Oh shit

Sorry, I forgot.

Merry Belated Christmas!!!

Election

We now have a big election coming up. It's tomorrow.

People who couldn't go to the province they were registered in, and preferred to vote where they actually lived now, already registered and voted last weekend. Which resulted in alcohol ban from last Friday at 6pm.

The real thing is tomorrow. Therefore, the country is (supposedly) dry again. Started 6pm today.

Basically, when we have some election, the area will be dry from 6pm of the day before election until midnight of the election day(s).

Rose and I had a couple of drinks last night, after the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks. Which is a good enough movie to pass a couple of hours. Anyway, so I had a bottle of Asahi and Rose wouldn't make up her mind what she wanted to drink.

Here came Lee Shamrock to save our night. He ordered each of us a pint of Hoegaarden (latest member of the family at the Dubliner Bangkok). Not bad, really. But Rose didn't feel like drinking. So, she swapped our pints (when I had 1/5 of it left, and she had half left) when I went to the bog. And she poured that 1/5 pint into the half one later on.

And I didn't feel like drinking too!!!!

Trip to Mukdahan

It was a 3 day weekend here (again), and my friend, Stephan, invited me to go up to Mukdahan with him. His family live there. So does our mutual friend, Patrick. So, off we went.

We left Bangkok on Saturday early morning, and arrived in Mukdahan 7 hours later. Stephan's driver used to be in F1, I believe.

It was very nice to see Ta and Alex (Stephan's wife and son) again also. It's been a long time. The first night, they took me out to dinner by the Mekong River. Nice food. And a bit windy also. After dinner, we went to Boss bar where we started to wonder if it was a gay bar.

We seemed to be there a bit too early, as it was literally empty when we got there. After a few drinks, we moved on to Grand Hotel Karaoke. We were the third table in there.

And before we all fell asleep, we moved on to Grand Hotel Disco. Now, this place was supposed to be full of actions and shows and people, according to Patrick. It was almost empty again when we got there. Not sure what was happening. Or NOT happening as the case may be.

It was a Saturday night, and they got no shows whatsoever on stage. It's about two hours later that a band started playing.

All teenage boys, with a singer who couldn't bloody sing.

Noise pollution it was. And we headed home just in time before we all lost our hearings as the music was unbelievably loud.

The temperature was about 19C at 1:30am. You would think it would not be too hot in the day.

Well, it was about 32C the next afternoon.

Patrick took me down to the Mekong river. Across the river, that's Laos.

Along the river on Thailand side, there are many shops and stuff - called Indochina Market.

(Yes, some of the locals wear a jacket during the day where it is 32C.)

This one reminded me of Tom. Want some more garlic? Hehehe.

Next stop was Mukdahan Tower (the locals call it Hor Keaw).

Admission fee was 20 THB, which is the same price for a Thai and a foreigner. No dual pricing policy here. You can walk 360degree up there to enjoy the view. In the ball on top of the observation deck, there were some Buddha statues.

After this, Patrick took me to a temple on a hill. I can't remember the name of the temple.

This's where the monks live.

Here's where they keep drinking water.

We then came back home for a little rest. Then, drove down to the Indochina Market again, this time with Stephan, Ta and Alex.

Cute little boy he is. While he was running around, he actually fell and landed on his forehead before bouncing back. He didn't cry. I mean... he didn't even make any noise out of it. And not too long, he started running around exploring shops again. Adorable!

We didn't do anything much this evening, just dinner and karaoke, as we planned to get up early the next morning.

We did wake up early. Ish.

Before it started getting too hot, we made our way a bit out of the city centre to Ta's village. She lived there for about six years, and her mother moved to the city centre.

From the looks of things, it must be freezing at night out here.

In front of many houses, they have this thing in front.

Apparently, there is a Widow Ghost around. So, they put this in front of the house to fool the ghost so she leaves the real men inside the house alone.

We spent some more time down the Mekong river, discussing how illegal immigrants come into Thailand.

Then, back to the compound where I started packing. And found a mobile vendor. I mean, literally mobile.

After some rest, Stephan and Patrick took me to the Night Market for a bite to eat before my journey back home.

Quite lively for a tiny town.

I took a photo of one certain street vendor..

When the flash went off, the guy in the photo jumped probably thinking he was struck by lightening or something, which made all his "colleagues" laughed.

I took a VIP bus (24 seats) back to Bangkok, leaving Mukdahan at 8:10pm and arriving Bangkok at 4:45am.

