2009 Driving Adventure to South Thailand

Well, what do you know, I had this post in draft mode since forever .... Posting it now.


While staying in Bangkok, Thailand for 3 years, we did not manage to go to the most Southern part of Thailand due to its distance from Bangkok. But now that we have returned to Malaysia, its not that far away. So, we have decided to drive up.


There are many benefits of driving e.g. it gives us a lot of flexibility and possibility of adventure into small little towns, waterfalls and places which are not "touristic". Enjoying some of the local small towns. Cheap accommodation.


We didn't really draw up the whole route but we tried to be flexible.


Following were the route taken:

• Day 1 - Selangor to Alor Star, Kedah
  
• Day 2 - Alor Star to Thailand via Wang Kelian. Overnight in Pak Bara, La-ngu, Satun
• Day 3 - Pakbara to Had Samran, Trang
• Day 4 - Had Samran, Trang to Pak Meng Beach, Trang
• Day 5 - At Pak Meng Beach, Trang
• Day 6 - Pak Meng Beach, Trang to Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat
• Day 7 - At Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat
• Day 8 - Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat To Town of Nakhon Si Thammarat
• Day 9 - Town of Nakhon Si Thammarat to Hat Yai
• Day 10 - In Hat Yai
• Day 11 - Hat Yai to Home Sweet Home

The above trip was taken from 23 Dec 2009 to 2 Jan 2010.

Some Places To Visit During Winter

In my last 2.7 years in Thailand.


I have spent 2 winters in Thailand.


I have totally and fully enjoyed spending winter here.


I would like to recommend some of the nice places I have been during winter time.

• Muaklek, Saraburi: To see the suflowers, taste local wine produced in Thailand, some adventure at Muaklek ATV, go-chart, etc. Its about 2 hours from Bangkok city.
  

• Khao Yai National Park: The cool season makes it really nice to camp or enjoy a 3 days 2 night stay at any of their resorts. Its about 2.5 hours from Bangkok city.
  

• Pasak Hillside Resort, Lopburi: Its a self contained resort. You can do a lot of activities within the resort. Does not even have to leave the place at all! The cost of the accommodation is very reasonable.
  

• Kanchanaburi: A very historical place. The scenery along the road in Kanchanaburi is very interesting because it has an autumn look.
  

• Mae Sot, Pai, Chiang Mai
  

To have more information other than the ones given in my blog post, just google. There are heaps of information on bookings of accommodation or tour options.

Day Out at Rot Fai Park

The Bangkok Homeschoolers had a day out at Rot Fai Park. Its our family's first visit to this place eventhough it's very near to Chatuchak Park. We had almost perfect weather. Cool and windy.


The children and I really enjoyed ourselves. It was a great park! Why didn't I discover it earlier???


Rental of bicycle was only THB20 (RM2) per bike for a whole day. The bicycle was in great condition and fun to ride. There were practically hundreds to choose from.

In Thai, its called Suan Rot Fai

My children really enjoyed this part... Its a replica of Bangkok road, equipped with traffic lights. The only thing missing was the Bangkok traffic.

Ethaniel really liked this bike... I want a new bike, Mummy!

The boys having a great time, sweating it out!

Do you see my pink bike? So girlie..

Ethaniel playing with J, 15 years old homeschooler at the lunch table.
He likes Ethaniel... kept pinching his face and say, "So cute". It was so funny. Who says that homeschoolers don't have social skills? A 7 years old playing perfectly well with a 15 years old.
They genuinely liked each other.



This is my 2nd time going out with this little boy. It was difficult to get him smile or to hold my hand. His Mummy says that he is shy. After a few hours later, I came over to him and told him to give me a smile. He looked over his shoulder for his Mummy but Mummy was not around. He decided that its OK to smile. I am so proud to have had captured this photo. So cute.

We were there from 11am to about 3pm. With an hour lunch break inbetween.


There is a small swimming pool but we didn't bring extra clothings, so, the children go for a dip.


Great place for the family to hang-out! We will definitely be back!

Koh Samet: Adventure of a Lifetime

It was an impromptu decision. We were still playing with the idea of going away or not ... even on Saturday morning....


Hubby at last made up his mind and we were on our way... to Koh Samet!


Koh Samet is in the province of Rayong. About 2 hours away from Bangkok. The road to Rayong is highway, all the way. So, its an easy drive. Just have to pay toll charges after charges. It takes another 30 mins to 50 mins from Ban Phe jeti at Rayong to Koh Samet island, depending on the distance of your resort.


