Italy – Around Milan

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31 March 2012
Sony NEX-C3

Last batch of photos taken in Milan. All these are random shots taken when I was on the bus, so I apologize for some of the blurry shots.

Went Italy last year with my school choir to participate in an international choral competition. Visited a few places of interest upon touching down in Milan. Then, we took a 4-5 hours bus ride to Riva del Garda, a small town where the competition was held. 

I miss Italy, and most of all, I miss the friends I traveled with. Bring me back omg.

Thailand – The Grand Palace พระบรมมหาราชวัง

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3 December 2012
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A must go when you’re in Bangkok. Upon arrival at Maharaj Pier, you have to walk for a good 10 minutes to get to The Grand Palace.

On my way there, I actually saw a guy who was wearing a polo t-shirt which says “Tour Guide” or something along the line. I saw him approaching many tourists asking them if they were going to The Grand Palace. I overheard one of the conversations and he  told some of the tourists that The Grand Palace is actually closed and he advised them to visit somewhere else, citing that he has some good recommendations. Well, needless to say…

Meanwhile, when you are just, like a 5 minutes walk away from the Palace, you will most likely hear loud speakers broadcasting an announcement which says “The Grand Palace is opened everyday…” Oops haha.

This is the official, real entrance to The Grand Palace. There are a lot of fake entrances beware! Oh well, and I was really annoyed that there isn’t any signs, giving directions to the Palace.

Oh anyway, please make sure that you are not wearing sleeveless shirt and short shorts. If that is so, you have to go to the Tourist Service Center to rent some appropriate clothings before you can enter.

It was bloody hot I swear I was gonna melt. But the architecture was really magnificent so there isn’t any regret going there 🙂

How I got there:
Took the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat and alight at Maharaj Pier. The Grand Palace is just a 10 minutes walk away from the pier.

Thailand – Chao Phraya River แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา

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3 December 2012 
Sony NEX-C3

There are many modes of transportation in Bangkok. BTS, taxi, tuk tuk and then there is the boat. There is a tourist boat by the Chao Phraya River which takes you to many major places of attraction in Bangkok which includes, The Grand Palace (which was where I went), Wat Pho etc etc…

And here comes our first scamming incident.

The 1st pier was the Sathorn Pier which was quite a distance from my hotel. Feeling really lazy, my family decided to take a taxi to the pier. The taxi driver, who spoke limited english drove us to Shangri-La Hotel instead and took us to the private pier, which the rent for the private ferry costs a bomb. The taxi driver then quickly scrambled. Gosh, we definitely got scammed. We then tried to find our way to Sathorn Pier, which was a 15 minutes walk away from the private pier.

What an interesting experience, not.

1. Sathorn Pier

The service runs daily from 9.30am to 4pm and the boat leaves Sathorn Pier every 30 minutes. It only costs 150 Baht for a whole day unlimited ride. So much cheaper than the private ferry lol!

There’s a tour guide on every boat explaining to you the major attractions along the river banks. The first tour guide we met had a really strong accent so no one was actually listening to her. The second tour guide we met on our way back to Sathorn Pier was really good and he was really informative.

 The Oriental, the first hotel in Thailand , near 2. Oriental Pier

If I remember correctly, this was the private ferry at the private pier which the taxi driver drove us to.

Holy Rosary Church

 4. Ratchawong Pier, alight here if you want to go to Chinatown

And then we reached 6. Maharaj Pier. Off to The Royal Palace!

How to go to the Sathorn Pier:
Take the BTS Skytrain and alight at Saphan Taksin Station. The station is right at the pier.

Thailand – Chatuchak Weekend Market ตลาดนัดสวนจตุจักร

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2 December 2012 
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Went to the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market, which needless to say, only opens during the weekend. The market covers such a large area its really hard to navigate around. Oh, and I suggest you guys to spend 2 days over at this weekend market because 1 day is really not enough. I swear there was like this huge section of the market which I totally missed and I only found out when the tuk tuk, which took me back to the hotel later in the evening, drove past that area. Was really disappointed but oh well, there’s always next time!

It was so hot and sunny that it was unbearable. Took a small break at this posh-looking restaurant. We were at this section where there were a lot of restaurants. Randomly decided on one and settled down.

Ordered some thai ice coffee because I desperately needed some cold drinks and it came like this. Took me a while to process that this is the ice cofee I ordered. Haha, I wonder why they had to present it in this manner! That’s a vase right?!

Randomly came across this section where they had stretches of art galleries. I thought I was in a total different dimension. The local artists can be seen sitting outside their galleries or even doing final touches on their artwork. I’m not one who really knows how to appreciate art but I really enjoyed walking through these art galleries.

I really love the painting on the bottom left!

Had dinner by the roadside after a whole day of shopping. Didn’t manage to haggle much because I thought majority of the things I bought are worth of their prices. Definitely gonna go there again on my next Bangkok trip. This place is massive there’s so much more to be explored!

How I got there:
Took the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) Skytrain and alighted at Mo Chit Station.

Thailand – Rajprarop Road Food Street

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1 December 2012 
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Had dinner at the food street along Rajprarop Road which was just right outside our hotel. Miss the fried chicken, mango salad, tom yam gong, kebabs, coconut juice blah blah all the authentic thai cuisine you can name.

So, settled at one of the stalls along the street. Had dinner by the roadside with makeshift tables and chair. Ordered tom yam gong, rice and some other dishes. Didn’t manage to take any photos because I was famished and couldn’t wait to eat. The shop owner was very nice and patient with us when we ordered. Haha, I guess she’s used to serving tourists. And yes, she’s the lady in yellow.

Found a kebab stall owned by 2 guys from the Middle East along a small alley. The kebabs were really good and we went back the next day to buy another one for supper. The owners actually decorated the stall nicely with tables and chairs (from Ikea heh). There were serviettes and sauces for you to choose from on the tables.  I think it was really thoughtful of them haha. Despite it being a food street stall, the service was actually quite good 🙂

[EDIT] Looking at these photo reminds me of the delicious food in Thailand…I need to go back there soon…

Thailand – Pratunam Market ประตูน้ำ

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1 December 2012 
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After checking into the hotel, went out to Pratunam Market (ประตูน้ำ) which was just right outside our hotel.

Saw a shop selling hair. I assume people with super long and healthy hair can sell their hair for a good price? Oh, and I assume these are for hair extensions. But would you purchase them? I know I wouldn’t.

The roads there are crazy. Just be careful not to get burnt by the hot exhaust pipes of the motorcycles.

There were lots of nice clothings over Pratunam Market but I didn’t buy any because the sizes there are quite crazy! The clothings are most in free size and the thai girls are all so small sized I just couldn’t find anything I like which could fit me. Was pretty upset 😦 Hope they would bring in larger sizes the next time I visit Bangkok hah!