Trip to Thailand
Every year, my family and I try to plan a family trip together to a place we have never been before. I remember in 2012, it was Cameron Highlands and Bukit Tinggi, 2013 Singapore, Port Dickson, UK and Legoland, Johor then 2014 Sabah, 2015 UK again, Langkawi and Sarawak and this year Bangkok, THAILAND :)
I would consider myself a family person because family trips and family time are always my favourites. When I say family, yup my direct family members as well as some extended ones and even very close friends. In this context when I am referring to the trips above, its direct family.
On Day 1, we went to the airport by taxi to KLIA and flew there by MAS. It took about 2 hours to reach there and in the plane, we were delighted to be served hot food once and then dessert and hot drinks later and for the first time ever, I received ice cream on the plane! I have been on several airlines and even long ones but never have I been served ice cream before. It was like tiny magnums chocolate ones with vanilla inside, so yummy!
We stayed in Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest tower in Thailand. When we reached the Suvarnabhumi Airport, it was raining heavily so I was like 'Oh no' let's pray for good weather tomorrow. It was 5 pm and when we went outside to grab a cab, the line was super long and it took about 30 minutes of waiting. Once we got one, I realised that the taxis were all bright-coloured, either hot pink or green. Lovely. It was 600 Baht from the airport to the hotel and there was bad jam that it took almost 2 hours to reach, that was almost as long as the flight journey.
At the hotel, we found out that Thailand is popular for their fruits and is called the Land of Fruits. There was even a fruit buffet near the reception next to the hotel restaurant with all the fruits you can imagine, tropical fruits like durian, rambutan, mangosteen as well. Wow, this is great for a fruit lover like me. Since it was almost closing, we just took 2 boxes and filled it up for takeaway, there were so many choices that my box certainly overflowed. After having a little feast at the waiting area, we went upstairs to see our rooms.
The first room we walked in was certainly impressive. I have never seen a hotel room this big before, it was more like a little suite with a dining table, little sofa and TV like a living room and separate area for the beds and a long hallway before reaching the toilet. Ideal for my parents and brother. The second room we entered was half the size, more cosy and that's where my sister and I stayed for the next 6 days. Travelling really bonds people together and some people say 'If you want to get to know somebody, travel with them'. I am not sure why or how the person who said that said that but I certainly enjoyed the time with her and my family and felt closer when we shared a room together. One night, my brother even came for a sleep over. So cute, he rang the doorball and when I opened, it was a cute little darling with a giraffe toy in one hand and a blankie in the other. The hotel service was good, they cleaned well and tended to whatever we needed efficiently. On the second last day, they even left a bowl of fruits in each room with a thank you card. It was really sweet of them.
My first impression of the hotel was wow, it was too crowded. The moment I walked in, there was a long line for people to enter the lift. Later I realised that these were people who wanted to go up at the lookout point in the tower or to the bar at one of the highest level. There was even indoor golf and my sporty brother got to play twice. It was 100 Baht for 120 balls, very good price. The amazing thing was that this was our first time playing golf and he managed to score 2 goals and me, 1, The silly thing was that I did not even realised I scored something. When my brother cheered I thought it was him and only when we left the place and chatted about the game, did I realise that it was actually me. We played next to each other and my ball flew over to my brother's side unintentionally so I did not realise it at all >.<
In Bangkok, I would admit that finding halal food is not that easy. If I compare with the place I stay in London, I would say that halal food is easier to find there compared to Bangkok. We managed to find a three during our entire stay and that was fine, being vegetarian sometimes does not bother me much. Shadi Home Restaurant, Restaurant Al Sana and Yana Restaurant are a few that I would recommend. Breakfast buffet at Shadi is 150 Baht and Yana is at MBK Mall, the best one for tourists in my opinion.
Main places we went there (1st day is day after travelling to Thailand day):
1st day: Breakfast in Shadi Iranian Restaurant, Safari World
2nd day: Chatuchak Market, MBK Mall, TuktukRide, Naan for dinner
3rd day: Dream World, dinner at Shadi Restaurant, Thai Massage
4th day: Terminal 21, Central World Shopping Center, Watched movie The Secret Life of Pets, Watch musical theatre Siam Niramit, Thai massage, Tuktuk Ride
Last day: Breakfast in Sana Restaurant, Golf 160 balls, pack, leave to airport
Terminal 21 is a special shopping centre whereby each floor is designed to be a different part of the world, one floor Paris, the other Tokyo, then London, etc.
