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Showing posts from January, 2010

Children friendly spot - LeoLand Rooftop Waterparks

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Just like other big cities, Bangkok has many to offer for family with young children. It has many parks with playgrounds, theme parks, museums, indoor playground even a rooftop water slides. This time I'll share about LeoLand, a waterpark in the rooftop of Central BangNa. This shopping center is big and has easy access from Bangna express way. However, it's actually not in the heart of Bangkok city. It took about half hour from the main bustling area of bangkok by car through express way (pay 45 bath for this road). Or you can take skytrain till the last station On Nut and get a cab from there for less than 100 baht if the road is clear. Once you are in the mall, go straight to the highest floor the elevator can get you and you can only take escalator to the very end floor.. the rooftop. It sounds like a journey itself to reach this medium size waterparks, but I'd say if you're not into extreme slides, this is the place. The entrance fee between thai and foreigners

Jim Thompson House - rumah sosialita Bangkok saat itu

Rumah milik Jim Thompson saat ini dilestarikan dengan baik dan berfungsi sebagian besar sebagai museum dan merupakan salah satu tujuan wisata 'wajib' untuk para turis yang datang ke Bangkok. Dalam area seluas sekitar 2000 meter persegi (atau 1 rai dalam ukuran thailand) saat ini kita dapat menemukan komplek rumah yang terdiri dari 6 bangunan bergaya arsitektur khas Thailand dengan modifikasi ala amerika plus restoran, galeri dan tentunya butik produk sutra Thailand khas Jim Thompson. Jim Thompson adalah arsitek lulusan Princeton Amerika yang secara sukarela bergabung dengan angkatan darat Amerika di masa perang dunia II dan bergabung dengan unit OSS (skarang disebut CIA). Selesai masa bertugas di berbagai negara dia memilih kembali ke Bangkok untuk menetap di tahun 1946. Di sini Jim Thompson bergaul luas dengan aneka kalangan dan sering mengadakan jamuan, aneka acara kumpul-kumpul juga pertunjukan seni Thailand, terutama setelah rumah barunya selesai dibangun. Di rumah ini,

Souvenir from Acunk and the gang Tour

Here's a 4D/3N tour of 9 girls. They had full itinerary comprise of touristing and shopping. Visit 5-10 different spots in a day, with one show to watch every evening. Trip was included Pattaya day tour.

bangkok taxi service

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Bangkok stunned some visitors not only because of their treasures but can also simply because of the taxi colors. Some of my guests with various favorite color had fun picking taxi according to their preference. Blue, pink, yellow, green, purple, red.. and sometimes with color combination too. Picking taxi here actually not an easy thing to do since some taxi won't take you to your destination with some reason - sometimes only God and the driver knows why. The scene you watch at some hollywood movies also not applicable here. First, you don't shout to taxi. After you hail, you can't just jumped in, close the door, ask the driver to move then tell him your destination. Common scene over here is you hail a taxi, ask the driver from outside about your destination, few seconds he thinks and if he said yes, then you get in. Many drivers can't speak English or can but with a 'unique' pronunciation. This kind of pronunciation not exclusively for taxi drivers but for

Penipuan/Scams

Penipuan terhadap turis maupun pendatang (tourist scams) juga umum terjadi di Bangkok. Yang paling lazim adalah rumor bahwa suatu tempat tutup karena acara keagamaan atau kerajaan maupun penipuan yang dilakukan tuktuk (20baht trip). Persamaan diantara keduanya adalah 'korban' akan diajak ke showroom perhiasan dengan harapan mereka akan membeli di toko tersebut dan 'penipu' akan dapat fee dari toko tersebut. Begini nih modusnya. Oknum 'penipu', sebutlah Khun A, biasanya beredar di sekitar calon korban. Ada yang berkeliaran di lobi hotel, di sekitar pintu masuk obyek wisata, di bandara, stasiun dan terminal bis. Kalau dia berwujud supir tuktuk biasanya dia akan heboh menawarkan jasa wisata senilai 20 baht. Atau, kalau kita berniat naik tuktuk menuju suatu tempat dan menawar tuktuk yang sedang parkir, dia akan setuju dengan mudah pasang harga 20 baht. (tuktuk = kendaraan roda 3 khas Thailand. Seperti bajaj di Jakarta tanpa dinding/pintu) Yang kemudian terjadi

scams in bangkok

Fraud against tourists or visitors (tourist scams) are also common in Bangkok.  The most common is the rumor that the place closed because of religious or royal event and fraud committed tuktuk (20baht trip).  The equation between the two is the 'victim' will be invited to a jewelry showroom in the hope they will buy in the store and 'con' will be a fee from the store. Here's the mode. The scammer, call Khun A, usually circulated around the victim.  They're wandering in the hotel lobby, around the entrance to attractions, at airports, stations and bus terminals. T uktuk drivers usually would stir tourist around offer worth 20 baht.  Or, if we intend to take a tuktuk to a destination from a parked one, he will easily agree with the price of 20 baht only.  (tuktuk = typical 3-wheeled vehicle Thailand. As prevalent of Bajaj in Jakarta without walls / doors) What then happens is that the passenger was brought around from one jewelry store to another store altho

