Author: Ian Limpangog

The Giant Swing (Thai: เสาชิงช้า, Sao Chingcha) is a religious structure in Bangkok, Thailand. It was originally built in 1784 for the annual Swing ceremony as part of the Brahmin thanksgiving ceremony. Three Thai men would ride a swing, suspended for up to 24 meters, to grab a bag of silver coins with their teeth. After some severe injuries and few deaths, the ceremony was discontinued in 1932. The giant swing underwent some renovations and was moved to its current location in 1920, after being gravely damage by lightning strikes. Then it was completely replaced in 2004. In the photo was ... Read more

After some hygiene fix (and without breakfast), we immediately boarded a Khlong boat at the Hua Chang station to see the first stop of our Day 3 Tour in Thailand, the Golden Mount (Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan or simply Wat Saket). Some Quick Facts and History Seating on an artificial man-made hill, the Golden Mount is one of Bangkok’s most popular landmark and sacred pilgrimage site. It features lush greeneries and overgrown trees on its foot and a 58-metre golden chedi that houses a Buddha relic on the summit. The temple was built during the Ayutthaya period as ... Read more

If you are going to the Golden Mount (Wat Saket), the Democracy Monument, the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, the Giant Swing (Sao Chingcha), and Wat Suthat, you can take the Golden Mount line of Khlong Boats of Saeh Seap canal. The Khlong boats operates daily from 05:30AM to 08:30PM (until 07:00PM only on weekends). A bridge near Hua Chang Pier 1.) The Hua Chang Station of the Khlong boats is just walking-distance away from the Ratchathewi, Siam Sqaure, or National Stadium stations of the Skytrain (BTS). If you walk from these stations, take the stairway going down to the lower portion ... Read more

We had a guest from the US, Christina, and she wanted to see the places outside Manila. She preferred the beach, unfortunately, we only had a weekend and the Saturday night was scheduled for the company’s Christmas party. So, technically, we only had Sunday afternoon to spend. We looked for one good and closer alternative, though not a beach, but still shows the image of the countryside – Tagaytay came to mind. We decided to meet at 9:00AM on Sunday. Since some of us still had hangover of last night’s party, some came late – and so, we left late. ... Read more

We’d been awake the longest during our day 1 but we accomplished a lot on our day 2. We’d able to visit the major attractions of the two great cities; Bangkok and Ayutthaya, rode a 4-hour back-and-forth train, and made a late-night walkathon to check the newly-added attractions on our list – yes, we made some last minute revisions. [one_half] Lost in the Grand Palace (Photo by Roderick) [/one_half] [one_half_last] Wat Sukhothai Traimit (Golden Buddha Temple) [/one_half_last] Day 2 Stops (Top-left: Chao Phraya River; Top-right: THe Grand Palace; Bottom-right: Wat Phra Si Sanphet of Ayutthaya; Bottom-left: The Reclining Buddha of ... Read more

We never expected that our confoundment still had a part 2. The Grand Palace was already the perfect stunner but the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (commonly Wat Pho or officially Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan) still marveled us. Though not equally overwhelming and dazzling, the temple offered some great three-dimensional artwork and excellent masterpieces. The Reclining Buddha The most visited attraction within the Wat Pho compound is the Reclining Buddha (Phra Phuttha Saiyat or Phra Non). It depicts Buddha’s parinirvana which means the death of an enlightened being. The 46 meters long by 15 meters high Buddha image’s core ... Read more

After a tiring layover in Ho Chi Minh City, the last stop of our Indochina Tour, we visited Jollibee Vietnam. Roderick, with the help of his MapsWithMe app in Android, pointed the direction to shop which was relatively close to the War Remnants Museum. Back in the Philippines, we sometimes snub Jollibee or we only visit the store if its the only option left, but seeing it abroad gave us a strange feeling – unusual joy and pride. We hurried to go inside and we noticed that the atmosphere felt exactly like home, though the language was different. Jollibee Store ... Read more

After our sightseeing along the Chao Phraya River and a simple local breakfast at Tha Chang Port, we headed to the Grand Palace. Well, the reason why we took the boat was to reach the Grand Palace, and since cruising Chao Phraya River with locals is an awesome activity as well, I piled it to my list of activities completed. Important Reminders The Grand Palace opens daily at 8:30AM so be sure to be there before the mob rushes, because if that happens, you’ll find a hard time looking for an empty space for your photo ops. The palace closes ... Read more

Angkor Wat is one of the destinations you must see before you die. December 2 this year, I crossed out one of the entries in my bucket list and saw it from the moment it was pitch black until it slowly revealed itself as the sun lit the surroundings. Seeing the world’s largest religious monument was truly hair-raising and exhilarating experience. I wasn’t alone but with a mob who were also waiting for the one of the most anticipated sunrise ever. The Angkor Wat deserves a good space in this blog that is why I feature it in Freedom Wall Shutter. ... Read more