Together with our friends, we flew to Thailand from Dubai on 8th Sep 2016. Since we had already bought a tour package of Bangkok and Pattaya, our trip became easy and stress-free.
This trip was so amazing that I didn't want it to end. I am so glad that I have been there.
When arrived at Bangkok airport, we checked-in and bought sim cards first. And since we've already got a holiday package, the van was already out there waiting for us to transfer from Bangkok Airport to our booked Hotel Mac Boutique (3***) in Sukhumvit where we put our luggage and took some rest first. After an hour of rest, we went to explore the city.
We also bought some souvenirs on the first day of our trip.
We explored the local areas and malls in Sukhumvit and Nana via Metro. You can purchase the token from the token machine at the metro station. Or you can also purchase it directly from a person at one of the kiosks at the metro station.
We enjoyed the street food, window shopping and captured those memories in our cameras. And the most amazing experience was taking a tuk-tuk ride. It seems to be everyone's favorite way of getting around Bangkok. (A tuk-tuk is essentially a rickshaw with a small engine fitted in.)
The very next morning, our taxi driver dropped us from Bangkok to Pattaya as per the itinerary prepared by our travel agency.
Pattaya is most commonly known for its beaches in Thailand. In Pattaya, we stayed at Pattaya Loft which is also a 3*** hotel.
Our actual trip started there. And below are the places we visited on our trip to Thailand.
Coral Island in Pattaya
Coral Island is a paradise with crystal clear water and fine white sand in Pattaya. It's a perfect place for water sports lovers.Parasailing
We decided to start with parasailing. Everyone in our group seems to be very excited but I am so afraid of heights that I just dropped my plan to go for parasailing. But my husband never fails to make me overcome my fears. He succeeded again. And our guide was too stubborn that I couldn't argue with him while he was forcing me to go for it. So yeah, he was also responsible for me to say yes to go parasailing for the first time in my life. But my heart started pounding when I realized that only one can go at a time. I let my husband go first before my turn as it makes me more comfortable to see him doing something I am afraid to do. He is my mentor after-all. :D
I saw him enjoying the parasailing and that motivated me. Finally, it was my turn. I stepped onto the ship deck and was tied to the parachute. It usually starts going up slowly but due to my lightweight, I just went up in a fraction of a second. Then I suddenly realized that the view was so breathtaking that I forgot about my fear. It was an amazing experience. We all loved it.
Parasailing is a must try activity for those who want to experience flying even if they are afraid of heights. You're definitely going to love this.
Underwater Sea Walk
After parasailing, now it was the time for Underwater Sea Walk.
The guide explained to us about the gear and essentials. The way he told us that there's nothing better than this underwater sea walk, we expected a lot. There was a big metal helmet-kind-of-mask put on top of our head to help us getting oxygen supply. The operators were very quick in doing their job where they ended up ignoring people's discomfort or questions.
But when we entered the water, we experienced that the water was not clear, rather it was so dirty that even pictures have come out bad. We came out with ear pain and headache after the underwater sea walk.
Underwater sea walk in Coral Island in Pattaya was worst. Try it on your own risk. haha!
Banana Boat Ride
After such a horrible experience, we relaxed on the beach and resumed our activities with banana boat riding. It was fun. The goal of banana boat driver was to make it thrill at the end of the ride by throwing us into the water. It was full of adventure.
Jet Ski Ride
The final sports activity was jet ski riding. We had a good time enjoying the jet ski ride. The guide was also helpful and it was a great experience for all of us.
We had fun on the island with some photo shoots and swimming around... Ah! let me tell you that I was not a swimmer at that time so I just watched my friends swimming while trying to learn swimming. But no success...haha! :-D :-D
Then it was lunchtime that was also included in our package of the day. After lunch, we went back to our hotel. We were so exhausted that we decided to get some rest before exploring the Pattaya streets. At night, we spent some quality time walking down the streets of Pattaya including the Walking Street.
Walking Street
The nightlife in Pattaya is totally happening. Many visitors come here to enjoy the nightlife in which Walking Street is counted as one of the top famous Pattaya nightlife. Being the most exciting street in the world, there is so much to see and do on the Walking Street. The street with neon lights and music from the different genre, food vendors, and street events makes it the biggest spot in Thailand.
We had our next day booked for Alcazar show and Art in Paradise.