Pratunam - Platinum

If we pronounce both words with thai accent, you will find them very identical. Nothing wrong with that since Platinum is located in Pratunam area. I kind of suspect that's also the name originally comes from :). Pratunam (pratu = door ; nam = water) is an area in the heart of Bangkok that fame for decades as the wholesale market, especially for fashion items. There are thousands of shops mushrooming in every side of the corner of this big intersection. Buyer would come from many places but I find thai (from other provinces), Indonesian-Singaporean and Arabs more often. Pratunam market consist of several shopping buildings and flea areas, marked from the Baiyoke sky tower along to Petchaburi and the opposite side you will see Pratunam building with vendors along the street. The latest on the gang is Platinum Mall, that is only across the canal from Central World, the landmark of the area. It also opposite of the older version of Pratunam market (still in Petchburi street). Plat

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Chatuchak (atau Jatu Jak -JJ ) terkenal sekali sebagai pasar terbesar yang hanya buka di hari sabtu-minggu. Kenapa sabtu dan minggu aja? sebenernya pasar yang hanya buka di hari-hari tertentu juga pernah (dan untuk beberapa daerah-masih) berlaku di tanah air loh. Itu kenapa kita punya pasar dengan nama-nama hari, beberapa yang terkenal : Pasar Senen, Rebo, Jumat, Minggu. Walaupun akhirnya pasar-pasar tersebut buka setiap hari. Di Thailand pun demikian. Bahkan, untuk night market di Bangkok, masih ada tempat-tempat yang buka hanya di hari tertentu. JJ sendiri sekarang sudah diizinkan pemerintah kota untuk buka sebagian sejak hari Jumat. Walaupun sebenarnya untuk outlet dan wilayah tertentu, kita bisa temukan penjual yang berdagang setiap hari, biasanya untuk tanaman, binatang peliharaan dan furnitur.  JJ sendiri juga awalnya tidak dirancang untuk konsumsi turis, seperti halnya Suan Lum. Itu kenapa, koleksi di JJ lebih variatif dan selalu penuh, karena penduduk Thailand dari luar Bangk

My Tour Service is for YOU

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Yes, I am providing tour service, this time limited to Bangkok and its surrounding area {soon will expand. Just wait! :) } but not limited to anyone. My service is fully customized. Mainly to give you a chance to explore only your places of interests the way you like it. Tour operator, big or small, won't offer flexibility as much as I will.  How? It's so easy! 1. Contact me and state your plan even if you haven't book any flight yet or you are already in the city.  2. I will give you some preliminary questions such as : when, who's coming (yourself, with your partner, child, parent, big group, etc), duration, what sort of places you'd prefer and the budget. 3. Based on your information, I will send a proposed itinerary, budget (with my fee separated, so you know where will your every penny goes to) and additional ideas-suggestions for your consideration. 4. Once the itinerary agreed and you pay your small deposit for my service, its my time to do al

Welcoming my first tour group of 2010!

Acunk a.k.a Rini Nur Aini tercipta sbagai temen kuliah saya. Dia pun dikirimkan Tuhan ke saya sbagai grup tur pembuka tahun baru ini. Grup-nya acunk sudah kontak saya sejak beberapa bulan lalu setelah mereka ber-9 sukses mendapat tiket promo Air Asia. Itinerary mreka termasuk yang sangat penuh (mungkin karena semuanya cewek-cewek tangguh dan enerjik. hehe). Setelah mendengar aspirasi calon klien, itinerary yang saya ajukan ful dari pagi sampai hampir tengah malam setiap hari termasuk satu hari ful di Pattaya. Kami sepakat dengan contentnya tanpa terlalu banyak perubahan. Yeap, itu juga untungnya diskusi sebelum kedatangan. Persiapan saya sbagai host bisa lebih mudah. Malem ini Insya Allah mreka landing di Suvarnabhumi 7.45 PM. Soon will be a few long and exciting days. hohoho.. look forward to it!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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20 10.. here we come!