Adventure Ari

I decided not to spend my Saturday afternoon at home (again, no one's out because exams are next week) because I won't have much time left to tour Bangkok. I searched on the internet for some places I could visit. I was deciding between taking the river cruise to visit the grand palace and temples or to go to Soi Ari but I decided to go to Soi Ari because I will go to the grand palace when my family comes while I have no other reasons to go to Soi Ari again..

Anway, Soi Ari is at an area out of the city of Bangkok, towards Chaktucak market. At about 430pm, I took the skytrain from Victory Monument to Ari. This is what I saw when I got there..

There was a small contemporary looking shopping mall with was an outdoor dining area + life music, very modern cafes and a supermarket. This place kinda reminds me of holland v. And it feels very homely too.

Then I crossed the road to the other side of Ari and started to explore. I didn't know where I should walk, wanted to venture new places and eventaully got out of the trail. I even reached Samsen railway train station, which is one stop after Bangkok's Hualampong railway station. This is the map of my big walk.. I probably took about 1.5hrs walking until I boarded the bus at about 620pm ( It was already very dark in Thailand..)

It's a pity the map is so smalll... I dunoe how to enlarge it:(

I did not manage to find my way back to Ari skytrain station but I found a bus stop and since it was getting dark, I took a bus back to victory monument. I was surprised to find a direct bus back to victory monument as I thought I was lost really far away.. (:

The bus journey which was quite direct..

Well, my journey didn't end here. Because I didn't shop today, I decided not to get off the bus at Victory Monument but at Pratunum. Then I went to Central World shopping centre and the night market nearby..

safe admist rising political tensions

I would have been completely ignorant about the political tension in Bangkok if my friends and family from Singapore haven't been asking me about my safety. There indeed has been large scale disruption in certain areas of Thailand but I could say that the daily life of an average person living in Bangkok isn't so much affect. At least not at all for me.

I think the PAD wouldn't be succesful in their protest campaigns if they were to disrupt the lives of their people. Because it's the people that they are 'fighting' for, fighting for months to make the new cabinet step down (remember: for the good of the people), so they go to the government house, go to the parliment house, go to Suvarnabhumi airport, **** the government because they hate them, **** the tourist maybe because they don't care and then, keep the rest out. Maybe it's not as if I say they haven't **** much of the lives of the people living in Thailand. Mentally, maybe.

So, mum (to tell dad and ahma+gua ma) and the rest of my family, relatives, friends, lovers, strangers, I am very (quite) safe here in my own world of oblivion. And it's still fun. wheeeee!

A night out at Sirocco Sky Bar

Last night, I finally went to the Sirocco Sky Bar that all my friends have been talking about. It is an open air bar on the 64th floor of the state tower. I have also been to the Baiyoke sky hotel is much higher (80th floor?) but the view and ambiance at sirocco is way superior. Also, glass panel until waist level borders the skybar instead of metal grills that cage you up like the ones at Baiyoke. It was windy and chilly last night, a stark contrast to the pollution and humidity of Bangkok on ground level. I am usually not afraid of heights but I took a while before getting used to the height://
We only had drinks (for about 320baht each) but you could also dine there for at least 700baht for a main course. I suppose a large part of the cost goes to their very attentive service (ed told me that they would go to you with a lighter if they see you holding your cigarette.. but I didn't see that happen last night). There was also dessert buffet(:

The good thing about this place is that entrance is free and so if you are on a tight budget, you could just enter for a breathtaking view of Bangkok, of the Chao Praya River and to take some pictures too. I highly reccomend this place for all! families, couples, friends or even if you're alone!

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You take lift to the 64th floor from behing the glass panels of The dome

then you walk down the stairs to the the skybar

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The dome, the bar and a little bit of the view

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17-18nov:trat province

Trat province, a small and peaceful town, located at the East of Thailand is about a 5hours bus ride from Bangkok. I traveled alone (w/ ed's camera and lonely planet) to Trat after beach-ing in Ko Samet because my tourist visa was gonna expire. From Trat, I traveled to Had Lek (1hours bus ride away), a town at the eastern border of Thailand and crossed over to Cambodia. My visa was extended for another 30days(: After 30mins in Cambodia, I crossed back to Thailand(:

I've been to Cambodia once and my second trip there affirmed my dislike towards the inhospitality of the Cambodia people. Cambodia Immigration demanded 300baht from me because I didn't stay there for at least 1 day and when I asked to see this regulation on paper, a very dumb reply i got.. "it's in Penom Phen.."

