Siam Niramit - Thailand's Must See Show

We've been hearing about this place since we step foot in Thailand a few years back. However, due to its price and being unheard of from other fellow Filipino tourists we decided to visit other touristy places in Bangkok such as Grand Palace, Buddhist Temples, Chatuchak and Floating Market, among others during our previous trips in Bangkok.

This time, after completing our business in Bangkok the wife and I decided to pay a visit at Siam Niramit. We asked the hotel staff to arrange our trip to this place. The tour agent priced was 1,700 THB per person inclusive of dinner buffet and round trip transfer. We gladly accepted the deal since other agents were asking 1,800 THB.

The chartered taxi fetched us from our hotel at exactly 5:30 pm; we arrived at Siam Niramit at around 6 pm. The place is actually within Bangkok City.

The driver asked us to wait inside the taxi while he purchased two tickets. There is a portion on the ticket that needs to be pasted on our shirt indicating our reserved seat number while another receipt was issued for the dinner buffet.



A staff immediately took our photo at the entrance. I told my wife to prepare for a souvenir picture. We roamed inside the complex and had some photo shots around the open court and inside Thai Village.

the center of attraction; the elephant not me, LOL

photo shots with mythical beings

boat ride around Thai Village

typical Thai house

We found nothing special at Thai Village due to its similarities to our country. We have almost the same native houses and rural ambiance. In addition to Thai Village, you can have your picture taken with two domesticated elephants roaming around with their trainers or visit the souvenir shops. Be aware though that the prices of souvenirs are a bit inflated.

After half an hour we proceeded to the 3rd floor of the main building for the buffet dinner; dinner actually starts at 6 pm. For 300 THB, we were expecting a so-so buffet like what our family had during our previous day-tour in Thailand. Surprisingly enough, I counted 10 main courses from the buffet table aside from the salad and dessert bars. The main courses are comprised of fried chicken, steamed and fried fish fillet, squid, buttered spinach and plenty of sea foods, no pork. Not to mention my favorite Tom Yum soup. I was delighted for I knew that I wouldn't be able to order these foods for 300 THB outside Siam Niramit. As expected, soda, juices and alcoholic drinks are not included on the buffet but you can order them separately. I skipped the salad bar and indulge at dessert bar. I love their yummy pudding or cakes.

meaty part

salad bar

dessert bar

After filling my tummy up to the brim, I asked my wife to have some fresh air outside. Unknown to us a local magician was already entertaining the crowds outdoor. All chairs have been occupied thus we had no choice but to finish the show standing. After the magic show a series of traditional dances were performed. At the middle of the performance some of the audience were coerced by the dancers to participate. The finale was a courting dance by a demon to a mythical being.

magic show

native dance

a Thai family dance

guests participated on "tinikling" bamboo stick dance

demon and mythical creature dance

The outdoor presentation finished at quarter to 8 pm after which all of us raced to the theater. Cameras and videocams are strictly prohibited inside. Staffs would check and inspect all bags and pockets. You would be asked to deposit your cameras and videocams at the counter though camera phones are allowed.

Our seats were at row W no 43 & 44. Fortunately, the seat row started at the back thus we were quite near the stage.

The entire show narrates the history and mythical or religious beliefs of Thai people. It started by reliving the glorious past of Thailand which includes the Northen Kingdom, the influence of Overseas Traders, the Heritage of Khmer Civilization and the Greatness of the Mighty Capital. After the historical parts come the religious and mythical parts of the show which narrate the hell, mythical forest and heaven while the final part was the Journey through Joyous Festival.

During the show, there were instances that huge statues on stage would be replaced by another in just a matter of minutes. The stage even accommodated 2 elephants in one part of the show. Likewise a river suddenly appeared at the front part of the stage while fog, lighting and rainfall were realistically simulated as well. The special effects are definitely world class.

The best part of the show for me was when the 12 pairs of performers were gliding and flying in the air through the help of "invisible harnesses." The scene was truly magical and breathtaking.

At the end of the show all the performers and dancers appeared on-stage. I lost count of them but I am sure that their numbers have reached more than one hundred. Moreover, the traditional and unique attires and costumes were obviously done meticulously.

But more than that, the major factor that contributed to Siam Niramit's success was its behemoth stage. There was no denying that the way they moved and changed the gigantic props and set-up was unbelievable. Though the show was divided in several parts the series of presentations were done seamlessly without interrupting the entire performance. In fact I can honestly say that the presentation and whole set-up was even better compared with Golden Mickey of Hong Kong Disneyland. It is therefore not surprising to know that Siam Niramit's stage has been listed on Guinness Book of World Record as the highest in the world.