It was a wonderful weekend. Lovely to see everyone again. And Alex is definitely adorable! A big Thank You to Stephan, Ta and Patrick. You all are great. :-)

A few more pics from this trip can be found here.

Roadtrip with Tom

Things have finally calmed down and so here I am again.

Been busy moving office, then a few trips here and there.

We went down to Phuket for a couple of days, but didn't take many photos as the weather was absolute shite. Lots of rain. Which forced us to spend a lot of time in bars.

Tom took me out to a rather romantic dinner for belated birthday.

After coming back to Bangkok, we were still busy with stuff. Things were getting tense with work and stuff, so we went on a roadtrip for a week.

Our first stop was Ayuddhaya province. We walked around to see old temples (ruins) for a bit.

There was a fair at a temple nearby. I felt like a kid again.

There was a nice bar there, which the name escapes me at the moment, will have to check with Tom. All the staff were really nice and friendly. They had a guy called "Mr Lek Clapton" playing guitar at night. He was pretty good, really. He was good fun also.

The next day, we stopped in Lopburi province, aiming to see the sunflowers. Accommodation in Lopburi is really poor. Not many choices. Let alone "good" choices.

We drove around trying to find the sunflowers fields, but couldn't find the bloody thing. When we stopped at a petrol station to ask for directions, the gas boy was more interested in laughing at the Missing Trainer.

Thing is, Tom stuck his trainers on top of the car (under the rails) and drove off. Just noticed at the petrol station that one of them had fallen off. So, not much fun after discovering that, we decided to drink instead.

RIP, my friend. You (both of you) served Tom well.

After a rather long session of drinking, we were walking back to the hotel, then Tom decided he was hungry and wanted to walk further to 7-eleven to get something to eat.

Just before reaching 7-eleven, there was one angry dog barking at us. The bloody thing didn't stop just that, he walked to us, barking all the time. We were scared shitless, but kept walking. The bloody thing still followed us. And we got into the 7-eleven. There was no way we were going to walk past that bloody thing again. So, we had to take a detour - walking through a market (which was already closed and it was dark).

Of course, there were a few more angry dogs in there. But at least, those bloody things didn't follow us.

Oh, for what it's worth, Lopburi only has ONE bar in town. But the guy who runs it is very nice.

And there are millions of monkeys there. They are everywhere, seriously.

Anyway, so next day, we drove to Nakon Ratchasima (Korat).

After a hectic and long night in Lopburi, we took it easy. That, and because we got there a little late. So, we walked around town a little bit, and went for dinner in a pub, Bule Saloon. Not long until The Saxophone Band started playing. We really enjoyed their music.

Our next stop (and destination) was Surin province. We went out drinking with my mate, Yorky, and the locals. Played some snooker. Continued drinking. It was a long night. And my stomach started acting up.

So, the next day we decided to stay there another night as the hangover was bad and my stomach was bad also. We didn't do anything much. Really took it easy. I just took him to the Silk Village. Tom was very impressed.

That evening, we drove out to RID canal and went to Good View for dinner. The food was absolute shite. Very disappointed.

Next day, time to start heading back home. Tom was driving (as he was 99% of the trip) when reaching a check point. The policeman asked for Tom's driver license, which is NOT an international one. But luckily, the policeman noticed Tom was English so he told us that England had lost to Croatia the night before. We had a quick chat and he waved us goodbye saying "I'm sorry England lost".

Thank you, England, for losing!

It was a long drive, and it was getting late again. We decided to make another stop before coming back to Bangkok. We drove up to Khao Yai from Saraburi side.

Didn't go so far up as we were tired. So, checked into a resort so Tom could jump into the pool to relax. We had dinner at Dairy Home. Tom said his steak was really nice. My stomach was still acting up so I decided to go for salmon. Not bad too. Very happy with this meal. That definitely made up for the shite one at Good View.

There was nothing to do up there, so we relaxed in the resort. It was nice, actually.

The next day, we started our journey again, but the car started to have serious problem when we were driving around in Bangkok, so we decided to go to the outskirt of Bangkok - not too far from my Dad's house.

The next night was Loy Krathong festival, so we still stayed there as it was near the river.

There were not many foreigners in the area. And Tom was the only foreigner at the pier when we went to float our Krathongs.

It was good fun for both of us. Tom was very excited about it all. I hadn't joined this festival for years also. So, it was a great night.