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I stayed in Trat for 1 night and I enjoyed my stay. You probably could cover the whole town in less than an hour. People were very friendly, pace of life was slow and there isn't much activity going on. The main attractions in town are the day market and night market which closes at night (9pm..)? A handful of internet shops that close at 12am with school students playing games...

Bookshop; Main Street that is empty at 8pm; merlion?; my guesthouse for 150baht

Road and river of trat, perpetually empty

The 2nd day I woke up early intending to rent a bicycle to get to a Wat Bai Khlong that is 2km away from the town but there were no bicycles for rent all around town. Took a motorcycle taxi there instead.

Then, I was lucky because there was some street procession in the late morning where students paraded along the streets of Trat for an opening ceremony for Sports Day. And then at 1130am, I headed over to Cambodia to extend my visa(:

In Cambodia just outside Had Lek

Had Lek was beautiful too. It is whole stretch of town that is along the sea.

121108: Loy Kratong Day @ Chao Praya

We started off by taking a river cruise from sathorn pier just beside saphan taksin bts..

The boat then stopped at Wat Arun where we could loy (which means to float) our kratong

Wat Arun

Our Kratongs

We were happy with our wish made. We then set off (on foot) for loy kratong dinner at Silom. Meanwhile Jianwei bought another Krathong, so we walked Lumphini Park after dinner to loy...

I just came back from ko samet, trat and had lek.. will update about my trip soon((:

LoFt membership

I am happy((: because I did buy-without-thinking or buy-whatever-that-makes-you-happy shopping.

I just became a Loft member (by spending 1600baht) about 5 minutes ago because my accounting class was canceled. I was diligently on my way to school when my friend called to say that class is canceled. So I made my way to Au Bon Pain for breakfast (current non-thai food craving) and then I shopped at Loft discoverrrry for almost 1hr? HAHA. It's a shop that sells wayy overpriced but nice to see stationery, display items, household goods, toys, etc but they are really cute and they make me happy(:

For Thai readers

...แต่น่าโศกเศร้ายิ่งนัก ในชีวิตจริงของคนเรา โดยปกติแล้วบุคคลสามคนนี้ไม่ใช่คนๆเดียวกัน
คนที่คุณรักมากที่สุด โดยส่วนใหญ่แล้วจะไม่เลือกคุณเป็นคู่ชีวิต
คนที่รักคุณมากที่สุดจะไม่ใช่คนที่คุณรักที่สุดเสมอไ ป
คนที่ร่วมชีวิตด้วยนานที่สุดกลับไม่ใช่คนที่คุณรักที ่สุด
และคนที่รักคุณที่สุดเขาเป็นแค่คนที่ได้มาเจอกับคุณถูกที่ถูกเวลาเท่านั้น เอง

The rest of the article can be read here: http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23467 which includes abit of english translation for the other parts.

Som tum!

My current craving: Thai Papaya Salad (mai phet)

I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday and today and a few other times this week. HAHA. Just thinking about makes me real hungry again. I always order my som tum not spicy but a lot of times it is still so spicy. I love the peanuts too! It is very nice if you eat it with sticky rice-highly reccomended but i don't really do so because I think it is fattening, and with grilled fish or chicken-sometimes I do this((:

somtum w/ grilled fish

I don't think it is true that eating som tum everyday makes the thais skinny because when I see them do the som tum, they add HUGE (maybe 3 tablespoonful or more) amounts of sugar. I really hope it isn't secretly making me fat .

I also have been eating a lot of different types of thai salads this week and less of those noodles and rice. Jian Wei and I have a favourite salad- yam khai khiaw maa (thai salad with century egg)

perfect match: century egg with ginger and onions

I drove a taxi

haha. I wasn't drunk when I asked the taxi driver if I could drive home. He did let me do it.. and I thought maybe he was the drunk one! I decided not to drink any alcohol last night because I had way too much the last few days so when I left some club yesterday at around 2 am, I asked the taxi driver if he could let me drive his taxi and he did! But i only drove it for awhile at some road near my place. He was so scared and he kept saying ''baw baw'' (to ask me to step the accelerator softly) and ''yaa chon nah..'' (don't hit another car..) haha. stupid taxi driver!

so yay!! I drove a taxi in Bangkok!!