200 THB souvenir shot

Since video recording and photography inside are not allowed I can't post any visual about the show. However, I can attest that the show is definitely world class and truly amazing; something that Thailand's tourism industry should be proud of. It gives the audience a birds-eye view of the history of Thailand and its religious beliefs while at the same time being entertained by its glamorous and superbly orchestrated performance.

The show ended at almost 9:30 pm. Our taxi was waiting for us at the parking area. I tipped the guy 50 THB.

I highly recommend this to any tourists in Bangkok who wish to experience something traditional and bang for the bucks.

For more details of the show you can visit Siam Niramit's website.

KG Garden Guesthouse - Hong Kong

Be advised that this is one of several guesthouses located at the infamous Mirador Mansion.

Together with my wife and daughter, I booked a triple room for 3 nights at KG garden Guesthouse for 60 USD per night on our previous business trip to Hong Kong to source ladies apparels for our online shop Happy Stripes.

To be honest, we were initially disappointed due to run-down condition of the building, not to mention its small and dilapidated elevator. More so, don't be surprised if you need to queue for this tiny elevator especially during morning and evening.

we stayed at 7th floor or Lily Garden

alley at the 3rd floor

We searched for the guesthouse at the 3rd floor as instructed by the owner. My wife and daughter were shocked since the whole 3rd floor looked like a ghetto with a few empty flats while some residents were loitering outside. The alleys have grumpy floor tiles, exposed concrete flooring, rusty steel railings, exposed pipes and faded wall paint. To add, we found the guesthouse at the opposite corner from the lift thus we were forced to walk around those creepy alleys. After check-in, the lady owner asked her Filipina helper to accompany us to the 7th floor where their other guesthouse is located.

The 7th floor was a lot better; there was a large rectangular open area in the middle and around it were the flats and guesthouses. Nevertheless, the whole place is similar to a BLISS project in the Philippines or a low cost high-rise housing, to say the least.

Upon entering the guesthouse we marveled at nice wallpapers and clean and polished floor tiles aside from the numbered lock of the main door. Inside our small room as expected were two beds, one single and a pretty narrow double bed; no closet or dresser. We couldn't even leave our luggage open otherwise we won't be able to walk across the room. In fairness, the beddings were crisp and clean.

our beds

Though the heavy curtained window was overlooking Nathan Road we weren't disturbed by the traffic at all during night time. Surprisingly, the T&B was a bit spacious with strong heated water. Basic toiletries and towels were provided. The main drawback was the absence of shower head holder thus you can't stay under water while soaping.

Forget the flat screen since they don't have cable or English channels. Considering the price our expectations were not that high anyway.

The plus side was the daily housekeeping by its friendly Filipina staff and a fast complimentary wi-fi.

The guesthouse is conveniently located along Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. The train station is just across the street and walking distance to Avenue of the Stars. Furthermore, there is an airport bus stop near this building thus it was pretty convenient to travel back and forth between the airport and the city. The location is undeniably perfect for those who want to stay in the middle of the action.

Suffice to say, you get your money's worth from KG guesthouse. No worries about security since the place has several CCTV and a watchman is always at the ground floor beside the lift.

Mister Donut - A Hidden (Foodie) Gem in Bangkok City

Philippines is a relatively small country compared to our Asean neighbors but its population is one of the highest. Because of this, Metro Manila is considered as one of the densest capitals in the world.

Where there are lots of people there will surely be plenty of places to eat. It is in this light that I have noticed that there are more donut outlets in Manila than in Bangkok. We have mainstream donuts from Mister Donut and Dunkin' Donuts while we boast also several gourmet donuts outlets such as Krispy Kreme and Go Nuts. Recently J.CO from Indonesia has joined the fray. Hence, you will find donut outlets in every malls and major roads in Manila.

I mentioned mainstream donuts because they sell cheap and affordable donuts though they also offer a few especial flavored donuts as well at premium price. On the other hand, gourmet donuts lovers are ready to shell out money and fall in line for their favorite fancy flavored donuts.

In my case, I love the plain black and hot brewed coffee of Mister Donut and Dunkin' Donuts. In addition, they offer cheap donuts that perfectly compliment the strong flavor of their coffee thus I usually take my routine caffeine shots from these two donut outlets while we're enjoying our weekly family day in malls.

A week back, while assisting the wife who was bent on consuming my hard earned dollars at Platinum Mall for our online shop in the Philippines we decided to have a snack at Mister Donut located at the basement of Platinum Mall.

While selecting from its different flavors my instinct kicked-in and started converting the price of each donut; they were priced from 15 THB to 17 THB. To my surprise, those colorful and obviously mouth watering donuts would only cost around 23 pesos each when converted to pesos. I mentioned this to my wife and she was astonished as well because it was almost the same price of a basic donut at Mister Donut in the Philippines. It was so cheap that we couldn't help but compare them with their pricier counterparts in Philippines which you can have for at least 35 pesos while in J.CO a donut would cost 42 pesos.

