Thailand - Inverted Flag of The Philippines

On the last leg of our whole day tour, our group of 12 tourists, 7 were from Philippines, was herded to The Rose Garden. A small theme park that showcases Thai cultural show.

Inside a large and dimly lit arena, the group did several interesting presentations such as Muay Thai and other fighting exhibitions plus Thai dance and music. Local music was being played at the background by a group of musician at the stage during the entire presentation.

The last part of the presentation was the small world dance wherein all the dancers were holding the flags of different countries. It was a symbol of unity. Everything was fine except for one small but important details.

The Philippine flag was reverse. The red portion was on top.

At any rate, here is the picture of our inverted flag.

Aside from us, there were 3 other Filipinos in our group, one guy and two old ladies. They were in Bangkok because the guy would attend the Rotary Club convention according to his mother. They were booked in the same hotel where we were staying.

After the show, the guy told me that he approached the dancers and informed them that our flag was in reverse which means that our country was in the state of war. His comment was received politely and I hope the organizer would correct the mistake. Fortunately, his group was seated at the lower portion of the arena.

Kudos to you "kabayan" for I believe countless Filipinos have watched the show and did nothing or didn't notice the error. In my case, you can't expect a guy wearing -500 spectacle to notice such minute detail. In fact, I have confirmed this mistake upon inspecting my enlarged pictures of the presentation. Since my family and I were seated at the far end of the bleachers area, none of us were able to notice the mistake.

Thailand - Khao San road

Recently, Yahoo Travel categorized Khao San road at Bangkok as one of the best night markets in Asia.

Khao San road is also considered as Asia's backpackers mecca. From this place, one can easily arrange his/her travel by land, water or air to other touristy places in Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Malaysia and other countries. One can even buy a decent suit for an affordable price. Want to have a fake Thai ID? Henna painting? Tattoo? Body piercing? Pirated DVD? Or simply relax and chill out with fresh fruit shake while having Thai massage.

Money transfer? I received my vacation allowance sent by my wife through Western Union in Thailand Baht; my company remits my salary direct to Philippines. Unlike in Philippines where you have an option to withdraw the money in USD, in Bangkok, WU normally dispenses money transfer in local currency.

There are plenty of hostels, Inns, bars/restaurants, vendors, tour counters/operators and so on along Khao San road. Not to mention Rambuttri and Tani roads which act as its buffer zone.

DAY TIME SHOTS

      

my favorite bar at the middle of Khao San

mobile ATM and currency exchange

NIGHT TIME SHOTS

      

makeshift bar

vendors showing their wares

I remember when I was in Grenoble, France many years back. Struggling artists were performing along the road and earn their living from the donations given by their impromptu audience. The Asian artists have catch up with their European brothers.

A football exhibition in-front of Lucky Beer bar and restaurant. I have seen this exhibition twice and this guy is good. He can change his shirt, jump, walk, sit, etc without causing the football to fall to the ground. I gave him 100 Baht. I used to play football during my high school days at Don Bosco.

This one is my favorite. Long live rock and roll! This human mannequin is playing his rock guitar. He has a small and portable amplifier with him.

a puppeteer

road artists

dance exhibition - you may put your donation on the upturned blue cap

I can confidently say that Khao San road is safe for tourists to explore and enjoy the night life. There is a police station in that area aside from their visible routine patrols. I have been to Khao San road countless of times since my hostel is just two streets away. I always stay at Nappark hostel whenever I am in Bangkok; except when the wife is with me. During those times, I have never heard or seen any locals scamming the tourists; except the vendors unless you know how to haggle, LOL. In fact, I have seen several times some drunk tourists lying on the pavement; nobody was touching or bothering them. More tellingly, drunk ladies were also being treated well by the locals.

There are several fast food joints along Khao San such as Mc Donald's, Burger King, KFC and 7 eleven outlets. I used to take my breakfast and caffeine shots at Mc Donald's and Subway. In case you are tired of local foods then you can easily take a bite of your favorite burger or chicken. In my case, I buy cheap beers and water at 7 eleven. Likewise, if you arrive at Khao San during wee hours of the night you can spend your time inside McDonald's. It is open 24 hours and they accept visa card. From time to time I see sleepy tourists waiting inside McDonald's whenever I take my breakfast.