We were in an adventurous mood. The kids were not around, remember? It was a thin line between crazy, not thinking straight and adventurous. Till now, I am still trying to figure... What was the appropriate category...




Anyway, upon arriving at Koh Samet, we looked around for a Tour Agency to book our stay for the night. The man spoke good English and recommended us Ao Wai... Its about 8km away. Far. To me it was not far. We drove 200km, what is 8km? Thinking about it right now... could be because the island is 10km in length. I think. So, its almost end of the world to Koh Sametians.


We were suggested by SH that riding motorcycle could be a useful mode of transport. So, motorcycle, here we come! An automatic cost THB350 (RM35) per day .. oh cool. Of course, we forgot to note that Hubby has never ridden a motorcyle all his life. But that's just a minor detail which we chose to overlook.


Little did we know that the road was not tar or cement. It was dirt road full of pebbles, uphill and downhill... all the way. This road is probably appropriate for expert motorcyclist but not amateurs, like us.


After riding along for 20 mins or so... all of a sudden, we skidded on some pebbles while trying to go uphill and fell!


Ouch!!!


Ooo....


I was seeing stars.... But.. but... it's day time??!!


My knees.... was bruised and bloody.... So, was Hubby's.

The condition of the road is baaaaad

I calmly washed it with some mineral water.


A passerby helped us up. After that incident, I was hit with the bug of paranoia. At every point of uphill or downhill, I insisted on coming down and walk... The ride was endless... literally. We still have not found our resort. We came to an uphill which was so narrow that it was time to call quits.


You know what?


In the middle of nowhere, there was a Song Taew driver taking his afternoon snooze. We negotiated for a ride and for him to return the motorcyle back to the owner. Without going into the details, we did it. We managed to bargain a deal. We lugged the motorcycle onto the Song Taew and he took off like an F1 driver... on the dirt road? We hung on to dear life....

Look at the relieved smile on Hubby's face... phew!

I was thinking whether I should spare you all the gross details of the battle scars...
Oh well, no, I guess. Left: My bruises. Right: Hubby's bruises

What is the lesson here?


The constant uphill and downhill was endless. I couldn't see us reaching our destination. When I thought that it was almost over, there was another uphill. It was tough, the road was dry, the weather was hot, the excitement running low, the patience wearing thin, the novelty of what I thought was fun, was becoming fear, insecurity and difficult. I even begin to question the judgement and so on...


That reminded me so much of the journey of my life. Many times it has been a constant struggle. Just as I begin to get a breather, there was another hurdle. There were times that I fell badly and it hurts. I grit my teeth and move on. Ignoring the pain, choosing to continue the journey instead.


Many times, God rescues me, just like that Song Taew in the middle of nowhere, waiting. With graciousness and mercy beyond my expectations, He comes and leads me on .... A great example of my life.


Thank you, Lord. I know that no matter where, how and what tomorrow holds. You are there waiting for me. Just like Mr Song Taew.

Mission Trip to Chiang Mai

We are planning to go to Chiang Mai, the children and I, to visit a group of underprivileged children. These children are not placed in an orphanage but rather in a hostel because they have parents. They are just poor.


I went to the train station at Hualampong to purchase my train tickets which includes sleeping berth. Its going to be a 15 hours train ride. I know, I know, its a long ride. But its an experience. I have never taken the train to Chiang Mai. In fact, I have not taken any train in Thailand.

Main train station in Bangkok i.e. Hua Lumpong

Joel & Ethaniel will be excited with the experience of riding in a train. They have gone on the MRT, BTS and LRT but not on a long distance train.

Hua Lumpong crowded with people

When I told Joel about the trip and he calculated the hours from 1430 to 0530, his eyes bulged. 15 hours??? "I should have to bring all my books, eh?" he said. "Yes, you should" I answered. His most favorite question was next, "There's food in the train, right?". Ha ha. As expected. The way to this boy's heart is for sure through his stomach.

People waiting for the train

The children has looked through some toys to give away and I am preparing their heart to go there to serve and help. They might feel inconvenient or discomfort, I am not sure but the purpose of the trip is clear. TO HELP. TO SERVE. TO LEARN. TO EXPERIENCE. Its not a holiday. If they feel uncomfortable, they just have to live with it. Its important to think of others occasionally rather than ourselves.


I think they will do well. This is not the first time they are going for a Mission Trip.

Day 8 & 9 - Mae Hong Son, North Thailand

To Read Day 1 , Day 2, Day 3,Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

This is a continuation of my trip to the North of Thailand which started on 21 Dec till 1 Jan 2008. I have managed to finish till Day 7 and now I am onto Day 8. It has taken a little more effort than I expected. But I know that its good for me to keep a written memory of my trip, for years and years to come.

