at September 20, 2018

Travel: First International Travel to Amazing Thailand Day 4 Ancient Siam

Sawasdee Kha!!! For our fourth and last day in Thailand, we decided to pick Ancient Siam to spend our whole day at, because being considered the world's largest outdoor museum we didn't think half of the day would be enough to explore this famous place and besides we wanted to savor every corner of it. This is also a good place to visit if you are not able to go to other cultural sites in Thailand because you don't have much time just like us 😋😋😋. In here you can already see a lot of Thailand in just one day so better prepare your energy and camera!

About Ancient Siam

Is a 240 acres outdoor museum that features 120 replicas of Thailand's most important historical sites such as reproductions of palace halls, temples, Buddhist shrines, sanctuaries, and traditional houses. Ancient Siam was constructed by an eccentric Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphant. He was interested in art since childhood, which inspired him to establish the Ancient City. Initially, he intended to build a Thai map-shaped golf course where miniatures of important national ancient sites were placed, which aimed to serve tourism and education purposes only. It is open daily from 9 am until 7 pm and can roam around by walking, riding a golf cart, or by riding a bicycle.

How To Get There

The place that we stayed in the Silom area is just a walking distance of Surasak train station. We took a Skytrain from Surasak to go to Bearing train station and from there we booked a grab car to take us to Ancient Siam.

Our Experience

We arrived at 11:00 am and went straight to their office to present the entrance pass we booked through Klook. A few things I observed when we got there were it was wide, clean, and has a relaxing atmosphere. I was expecting a crowded place though since it was a well-known tourist attraction, but surprisingly it wasn't, and still, I was glad because I would be able to enjoy and appreciate every corner without any interruptions.

After we presented our entrance pass the receptionist gave us a few reminders and instructions, provided us with a map for easy navigation, and an MP3 which has recorded info about the different replicas that we can listen to while roaming the place. He also asked us if we'd like to use the golf cart or a bicycle and we choose the bicycle, because we think it would be more fun and convenient for us amidst the scourging heat of the sun.

As we started our bicycle escapade at Ancient Siam the first place that caught our eye was the alley to the souvenir shop and from there bought a beach hat.

We basically enjoyed the rest of our afternoon biking around the wide area until we visited all replicas that are on the map. Indeed a day is needed for someone to achieve the 120 replicas. Aside from the ancient historical replicas, there are also restaurants, food & drinks outlets, souvenir shops, and even a floating market, and most of all it isn't crowded. So surely everyone will enjoy visiting this place especially if you are with your family or friends. Check out some of the pics below!

Gallery

Expenses

Items	Price
BTS Surasak to BTS Bearing	59 baht
Uber going to Ancient Siam	189/3 (63 baht)
Hat	150 baht
Lunch	175 baht
Taxi from Ancient Siam to BTS Samrang	200/3 (67 baht)
BTS Samrang to On-nut	15 baht
Taxi going to Rod Fai Night Market	53 baht
Dinner	122 baht
Salak Shake	16 baht
Dragon's Breath	100 baht
Grab taxi from Rod Fai to BTS On-nut	47 baht
BTS On-nut to BTS Surasak	44 baht
Tentative Total	911 Baht

at September 19, 2018

Travel: First International Travel to Amazing Thailand Day 3 Pattaya Tour

Sawasdee Kha!!! For our third day in Thailand, our itinerary covers the vibrant coastal city of Pattaya. Pattaya is a resort city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometers southeast of Bangkok. It can sometimes be compared to Phuket, because of its famous beaches, resorts, sea view, and lively street parties at night. Unlike Ayutthaya, I can say that Pattaya is more liberated, "Bangkok" and "city" because of its fun, entertainment, and amusement activities.

How To Get To Pattaya

Pattaya can easily be reached by bus, van or taxi although on our part we choose to ride a bus since it is cheaper. We rode a bus from the Eastern Bus Terminal where most of the transportation going to Pattaya is based. The travel from Bangkok to Pattaya would take almost 3 hours including the traffic and the fare cost 108 baht per person. 

Day 3

We woke up at 4:00 am and prepared ourselves for our day tour in Pattaya. We decided to buy food outside because we were in a hurry and need to catch the earliest bus going to Pattaya. One of the advantages of this day's tour was that the BTS station is just a minute walk from our hostel. We need to ride from Surasak BTS going to Ekkamai BTS because it is near the Eastern Bus Terminal where buses going to Pattaya are based. The travel time would take almost 3 hours and so we had plenty of time to rest and save our energy for the whole day tour. When we reached Pattaya Bus Terminal we contacted our hired lady driver courtesy of Nam's Taxi to fetch us from the bus station and take us to our first destination.

* Pattaya View Deck

Our first destination was the captivating Pattaya Viewpoint since the city is located in a gulf coast we can see the entire view of the entire city with its sea view and building infrastructures. We enjoyed the panoramic view of the city by taking pictures as much as we can though we only stayed for only a few minutes before we left for our next destination.

* Wat Phra Yai Temple

Our second destination was Wat Phra Yai Temple also known as the Big Buddha Hill in Pattaya. A few highlights of this temple are its enormous 18-meter-tall Buddha and its long stairway with golden dragons along the entire handrails leading up to the temple. This seven-headed mythical snake called Nagas emerged from the dragon's mouth. We took photos of different Buddha structures, but in a discreet way to respect those who are praying. The entrance fee is free but you can give donations if you want to. The place may be visited by plenty of tourists but I can still feel its sacredness of it especially when I smelled the incense and flowers.

* Pattaya Floating Market

Since it was almost lunchtime so we decided to go to Pattaya Floating Market and enjoyed our scrumptious lunch. It was here that we spent most of our time roaming around from store to store and shopped some souvenirs and goodies. So far I've had a great experience here I enjoyed visiting store after store and tasting foods that I don't usually or have not encountered before.

The place is very colorful, clean, unique, and mesmerizing. It's full of activities and shows for entertainment.

* Silverlake Vineyard

Our fourth destination is one of the growing lists of vineyards and wineries in Thailand, Silverlake Vineyard.
If you are looking for a place that is Instagram-worthy and you enjoy wine, well this is the place for you. You will not only be amazed at its amazing view and clean place, but you will also have to opportunity to tour inside the wine production and plantation site and have a taste of it. It has an entrance fee and that includes 1 bottle of great wine.

* Sanctuary of Truth

Our fifth and last destination for this day is perhaps the most iconic structure in Pattaya we definitely save the best for last. The Sanctuary of Truth is an amazing wooden building right on the beach in North Pattaya. It is completely made out of wood, and all the delicate carvings are done by hand. When we went to the place there were woodcarvers working and carving out various figures. They said that the wooden art is used to express the beliefs of Eastern philosophy, Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. It was one of our most memorable trips, with lots of photos to take, a peaceful location right at the sea, and a place rich in history and culture.

Expenses

Items	Price
Bought food at 7/11	15 baht
BTS: Surasak to Ekkamai	44 baht
Bus Ticket to Pattaya	108 baht
Nam Taxi Lady Driver's Pattaya (8 hours)	2250 baht / 3 (750 each)
KLOOK: Pattaya Floating Market, Sanctuary of Truth, Erawan Museum & Ancient Siam Entrance Fee (Booked Online)	₱6,370.40 / 3 (₱2,123.47 each)
Lunch	214 baht
Goodies and Souvenirs	550 baht
Silverlake Vineyard Entrance Fee with Free Wine	180 baht
Pattaya Bus Terminal to Ekkamai	108 baht
Dinner	203 baht
Ekkamai To Surasak (Going to Panpan Hostel)	44 baht
Tentative Total	2216 Baht