3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-3)

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)
3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-1)
3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

After play around with Obama, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, we heading to our most expensive dinner of our trip. It is so expensive that I started to think are we really budget backpackers?

In a tour, destination is important, journey is not important;

In backpacking, journey is more important than destination.

In order to reach our destination, we took skytrain to there. But we end up at wrong station, which is quite far from Bayoke. Yeah, we are going to Bayoke. Then we walk through deserted shophouse, because they were closed around 6pm. We had to walk for 20-30 mins to reach Bayoke, just walking toward the light... to the light....

Bayoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok

Finally we are there, classy restaurant. Feeling out of place because we are so 'selekeh', not dress nicely and smelled of sweat.

View from Bayoke

Buffet

Enjoying unlimited buffet for 790 Bath, with magnificent view of Bangkok.

Actually it was the worst meal we had. We learned that best food have to be found at dirty place and cheap.

Bayoke.. Not forget to go out to revolving rooftop. It is so windy and moving quite fast.

From revolving rooftop

Then 2nd last thing to do is visit castle from outside.

Near Castle

Last thing to do is 

drink Sang Som (Wiski), smell like pee..

eat crickets, taste like crackers

pose like drug addict.

3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)
3 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-1)

Back to riverside, did mentioned about souvenir plate? Plate with our own photo stick on the plate. We bargained and get 500B for 3 (170B 1 plate). Just our photo paste on the plate. You can removed the photo and eat with the plate.

On our way back to our hotel, we stop by the roadside to... camwhore with salt lake! For some of you who doesn't know that this is how they extract salt from sea water. Make a shallow pool, fill with sea water, let evaporation do its work. White salt will appear.

Salt Lake

Lady selling salt and salted fish by busy highway.

Then proceed to our hotel. After 15 minutes break in our room, we continue our journey to Discovery Mall.
If you are thinking about shopping!
Wrong, we are not going for shopping.
We are going to Madame Tussaude Wax Museum.


Then we had our very first horrific journey with tut tut!

See that narrow space between car and pedestrian walk? Tut tut somehow can squeeze into that narrow space. At one point of the road, left tire climbed up pedestrian walking pathway, and we were tilted to the right. All we can do was shout and laugh! We reached the mall safely.
 Yuhoooo Madame Tussauds.................

Admission Ticket

And we met Obama...

3 April 2011 - Part-1

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

3 April 2011 - morning

We woke up without alarm, around 8am. Today schedule included floating market, wax museum and buffet on Sky Bayoke Hotel. Quite a pack schedule, yet we are in no rush.

At 1st we thought of taking a local bus to floating market. However when we are outside of the hotel, we saw some taxi. According to a taxi driver who is very fluent in English, local bus will only take us to the bus station, from the bus station we have to take another transport to the floating market. Taxi trip to and fro would only cost us 900 Bath, which means 300 Bath per pax (RM30/10USD). It is quite a good bargain for three of us, and it is not a short journey. So it is taxi then.

Taxi ID

Our nice taxi driver

For safety purpose, we always take photo of everything as proof. We even plan to take photo everytime we pay money. Actually that is just a good excuse. We are just like typical Asian. Photography is most important in travelling.

Our destination 

 This leaflet is useful when we are communicating with taxi driver. We can just point to our destination, and the driver will know where you want to go, without even talking.

LPG Gas station

Coconut served when we arrived at the jetty. 

Before we depart, some explanation given to us about canal and which market we will be going. Beware that there are many floating market in Bangkok alone. The most famous of the floating markets is Damnoen Saduak. We going there~~

Be ready to smile when someone is taking your photo. Don't be shy. It is for your souvenir plate. (Normal sold for 200 Bath per piece, but we bargained and get 170 B per piece)

Along the stream, there are many stalls selling souvenirs (Duh!). They have a hook with long wood that can hook any passing boat. Don't forget to bargain! 

Buy! Buy! To support local economy!

Uk.

