortunately, it was very cloudy when we got there so, hundreds of people including us were quite disappointed. Mr. Sunset didn't show up. :( 

Promthep Cape

But here is a photo of how the sunset looks like at Phromthep Cape: (My friend Jocyl took this on her first visit.)

Second Visit: Coming to this island is never boring especially when you get to have time with your friends and see and do something new that makes you appreciate life more than ever.

And because this was our second time in the island, aside from going to the beach, we saw to it that we could visit other landmarks in the island. One of those was the Big Buddha. For its 45 meters tall sitting on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata, it is easily seen from far away. The construction of the place wasn't yet complete when we went there, but it was still an awesome view especially when we got on top.

 The site gives you a 360-degree views of the island. 

We also paid a visit to one of the most visited temples in Phuket; the Wat Chalong or formally called  Wat Chaiyathararam.      

Visitors from different parts of the world come to see this nicely structured temples.

After a long day, we got to bond with other friends at Nai Yang and had fun at Nai Yang beach. Having a drink and dancing barefoot at a drinking bar with sandy ground was so cool! :-)

I'd love to go back there, I swear! 


And of course, we wanna thank Papa Johnny for letting us play in his house specifically in the pool. Hahaha.... 

under the moonlight @ Nai Yang beach

Yes, traveling worns me out like shopping and makes me broke. But it's all worth it, isn't it?

Continue to DREAM, EXPLORE and DISCOVER!

Koh Samet

This island is in the Gulf of Thailand off the coastline of the Thai province of Rayong. You can take a car/taxi, bus or van. But if I were you, just take the van (about 3 hrs.) because it brings you exactly at the pier where you can take the ferry (20 min.) going to the island. 

The main town by the port is not that near from the beach area, and  there's only single main road, a bumpy dirt roads to be exact branching off to the beaches. Even then, it's more fun traveling on a bumpy road. kkk

Well, I was both happy and sad on this day. ;-) My very good friend flew from Korea just to see me and celebrate her upcoming wedding. But coming to this island was not easy for me. I only had 3 hours of sleep before the travel and it rained cats and dogs while we were on our way to the van terminal. I got wet and as a result, I got high fever upon arriving the island. Of course, I wasn't able to enjoy the place. Gotta be back! :-)

The resort where we stayed at was a good choice for a reflection, too. Hahaha!

the view while having our meal

Making tummies happy! *__

barbecue pa more :-))

one of the best

They were enjoying the night! Me? In bed for eleven hours straight. It was my longest sleep ever.

fire show

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Photo credit: Herve and yours truly

Ayutthaya City

The second capital of the Kingdom of Siam until it was razed by the Burmese. And the ruins of the old city have made it one of the best places to see in Thailand.

Apparently, I love archaeological sites thus, I must say this is one of the cities I love to see. And I may sound silly, but no words could really explain how I felt while I was staring at the big temples and statues. I was even teary-eyed while looking at the ruins. Gee! That was my first visit then. I was not emotional anymore on my second. :-) 

Aside from seeing ruins, you can also watch an elephant show, ride an elephant and shop at their souvenir stores.

Anyway, you can go there by car/taxi, train, bus, van or boat from Bangkok (see google for more info). On my first visit, my friends and I opted to go by train (2 hrs) and preferred a bus in coming back to Bangkok. It's faster. Hehehe....  However, when you're three or four, it's more convenient to rent a taxi, and you don't need to rent a "tuk-tuk" for the tour. 

Here are some of the temples that may interest you:

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

Wat Phu Khao Thong

I was so eager in climbing up, but nervous in coming down. I just realized the height when I reached the top, but it was breathtaking. I could see the whole city.

I

Coming here the second time around was as worth as the first!

Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Because of the big flood happened in 2011, the temple was still under construction.

Wat Phra Maha That

Head of the Sandstone Buddha Image

"A land without ruins is a land without memories- a land without memories is a land without history." Abram Joseph Ryan

Photo credit: friends and yours truly

Pattaya City

 The city known with its wild nightlife scenes. 

Yes, it really is!  The scenes I saw that night disclosed my naiveté of those things. Everything I witnessed with my naked eyes truly shocked me. It was much beyond my imagination. "smirk" And I was very startled when that man above gave a  light touch on my shoulder just to joke around.  Now, I know how the city looks like at night specifically the Walking Street! Hahahaha!!! 

But surely there's a lot more to see nearby or within the city, like Silverlake Winery, temples, museums,etc. And since my friends and I just only had 2 days off, I can only show you two beautiful places worth the visit.