I enjoyed Thai foot massage at Charlie Salon and Spa. I paid 200 Baht for 1 hour foot massage. I've been there twice and enjoyed a big bottle of Chang beer while having a massage. I even had my haircut and dye my hair at Charlie salon. Their staff are very nice and professional.

If you plan to stay here, the main draw back is the unavailability of public transport system. You need to haggle always with the tuktuk and taxi drivers. There is no train nearby and public buses have no use for foreigners unless you know how to read Thai. I used to come here by  airport link/train up to Ratchaprarop station then flag down a metered taxi. I pay 40 Baht for the train and around 70 Baht for the taxi. However, going back to airport is a lot easier. You can book for airport trip at any tour operator counter along Khao San road. The fare normally ranges from 100 to 130 Baht per person. Hence, if your group is  more than 3 then it is advisable to take metered taxi, otherwise 130 Baht is reasonable for a single airport trip. Just be prepared to travel with with other tourists in a Toyota 12 seats Commuter van.

Though seems isolated, Khao San road is actually near to Bangkok's main attractions such as The Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), Wat Arun, Democracy monument, the Golden Temple Mount, and so on. To add, due to its proximity to Chao Phraya river, you can easily explore Bangkok using Chao Phraya river boat.

pad thai vendor

It is preferable to explore Khao San during night time to enjoy its night market, street foods, makeshift bars and restaurants. All the bars in Khao San area offers clean fun or night life. There are bars that show sports channel while some have live folk/acoustic/reggae singers.

I love the street pad thai and chicken kebab. I always order pad thai with chicken and egg. It costs me 50 Baht. Much cheaper than any Mc Donald's and KFC meals.

WITH FAMILY

Few days back, I returned to Khao San road with my wife and two kids. We strolled around for few hours. My daughter enjoyed her first Thai foot massage at Charlie while wife and youngest kid enjoyed Blueberry flavored Cornetto which wasn't available in Philippines.

 

However, having visited Platinum, MBK and Chatuchak, they were disappointed with the market price at Khao San road. A Nana Voodoo keychain doll bought from Chatuchak can easily double its price in Khao San market. Nevertheless, haggling is widely practiced here but due to location expect the merchandise to have premium price.

It was a memorable experience for them to see and explore Khao San road. My kids were truly elated while exploring Khao San. On the other hand, my wife was a bit apprehensive upon seeing those bars and beer ladies. Yes, as marketing strategy, some beer companies employ nice looking local ladies to promote their brand.

I shot my own foot for I need to chat now with her every night to assure her that I am not gallivanting whenever I am in Bangkok, especially when I am in Khao San. What a life.





Tips:

You can have a taste of authentic pad thai and enjoy a bottle of beer cheaply in Khao San road. DON'T enter any bar or restaurant, simply buy your pad thai from any street vendor, it normally costs 30 Baht for plain or 50 Baht with egg and chicken. You can enjoy your pad thai while exploring Khao San. For the beer, after finishing your pad thai, buy a 500 ml beer can for 40 Baht from several 7 eleven shops or if you are not a beer drinker, you can have a bottled water for 6 Baht. Otherwise, be ready to shell out around 200 Baht for the same pad thai and beer at any bar/restaurant along Khao San. Don't worry about the street foods, I have eaten countless of times from these vendors and I've never experience any single stomach upset. 

OTHER THAILAND ATTRACTIONS:

Platinum mall, Bangkok
Pratunam market, Bangkok
Roaming Around Bangkok - part 1 (Pratunam area)
Roaming Around Bangkok - part 2 (Khao San area)
Pantip Plaza, Bangkok
CentralWorld mall
Chatuchak Weekend Market
J - Trends in Town Celebration
Wat Pho (The Reclining Buddha)
Wat Saket (Temple of Golden Mount)
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
The Grand Palace - Bangkok City

Cambodia - Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

In the olden times, ancient aliens used to visit our land and meddle with our affairs. They taught humans how to build great structures that withstood the test of time. The great pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu of Peru and Angkor Wat of Cambodia all connects to a certain celestial meaning that continues to baffle our present greatest minds.

In not so distant past, actually few years back, Lara Croft, journeyed to Angkor Wat in searched of a powerful artifact which has a supernatural or alien power. Before she got hold of the prized artifact she needs to kill and destroy terrifying mystical monsters and beings. She even traveled back in time to meet her father.