MBK was designed for tourists, so many wonderful souvenirs I really shopped a lot that day in MBK and Chatuchak.
The Thai massage was a bit painful but interesting and I even tried Thai masala chai tea for the first time. It has a spicy tinge but being a big tea fan, I really like it.
Siam Niramit was a last minute thing, we did not know about it but our taxi driver recommended. It was 1300/person and form 8pm-930pm. One of my favourite things in London is the musical theatre so when I heard of this, I was excited and hoped we could go and watch. The show was super impressive for me, there were real animals like an elephant and goats, the actors and actresses interacted a lot with the audience especially during the short breaks, there was even a part when a volunteer was chosen to come up stage. Another cool thing was that the front part of the stage suddenly changed in one of the scenes to be a little river with real water and boats with people began sailing along it. I did not understand the story line much to be honest because everything was in Thai language but it seemed to be entertaining to just watch.
In Thailand, the writing is mostly curly and reminds me of Tamil writing and from the culture I observe, some are similar to Hindhuism. It seems to me that there is a mix of Buddhism and Hinduism or perhaps like their ancestors were many Chindians. I am not too sure but the taxi driver said yes, long ago many Indians came to Thailand.
Safari World was lovely, one of the best I've been. Being a big fan of animals, the animals there look well fed, the places they lives looked spacious, clean and well-kept and most of all, they looked safe and happy. The animal shows were amazing, I really enjoyed it. There were also cowboy shows, called Cowboy Stunt and Sky War. Very impressive shows that required a lot of practice and hard work. Sky War involved fire, articial smoke and gun noises, maybe not suitable for young children. Cowboy Stunt involved some fighting, loud noises and some scenes unsuitable for very small children. But for adults, very enjoyable indeed and my brother kept laughing because it was indeed humourous. About the animal shows, I am aware some animal activist do not agree with the animal shows or maybe the idea of an animal safari/zoo for the public in general. However, as much as I love animals, I also believe that they were created for human beings either for food, for companionship/protection or to simply enjoy their beauty and maintain a balance and safe ecosytem. Vegans, first of all, would probably not agree with my statement that certain animals are created for humans as food. It is because of the Quran that I have this stand. Otherwise, I would feel too pity to eat animals but it clearly stated in the Quran that He created animals like chickens, goat, camels, cow, etc for humans to eat in a halal way. Halal means that the animal was slaughtered with minimal pain but cutting the jugular vein directly and the person saying a quick prayer to God stating that this animal is killed for this and this purpose. The reason for this is that Allah does not permit us to kill animals without a valid reason like and should be for good reasons like for eating or necessary scientific experiments. I may be not the best at explaining this but this is my understanding and I would advice those who would like to know more to go to a different source, there are many on the web. On a different note, I believe that zoos and safaris are the only place that small children can go to learn and look at the wonderful creations of God and enjoy them. Since I believe that animals are created for human beings, as long as the people who care for these animals take good care of their food, basic needs and treat them well, that is the most important thing and I would continue supporting.
Dream World was literally equal to its name-just like a world of dreams. It was so beautiful....we came there when it was sunny and the entrance had lovely landscape, trees and shrubs the shape of butterflies, mushrooms, hearts, oh dear just amazing for photo shoots and I felt so calm and content in that little garden with all the colourful decoration, the tiny little gnomes and all fairy-tale-like...There was even a Jack and the Beanstalk House with everything giant sized and it made you feel tiny. I wore the giants shoes, sat on his chair and his cooking utensils. The rides were nice, some a bit scary but the garden, landscape and fairy tale part of the theme park is what I enjoyed best. We even went on a boat ride with a beautiful fountain and real swans and it was sunny and the little lake we were paddling the boat overlooked the garden with gnomes. So surreal...
Our trip to Thailand was certainly memorable and I look forward to coming again and future adventures. For me, in most of the things I do including travelling, I stick to the saying 'Quality, not quantity.' And its sometimes very small things that make us content and those short & sweet trips that adds to my list of happy memories.
