Euro Travel & More

The Koh SaMui that I know and missed is the old one – although it is still as pretty as ever – these days – Koh Samui is flocked with tourist and lots of local trying to earn a buck or two.   Not far from Bangkok, one can now catch a plane to Koh Samui where else when i first visited – i had to take a bus – a local one at that.  So you can see the huge change – but nevertheless – very beautiful and lots of relaxing to do when we arrived.

The beaches are beautiful and so are the resorts – all lighted up at night with led christmas lights – very festive and very bright.  I love the beaches in the morning – but at night – with all these lights – it doesn’t look scary at all.

The weather is good all year round in Koh Samui and boost is even cheaper – i love the local folks there – they are ever so nice and always selling coconut drinks along the beaches.  We did a lot of scuba diving and ate on the boat at night with bbq fishes caught from the sea.

The beach is always packed with people it seems – so it was nice to be able to go on your own private boat – a lot of para – sailing available on the island as well.  Love the sunset – and the local pubs – let down your hair and take in a massage on the beach.

Very beautiful – turquoise water.

Can’t got to Bangkok this weekend?  don’t fret – head over to Chiang Mai for it is just as beautiful and lots to shop for too.  From diamonds to silk products and the hotels are great and the ppl are even nicer there.   Plus it’s a lot more quieter in Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai is known for the world’s biggest jewellery mart occupying as much as 2 acres of land just for the factory and showroom.

I love Chiang Mai because it is less crowded and less touristy – everything seems to be relatively cheaper as compared to BangKok but not like Bangkok is too expensive either.   Don’t forget the handcrafted gifts and souvenirs to bring home when you are in Chiang Mai.

In Thailand, or should i say the whole of Thailand, you will see reclining Buddhas of all sizes.  It’s amazing to me anyway, how Thailand who is seemingly one of the poorer country amongst the neighbouring countries, seems to have the money to paste on gold sleeves for their Buddhas yet have no money to help the poorer population in the country and almost all the gals i know of is a working girl at one point of their life.   But that’s another story for another time.

This reclining Buddha is found in Ayutthaya, Thailand.  Gone are the days, whereby one have to spend hours on the road to get to Ayutthaya.  Now one can travel from Bangkok to Ayutthaya in less than an hour, thanks to the new toll way and the divided highway. Ayuthaya is the old capital of Thailand and it used to be one of the richest cities in Asia i heard – exporting rice, animal skins and ivory even in the 1600s.  The city was completely burned down during the war in 1767.  Visit all the temples and palaces while you are there.. and be amazed at the architectural details of all the temples.  It is really a beautiful place with lots of history… listen to the wind blow secrets while you enjoy the elephant herds.

The entrance of Hyatt Hotel, Bangkok

Hyatt Regency was definitely the place to stay .. when one is in Bangkok. It is in the middle of the city.. and you can just go about anywhere you want from the Hyatt, there is also the train station nearby, so you can even hop on the train instead of the tuk tuk.  The hotel was awesome.. with concierge services.. and even office supplies in the rooms that we were in.

And yes.. the receptionists all does speak in English… and they do have a great concierge department. Talk to them.. for any kind of tours you want to go to. They don’t have their own private arrangements.. like some smaller hotels and everything is very professional.

The courtyard, where you can have a evening drinks.. and some snacks. Internet access, business centers, convention rooms or meeting rooms for smaller business meetings. They also have 6 restaurants.. and had done extensive renovation since i was last there. Overall, i found the Hyatt in Bangkok a really good choice for the money.

Their rooms are pretty huge.. and they have very nice and comfy beds too.

The very first country that I had traveled to was Hatyai, Thailand. It was many years ago.. and i flew with Thai Airways then, economy class. It was a 2 hrs flight from Singapore.. and the flight was quite pleasant if i remembered correctly. It was in April that i went with a group of friends .. and it was during Songkla (the water festival), all the friends that i went with were men .. except for another girl who was the girlfriend of a guy.

Hatyai is a men’s paradise, everywhere you turned .. every corner you might go to.. are working gals.. and bars and night clubs .. and more gals. Everything was extremely cheap of course. Food, shopping .. t-shirts were like a dollar each. Yet you can bargain if you liked. The hotel that we had stayed in was a 3 star hotel.. but it looked like the guys were regular there.

Some of the working gals were so young, i felt really bad for them.. especially when you see them with a much older guy .. who was old enough to be her grandfather. The ppl are nice. .the weather was extremely hot.. but it was a fun experience.. and a real eye opener for me. Massages were aplenty and you can even date the massage girls if you liked. The night clubs were like 3 storey tall .. and you get to see naked gals/models parade in front of you .. while you stick money on their body by buying a garland make of money.

Of course for sightseeing, you can visit the many temples they have there.. and also the famous beach . .with a statue of a mermaid on it. I can’t remember the name of beach.. but there’s only one.. so you won’t miss it.

Street food..!  i rarely try them but if you are adventurous enough .. go right ahead.

The Floating Market of Bangkok Thailand is what i would described as a farmer’s market but on water. I  think it is more a novelty .. than anything else… but you can buy lots of fruits, cooked food, clothing, handbags, jewelry and even replica watches and they don’t take no for an answer.

The floating market is an hour and half drive by car .. from the city. It’s interesting to see people selling stuff from their little dingy boat..  but I would never eat it.. because of hygiene reasons.  Afterall, I don’t wanna get sick.. while on a vacation right.  But a lot of people are fascinated by this novelty… they call it the Venice in Asia.  I also remember they did charge for the entrance to get into the floating market.. but if you go with a tour group.. it should be included.

Phuket also known as James Bond island to a lot of people .. because .. if you look closely at the above picture.. this was the place where they had filmed one of the James Bond movies .. in the 80s. I cannot remember which one.. but i’ve seen it before.. when i was younger.  So the local folks called this place James Bond Island from then on.

Phuket is definitely very touristy now, unlike those early days. .when i was there. I flew Thai Airways to Phuket.. and the sun and the beach was the best thing there.  The water was extremely clear and it’s a great place for just about any water sports especially diving or scuba diving.  Unfortunately, accommodation.. and food were not cheap then and i don’t think they are any cheaper.  I had actually expected it to be a lot cheaper since they weren’t fully developed than but i was wrong.  We were staying in a resort.. so everytime we needed to go out.. we had to hire a driver. There were lots of sea sports.. manned by the locals there.. and like i said.. it was fun.. but definitely not cheap at all. But the people in Phuket were very friendly and you are being approached for massages a lot.. and prices ranges between 30 – 40 dollars in the hotel wherelse at the beach front you can get a massage for $10.

Staying at a good resort means everything because the beach is just at your doorstep. You find every and anything within reach and Phuket’s night life at Patong is very famous .. you can party from late in the evening to wee hours in the morning. Yes.. they do have the go-go girls.. dancing skimpily on top of a bar.. and beer are really cheap.. but don’t get hassle into seeing some girlie show.. that might cost you a few hundred bucks.. by the time you get out.  And even though in Phuket they say that prostituition is illegal. .you do see alot of working girls but not as much as compared to those in Bangkok.