That was the last night on this roadtrip. We drove back into town the next day.

There were lots of things happened during the entire 8 days on this roadtrip. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

Well, okay, maybe could of changed a couple of nights.

But all in all, it was good fun. And I will never forget it.

Thanks, Tom, for everything.

Weekend in Hua Hin and Cha-Am

Feeling a bit weird last week, I went down to Hua Hin for a relaxing weekend with a friend.

We booked a room at Sundance, a new hotel, located right behind the San Paulo hospital. We booked a room through an agent, but slight error, so we managed to upgrade the room, paid the difference of room rates there, and we couldn't be happier.

Our deluxe room was nice, big, clean and comfortable. Hotel staff were polite, friendly and helpful. Highly recommend. Hotel review can be found here.

We just went down to the beach, had good food, and went to an open-air bar.

On Sunday, before coming back to Bangkok, we went up to Khao Takiab. Fed some monkeys. Had lunch at a restaurant at the bottom of the hill.

Then, we went to Hua Hin Train Station. I didn't realise it was so close to that bleedin' traffic lights. I had always thought it was hidden somewhere. Duh.

Next stop was Mrigadayavan Palace, in Cha-Am.

Look for this sign at the main gate on the main road.

The palace is located 14 kms north of Hua Hin. It was constructed in 1923 under King Rama VI's command to be his summer palace. The palace was built from materials from the dismantled buildings of the old residence at the nearby Chao Samran Beach.

Before getting into the buildings, the staff will advise if you need to dress more appropriately. No shorts, sleeveless shirts, short skirts. And no shoes allowed. For ladies, if you don't dress appropriately, they will lend you a shirt and a sarong. As for shoes, you can leave them at the front, but then you will need to walk back with bare feet on the ground (one-way traffic on the buildings). But you can get some sort of bag so you can take your shoes with you also.

Mrigadayavan was known as the palace of love and hope because when Queen Indrasakdi Sachi was pregnant, King Vajiravudh was extremely hopeful in anticipation of an heir. The king took great care of her throughout her pregnancy. Regrettably, the queen miscarried. King Vajiravudh finally got a daughter, Princess Bejaratana, born to Phra Nang Chao Suvadhana just one day before he passed away.

It was fashioned in Thai-Victorian style with an elevated airy walkway that connects all the rooms in the compound.

The palace was initially designed by King Vajiravudh himself. And the king appointed an Italian architect, Ercole Manfredi, who worked in the Civil Works Department, to put the finishing touches to the design.

High ceilings and fretwork on all walls facilitated good ventilation and made the most of sea breeze. Building the entire construction on stilts ensured that the compound could be easily kept clean. Ants were controlled by niches for water around each concrete pillar and along the walls connecting to the ground. This is a good example of using a simple and non-chemical method to control these annoying creatures. There is a total number of 1,080 concrete pillars.

Mrigadayavan Palace consists of 16 golden teak buildings which are divided into 3 groups. All are linked together throughout the palace by verandas on stilts. Details of each group of buildings are as follows:

1. Samoson Sevakamataya Group of Buildings

This group of buildings is part of the front court where official business was dealt with. Both men and women worked together there. It consists of a pavilion-like theatre, an audience chamber, an office for the Royal Aide-de-Camp General and a room for night duty chamberlains.

Audience Chamber



The apartment of the Grand Chamberlian and Chief Aide-de camp General



The Front Court Dining Pavillion



2. Bisansagara Group of Buildings

This group of buildings was the king's personal residence (no photos allowed). It consists of a Royal Suite which has an office, a bedroom, a dressing room, and a bathroom. Inside the bedroom, there stands a four-post bed with a white canopy. The office, in which King Rama VI loved to sit and compose his poetical works at night, now accommodates only a desk and chair once used by the king. Nearby this group of buildings are lodges for royal pages, next to which is a royal kitchen.

From this group of buildings, at the end of the verandas on stilts, you can see a beach pavilion whose roof supports a cross-like post. The post was not intended as a symbol of any religion. Instead, it was used as an indicator of the king's activities. That is, when the yellow lantern was on, it meant that the king would be ready to grant an audience. And when the green lantern was shown, it was known that the king was not in residence.

Visitors are not allowed to walk down that corridor.