I thank God for all His blessings and wishing you a wonderful day ahead.
I would consider myself a family person because family trips and family time are always my favourites. When I say family, yup my direct family members as well as some extended ones and even very close friends. In this context when I am referring to the trips above, its direct family.
On Day 1, we went to the airport by taxi to KLIA and flew there by MAS. It took about 2 hours to reach there and in the plane, we were delighted to be served hot food once and then dessert and hot drinks later and for the first time ever, I received ice cream on the plane! I have been on several airlines and even long ones but never have I been served ice cream before. It was like tiny magnums chocolate ones with vanilla inside, so yummy!
We stayed in Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest tower in Thailand. When we reached the Suvarnabhumi Airport, it was raining heavily so I was like 'Oh no' let's pray for good weather tomorrow. It was 5 pm and when we went outside to grab a cab, the line was super long and it took about 30 minutes of waiting. Once we got one, I realised that the taxis were all bright-coloured, either hot pink or green. Lovely. It was 600 Baht from the airport to the hotel and there was bad jam that it took almost 2 hours to reach, that was almost as long as the flight journey.
At the hotel, we found out that Thailand is popular for their fruits and is called the Land of Fruits. There was even a fruit buffet near the reception next to the hotel restaurant with all the fruits you can imagine, tropical fruits like durian, rambutan, mangosteen as well. Wow, this is great for a fruit lover like me. Since it was almost closing, we just took 2 boxes and filled it up for takeaway, there were so many choices that my box certainly overflowed. After having a little feast at the waiting area, we went upstairs to see our rooms.
The first room we walked in was certainly impressive. I have never seen a hotel room this big before, it was more like a little suite with a dining table, little sofa and TV like a living room and separate area for the beds and a long hallway before reaching the toilet. Ideal for my parents and brother. The second room we entered was half the size, more cosy and that's where my sister and I stayed for the next 6 days. Travelling really bonds people together and some people say 'If you want to get to know somebody, travel with them'. I am not sure why or how the person who said that said that but I certainly enjoyed the time with her and my family and felt closer when we shared a room together. One night, my brother even came for a sleep over. So cute, he rang the doorball and when I opened, it was a cute little darling with a giraffe toy in one hand and a blankie in the other. The hotel service was good, they cleaned well and tended to whatever we needed efficiently. On the second last day, they even left a bowl of fruits in each room with a thank you card. It was really sweet of them.
My first impression of the hotel was wow, it was too crowded. The moment I walked in, there was a long line for people to enter the lift. Later I realised that these were people who wanted to go up at the lookout point in the tower or to the bar at one of the highest level. There was even indoor golf and my sporty brother got to play twice. It was 100 Baht for 120 balls, very good price. The amazing thing was that this was our first time playing golf and he managed to score 2 goals and me, 1, The silly thing was that I did not even realised I scored something. When my brother cheered I thought it was him and only when we left the place and chatted about the game, did I realise that it was actually me. We played next to each other and my ball flew over to my brother's side unintentionally so I did not realise it at all >.<
In Bangkok, I would admit that finding halal food is not that easy. If I compare with the place I stay in London, I would say that halal food is easier to find there compared to Bangkok. We managed to find a three during our entire stay and that was fine, being vegetarian sometimes does not bother me much. Shadi Home Restaurant, Restaurant Al Sana and Yana Restaurant are a few that I would recommend. Breakfast buffet at Shadi is 150 Baht and Yana is at MBK Mall, the best one for tourists in my opinion.
Main places we went there (1st day is day after travelling to Thailand day):
1st day: Breakfast in Shadi Iranian Restaurant, Safari World
2nd day: Chatuchak Market, MBK Mall, TuktukRide, Naan for dinner
3rd day: Dream World, dinner at Shadi Restaurant, Thai Massage
4th day: Terminal 21, Central World Shopping Center, Watched movie The Secret Life of Pets, Watch musical theatre Siam Niramit, Thai massage, Tuktuk Ride
Last day: Breakfast in Sana Restaurant, Golf 160 balls, pack, leave to airport
Terminal 21 is a special shopping centre whereby each floor is designed to be a different part of the world, one floor Paris, the other Tokyo, then London, etc.