1.  Noong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden

It's a very large area of land that's developed into a botanical garden and tourist attraction. We need 500 baht for the entrance fee and that includes a cultural viewing and elephant show. 

Here are some of the things you can see and do inside Noong Nooch:

- cultural show

At first, I was not that eager to watch because I felt a bit sleepy and tired because of the heat outside. But, I felt alive when I saw the martial arts demonstration and the "battle" performance." And my friend beside me was a talker and droll. Who wouldn't wake up? Hahaha

- elephant show

Aren't they lovely?

Feel it? (massage time)

meeting a new friend ;-)

That made my day! I enjoyed a lot and couldn't even close my mouth during the whole show. Hahaha! They were so admirable and it was just so amazing to see them doing some of the things people do. They played football, dart, some rode a bicycle and even painted. Gosh! But the cutest thing I saw was that, they did "sawasdee" gesture by bending their front feet and pointing their trunk on top. (No pics of the above mentioned, only videos.)

- the lovely gardens 

The one in black seems an outcast, but he's actually not. *o*

The gardens were all lovely! Looking at them freshened up my thoughts especially the French and Stonehenge gardens. It felt so serene that my friend (Zie) wanted to make lesson plans over there.Lol 

- "playing," fish feeding, swimming, etc.

Unfortunately, we were not able to see everything inside the area. It was so big that we were very tired walking around already plus the heat of the sun. Waaaaaaaaahhhh! 

2.  Koh Larn 

Swimming at the beach was the most anticipated of our trip. And it was holiday, so a huge crowd was expected, but the shoreline was surprising. I thought there would be a little space left for us. Wow! The coastline was so wide and the sandbar was incredible!

(To get there: You can just walk straight along the Walking Street and you can see the dock at the end. Either you go by speedboat (more or less 2,000 baht) or a ferry (more or less 40 baht). 

a small part of the shoreline

Having a break with very good friends is priceless! It's about celebrating life and friendship. :-)

Thanks for checking this out guys! Xoxo!

Phang Nga

As the common line goes, "Life is short and it must be enjoyed to the fullest."

One of the things I enjoy the most is traveling; seeing new places and making my eyes full with beautiful creations and of course meeting other people. And I wanna share to all of you guys the things (big and small) that have captured my being. Here's the first, with my cousin. :-)



First thing I couldn't forget, we received a warm welcome and suddenly laughed together with the staff as we read the welcome note at the receiver's area. She asked sorry for writing my name with the title "Mr." :-) She misunderstood my name.

This was taken at Takola Buri Cultural Spa and Sport Resort's pool. The resort is actually not so near from the town area. It's located along the shores of Pakarang Cape in Khao Lak.

Its location is very suitable for the people who want to relax and stay away from the noise of the city. Their rooms are big and comfortable. And most of all, I like their staffs a lot. They are so friendly and accommodating.

sunset (at the resort's beachfront)

Aside from relaxing at the resort, we enjoyed a day tour, too, around Phan Nga Bay. You can ask the concierge about it.

ready to go *__*

1st stop: James Bond Island- It was my first time seeing big rocks and small islands that were just so close to view. And I was very amazed and happy like a child having a cotton candy.  Hehehe! It was haven!

2nd stop: Sea Canoeing- This was my first time, too. I was the only one who got nervous, but excited. And as we started paddling with the help of the guide of course, we couldn't help but kept on saying "wow" every time we entered a "hong" or a room that lie inside the islands (Koh Panak and Koh Hong). Especially when we entered  that very small hong that we had to lie down a bit so we wouldn't bump our heads to the rocks above us, it was awesome! :-) 

3rd stop: Koh Panyee- We enjoyed our lunch at this floating village. After eating, we toured the village and found out that it has its school and clinic, too. And we had fun looking at the handmade crafts and locally-bred pearls as well. Most of all, we were fascinated by their houses (houses-on-stilts).

4th stop: Wat Suwan Kuha Temple- It is huge! We can see a large reclining Buddha, big and small stalagmites and stalactites inside the cave. (Be careful especially when you want to reach the top. It's wet and a bit steep.)

5th stop: We thought the tour was done, but there was more! :-)  "Waterfall" 

It was clear and cold. I just dipped into the water for about 15 minutes. haha

That was a great short trip! My cousin and I had an incredible time and bonded so well! And I'll be sharing with you more guys soon! 

If you have some questions, feel free to ask me. Thanks for reading! "smile"