Day 4 is Family Day as we spent most of our time in Dream World or in other words, The World of Happiness. The classical European style fantasy land is located at Pathum Thani Province, just north of Bangkok. Although nothing much relating to Thai, it is the best place for family fun.

Dream World, Thailand

Totally lost in the Fairy Tale maze, we visited the Giant’s house (Jack and the Beanstalk), strolling around Frog Prince castle, riding around with the enchanted Cinderella pumpkin carriage.

Stuck in Jack's Room

Do some arm wrestling and transformed myself to SuperJason and caught the bloody thief on a Tuk Tuk.  Sounds childish rite? Come on, it’s dreamland.. spare yourself and be childish for a day!

Arm Wrestling

SuperJason saves the day

Ok, if the childish fairy tales don’t appeal to you, then you may consider this.. feel the adrenaline rush on the coaster…

Silhouettes of the coaster

If you couldn’t stand the hot weather, cool down in the Snow House. Finally, we ended the day with another family portrait. This is supposed to be a couple seat in Dream World. Instead we made it a family seat. Why not? Love makes a family, don’t u agree?

Love Makes a Family

Great moments are always short! Don’t you think so? The moments I have been longing for, now became memories. Although it was just 5days 4nights.. our family bond had grown stronger. I strongly believe that travel is the best way we share love, happiness and great memories together.

Family Portrait at 84th Floor

Even though, our Thailand trip ended after the fifth day. The Magical moments will never go away, and remains in our heart as a nostalgic memory.

It has been great sharing these wonderful moments with you, and I wish to share more. Now that I’m back in Banjarmasin, Indonesia for work, I never miss documenting the Banjarese lives over here through photography. Just went to Lok Baintan, Banjarmasin early 5.30am this morning. Had a lot of scenic shots of the traditional Floating Market here. Will be sharing them in my blog soon, but first, I’ll need time editing and uploading. So, stay tuned..

Of all the 2000++ photos, these are some i can share… feel free to browse through my Amazing Thailand photostream in Flickr for more photos–> Amazing Thailand Photoset

I would advise you to read my previous post regarding my Thailand trip as this is a continuation from the previous two.

Day 1: Expected the Unexpected
Day 2: Tradition Live On Too..

Before going on with all the good words of the magnificient Thailand, here is a bad one. Exactly one month after the nostalgic moment, a dramatic event happened. Anti-government protesters in Bangkok blockaded Suvarnabhumi, one of Asia’s busiest airports since 25th November, Tuesday night. Seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister in the latest escalation in a long-running political crisis.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, One Month before Closure

Now that all flights are cancelled, stranded tourists.. it will be a big impact to the tourist industry as this is the time when Thailand will be expecting more tourists. Thailand is no longer Amazing, as the dangerous place reputation to do business and travel has been worsened. According to Thai media reports, some 100,000 tourists are stranded, and schedules of airlines around the world have been disrupted. The situation got worsened as today 51 protesters were wounded in several explosions.

Well, I am lucky to be in Bangkok at the right time. It’s a beautiful country, too bad this is happening! Still and all, this event doesn’t affect my perception to Thailand. It is still amazing to me and worth visiting.. not during this time of course. Day 3 had instilled this mindset.

After breakfast in Asia Pattaya Hotel, we strolled around the garden and beach. Serene atmosphere and fresh sea breeze… it was the perfect antidote to the uncompromisingly massive structure.

Admiring the White Orchid at Asia Pattaya Hotel

We are supposed to be in Choral Island, but due to my sea-proofed family, we decided to skip and go somewhere else. On top of that, I’ve been to Krabi… why waste for the same activities! Sea is part of my work location anyway. Thus, we ended with the “Wonders” of the world. Mini Siam at Pattaya, a place which contains miniature replicas of many sacred places and important historical sites around Thailand. Ranging from The Arc De Triomphe and the Sydney Opera house to  Tien Tan Temple, Eiffel Tower, Colloseum, The Statue of Liberty and etc. All of these I have had the honour of seeing in real life. Of course the miniatures..

Beijing Temple of heaven, T'Ien Tan

Not forgetting to mention the historical sights of Thailand such as Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Democracy Monument, Buddha’s Footprint and etc.