3. Samudabiman Group of Buildings

The Samudabiman group of buildings constitutes the inner court of the palace where men except the king were forbidden to enter. It served as the residence for HM Queen Indrasakdi Sachi (no photos allowed). In the same cluster are buildings for her sister and her entourage, a dining pavilion and a beach pavilion. King Vajiravudh usually had his Thai-style lunch at the dining pavilion in the inner court.

The palace had been neglected since King Rama VI passed away in 1925. It was not until 1965 that King Bhumibol, the present king, ordered the palace to be renovated.

On the way back to the front, there is another building with a few more rooms.

Ironing, Sewing and Darning



Room for female attendants



The palace is open from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm (closed on Wednesdays). Admission fee for adults is 30 THB.

Another place well worth a visit.

More pics from the palace are here.

Source of info on the palace is here.

Very interesting story: A Royal Love Story, Mrigadayavan Palace: A place of love and hope

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Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai

After a year or so of "wanting to go there", I've finally made it oop norf for a few days.

It was basically pissing down just before my flight to Chiang Mai (at 1:15pm).

But the flight was not too exciting, compare to my flight back from KL.

I made it up to Chiang Mai safe and sound. I was quite excited as I hadn't been oop norf for at least 20 years. I took a tuk tuk from the airport to Inspire House on Rattanakosin Road for 80 THB. Apparently, there are metered taxis in Chiang Mai also, but not too many of them that I could see. Many tuk tuks and songtaews though.

My aircon room at Inspire House cost 500 THB (room only). Wifi is available, for a fee. See my review on the hotel here.

After checked in, I grabbed the map and went out for a walk. I was trying to find my way around town, so walking was the best way to do it. Took a few photos around town. And ended up walking all the way from Rattanakosin Road, to Thapae Gate!!!

The next day, I moved to another guest house, Banilah (pronounce Ban-I-Lah), located behind Sote Suksa School. The single aircon room I got was 500 THB (room only). Wifi is available for free. See my review on the hotel here.

I went to Chiang Mai Zoo on my Day 2. Entrance fee for a Thai national is 50 THB. Probably 100 THB for a foreigner.

The place was too big to walk around. So, it's best to drive. But if you don't get a car, there's also a shuttle service available for 20 THB/round. You can hop on and off, no problem.

The stars of the Zoo must be the Pandas, Chuang-Chuang and Lin-Hui. Visitors must buy another ticket to go in to see the Pandas (50 THB for me). Before you walk in, the staff will put a sticker on your camera's flash as it will damange the Pandas' eyesight. When you walk in, you will see the signs repeatedly warn you to keep quiet and not to use flash on your camera. Because their ears can hear noise a lot better than human beings. And their eyes are sensitive to light.

Lin-Huih

More pics in Chiang Mai Zoo gallery

The next day, I made a quick trip to Chiang Rai. I took a 40 seat Green Bus from Chiang Mai bus station (Arcade). Maybe it's just me, but I tried to phone the number advertised on their website, but no one every picked up. So, if anyone tries to call their customer service number but can never get through, try these numbers instead: 053 266 480 to 4.

Bus takes about 3 hours. Chiang Rai was quiet. Even the Night Bazaar was not that lively. Or maybe I just don't know where the bars are.

I haven't done a review on the hotel I stayed in Chiang Rai yet. Can't quite bring myself to. I didn't enjoy it at all. Ok, except free Wifi.

Anyway, I did some walking around Chiang Rai town. Saw some beautiful temples there.

Wat Prakaew, Chiang Rai

When I took the Green Bus back to Chiang Mai, I decided to get a 24 seat VIP bus. Oh, it's much more comfortable. I usually have enough patience to handle a two hour journey on a bus. Plus, Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai, you have to drive up and down, left and right, along the hills. Headach!!! So, VIP bus was best option for me and my limited patience.

When I got back to Chiang Mai, I checked into another B&B, 3Sis Bed and Breakfast. This one is located on soi Prapokklao 8. Perfect location for the Sunday market on walking street. See my review on 3Sis is here.

There are lots and lots of stuff for any shopaholic people. Plus, many street performances.

I did buy some good stuff from there. Hehehe.

Before coming back to Bangkok, I did some walking around town again, mainly to take photos of those beautiful temples.

Wat Loke Molee, Chiang Mai.

More pics of the temples are here.

Chiang Mai was lovely. The air was better than Bangkok. And the culture... historical stuff. There are many temples in the old town. Very beautiful.

It was a very nice trip, bar some bollocks I got from a certain someone. I'll definitely go up there again.