Thailand- The Land of Smiles

Three hours away from P.I. then its all Thailand. It's one of the better destinations in South- East Asia. Has a rich culture, mouth- watering foods and awesome views. First stop. The airport.

 It's squeaky clean. Spacious and very accommodation. I love the long walkalators. And you'll never get bored roaming around because there's a lot to see. Plus, the air smells fragrant. Like car freshener. Weird huh? But it's one of the best airports that I've ever been.

After a long trip from the Suvarnabhumi Airport, we went to hotel. It's a Three Star Hotel located near Rakhamhaeng Road at Bangkok. I forgot what Hotel (sorry...). They serve good meals. Great lobby too..

 Here's a photo of the banquet hall.

 After our breakfast, we went for a river cruise through the Chao Phraya River. We saw a lot of establishments.

 And here's our stop. Wat Arun.

 Also known as the Temple of the Dawn. It enshrines a large Golden Buddha and a very high tower. We scaled it. The view from the top was breath- taking.

 Then we went to Spiracha Zoo. It's midway from Bangkok to Pattaya. We went there for several shows.

 We saw the Scorpion Lady.

 The Crocodile Lover..

 And the Nearly- Headless Thai boy. :)

 Then we rode an elephant. It was awesome. And it's cheap too. Around 100 Baht that time.

 Then we went to Nong Nooch Village. They offer cultural shows that are really worth seeing. They portray Thai history.

 Muai Thai

 Dancing Divas

 And talented elephants. These beasts are either painters.

 Or hoopstars.

 After wards, we went for a long drive towards Pattaya. It's a remote beach area outside Bangkok. We stayed in Golden Beach Hotel for a night. The Hotel is great. Very accommodating and gorgeous.

 It has a garden feel for it's buffet hall. Look at this Chinese family breaking their fast.

 It's well lighted. Food was abundant.

 The ambiance is relaxing

 People from everywhere are pretty nice too. Look at this group of Middle- Easterns who willingly posed for a shot.

 The view from my room deck was great too. I have very fond memories of this view deck haha... :)

 Near the place also harbors a huge mall near the beach. It's like Boracay and SM MOA fused into one :)

 And there's no such shortage for watering holes. They're cheap. Accessible and is everywhere.

 Beach Front specially during nights are also a view to reckon with. It's well lighted and has a lot of travelers on its shores.

 And night life wouldn't be complete without a night booze. I had Singha for less than a hundred. In a cool and noisy place. But it was fun.

 Then we hit he beach the next morning. The white sand is soft and clean. The beach is not as polluted like the popular ones that we have here in P.I.

 And the beach is for free. But you have to pay for the seats though for the maintenance. Its 10 Baht, very cheap.

 We also had a hand in parasailing. The experience was amazing.

 We paid for Baht 300 for per round. We had three rounds. The view from the top was exhilarating.

 Then after our beach trip, we want Back to Bangkok. We roamed around the vicinity.

 We had our share of street foods. It was good and cheap :)

 Snow Balls was a craze then. When it was all about Starbucks here on PI.

 And wouldn't I forget. The food, again was legendary. It's cheap, and they serve a lot for a small fee. Forget diet, indulge.

 Plus, what made my trip all special is this next photo. Tell me, how many times are you going to see McDonald's in a pose like this?

Not a lot... Never here in PI.

This trip gave me more than a thousand smile. And it was all fun. Thailand, a definitely must see for budget travel freaks like me :)

Saipan- Sun, Sea and Sand

Located at the Marianas Islands, Saipan is an American Colony located near the Philippines.

Saipan,  will always be remembered as one of the most special places I've been. It's the first country that I've seen aside from the Philippines. Very neat, westernized and quiet. A whole lot of different from where I came from. (Will post the looks of my hometown pretty soon.)

Because of it's clean environment, birds like this one roams freely. I imagine this flyer soaring up in my hometown, next thing it'll now, he's fried or he's sold for a dollar or two. The setting is a mix of country with a city life swag. So it's a great place to relax and stroll around. There are a lot of spot that are picturesque.

Just like the Saipan Sunset. I took this image directly outside of our hotel. The beachfront was not polluted, the grains of the beach were fine and white. The fishes roam around the shores freely.

The beach itself wasn't crowded either. A very soothing spot to relieve stress from your ordinary city life. The water is warm too. Tourists like me and some Japanese enjoyed the sun and the beach for FREE.

The under the sea experience was awesome too. I saw a lot of Nemo's and Dory's down at the Pacific. Corals were well preserved, and the locals were really friend. It wasn't costly either. The Chammorro's (Island Natives), charged ten bucks for the reef walk, cheap stuff right?

The food was pricey though. We had a genuine steak for around twenty dollars. But here's the hot tip. Most of the worker's there are kababayan's, so let it be known that your Filipino. A small talk could be rewarding. (Free red wines and soups to name a few).

And when your done eating. You can jump off this cliff and call it quits. Kidding. This is the Suicide Cliff. Stories said that this is where most of the Japanese ended their lives honorably. They threw themselves off the cliff after stabbing their abdominals with their knives or swords. It is near the highest peak of the Island.

A 3D/ 2N visit will do if your planning on seeing Saipan since it's just a small island. And you'll be flooded with a lot of American- Japanese war stories. People are friendly, and it's a relatively cheap place too. It's a definite must see for travelers whom wishes to experience a laid back, westernized, beach experience.