Trying to shoot as if it is in big real scale

The statues of Goddesses and King of Snakes, Ananta

We spent hours gasping here and there, and I was shooting here and there like nobody’s business. It’s a small world after all. In the afternoon, a jaw dropper event awaited our arrival. It was the fascinating Thai Culture and traditional dance show at Nong Nooch Village, Pattaya. Now look at the shots, the eye catching dance under the gleaming lights.

Thai Cultural Dance, 1000 Hands Style

Thai Cultural Dance and Costume

It was extremely challenging to get a clear shot in the low light situation and far from the stage. Luckily, i brought my tripod, sitting up quite tall to avoid audience head shots.. an indian audience behind gave me an earful, claiming that I was blocking his sight. Who cares! I already got my best shots and I’m proud of them.

Ladyboy, main attention on Stage

Throughout the dance, one question keep swirling in my mind.. “Who is who? Which one is a lady, which one is “katoy”?” I asked myself. In Thailand, there are an estimated 10,000 katoys. It’s an ambiguous term, spanning full male-to-female transsexuals who have had their pen*s removed, breast implants and an artificial vagina inserted, to men who have had breast implants but have kept their pen*s. In addition, there are also transvestites who work in the cabaret circuit and male actors who dress as women for television. Eunuchs have been part of Thai society for centuries. So, as soon as this lady came out (photo above), I am sure she was a he!

End of the Show

More shots, visit “Amazing Thailand” album in my Flickr. That is why I called Amazing Thailand, a country rich with culture and architecture. The best part of our magical journey indeed! From cultural dance to religious ceremonies and martial arts, we then moved to the Elephant shows. This time I was impressed again watching elephants with special skills in playing football, dancing, and even interacting with tourists. Look at how they tease the audience!

Elephant Tease

Our day ended with a two-hour Thai massage. All in all, I would conclude Day 3 as an eye opening day into the rich culture of Thailand. Now I can see why Thailand has a lot to brag about itself and its appealingness to tourists from all over the world.

Next coming post: The Magical Journey Never Ends (Day 4 & 5)..

This is a continuation to the previous post. Thus, it is advisable to first go through  previous “Amazing Thailand: Expected the Unexpected (Day 1)“.

Yet while Bangkok has undoubtedly embraced westernization and modernization, it remains undeniably a Thai place at heart. In between the skyscrapers and sophisticated shopping centers there’s still the remarkable temple lying everywhere in the city. Day 2 has proved to us that traditions live on too!

It was early 5.30 in the morning. Bangkok is one hour slower than Malaysia. Thus, we can expect early sunrise over here. The golden light shines the city and it’s going to be another wonderful day for us.

The Early Sunrise

After the best buffet breakfast at 78th floor restaurant, we checked out and headed for the group. “Chao Phraya River will be our first destination”, said the tour guide. Chao Phraya River is a major river in Thailand also known as Mae Nam (Mae is “Mother”, Nam is “Water”), which literally means “Mother’s Water” or “Mother’s Milk”. “It was the mother’s milk that allows Thailand to grow,” according to the locals. As it flows, the river carries with it the history and culture of the country.

The Temple of Dawn

Along the boat trip, we passed through countless temples. Each with their own unique design and history such as “The Temple of Dawn” or in other words, War Arun. Located at the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, you don’t want to memorize the full name. Ok, get ready and spell with me.. it is Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara. Got it?

Heavenly Temple

It was named “Temple of Dawn” most probably because the first light of morning is reflected off the surface of the temple with a pearly iridescence. The first thing that crossed my mind, How do they do it? It is like building an Eygptian Pyramid in Thailand. Well, I was unable to hold forth a high brow discussion on this, but I really appreciate those who built this iconic structure.

Rows of holy Sakyamuni Buddhas

Luck is on our side that morning. We are fortunate enough to witness a traditional ceremony held when one become a monk. Holding 3 lotus, he was accompanied by his family and friends marching around the temple and one of them started shouting with a weird tone (Tarzan-like tone).