In total, our trip was 11 days. 5 days out of it was a guided tour. Today's trip will be the 4th & 5th day of our guided tour.


28 December 2007, Friday

We spent a night in the Long Neck Village. Slept in a small hut which was basic but comfortable. We didn't really expect 5 star accommodation in the middle of the jungle with breathtaking scenery and fresh air which was not easily available in our city life at Bangkok. I doubt air can ever be more fresh than it is here. Inhale... exhale... I can live to a 100 years old with their homegrown fruits, vegetables and rice.

I honestly cannot imagine myself living in a place where excitement and entertainment consist of... hmm... not sure what. As far as I can see, it does not have all the excitement and entertainment which we normally enjoy. For one, no internet... therefore no BLOGGING. That's serious!

I woke up early to a very cooling morning. Mist surrounding the edge of the hills and fresh air void of pollution. Surprise to see my elder son awake and surrounding the campfire. He obviously was still very interested in playing around it because he does not normally prefer to wake up before his younger brother.

We were scheduled to leave the Long Neck Village by late morning. So we did a little shopping of their local crafts, just to support their livelihood.

Upon arrival at the mainland, we hopped onto the Elephant Trekking ride. Being a new experience for all of us, we were very excited! There seems to be heaps of elephants everywhere in Thailand, not uncommon to spot one at the streets of Bangkok. The owner of the elephant will usually sell peanuts or bananas to the public to feed the elephant. We have done it various times, pretty fun.

The Elephant Trek lasted 1.15 hours. A little too long under the 12pm afternoon sun. Phew! Riding on top of an elephant is like "watching wet paint dry". Its mighty sloooow... I enjoyed the ride but 1.15 hours was enough. More than enough.

We checked into the hotel after the Elephant Trek and rested till dinner time. We were scheduled to go to the night market after dinner. I sure look forward to it!

This is Korean BBQ style. Very popular throughout Thailand. They have very cheap buffet for THB89 (RM8.90 / USD2.60) in Bangkok. Here it costed about THB60 (RM6.00 / USD1.70).

Checkout my online album.

Sure enough after dinner we went to walk around in the market. Things are generally cheaper comparatively to Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

Local products

"Roti canai" is an Indian pancake made out of flour. In Malaysia, it is usually eaten with some spicy gravy or curry as a main meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner. But in Thailand, its a dessert added with butter, jam, sugar (?) or condense milk (?). Very sweet! Its an acquired taste but once used to it, it can be pretty delicious.

Eating "Kao Soi", similar to Malaysian Mee Curry. A new experience sitting on a picnic rug on the side of the street in the night market enjoying the local food.

Bright lights at the temple

After a long walk around the market we were ready to go back to snooze.

Check out my online album.

29 December 2008, Saturday

We woke up very early at 6am, had a quick breakfast and headed towards Kaew Komon cave. It is like a cave full of diamonds with sparkling walls that are a result of calcite and makes it look like shards of clear ice. There are only 3 in the world i.e. Thailand, China and Australia. So, it was a must see. There are no personal photos taken. I managed to get a photo from the internet. We were not allowed photo taking because they were afraid that it might destroy the crystals inside the cave.


After the Kaew Komon cave we were planning to go to Doi Itanon, which is the highest peak in Thailand but unfortunately the 4x4 we were traveling in was having some problem so we had to go back to Chiang Mai.

Day 7 - Holiday in Mae Hong Son, North Thailand

To Read Day 1 , Day 2, Day 3,Day 4, Day 5, Day 6

27 December 2007, Thursday

Today is our 3rd day into the guided tour. We are ready to move on to Mae Hong Son.

Fish Cave

This place is a popular tourist destination but unfortunately, it was too mundane for me. There were a few large fishes and clips of the Queen of Thailand visiting the place. Other than that, I am not too impressed. So, if you have to choose your itinerary to Mae Hong Son, just skip this.

To view my online album.

After lunch, we went to the Mae Hong Son market, Keng, our tour guide had to purchase some stuffs to cook for our dinner and breakfast. We are going to stay in the Long Neck village tonight! Isn't that exciting? I have heard so much about this tribe.

We took a 15 mins boat ride to the Long Neck Hilltribe

Long Neck Hill Tribe (Kayan)

Eventhough the Long Neck Hill Tribe lives in wooden shacks, yet, I noticed that they are cleaner and more organised than the other tribes. Apparently, the villagers has been "trained" for tourism. They are not shy, readily and willingly take photo with visitors, when asked.

