Bangkok Invasion

My first ever international travel was to the "Land of the Free", the Kingdom of THAILAND!

Yes, Land of the Free since according to wikipedia, this is the only country in South East Asia not colonized by European power.

                                                        photo from mapofthailand.org

July 1, 2011 was our departure date for Bangkok via the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia, the Philippine Airlines. The service from this air carrier was superb and it was by far, the largest airbus I've ever rode into (300+ seater). (We paid around P11,000 though for the rountrip airfare.) Below is our flight itinerary:

However, due to some reasons, our flight was postponed to 12:00 nn.. So while waiting, we took some pictures at NAIA Terminal 2 - the terminal exclusive for PAL only.

Okay, so now, we've boarded the plane.. The estimated time of arrival is 2:30 pm, BKK time. It is to be noted as well that Bangkok is behind by 1 hour compared to Manila. So, a 3-and-a-half flight it is..

So after 3 hours of movies, games and radio in the plane, I glimpsed at the window. And there I saw, a very vast area.. Mind you, I've never seen such a flat place.. I could not see any elevated area there (unlike in going to Manila). I can already see lots of temples.. And a river.. Yes, that river WAS very visible.. And later did I find out that it was Chao Phraya River or known as the River of Kings. Here is an aerial view of the same (photo from 123rf.com):

And while we have 30 minutes more before landing, might as well give you some fun facts about our destination.

1. The Kingdom of Thailand is the world's 51st largest country in terms of area
2. It is the 20th most populous country
2. It is a consitutional monarchy and headed by King Rama IX since 1946, which makes him the world's longest-serving head of state
3. The capital city is Bangkok
4. Around 95% of the population practices Buddhism, Thailand's primary religion.
5. The country's currency is Thai Baht

I think that was a good start already.. So, by now., we would have landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport. There are actually 2 airports in Bangkok namely the Don Mueang International Airport and Suvarnabhumi. The former currently caters domestic flights only while the latter for both domestic and international as well. Suvarnabhumi actually means "The Golden Land". I actually love the design of the airport. Something new to me (photo from farm1.staticflickr.com)..

The Suvarnabhumi is 13th in global ranking of airports as of April, 2012, and one of Asia's  most congested airports.

Upon arrival, we proceeded to the immigration. There was a "Welcome to Thailand" sign but we were immediately reprimanded when we tried to take picture with it. After passing through immigration, we took our baggages rode to various walkalators. And after going changing some of our dollars to baht, we managed to pose for some souvenir shots:

As we walk towards the exit, we passed by a travel agency which provides a city tour for 300 baht each. We thought it would be great and agreed to take the tour on July 3, a Sunday. We then proceeded to the exit and took a cab (the driver's at the right.. so don't make the same mistake as that of my friend.. haha) to Aspen Suites where we booked to stay. It was a 40-minute ride to our hotel and I loved it. I was introduced to Bangkok architecture and living for a few minutes. I totally enjoyed the ride. Due to the vast road, there seems to be no traffic from the airport.. They do not even use their breaks that often!

We arrived at Aspen Suite. I forgot how much we paid the taxi but thankfully, we arrived there safely. My stay at Aspen Suite was, as the title to my  tripadvisor review, "More than I have Expected".

After settling our things, we started our journey immediately!

Our first stop, is at the Platinum Mall, one of Thailand's fashion malls. The hotel's service vehicle dropped us at the intersection. I was amazed how they value their culture much since they use not a car but a Tuktuk, Thailand's primary mode of transportation, in bringing their guests.

Tuk-tuk service

So, we actually just walked to the nearest train station and bought our tickets!

Then, we stepped off in one of the next stations. The Platinum mall was, of course, as you should expect it, full of clothes, bags, shoes, etc.. I was not in the mood for shopping since I've always thought this should be the last part of our trip.. Anyway, I bought some items though.. We finished early and managed for a pic..

After walking fast against the rain and stepping off to an unfamiliar location, we managed to go back to Aspen Suites. It was a good start. Tomorrow's going to be a shopping day.

Well, after a very great sleep, we had buffet breakfast in the hotel..

and went to the world's largest weekend market, the Chatuchak Market! Imagine strolling in a 35-acre property with various goods your mind can ever think of! Here's my review "One day is not enough" in Trip advisor.

Thai street foods are like mushrooms in Bangkok. You see them anywhere you go. So, for a more authentic thai experience, we had one for lunch! This is still inside the market.

After a very long day of walking through narrow paths, trying and buying various stuff, we headed back to the hotel. Tonight's event will be far more relaxing - a dinner cruise! :)

Through our hotel, we were able to book a dinner cruise with Grand Pearl Cruise. A vehicle fetched us from the hotel going to the River City Shopping Complex which serves as the waiting area . We will be plying the route of the Chao Phraya river while enjoying the view and buffet!

The cruiser behind us

Inside the cruiser

Wat Arun behind me

It was a sumptuous dinner. And the view was really unforgettable! After about an hour, we went back to the complex. We managed to get a pic of some sort of exhibit.

It was again a very memorable day. Tomorrow, we will finally experience Bangkok's most-loved temples! Another day of sight-seeing!!!

 Okay! Here's one of the most interesting parts of our trip. Seeing those massive palaces!!!!

Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)

Inside Wat Traimit

Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha)

Outside Wat Pho

The Grand Palace

Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple)

Inside the Marble Temple

Inside Royal Lapidary

So, that was our day tour in Bangkok. For the last night in this vibrant city, we opted to go to Red Sky, a rooftop bar and restaurant in Bangkok! It offers a really great view of the City!

OMG! This will be our last night.. How fast... We have to catch an afternoon flight tomorrow!!!

Our last day.. But before leaving, we had a pic with Aspen Suite's amazing staff!

'Til we meet again!!! :)