The Day He Became A Monk

Visiting the small canal near the Chao Phraya River named Bangkok Noi (Noi is “small” in Thai), typical Thai houses and lifestyle can be seen over here. Not to my surprise, it is almost the same as the River City, Banjarmasin.  We then entered “Bangkok Noi Floating Market”.  The high expectation came to a naught when only two small boats were rowing around selling souvenirs. “Where are all the rest ?” I asked. Then I was told that this is nothing compared to the real one 1-2 hours out from the city. The boat ride ended after making merit “feeding cat fish with bread” in front of the temple at the canal. There are hundreds them swimming around and only one, white in color. According to Thai’s believe, those whose bread is eaten by the white cat fish, will be blessed. Who knows?

Chao Phraya River, Mae Nam

The City of Lights will be our next destination. A once sleepy fishing town which then booms as rest and recreation city, mainly prostitution. Particularly for single men looking for companionship. However, things have certainly improved and the city has been turning its location into a family-orientated destination. So besides bars and pubs, there is plenty more to do and see these days. Ya, I am sure you got it right. It’s Pattaya!

Our journey spans almost 2 hours from Bangkok. Upon reaching to the central, we dropped by Sri Racha Tiger Zoo for the so called “legendary tiger show”. Don’t get it wrong.. this is the real tiger, not those tigress in Pattaya. The zoo hosts one of the world’s most successful tiger breeding program and has thousands of alligators as well as some other animals.. The show started with an act by a mischievous, cute little pig which ran out clumsily and successfully revealed the “Welcome” cloth. The crowd burst with laughter.

Sri Racha Tiger Zoo

Next came the highlight of the show with a performance by the large Bengal tigers. The tigers sat in a semi-circle with their backs to the audience at the start of the show. A word of advice, don’t ever sit in the front row as they sometimes start pissing as they can squirt backwards a couple of meters. You don’t want to feel the rain! Jumping through hoops of fire, walking on their hind legs, then the show ended. Well, I am not that impressed!

Too bad the weather was not on our side. It was raining so heavily that we couldn’t get most out of it. There is a nursery where you can see one of the most remarkable sights at the zoo. This is the tiger cubs drinking the milk of a large mother pig. And then, in the neighbouring cage, there were piglets dressed in tiger skin shirts running around with a full grown tiger! What a sight!

Pattaya, City of Lights

Finally, we reached Pattaya. Hours stuck in the neverending jam made me feel frustrated. Once again, D300 saves the day. You know what I meant! As mentioned, Pattaya is renowned for its nightlife. A city with hundreds of beer bars, go go bars, and night clubs/discotheques. The night is always young.

The world famous Walking Street is the center of Pattaya

Our night ended with a good rest at Asia Pattaya Hotel, approx 8-10 km away from the city centre. We skipped the Cabaret Show and further activities as we were too tired travelling. A good night sleep and adventures tomorrow!

When Culture Meet The World (Day 3) coming soon…..

Attention: Extreme long post below. Reader discretion is adviced.

Same old words again. Time really flies. After 20 days back to the River City, the great moments in Thailand can never be dished out. In the first place, why should I ?

It has been almost a decade, our family stop travelling overseas. Money and time has always been the main hindrance. Now that both siblings are working, our dream finally came true. This time we decided to visit Thailand. The niggling doubts regarding the safety of the city due to political issues never got in our way.

The nostalgic moment began on Oct, 24th. Bangkok and Pattaya awaits our arrival. It was a jaw dropping moment when I first stepped into the arrival hall of Suvarnabhumi (meaning the Golden Kingdom in Thai) International Airport. What aroused me most was the beautifully designed and practical architecture that promotes an eco friendly environment. With the world’s tallest control tower, 3rd largest single building airport terminal, Suvarnabhumi is one of the most busiest airport in Asia.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport

Taking a deep breath, whispering to myself, “Here am I, Bangkok!”… Greeted with friendly smiles and Sawadeekap, we headed straight to Thailand’s tallest hotel, Baiyoke Sky Hotel. Once again, Bangkok never fails to amaze me. Looking at the skyscraper, I am expecting more from it.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

Rising 88-storeys above Bangkok’s skyline, 309 meters tall, the hotel has 2,060 steps from the bottom to the top. It takes over one hour to reach the top. The area inside the hotel building is 179,400 sq.m., or about 30 football fields. There are 1,740 windowpanes in the hotel building, which is almost the same number of windowpanes used for over 200 town houses.