Art in Paradise
We started our afternoon with a trip to Art in Paradise which is a 3D Art Museum. It is the first and only one illusion art museum with 3D illusion paintings. We became part of the artworks and had fun posing for photos.
If you want to make your photos great, find a cool angle to make 3D paintings alive. Try to visit on weekdays to avoid the crowd on weekends.
Alcazar Show
Alcazar is globally famous for the best transvestite cabaret show in Pattaya. Luckily, it was also included in our tour package. We enjoyed the Alcazar cabaret evening show and really impressed by their marvelous combination of music, dance, and costume.
Alcazar show features a small team of male and ladyboy artists who give dazzling and fantastic performances with great music, amazing sets, and stunning costumes to entertain the audience. A trip to Pattaya is incomplete without seeing the spectacular Alcazar Show.
Alcazar cabaret is a must visit show. Don't miss it ever!
Next day, after having the breakfast, our tour guide transferred us from Pattaya to Bangkok. We stayed in the same hotel, Mac Boutique Suites, Sukhumvit.
Our tour package for that day included full day Safari World with Marine Park & lunch in Bangkok.
Marine Park
At Marine Park, we enjoyed all the exciting shows. Orang Utan Boxing show is the world famous and funniest show. Sea Lion show was also great. Dolphin show captivated us with the Dolphin's effortless mastery of the most difficult tricks. Other shows included Cowboy Stunt show, Spy War, and Bird show.
Then we had lunch. It was an Indian food buffet as per our package. After having lunch, we headed towards the Safari park.
Safari Park
Safari Park is an open zoo where the ultimate safari experience features hundreds of animals from all over the world. And the Safari drive was a new experience for us. We had a lot of fun roaming around the place seeing different animals. We also fed the Giraffes and it was a wonderful experience.
Our day ended with lots of fun, laugh, and photography.
Next day, some of us (including me) went to explore the famous temples (wats) and floating market and others went to visit the Dream World & Snow Town in Bangkok.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
We booked a taxi and started our day with the famous Floating Market in Bangkok i.e. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. We must tell you that there are many floating markets in Bangkok but Damnoen Saduak is the most popular one. And a trip to Bangkok is not complete without a visit to the floating market. So, don't miss it while traveling to Bangkok.
We hopped on a floating boat and enjoyed the scenery & the peaceful way of life on both sides of the river bank. It was an amazing experience as we had never been to a floating market before. Located around 30-40 minutes from Bangkok in Ratchaburi province, its a beautiful market with lots of colorful fruits & vegetables and refreshing drinks.
We enjoyed the sight and took some photos. It is a very attractive place for tourists to see this old style and traditional way of selling & buying goods.
(Best time to get there is as early as possible in the morning so as to avoid a lot of the crowds.)
Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of The Emerald Buddha)
Then we went to check out the wats (temples) out there as a trip to Bangkok is not complete without a visit to the wats as well. Bangkok has a lot of beautiful temples. We started with a visit to the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of The Emerald Buddha), located within the grounds of the Grand Palace. It is known as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand.
(The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha are open daily but close by mid-afternoon, so get there early.)
Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha)
Our next visit was Wat Pho, one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok. It is also known as the Temple of Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is famous for the huge gold leaf covered Reclining Buddha statue which is the largest in Thailand measuring more than 150 feet in length. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.
Apart from the Reclining Buddha, the whole Wat Pho compound is full of artwork and Buddha statues. This temple is also a training center for traditional Thai massage.
The temple is located next to the Grand Palace and behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew).
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
From Wat Pho, we took a boat to cross the Chao Phraya river (costs only 3 Baht one way) to visit Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). (The entry fee is 50 Baht.) Wat Arun in Bangkok is surrounded by beautiful gardens with trees and statues.
The highlight of visiting Wat Arun is climbing the vertical staircase to the top level. The climb is very steep, so be careful and hold on tight to the ropes while climbing. And don’t forget to put decent clothes on – no shorts, tank tops etc are allowed. You can also hire a tuk-tuk to take you around for the day to see the temples.
We didn't climb as we were supposed to reach the airport before night. So, we just roamed around and returned to our taxi to reach the airport on time.
It was a remarkable trip. And I wonder why people say that they don't like Bangkok. It's an amazing city. You just need to mix yourself with it and then you will start feeling home.
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