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 :)