The 46th Floor

After checking in at 18th floor, Lobby.. 46th floor would be our next destination. The connecting room did not dissapoint us. As what I’ve seen from Flickr, I was expecting this scenic view.

360 degrees Bangkok panaromic view, shot at 84th Floor

From the moment on, every seconds count. A shopping paradise awaits us at the central, although I am not into it. We decided to walk around the city central. Rushing down with anxiety, we somehow forget to ask which way to go. Asking around with no idea where the shopping mall is, we later found out that it was impossible to walk to that area. With no delay, my eager-minded sis quickly approached a Thailand’s ubiquitous taxi, Tuk Tuk. I wondered it was a wise decision..

Thailand Ubiquitous Taxi, Tuk Tuk

Although the bumpy, sweaty and adventurous ride, it was somehow faster than taxis in heavy traffic as weaving in and out is easier. It cost 4 of us 20 baht for two Tuk Tuks. Totally worth it! It was only RM1 each Tuk Tuk. A word of advice, you should always bargain before you get on a Tuk Tuk. Nevertheless, taxis in Thailand are very affordable as well. The colorful taxis were another amazing discovery. You’ll get a full range of taxi colors from bright pink and orange to combinations of orange and green or blue and red. It’s a scenic sight to see those colors roaming around Bangkok.

Colors of Bangkok

Here we are at the City of Life, in the middle of modern and fashionable shopping district with several large shopping centers. We first arrived at an enormous marble shopping mall which is once known as the biggest malls in Asia, MBK Center, also known as Mahboonkrong. It is particularly well known for its many vendors of mobile phones and other electronics, as well as furniture stores. For me, it was like Sungei Wang shopping in Malaysia.

MBK Center

Walking through the pedestrian overpass linked to MBK and the Bangkok Skytrain National Stadium station, we came across to other shopping malls. The malls are in better condition, more high-class one after another. Namely Siam Square, Siam Discovery Center and finally “The Pride of Bangkok”, Siam Paragon. Siam Paragon has became a popular spot for Thailand’s upper class, tourists, rich foreigners and locals who come to be seen.

Siam Paragon, The Pride of Bangkok

Walking through these malls can be quite tedious. Likewise, It was an eye opening moment indeed and a total change of our impression to Bangkok. The city becomes even stunning when night falls. The view from the hotel room after sunset draws much of my attention to keep on shooting. Here it is the exotic Bangkok, lights gleaming invitingly.

When Night Begins, View from Hotel Room

The cheapest place to shop in Bangkok is with the outdoor/night markets (if you bargain). Due to the typical congested traffic that delayed our dinner, we arrived late for the night market located just below the hotel. Just before 10pm, most vendors started packing due to the rain. It was a dissapointment for my sis and mum. For me, a bit… as there were less crowd for my night market photography. Who cares for the shopping?

The Art of Bargaining

Finally, our visit to the open air Revolving Observation deck at 84th Floor, Baiyoke Sky Hotel  concluded our first day in Bangkok. The roof is fully lit up, glowing high in great distance. Shining around, people from miles away are able to view words displaying “Welcome to Baiyoke Sky Hotel”.

The Lights of Baiyoke

Day 1 has given me the capital of exotic Thailand, the first impression of endless high rise buildings, busy expressway flyovers and billboards of western companies advertising in English. Most probably, this is our first time, we aren’t quite sure what to expect.

Adventures continue here in the next post: Tradition live on too (Day 2)

Finally, it’s time to go home. This time, I travelled with my sis by plane. Ya, as usual I’ll never waste any of my time sitting there doing nothing waiting for our departure. I’m getting most out of the Senai Airport although there is nothing much.

Her Thoughts

“Ta da” I said, showing off my new D300 to my sister. Here we go, we start the photography session. She replied, “Not again!”. Then, she started posing… huh.. Anyway, I was trying to familiarize the new DSLR before I bring it to Thailand for better shots. What an excuse!

Me at Senai Airport

It was 50 minutes before boarding time. The plane has not even arrived, yet you can see such a crowd.. the “kiasu” (fear of losing) culture revealed! Haha! This is the authentic social attitudes of people, especially in South East Asia. I admit I’m kiasu as well. After taking this shot, I joined the queue.

Kiasu Attitude Revealed

Finally we were on board with the red angels.

