I went to Bangkok for two reasons: the first reason was to celebrate me finishing my SPM examinations and the other reason was to bring my cousin for her first visit oversea. Same case as my Umrah, I forgot the exact date we went there. This time around however it was in January. This trip excluded my brother for he had work to do as he was in an academically-critical moment at the time even though we had tickets for him too. Nevertheless, the rest of us tried not to let the absence of my brother affect us and off we go to BANGKOK, Thailand. It was the first time we flew by AirAsia and it wasn't bad I have to say :)

 

When we arrived in Bangkok we were greeted by our tour guide named Awi with the driver, Pak Abas. They picked us up at the airport in Bangkok and straight away took us to Pattaya without stopping by the city. Pattaya was quite some time away and the journey was a bit boring because there wasn't much to shout about the scenery that was almost the same as back home.

 

We arrived in PATTAYA late in the afternoon and started our 'journey' of tasting the various ways Tom Yam can be prepared. That night Awi took us out to experience the 'night life' in Pattaya. We had the chance to walk down the streets and all the things they say about Thailand turned out to be true. Hookers were everywhere waiting for customers as they smoked their cigarettes, night clubs were fighting with each other for customers, and I felt dizzy just spending less than an hour there. However, many other foreigners who go to Thailand specifically for those were there. My family and I instead finished the night off walking along the beach.

 

The next morning Awi took us first to a honey bee factory for tasting. Of course when you go to places like these they expect you to buy their stuffs so my dad bought a few to bring back home. After that we went to this park-cum-cultural spot in Pattaya. We went first to watch the cultural show which included their traditional dance, the Thai kick boxing, and also a redo of the old wars fought on elephants. They ended the show with baby elephants dancing as they grabbed money from the audience. Talked about smart elephants. Later we went to watch the elephant show which was just as fun! The elephants did tricks such as playing soccer, playing basketball, drawing, and even massaging the guests! They were cute and naughty and at the end of the show they allowed visitors to come to the front if they want to be lifted by an elephant and guess who ran for the opportunity ;) Visitors can also take pictures with some other animals so I took pictures with a cute lil' chimp whereas my cousin took pictures with a bored tiger :p We stopped by the beach again later before heading back to Bangkok. In Bangkok I experienced the second worst traffic jam in my life next to Jakarta. But when we were finally in the middle of the city I realized that Bangkok is not that different from KL.

                                           

The next day we had the chance to experience the so-called Venice of The East. Awi took us to the floating market where trade is done on boat, both the sellers and buyers. It was very crowded when we were there because a Bollywood movie production was taking place and the hero and heroin were cuddling on a boat that 'magically floats on its own' as the camera zoomed in. On the other hand, my family and I bought quite a few stuffs especially cheap souvenirs for ourselves :p On our way from the floating market we stopped by along the road to have lunch. We learned that the eatery was owned by our driver's wife. He was so nice later to accommodate us as we pray at his house. Next we stopped by the bridge over River Kwai that has a history of taking laborers forcefully from Thailand to build the 415 kilometer Burma Railway in 1942-43 railway, by the Imperial Japanese Army. They also sell jade stones over there. After a day of travel we went back to Bangkok to rest for our flight back the next day.

 

However, we didn't go straight to the airport the next day for we haven't done the number one must in Thailand...shop for cheap clothes! Awi brought us to this mall that sells cheap EVERYTHING at bundle prices so it pays to buy more. To tell the truth, buying bundle clothes is not really my thing so I only bought what I really wanted. But on the other hand, my cousin had to buy another luggage bag specifically for the items she shopped in that mere two hours! After having our last Tom Yam for a very long time, Awi sent us off to the airport.

                          

Bangkok was the last journey of mine thus far. Where will I go next on my travel to the unknown? Well, there's only one way to find out. :) You will have to wait and see!

  

 

 

Bangkok

Pattaya