 This is Uk, our skipper. He is a very happy one. Happy skipper with happy girls.

Elephant Pillow 300B

Art on Teak 500B

 I bought a elephant pillow and a painting on a wood. So happy! Quite expensive~~~

I only have keychains for you all. hahhahaa

This is the scene at central market. Souvenirs here are cheaper than those along the canal. Perhaps many people finish buying their souvenir when they reach central market. You can try bargain for lower price easier here.

Not to forget to show my lunch, Mango with sticky rice. Very sweet. It is 50 Bath.

When Uk shouted elephant, our friend Ad saw some brown stuff sticking out from water surface and it looks like an elephant. She point to it and shouted "elephant!". Mix also joined her and kept looking at the brown stuff. Laughter filled our boat, when they realised it is actually just stub of wood. Even Uk understand the humour. at the jetty, before our boat touched the jetty, Uk already started telling people at the jetty what happened back there.

Next destination continue in next post....

2 April 2011 - Bangkok (Part-2)

2 April 2011 - Miri-Bangkok (Part-1)

2 April 2010 - Night

Heading out to Kaosan road for dinner.

13-15 April is New Year for Thai, Songkan Festival, a.k.a. water festival.

On our way to food, we saw this mobile Bank. Cute bank with cute bank cashier too.

Across the road, there is a chinese operated food stall. We thought we can have our very 1st nice tomyam.

But.....

Framed on the wall without any photo in the frame.

That is our order. Tomyam is 100 Bath, bean sprout is 50 Bath.

While waiting for our food, we are so obsessed with the coke, can't resist from camwhoring with it.

*snap*

*snap*

*snap*

Not nice at all..... A big disappointment on tomyam kung

Not letting it to spoil our happy night out. lalallala

Back to Kaosan road. Actually many interesting to see along the road.

You can even make a fake certificate here~~

Next we head out to a bar, Roof  Bar & Restaurant. I had a sex on the beach. It is not a real sex. If I was on a beach, perhaps it is real. JJ (just joking)

While enjoy it, not the sex but the drink, I noticed many people are drinking this...

It is Thai Samsok Sangsok

The sex made me too drunk for anymore booze. Going for samsok tomorrow night. By now, only one of us is free from alcohol.

If the three of us would have to walk straight on a straight white line, Ad would fail, I am still ok.

We even have to form a train, hand to shoulder, to go back to our hotel.

My luggage is still missing.

Not going to sleep naked with the girls. Lucky I have my multipurpose jacket. *wink*

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 

Backpacking 2011 Outline

Most of you may not know that I had my 1st backpacking out of Malaysia last April.

The trip took place from 2 - 20 April. For 19 days, our journey covered Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Generally it is our journey back home via longer route, Indochina. Why do I say so?

Because 19 days is too short to truly uncover whole Indochina!!

Many backpackers we met during our journey, take 6 months to travel around indochina.

Our group is quite a unique combination. 3 of us are Borneo girls, and are with different life background. 

Our tour guide is a Muslim. Let's call her Mix. Mix is actually our crazy tour guide. By looking at her itinerary, we have to be powerpuff girls to catch up with it. It is so pack that we have no time to rest and from time to time, we will overnight by the beach. 19 days! It is quite rational to be in rush. The other 2 crazy girls don't mind such crazy tour guide.

Another Borneo girl is Ad. Ad is truly a Borneo girl. Her house is very long (*wink*). She is actually our ambassador during the journey. She can speak Japanese and this help when we lost our way and met a Japanese. She and  I are from different ethnicity, but many people said she is my sister.

Lastly is me. As the fairest of the group, fair as in fair skin, a good follower.

Wherever we go, we attracted our fair portion of attention. One with headscarf, one fair and another brown. Clearly we are Asian. Not many short Asian girls with big backpacks and claimed to be backpackers. However one thing I am sure that made us the center of attention is we laughed a lot, and it is not a quiet laugh. 

Oh yeah, not to forget our faithful Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet with her owner