Day 7 ( Rayong, Bang Lamung, Pattaya)

On Saturday morning (2 June, 2012), we went towards Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, which is in the Rayong province (Chonburi's neighbour). We took Route 331 and reached Khao Mai Kaeo Intersection (*Khao Mai Kaeo is a tambon/subdistrict within Bang Lamung amphoe/district). Turned left towards Bowin town. Saw lots of tapioca and pineapples planted along the road. We passed by Amata City Industrial Estate where according to hubby, BMW cars are being assembled. Took us about 45mins to reach our destination.

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Took a snap of these buah salak at a road side stall. Fruits, and they are sweet and delicious, are abundant in this country. Be it mangoes, rambutans, pineapples (this you have to taste, simply love it).... 

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Next was our visit to an outlet of the Big Bee Farm, Nongpralai, Bang Lamung. No entrance fee was charged here. Outside of the building, there were the honey combs and also apparatus used to get the honey. The lady staff was polite enough to warn hubby not to drop the bee-comb he was holding to the ground, or she'll be the first to run away. :) The honey products sold here are from the farm bees in Chieng Mai. Apparently, Chieng Mai boast of many types of flowers when compared to other parts of Thailand giving the best nectar as feed to the bees.

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This shot of Pattaya / Bang Lamung Railway Station was taken when we were on the way to the floating market. Err...macam railway station kat mana ye?

The entrance to the Pattaya Floating Market. Nabihah's favourite seaweed store is on the left side, next to peanut store Koh Kae. 

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The day ends with tom yam gung dinner at a Muslim restaurant off Pornpraphanimit Road, not far from our place. Yes, the dishes were hot...

Day 5 (Nongprue, Bang Lamung)

I use pre-paid plan for my communication back home. The night I arrived, tried to make a call and sent sms but both didn't go through. Only incoming calls and sms were received (with roaming charges of course). It was different about 1.5 years ago. I could still make a call back then ... Hmm...these telecommunication plans change fast!!

Anyway, bought a new SIM card. An AIS 1,2 Call for 50B with a bonus of 15B for usage. Then topped it up with 200B (equiv to RM19 or thereabout). And this morning, changed my FB mobile no. to the new no. so that I can receive and reply text messages via the handphone. 

Day 4 (Nongprue, Bang Lamung)

With the many electronic gadgets around us and owner to some of them, don't forget to bring along your universal adaptor when travelling. Since most would live up to the tagline 'Now Everybody Can Fly', a wise move is to check the destination's power voltage. Buy an adaptor before hand or you might consider buying one when you reach your destination. I did both (psst...one was not enough)!!

Day 3 (Nongprue, Bang Lamung)

Bottled drinking water is essential here. Be it for drinking purposes or for cooking. I noticed the water was fast diminishing in the big bottle last night. Just need hubby to fill it up before he goes to work. Before, in Khlong Nueng, we could just go down and fill the bottles at a water dispensing machine, but not here, since it's quite far to walk out.

It's not advisable for us to drink piped water over here. So, do bring along your water bottles or your Tupperware tumbler (ohh...you can get a tumbler from me. Click here or here!!) when travelling around.

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Dinner was taken at a road-side stall. Khao mok (sort of nasi minyak), chicken rice and kuetiaw soup. 160 Baht for 4 persons + 1 saiklong (tapau). The stall is located along the road where Masjid al Ikhsan is located, again off Sukhumvit Road, Pattaya. Stopped by at a fruit stall and bought 2.5kg mangoes. Cost us 50B. Rambutan, durian, mangosteen were also on sale. Going towards the main road (Sukhumvit), there's another masjid with a few Muslim operated food stalls outside its perimeter. So, halal food is not an issue, alhamdulillah.

Mangoes that we bought

* For khao mok picture, click here...but only for friends' view...

Note: 

1. Bang Lamung is a district (amphoe) in the southern part of Chonburi Province (changwat), Thailand. It is subdivided into 8 subdistricts (tambon - Bang Lamung, Nong Prue, Nong Pla Lai, Pong, Khao Mai Kaeo, Huai yai, Takhian Tia and Na Kluea), which are further subdivided into 61 villages (muban).

2.  Tambon within cities or towns have no subdivision into villages, but into communities (chumchon).

3. changwat (province) >> amphoe (district) >> tambon (subdistrict) >> muban (village)/chumchon (community)

Source: Wikipedia

Before it reaches 365 days....

The blog has been collecting webs for the past 10 months. Sigh!! With a little time on hand, decided to put in a few words...