MBK was designed for tourists, so many wonderful souvenirs I really shopped a lot that day in MBK and Chatuchak.
The Thai massage was a bit painful but interesting and I even tried Thai masala chai tea for the first time. It has a spicy tinge but being a big tea fan, I really like it.
Siam Niramit was a last minute thing, we did not know about it but our taxi driver recommended. It was 1300/person and form 8pm-930pm. One of my favourite things in London is the musical theatre so when I heard of this, I was excited and hoped we could go and watch. The show was super impressive for me, there were real animals like an elephant and goats, the actors and actresses interacted a lot with the audience especially during the short breaks, there was even a part when a volunteer was chosen to come up stage. Another cool thing was that the front part of the stage suddenly changed in one of the scenes to be a little river with real water and boats with people began sailing along it. I did not understand the story line much to be honest because everything was in Thai language but it seemed to be entertaining to just watch.
In Thailand, the writing is mostly curly and reminds me of Tamil writing and from the culture I observe, some are similar to Hindhuism. It seems to me that there is a mix of Buddhism and Hinduism or perhaps like their ancestors were many Chindians. I am not too sure but the taxi driver said yes, long ago many Indians came to Thailand.
Safari World was lovely, one of the best I've been. Being a big fan of animals, the animals there look well fed, the places they lives looked spacious, clean and well-kept and most of all, they looked safe and happy. The animal shows were amazing, I really enjoyed it. There were also cowboy shows, called Cowboy Stunt and Sky War. Very impressive shows that required a lot of practice and hard work. Sky War involved fire, articial smoke and gun noises, maybe not suitable for young children. Cowboy Stunt involved some fighting, loud noises and some scenes unsuitable for very small children. But for adults, very enjoyable indeed and my brother kept laughing because it was indeed humourous. About the animal shows, I am aware some animal activist do not agree with the animal shows or maybe the idea of an animal safari/zoo for the public in general. However, as much as I love animals, I also believe that they were created for human beings either for food, for companionship/protection or to simply enjoy their beauty and maintain a balance and safe ecosytem. Vegans, first of all, would probably not agree with my statement that certain animals are created for humans as food. It is because of the Quran that I have this stand. Otherwise, I would feel too pity to eat animals but it clearly stated in the Quran that He created animals like chickens, goat, camels, cow, etc for humans to eat in a halal way. Halal means that the animal was slaughtered with minimal pain but cutting the jugular vein directly and the person saying a quick prayer to God stating that this animal is killed for this and this purpose. The reason for this is that Allah does not permit us to kill animals without a valid reason like and should be for good reasons like for eating or necessary scientific experiments. I may be not the best at explaining this but this is my understanding and I would advice those who would like to know more to go to a different source, there are many on the web. On a different note, I believe that zoos and safaris are the only place that small children can go to learn and look at the wonderful creations of God and enjoy them. Since I believe that animals are created for human beings, as long as the people who care for these animals take good care of their food, basic needs and treat them well, that is the most important thing and I would continue supporting.
Dream World was literally equal to its name-just like a world of dreams. It was so beautiful....we came there when it was sunny and the entrance had lovely landscape, trees and shrubs the shape of butterflies, mushrooms, hearts, oh dear just amazing for photo shoots and I felt so calm and content in that little garden with all the colourful decoration, the tiny little gnomes and all fairy-tale-like...There was even a Jack and the Beanstalk House with everything giant sized and it made you feel tiny. I wore the giants shoes, sat on his chair and his cooking utensils. The rides were nice, some a bit scary but the garden, landscape and fairy tale part of the theme park is what I enjoyed best. We even went on a boat ride with a beautiful fountain and real swans and it was sunny and the little lake we were paddling the boat overlooked the garden with gnomes. So surreal...
Our trip to Thailand was certainly memorable and I look forward to coming again and future adventures. For me, in most of the things I do including travelling, I stick to the saying 'Quality, not quantity.' And its sometimes very small things that make us content and those short & sweet trips that adds to my list of happy memories.
I thank God for all His blessings and wishing you a wonderful day ahead.
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