Tag: Bangkok

Whether you’re a casual traveler or an adventure-seeking globetrotter, Thailand awaits you with unforgettable experiences and beautiful settings. The country is considered heaven on earth by many, and the following destination ideas will help you understand why. Krabi Krabi, Thailand (Photo by Nicolas Vollmer on Flickr under CC by 2.0 license) It become popular for being the location of Leonardo DiCaprio’s 1999 film, The Beach. Aside from that, the region also boasts cave formations and an island conglomeration, making it an unbeatable spot for caving, island hopping, and snorkeling opportunities. Serene, turquoise water laps over the white sands, and as ... Read more

The ultimate backpacking destination has to be Asia. More specifically, South East Asia. There is a wealth of cultural delights to be had within the region. With this, there comes a need for something new. Many backpackers are keen to head to the region to soak up the foreign culture and to experience a completely different way of life. When a Western traveller heads to this part of the world, they are overwrought with what they are presented with. The region is nothing but beautiful. But, it’s also diverse. You cannot make the uncultured mistake of lumping South East Asia ... Read more

Last year, I organized a backpacking tour with my office mates to visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While Aaron and myself were busy with some other stuff, Roderick silently took our photos from behind. All these fifteen photos are courtesy of Roderick Ordoñez. 1. Arrival in Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) It was Aaron’s first time to be overseas and he was amazed how advanced the airport is, compared to the Philippines. Related Story: Day 1 of the 7-day Indochina Tour: A Walkathon in Bangkok 2. Arrival in Our Hostel, Lub d Siam Square A lot of freebies: book exchange, free pop ... Read more

Our visit in Bangkok last November 2013 coincided with the city’s first major protest to oust their prime minister. Major tourist sites were selected as a venue of the noise barrage and like activities. As a result, we made some last minute revisions to our itinerary. The places to visit on our day 1 were Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, Wat Saket, and neighboring temples. However, the staff of our hostel, Lub d, advised us to keep away from these areas, because they were one of or near the selected protest gathering venues. Thus, we decided not to push the visit on those places. Lub d Siam Square ... Read more

Before we headed to our 7-day Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam Tour, I made some research as to what are the places to visit, transportation to take, and their corresponding fees. Here is the actual result of that research which includes the commuting guide and itinerary. I provided some links (colored fonts) just in case you wanted to know the details of our tour. You can leave your comment(s) if you have questions and I’ll try to provide answers to the best of my knowledge. Border Crossing [custom_table style=”1″] Route Time and Description Fare/pax Bangkok-Seam Reap 05:55AM – Train leaves Hualamphong Station 11:35AM – Train ... Read more

We checked out early on our 4th day in Bangkok to catch the 05:55AM train to Aranyaprathet, the closest Thai town to the Cambodian border at Poipet. There are buses that ply directly from Bangkok to Siem Reap but we chose the train because we wanted the tour to be more indulging. We wanted to blend closely with the locals and try every public transport available. Taxi to Hua Lamphong station From Lub d Hostel in Siam Square, we took a taxi to the Hua Lamphong station of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The taxi was our last resort since ... Read more

Our Day 3 in Thailand wasn’t an ordinary day but a big protest weekend. Our hostel posted places to avoid because of the massive protests and most of our designated stops for our day 3 were on the list. Actually, Wat Saket, the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, Wat Ratcha Natdaram, and Wat Suthat were scheduled for Day 1 but were moved because of the protest. We couldn’t reschedule it again since, technically,  it was our last day in Thailand and we’re heading to Siem Reap the next day. Despite of the threat, we still headed to Wat Saket. To reach our first ... Read more

We walked a kilometer from the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin to see the Giant Swing. We never expected that we will see another holy stunner nearby, the Wat Suthat. Wat Suthat is one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok. It is known for its distinct roof line, 25-ft tall golden Buddha, elaborate mural paintings, and giant swing on its front. The main hall of Wat Suthat Immediately after our photo ops around the Giant Swing, we headed to the temple’s entrance to inquire if public access is allowed, and luckily, we were allowed to go in. However, we TH฿20 ... Read more

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