Day 2 (Nongprue, Bang Lamung)

We are back again in the Land of the Smiles but at a different location totally. The Province of Chon Buri is now 'the home'. From an apartment building in Pathum Thani, now it's a landed abode. A bit far from Suvarnabhumi Airport but it's the highway (Hiway 7) all the way. To reach the new place, we made a left turn before reaching Pattaya. It's about 4km off Sukhumvit Rd. Well, I like what I see... And what do I see? A small garden....:-)

Plants, plants and more plants...

Located at Sukhumvit Highway, between Pattaya and Sattahip is the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and Resort. A very large area to cover in a day indeed. It was the morning of Boxing Day 2010 but tourists had started pouring into the Garden. Since it was already time for the cultural and elephant shows to begin, the staff directed us to park our car nearest to the show area (after we paid the entrance fee that is!) What greeted us first was of course the elephants that were to perform shortly.

The Thai cultural show showcased dances from most of the Thai provinces (above picture depicts the Southern region dance which uses the bamboo), short sketches in which the elephants were brought in, and also muay thai (Thai boxing). The five of us sat in a theater-like area.

Lots of elephant antics here. Ball game, bowling, dancing, tricycle ride and painting. The paintings by the elephants were offered for sale. Bananas were also sold here for tourists to feed the elephants. On our way out, after the show, a tiger cub was spotted on one of the rocks held by its keeper/trainer. Some took the opportunity to take pictures with it.

And yes, after this, it was a long walk... However, the plants and flowers kept me going though I do admit it was tiring. So, garden lovers, this is one attraction you should not miss when in the area of Pattaya-Sattahip. Based on the leaflet, the garden covers 652 acres! Variety of plants here which include the bromeliads, palms, cycads and other tropical trees and flowers. The garden is segmented to a few areas such as the French garden and the bromeliads. Water spouts coming from big, colourful vases further enhanced the serene and beauty of the areas. Walkways were also built to make it easier for visitors to walk and enjoy the garden.

Vertical planting was used extensively in certain areas (as in the above pic - background).

The French Garden. For more pictures, click here.

There was also elephant rides but we already had one in Damnoen Saduak before. Replicas of flamingos adorned an area. Other animal replicas include colourful birds and frogs. Oh yes, there was also an area where fish were kept. Arapaimas were also in one of the large ponds and smaller fish in the aquariums.

After that long and tiring walk, we headed back to the car park. Next, we ventured to Sattahip town.

Pattaya, Here We Come....

On Wednesday evening, 22 Dec, 2010, we ventured a little bit further to Thailand's South-East, namely Pattaya. Went via Motorway 9, and after Tapchang Toll Gate and Suvarnabhumi Airport we took a left turn into Highway 7 to Chon Buri / Lat Krabang. Paid Baht30 at Lat Krabang Toll Gate, bypassed Lat Krabang and then made a 'pit-stop' at the Service Area (R&R). The area looks more like a small town when compared to Malaysia's R&R. With 4 lanes on both sides of the highway, the drive was smooth save for some bumpy ones when the road went over the small canals (I guess)

There was KFC, which daughter just had to content with looking at it only, 7 Eleven and few other local shops. A pick-up truck (yes, so many pick-up trucks here) with sea coconuts.... The landscape changed from what we used to in Pathum Thani, when it changed to a little bit hilly once we reached Sri Racha area. Coconut trees, tapioca and pineapples.... Once nearing Pattaya, we were greeted with a big signboard, welcoming us to Eastern Seaboard, Detroit of the East. Reached Pattaya after about 2hr 15mins drive from Khlong Nueng.
We put up at Valida Residence, off Pattaya South Rd. A residence run by a young Muslim couple. Breakfast was included but for other meals, we had to find them for ourselves.

We brought along our Ta-Pau food using my Tupperware Festive Tiffin (what a help... ;-)

Hubby had to attend to work the next day, so we ventured out to Big C to replenish our food stock. Walked all the way, to and fro. No songthaew for us.

The Pattaya South Rd (Pattaya Tai). This road will take one to Pattaya Beach and also Jomtien Beach.

Future Park, Rangsit (Holiday Revisited -- June 2010)

Future Park, a vast shopping complex situated in Rangsit, a mere 10 mins drive from Khlong Nueng. Robinson, Office Depot, Big C are among the big names that occupy the complex. However, didn't find any Muslim halal restaurants there or may be we didn't really look hard for it.