Fast forward to present, I have decided to visit Angkor Wat to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams, not to travel back in time or meet some aliens but rather to see the splendid legacy of Angkor Wat with my own eyes.

road to eastern  gate

Upon setting foot on the eastern gate of Angkor Wat I can't contain my excitement because like an ancient explorer, it took me some time before I was able to see its real grandeur. I need to walk on dusty and deserted road and even encounter wild monkeys loitering around.

Actually, I didn't know that I was already entering Angkor Wat because my tuk-tuk driver didn't tell me that it would be the first temple we would visit on my 3-day pass. Besides, I used to see on the net the wide lake and the old pathway where millions of visitors have threaded.

However, there were few tourists traversing on this path. I simply followed the road while my excitement was slowly building up since the towers looked familiar from afar. After more than an hour of exploring, I reached the main temple and countless of tourists started appearing. I wanted to jump at that time. I never thought that I was already in Angkor Wat. It was really a surprise. I was very thankful to Moori for showing me the off the beaten path of entering Angkor Wat. Nevertheless, he promised to bring me to the main entrance on the 3rd day of my temple pass.

the Eastern Gate

wild monkey

Even at this point I can't help but exclaim, I am here! I am in Angkor Wat. I used to marvel at this place whenever I see it on magazine and on National Geographic Channel. 

I have been to many touristy places and even visited The Killing Fields and S21 which touched my inner being. They are great places to visit and examine ourselves. However, upon seeing Angkor Wat, the feeling was simply indescribable. I am here in one of the greatest places on earth where the great old ways of life can still be seen and felt.

While strolling around the area, I tried to imagine myself being transported back to the glory days of Angkor Wat; I hope Lara Croft can lend me her artifact so I can travel back in time. Anyway, I am sure that Angkor Wat would make its  people proud for having such a great place to worship. I tried to visualize how they live and socialize with each other. Do they party? How do they live? Where are their treasures?

 

Until now, I can still feel some excitement and longing whenever I see my photoshoots in Angkor Wat. If you happen to visit Siem Reap and short in funds then there are two main temples that you need to see, Bayoun and Angkor Wat. To add, Angkor Wat was originally a Hindu temple but due to course of time it was converted into Buddhist temple. This is the reason why you can see illustrations or scenes from Indian literature such as unicorns, griffins and so on.

Angkor Wat's main entrance

I spent 3 hours inside Angkor Wat on my first visit through the eastern gate and spent another 2 hours on my second visit. This time I entered through the main gate where countless tourists were traversing the old pathways crossing the man-made lake.

The feeling of touching and walking on a thousand year old structure is awesome. I never thought that I would finally fulfill my dream of spending a few hours of my earthly life in Angkor Wat.

I would recommend to would-be tourist of Angkor Wat to spend some of your time exploring minute details engraved on its walls and temple pillars. Moreover, try to enter or exit Angkor Wat through its eastern gate. You won't regret.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

                          

This is my first entry for the April Blog Carnival with the theme "My Ultimate Dream Destination And Pledge It Into A Reality" being hosted by Rob thetravellingdork.

For previous Blog Carnival topics please visit Estan Cabigas langyaw - pinoytravelbloggerssblogcarnival.

Cambodia - Temple Hopping at Siem Reap (Intro)

I believe I need to post about the things that might be of help in case you plan to go temple hopping at Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is better to be prepared so you can maximize your temple hopping experience because this could be once in a lifetime opportunity for others.

I went there expecting to see the famous Angkor Wat and nothing else. I've never expected that there are several dozens of ancient and equally magnificent temple ruins waiting to be explored as well. Not to mention the floating village and Tonle Sap, to name a few. Fortunately, I got some extra bucks to cover these unexpected expenses.

some temples are not even included on this list

Every tourist needs to pay temple entrance fee.

20 USD for 1 day unlimited temple visit           
40 USD for 2 or 3 days unlimited temple visit
60 USD for 7 days unlimited temple visit

I paid 40 USD for 3 days unlimited temple pass. Tuk-tuk fare is not yet included. As indicated on Ta Som Guesthouse board, the tuk-tuk fare is as follows:

12 USD for first day
14 USD for second day
32 USD for third day

Total fare was 58 USD. Moori gave me 4 USD discount so I paid him 54 UKSD after 3 days of temple hopping. The price is not per head but rather per daily contract of the tuk-tuk service. Thus, you pay the same daily rate even if you are two. Moreover, you can also hire car or bus depending on how large is your tour group. The price is much higher.