In short, we ended up buying 4 donuts as our snack.

I discouraged my wife from buying a dozen of these cheap but amazing donuts for our kids back in Manila. I told her to forget that idea since it would cause her great inconvenience during the flight back home. Fortunately she listened thus I ended up having a few more Thai banknotes with me, LOL.

My wife left last Monday and I was stuck in Bangkok for a few more days waiting for my work visa to be sent by my new company.

After my wife left, I took my lunch at Platinum Food Center the following day and bought 4 donuts from the same Mister Donut as my afternoon snack. The wife was bitter when I posted the donuts on my FB while my sister asked whether these donuts were available in Manila. I replied in negative.

I brought these donuts back to my hotel room and stored them inside the small fridge for a few hours to protect them from ants. Later, their top coating became crusty and the flavor was enhanced. I learned that these donuts are best eaten when chilled.

However, I have no idea whether Mister Donut in Bangkok City had a promo or not; these donuts were unbelievably cheap but great in flavor.

So guys, once you step foot in Bangkok, try to indulge on their local Mister Donut. You won't regret, I promise.

Happy Chinese New Year from Bangkok!

With nothing to do inside my hotel room during the Chinese New Year I raced towards Yaowarat road or famously called as Bangkok's Chinatown.

Coming from Pratunam area I trekked along Ratchaprarop road then crossed Petchburi to reach Ratchadamri. At the end of Ratchadamri I turned right at Rama 4 road until I reached Hua Lampong train station. From here, Yaowarat road is just a block away after crossing the creek beside it. It looks pretty easy, isn't it? Well, it took me around 3 hours of fast paced walk excluding 30 minutes rest at Silom to reach Yaowarat.

on-going program

devotees flock to the temple at Yaowarat road

I arrived at Chinatown at past 3 pm; the sun was still hovering near its zenith hence the revelers were not yet in full force. Nevertheless a show was going on at the makeshift stage built at the entrance of Yaowarat road.

The banderitas, lanterns and tarpaulins covered road and alleys were closed to vehicular traffic while both sides of Yaowarat were occupied by hawkers peddling foods, fruits, souvenir items, lucky charms, clothes to name a few. One can indulge on numerous variety of food stalls ranging from Shawarma, Chinese pastries, local delicacies, barbecues and many more. It was a perfect place for any foodie. What bothered me was the Chinatown Scala Shark Fins Restaurant. They have on display different types of shark fins; it seems that is their specialty. I have been informed that there is now a world wide trend to boycott shark fins due to the gruesomeness of harvesting the fins while leaving the shark to die and drown at the bottom of the sea. Nonetheless, I was amazed too since I never saw any fast food outlets such as McDonalds and KFC along this road.

After a couple of hours and when the sun started to hide the crowd thickened. Cops and bomb-sniffing dogs made it sure that the celebration would be peaceful. Moreover, I didn't see any sign of anti-government protest in this area. Even protest paraphernalia was surprisingly missing at the celebration.

As expected in every Chinatown in all parts of the globe during Chinese New Year you would find dragon and lion dance. At Yaowarat, several lion dance groups performed at different points along the stretch of the road. Each group has different lion costume and set of drummers. These lions would visit some shops and collect money through their mouth; spectators can also give money when the lion is dancing along the road. The tourists had lots of photo-ops with the lions.

                

Likewise, I saw people lining up to have their pictures taken with some Chinese dressed characters while others were in queue to know their fortunes.

I even saw a group of ladies asking donation for the victims of Yolanda in the Philippines. However, it seemed they weren't pure Filipino the way they speak. Nevertheless kudos to them and more power!

Furthermore, hotels along this road have put up tables and chairs outside for the tourists and their guests.

Not to be outdone, those singing and blind beggars I used to see at Pratunam area were also in full force during the celebration. It was obvious that people felt more charitable during this time. I can compare them with the sudden appearance of beggars in the Middle East during Ramadan season where the well to do Muslims are obliged to share their wealth while fasting.

It was unfortunate that the dragon dance and other major activities would be held at night time. I left the place at past 5 pm since I was dead tired and I couldn't find any public toilet in the area. I went back to my hotel by subway and train since I had no more strength to walk back to Pratunam area.

The celebration for the year of the horse was indeed memorable since it was my first time to celebrate Chinese New Year in Chinatown outside the Philippines.

However, I still prefer the Chinese New Year celebration in my country where a dragon dance can be enjoyed even during day time. In fact a week before the Chinese New Year, Manila's Chinatown is already buzzing with activities. Moreover, I missed the "Tikoys" or the sticky rice cakes readily available in every corner in Manila during this festive season. It seems Bangkok's Chinese community is not familiar with the famous trade mark of Chinese New Year in Philippines.

They have the "TAE TEA" instead. Just kidding.