It's Long Overdue.... (June 2010 Holiday Revisited)

This is the morning when we were about to visit Damnoen Saduak (about 80km from Bangkok), in the Province of Patchaburi, Aby smiled and waved her peace sign. And not forgetting her pink backpack. What were the things you had inside, Adik???

Notice the man in the background? Ah...dear hubby, leading the way to the waiting van on the main road.

And now some shots from the van, of Bangkok city as seen from an amateur's lense ....

.... along the road in Bangkok. And yes, we did past the Don Muang Airport...

..... the Menam Chao Phraya (????)


Outside of Bangkok, we noticed some ponds on the left side of the road. According to the guide, they were the salt ponds. Small roadside stalls selling salt were plenty with one or two bigger stores (see picture) in between.

In the distance, we saw a windmill-like structure. In any case, this should not be far away from the sea.

We also went past a town (Mae Klong, if I'm not mistaken) with a railway crossing smacked right in the middle of it. Waited for the train to pass before we proceeded.

Things we take for granted

SubhanAllah... Clouds in HIS sky...

Sawasdee krup 3 - Ayutthaya

We travelled by car to Ayutthaya from Bang Pa-In using route 309, I think. A good road network. Ayutthaya, once Thailand capital city, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1991. I didn’t know what to expect from this ancient town but already heard of it and seen pictures in the Net. Entering the new part of town, via a bridge, we didn’t have to go far, for there was already a stupa in the middle of a roundabout. A picture of the King of Thailand adorned it with a piece of yellow cloth wrapped around. On the way, Paka pointed out the hotel, U-Thong Inn, where he put up for a few days earlier on. One thing that I noticed was the presence of lots of sign boards showing were the wats were.

Ayutthaya Historical Park wasn’t that difficult to find (oops, with the help of a map that Paka had). It’s right in the middle of the town! What we first saw were elephants and of course then came the complex where the stupas are located within an enclosed area (and yes, you need to buy tickets to enter the compound). Frankly telling it was something I haven’t seen before, the stupas, I mean.… The stupa resembles modern day wats, with pointed structure pointing to the sky. Some are higher than others. From far it looks brown-orangish in colour, something like the brick’s colour. Other stand alone stupas were also found here and there, called the satellite stupas. And there were lots of them, almost everywhere in the city. One could even be found in the compound of a hospital! Suffice to say that the ruins were well-preserved. We drove around the city but saw some tourists on bikes.

Elephant rides are also available in the park. We didn’t take any though. Only watched them from afar. Instead, we spent time buying stuff from the stalls outside the complex!

There was also a mosque not far from the park.

We had dinner at a Muslim food stall near one of the roundabouts near the park. A row of shop houses is next to it. Try find the landmark, a Kumon Learning Centre if you want to go there for halal foods. Too bad though, the waitresses couldn’t converse in Yawi (a language that resembles the Malay language). However, the menu given was in English! Oh yes, Paka ordered tom yam goong for us!

Before we left Ayutthaya, we drove past the stupas again and we saw them basking in lights, giving them a magnificent sight.

Sawasdee krup...Part 2

On arrival we were greeted with pictures of Thais doing the wai gesture. The children knew that they were already in Thailand, when signboards with Thai characters adorned the walkways. Next, the Immigration Bureau counter for foreign passport. Bihah went with Paka, followed by Yah and Wani with me. There was this sign asking us to stand on a spot whereby a camera took our pictures. Each of us was given a one-month-visa on arrival. No problem was encountered with our luggage. We went through the next Immigration check up without a hassle, thus leaving the arrival hall.

Next, we need to find a van to take the 5 of us to Khlong Nueng, Pathum Thani, a place north of Bangkok. A Great Bangkok Travel Co staff approached us and Paka agreed to their rate. (And at the same time, the staff managed to offer us their Bangkok canal tour package to be taken on any morning provided we informed them 1 day earlier.) Paka asked the driver to use the Eastern Outer Ring Road (No 9) to reach our destination. The motorway has 3 lanes all the way. A glaring difference from the highway in Malaysia that I observed is that the office area at the side of the plaza here does not occupy much land! And they use cabin too! No R&R was observed along the way.
Housing areas and paddy fields dotted here and there. There were two toll plazas before we made an exit. After about 1 hr or so, we reached Khlong Nueng. The landmark is Tamasat University. And yes, I have not seen any elevated land area so far during the travel. No hill or mountain in sight. Maybe, in other area in Thailand, huh?