The Red Angels

I still couldn’t get through my previous flight experience. I am praying hard when taking off and landing nowadays. After almost an hour above the horizon, we landed at Pearl of the Orient, Penang. Being welcomed by my lovely parents, we go straight for our dinner.

White Prompret Fish and Prawns Porridge

This famous porridge can be found in a little kopitiam named “Joo Leong Cafe” at Sg Tiram, along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, on the way to the airport, after the factories Osram, Bosch and Amphenol (Penang, Malaysia). Although one bowl may cost around RM10, it is worth eating as the seafood here are really fresh.

On one fateful day, I received an sms. “Jason, you might need to leave earlier, as early tomorrow”. And that night, I started packing and as early as 6.20am I leave for Singapore on the following day. 18th Oct should be the day, now that it’s one week earlier.

8.00am, landing at Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta International Airport. Checking in immediately for the next international flight to Singapore. Out of boredom, I decided to stroll around the airport before going in the waiting room. Pointing my Nikon D60 here and there for inspiration. Got this wonderful shot. A group of cadet officers…

The Early March

Too bad it’s a bit blur.. because I took this photo without their notice. This is my 6th time here in the airport, I’m always in a rush for the 5 times. Now that, I have some free time. I want to get more out of it.. Soekarno-Hatta airport is definitely different compared to Changi Airport.. Soekarno-Hatta Airport.. is more dim in terms of light… simple and more towards traditional interior design. Design that represents Indonesia.

Interior Design of Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Gate F2 for Departure

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Going through the souvenirs shop, I saw this. This is called Hanoman/White Monkey. According to the Ramayana story, he was the Rama’s protector and fought hard to defend Shinta, Sri Rama’s wife from the kidnapper’s hand (Rahwana). A symbol of a faithful guardian. Well, I’m not quite sure about the wooden carved lady… but it is actually part of the wood monument I’ve realised in the airport.

Hanoman

Wood monument

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Flying sky high

10:30am, sitting by the window exactly beside the emergency exit door. Well, I never have fear boarding a plane until lately after watching National Geographic channel program named “Airplane Crash Investigation”… This is a documentary based on the worst plane crash in the history of Aviation. I remembered this phrase by the host “Passengers rely on the pilot, the pilot rely on the computer.. but if the computer got hiccup, who will be relying on who?”

11.45am, the air stewardess announced that we’ll be landing in Changi in a few minutes. The flight started to get bumpy although it was a beautiful weather.. all flashback of the documentary started to hunt my mind. Holding tightly on the handle with my sweating palm, I was praying hardly… suddenly, the plane lost a bit of its balance.. causing the right wing going down and the left one up all of a sudden.. I can feel my heart pumping hard. All of a sudden, the noisy atmosphere in the plane break into silence..  the plane gained its balance in a few seconds… but it was still bumpy… after a few minutes, we are at lower altitude preparing to land… the bumpy situation just never went off. I was wondering if there are some problem with the plane or it was the strong wind.. That few minutes was like hours to me.

12.00pm, we landed… I can see the uncle beside me saying thanks to his God, Jesus I’m sure.. he crossed his fingers and then pressed against his forehead and both his shoulders. Thanks to god, we landed safely… thanks for blessing everyone on board, I said to myself. Phew, I can’t believe I have to go through this to be home.

Gate D46 on arrival

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Finally, Changi… writing the above paragraph really makes my mood swing to negative. What a nightmare… anyway, my photography drive didn’t deplete after that. Still taking some shots in Changi. The airport is brightly lit up compared to Indonesia which is more power saving.. lots of dim areas, and depending more on the sun light. Ok, compare the above photo “Gate D46 on arrival with the photo “Gate F2 for departure” taken in Jakarta. Now you see the difference.. that’s why travelling from Indonesia to Singapore.. makes me feel like going from 80s to 21st century… from dim to bright.. I’m not saying Indonesia is backward, i’m saying it’s a total different world between these two countries. both have their own pro and cons.

Changi Travellator.. way to the future

I was walking on the travellator.. it was as if walking towards a new world. Finally the immigration counter..

Immigration on arrival

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and here I come, the City of Possibilities. 26days of leave.. I’ll not waste a single second. A New Journey awaits me.. A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS!

A New Journey Begins