A Journey To The Land of Smiles

Upon my arrival in Bangkok Airport, a smiling ground stewardess greeted me with her hands clasped together, a slight nod and the words Sawasdee ka , the traditional Thai greeting. It made a wonderful start to my journey to the land of smiles.

Sitting in a cab all the way to my friend´s residence in LADPRAO,I noticed that Bangkok is a sprawling mishmash of modern and ancient dotted with high rise buildings, chain stores, “Wats´´(Thai temples) and scores of other attractions.The grandeur of the "City of Angels" started to unfold right before my eyes as I embarked on the journey together with my friend. We went on several major sightseeing tour.A visit to “The Grand Palace" , one of Thailand´s most holy sites built around 1782, and “The Wat Po“ , which houses the biggest reclining Buddha in South East Asia. A river cruise through Chao Phraya River was indeed delightful as I enjoyed a spectacular view of WAT ARUN ( Temple of Dawn) situated on the bank of the river and traditional Thai houses amongst others.

 

Bargain Shopping

There is more to Bangkok than temples. Shops and malls are everywhere.One of the biggest in Siam center is the MBK or Mahbookrong Mall where you can haggle over the prices of goods.Not to mention the weekend market known as Chatuchak Market, a sprawling maze of food stalls, pet stores, clothing at rock-bottom prices, jewelry and a plethora of other dirt cheap items.

 

Night Life

While strolling through one of the streets, a three-wheeled motor vehicle taxi, popularly known as “TUKTUK“ caught my attention. Together with my friend, I took a ride in it and headed off to PATPONG, a vibrant spot bustling with bars, discotheques and night bazaars: a perfect place for barhopping and shopping during wee hours - a tourist haven indeed!

The following day, we set off to PATTAYA which is about four hours by bus from Bangkok.The place is renowned for its beautiful beaches and nightlife.Hundreds of beer bars, restaurants and clubs line the busty streets brimming with activities.A bustling place synonymous with fun filled travel experiences.

Our next stop was The NONG NOOCH VILLAGE, one of the popular places in Pattaya to catch a glimpse of the elephant show.It was a spectacular show where a herd of elephants did some amazing tricks such as doing the hullahoop using their trunks, picking up the mahout's hats off the ground and so on. One of the elephants standing on its rear legs and playing with the skateboard really blew me away.It was truly entertaining.

Back in Bangkok on the last leg of the trip, we managed a couple of quick round tours through ROSE GARDEN and SIAM SQUARE, which offered something to explore around every corner.Suddenly, a pang of sadness went through me as my four-day trip was drawing to a close.I was not keen on leaving such lovely place.I made a promise to myself that I would come back to THAILAND to explore more of its beauty...