Moori provided chilled bottled water during our entire 3 days trip. Lunch was not included. But through his help, I was able to get at least 40% discount on my lunch. I simply followed his instruction on where to eat. Additionally, he gave me some tips about the souvenir vendors. Bought a good quality "Ancient Angkor" book for 5 USD. It was a bargain considering that the vendor was initially asking for 20 USD. You can also ask your tuk-tuk driver to stop in case you want to buy something along the way. You may try the steamed sticky rice with banana filling wrapped in banana leaf then roasted on charcoal. It was like our barbequed "suman," 3 pieces for 1 USD. I got 4 pieces for 1 USD due to Moori. It was yummy and filling. In fact, they served as my dinner. You may try also the 1 USD palm juice.

There are temples which are quite far thus they normally arrange the trips to these temples on the third day. If you have extra bucks and time I would suggest that you try to visit these temples as well especially the so-called "lady temple."

On your first day of temple hopping, your tuk-tuk driver will bring you to Apsara authority office where you will pay the temple ticket. Your photo will be taken by webcam while in queue and will be imprinted on your pass or ticket. In my case, I paid 40 USD for 3-days unlimited temple visit.

At the first temple you'll visit on that day, a staff manning the temple entrance will punch a hole to your ticket in order to mark the number of days you have spent visiting the temples. Hence, for 3-days pass you can have maximum of 3 punched holes on your ticket. More so, you may consume your 3-days temple pass within the week. The ticket is non-transferable. For 7-days pass, the ticket is laminated and comes with larn yarn.

I advise you to bring the following for your convenience and safety. Trust me, I found myself crawling in some temples due to steepy and narrow stairs. Usually, you won't find any shade when you are entering or climbing the temple.

- fully charged cam & tripod if you're alone
- dust mask
- sunscreen/sunblock lotion
- hat or umbrella
- comfy/rubber shoes
- face towel
- USD for food and souvenir items

In some temples, you'll find a group of local musicians. Some of them are disabled due to land mine. You can buy a copy of their CD/DVD. If you plan to have a photo-shoot with them then it is nice to give some donation to these hard working guys.

Souvenir and food vendors abound in almost all the temples. Saying "no" sometimes is not enough. Just ignore them. Some of them would even try to befriend you and ask you to buy "coconut" after your temple visit. In addition, upon learning you are a Filipino, they would even mention Mari-mar. Yes, they are watching some of our telenovelas. Because of this, it would be very difficult to refuse their chilled coconut even if that would be your third coconut of the day. My tip, buy a chilled coconut if you like it but don't throw it after consuming the juice. Place it inside the tuk-tuk and show it to the other coconut vendors in case they would keep on pestering you on your next temple. It worked for me.

Be forewarned that most of these ancient temples are still being used as place of worship by their devotees. Try to be respectful whenever you are inside any temple. Clothes should cover your shoulder up to knees otherwise you will not be allowed to enter some temples unless you shell out extra dollars to rent a shawl or sheet to cover your body. T-shirt and long shorts are acceptable.

Likewise, touts abound in some temples. You might be enticed to lit some incense sticks for a fee while some of them are even wearing police uniform. They would show you which places are good for picture taking; sometimes they would even offer their service as tour-guide or your personal photographer. But at the end of the day, you will be asked to pay. Just ignore them and don't even try to make eye-contact with them. They normally prey on solo tourist like me. The guy was wearing a cop uniform, can't say no. Shelled 5 USD reluctantly but the places he showed to me for photo-shoot was equally superb.

For toilet, just ask the tuk-tuk driver to bring you to the nearest toilet. Nothing to worry because the toilets are secured, decent and well-kept; they are located few meters from the main road. You are free to use the toilets as long as your temple pass is valid otherwise you pay 0.50 cents. 

For a 3-days unlimited temple visit, prepare around 100 USD excluding hotel. You can now start planning your temple hopping and be ready for an experience of a life time.

ENJOY!

Stay tuned for my Angkor temple hopping.