Similar to the Lahu and Lisu tribe, they are not allowed to leave the village. The only way they are able to make a living is by making their own crafts e.g. scarf, guitar and selling various things which they obtain from Myanmar. The Myanmar border is not too far away from where they stay, so, I guess it will not be too difficult for them to smuggle in some products. I was interested to go but according to Keng, our tour guide, its dangerous. So we aborted the idea. Its about 30 mins boat ride from the Long Neck Hill tribe village.

The entrance to the village

They are very good at handicraft

Church built by missionaries


To pass time, the village girls play Volleyball


Our accommodation for the night


Mattress, mosquietoe netting, blanket.... better than expected


Keng, our tour guide and cook

There is a community area which is specially prepared for visitors. So, we had our dinner there. When we finish dinner, we were promised some presentations. Oh, this will be interesting! But first, dinner.

In 1.5 hours, he whipped out 6 dishes! Fried chicken, sweet & sour chicken, fried egg, tom yum, vegetable and soup

The village children gathering around the campfire

My children were so fascinated with the campfire that they played there for hours.... literally. Collecting dried wood and leaves to burn. Things that city people don't get to do.

Presentation by the Villagers

I was pulled in by the dancers to dance with them... Not bad. A natural. Ha ha


The Villagers played, sang and danced till late. Even after we retired to bed. I guess there are little for entertainment here.

To view my online album.

Day 3 - Holiday To Mae Sot & Chiang Mai

Read Day 1, Day 2, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6

23 December 2007, Sunday

After breakfast, we headed towards Myanmar -Thai friendship bridge, Mae Sot town. Its a small town with very little happenings except for shopping. We went to the market just beside the border selling all kinds of good. I am not sure who are the frequent shoppers but there are a mix of Thai, Myanmar and electrical goods from China. If I am to guess, I would say that the Myanmar comes over the border to get goods which are not easily available in their own country. There were imported mushrooms from Japan and dried kiwi fruits from New Zealand too.

Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge

"No Man's Land"

At the border

On the other side of the market, there are a lot of goods from Myanmar. I can spot them because of their make up and Thai slang. They were selling seafood, huge life prawns and crabs. Dried seafood e.g. shrimp, anchovies and lots more.

Lots of crabs!

special make-up worn by the Myanmar women

Peeping over the makeshift divider, we can see 'No Man's Land'. Such a difference from Thailand... the poverty and lack. It was pretty sad, I must say.The shopping at Mae Sot market is excellent. The prices of clothes are at least B100-B150 cheaper than in Bangkok.

Good shopping

Some locally made clothes for export market

Wood carving seems to be popular and cheap

Chiang Mai, Thailand

By noon time we left towards Chiang Mai and arrived at 4pm to Baan Nam Ping Riverside Village. The resort is located in the "middle of nowhere", 30 mins from Chiang Mai town. Its a very cosy place, just beside the river. We purchased their rooms through the Travel Exhibition in Queen Sirikit. We often frequent those exhibitions to get good deals. Look at my online album to see pictures of the place.

After check-in, we went out hoping to go to the Night Bazaar but was distracted by the sign "Chiang Mai Night Safari". Yes, the famous Night Safari. So, we headed there. Due to my ability to speak a little bit of Thai, we paid the local rate B250 per adult and B150 per child. That was a 50% savings!


The building was very nice and impressive. It had a musical fountain which was simple and nice. Not as impressive as the one in Singapore but still nice. There are 2 tour routes, inclusive of English translation and that was very enjoyable. The animals looked very healthy and they boast the safari to be the "Most Beautiful Night Safari in the World". There are only 3 in the world - Singapore, China and Thailand. Quoting their website, "Chiang Mai Night Safari was established after Singapore Night Safari and China Night Safari Guangzhou. Chiang Mai Night Safari is 2 times larger than Singapore Night Safari and it is considered to be the most beautiful night safari in the world."

I particular enjoyed some of the jokes told by the guide on the 2nd route. He said, if you want to know the gender of the Zebra, you need to look at the bottom of its feet. If the stripes begins with white, then its a female. So, all of us busied ourselves counting the stripes. A few minutes later, he said that it was a joke not a fact. All of us broke into laughter at being fooled!!! That was a good one ;-).

The other comment he made about the hippopotamus.... Many women likes to go on diet eating vegetables and fruits hoping to loose weight, its not true. Just look at Mr Hippopotamus.

We didn't manage to get any photos for both of the safari route because we were not allowed to take photos. It might affect the animals. For more photos of the Chiang Mai Night Safari, visit my online album.