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Travel with Shoppingmum

Archive for March, 2009

Camping in Khao Yai National Park?

Mar-26-2009 By shoppingmum

I’m still planning for our trip during Songkran. Due to time constraint, budget and not willing to travel far far away as the traffic will be pretty bad out of Bangkok, we try to limit our destination to 2 hours drive from Bangkok. That’s why I have Nakhon Nayok in mind.

One of the resorts in my list is Sida Resort but hubby does not want to stay there for many nights. He suggested that we spend a night camping at Khao Yai National Park. Upon hearing camping, I chickened out. LOL! I haven’t gone camping for more than 10 years, and I’m not sure if I can sleep in a camp, in sleeping bags, in open camp side anymore. :P

I will be totally stressed out even if it’s just a night stay, and I don’t need to go through any weight loss pill reviews because I will be running out of breathe jungle trekking in the national park and get myself bitten by mosquitoes! Gosh, just thinking about it is stressing me out already.

But I will try to give this a thought. I think it means a lot to hubby and the kids, and I have to get along with them. :(

You don’t have to be in Thailand to know about 4-faced Buddha (Thao Maha Brahma). It’s so popular, a lot of tourists purposely visit the -faced Buddha yearly just for prayers. Some of my friends come here every year just to visit the Buddha, and they believe that it brings fortune and good luck to them. Some who prayed for health swore that their prayers were heard and they are free from illness or the use of incontinence products after praying here regularly.

Hubby and I went there a few times since we moved here, and it’s very common to see a lot of Chinese tourists here. They are not only from China, but Chinese from other parts of the world too.

Thao Maha Brahma is located at Shrine Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, Bangkok and if you are interested to come here by tuk-tuk or taxi, just tell the drivers “Thao Maha Brahma”, or the road name.

It’s just opposite Gayson, or Central World, and just at Erawan. Just don’t miss this famous attraction in Bangkok when you are traveling to Thailand.

Shopping in Bangkok

Mar-26-2009 By shoppingmum

 I love Bangkok especially when it comes to shopping. I don’t have a multi-millionaire husband, nor do I make a lot of money from my blogs. That explains why it took me so long to check out the term insurance comparison so that I won’t pay for the wrong insurance coverage! If I’m rich, I won’t think twice at getting one now.

Anyway, that’s not my point here. If I’m really rich, I would surely love to shop at these design brands, which can be easily found in Siam Paragon, The Emporium or malls like Gayson.

All the while, I only walk pass these stores because I know that I can’t buy anything there, even if I can afford to buy an item, I don’t feel like spending the money. As I said, unless I’m rich, then that is another story!

But there are other shopping malls in Bangkok which offer great value for money. Don’t miss Platinum Fashion Mall, this is a shopping heaven for ladies!

Thai people pray a lot, and that’s one of my first impression about Thailand. I’m not a religious person, so when I first moved to Bangkok, it took me awhile to get used to their praying rituals and why BIL has to go to the temple every Sunday. I began to get used to it after a few months, but some times, I’m just there to admire the temples, instead of praying.

I have visited a numbers of temples in Thailand and one of my favorite ones is Watsotornworawiharn (Sothorn Temple). Sothorn Temple is situated in Chacheongsao, which is a small town about more than 2 hours drive from Bangkok. We took the no. 34 (Bang-Na road) highway to reach there that day, and if you are not familiar with the roads in Thailand, it’s best to get the bus or train if you are interested to go to Chacheongsao. The local people can easily guide you the way to the temple once you reach here. This temple is so popular, it’s always crowded during weekends and on festive days.

 There is a smaller and old temple just nearby this new building. It is very crowded too, and I started looking for the exit sign as soon as I stepped in. But the good thing is, they don’t allow joss sticks in the indoor praying area, so it’s more pleasant to my eyes. I tend to get teary if it’s too smokey at the temples.

Besides that, it’s one of the new temples which allow cameras here. So, don’t miss Sothorn Temple, if you want to make a trip to Chacheongsao.

Royal Hills Golf Resort and Spa

Mar-25-2009 By shoppingmum

 I came across Royal Hills Golf Resort and Spa when I was looking for free hotel stay in Nakhon Nayok. It looks like a nice place to stay, and furthermore, it comes with a golf course! Hubby will be thrilled to stay here since he loves golfing so much.

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But this resort can be rather pricey, considering that we don’t want to spend that much on a short trip. So, I guess hubby will pick other resort instead of Royal Hills, even if he’s eager to try out the golf course!

Club Med Phuket

Mar-21-2009 By shoppingmum

 SIL#2 asked me to find out the prices for Club Med Phuket the other when its website was down. I found that the website is up and running again, and there is a summer package promotion and you can fly there by Thai Airways. I’ve always liked Club Med, but hubby is not keen to go there at all. I’m not sure what’s the reason, maybe he thinks that it’s quite pricey to stay at a resort, and just at the resort. :P I almost wanted to book a room at Club Med Bali when we traveled to Bali some time ago.

To me, a nice holiday will be more relaxing if I can just be in the same resort all day long. Best of all, please serve my meals on time and I don’t have to think of what to eat. LOL! It seems like I can find everything I want at Club Med Phuket, but we won’t be going there in the near future, unless hubby agrees to it.

Anyway, check out the summer package, and it won’t cost you a lot as if you are buying some Ferrari parts.

Summer Holiday

Mar-19-2009 By shoppingmum

 I’m at home with my kids who are having their summer holiday, and I think the holiday is too long!!! Hubby is too busy for any Caribbean cruises or any fancy oversea trip because he’s too busy at work. The only trip we will have this holiday might only be during Songkran.

So, I’m bored at home! Sigh….Can’t wait to travel again!

ATV Ride

Mar-19-2009 By shoppingmum

We have heard so much about ATV and how fun it is to be riding on one. Thus, when hubby and I saw those ATV lining up at Chomwana Resort and Horse Club, we wanted to give them a try.

Since our kids were coming with us, we had to have one of them sittting with us, but it’s quite safe. We had 2 instructors going with us as well.

As you can see from the photo, it’s a bumpy dusty ride along some plantation and deserted area. We rode across a stream too, and it was fun. So, forget about tuxedo shirt ya? You will get dirty, sweaty and probably wet if you fall into the stream. LOL! Just kidding la. ATV is much safer than a motorbike.

An hour later, my boy fell asleep on his dad’s ATV, and all of us were very exhausted too when we reached the resort. So, after a nice shower, we chilled out at this rest area on the lake.

Again, if you are coming to Chomwana Resort and Horse Club, don’t miss this spot!

Planning for Nakhon Nayok During Songkran

Mar-19-2009 By shoppingmum

 My kids are having their 2 months summer holiday, and Songkran falls in April, when both hubby and I have our holidays too. Thus, hubby suggested that I plan a trip to Nakhon Nayok, which is only more than 110 km away from Bangkok city. This place is famous for its natural beauty and waterfall, and we have not been there before.

I’m still searching around for more information about accommodation in Nakhon Nayok for our 4 days stay, and hopefully, I can find some nice promotion at 2 nice resort, which come with promotional products too. LOL! A daily fruit basket will be nice to me. :P

I hope that my kids will like this place, but I can’t seem to find any horse riding activity in Nakhon Nayok. :P

Chomwana Resort and Horse Club

Mar-19-2009 By shoppingmum

I found out about Chomwana Resort and Horse Club from a travel fair. Since my kids like horses, I thought that it would be great if we stayed for a few days and let them ride on the ponies. It was a great stay, but little that I knew, this resort is very new. It was only open to guest on the day we checked in, so I was pretty surprised by that.

Nonetheless, the room was nice.


Our bed is bigger than the normal king bed.

 


The balcony of our room, which is joined to other rooms.

 


The lake view from the balcony.

 


Don’t miss this restaurant and the rest hut, not for the food though, but it’s windy and pretty relaxing there.

 


Here’s the pool, and my kids swam everyday here, even if it’s chilly during winter in Thailand!

 


You can pick your horse or pony from the stable, if you are interested in horse riding.

 


Here’s the dining area near the swimming pool. It was very windy during our stay here.

If you are interested to know more about this resort, check out their website. However, since it’s pretty new, the place is not fully facilitated with things like internet connection, or shuttle bus to Pattaya beach nearby. It’s a bit remote to locate this resort too, but my kids love the place due to the ponies!

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