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Showing posts from February, 2010
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Buat saya bangunan ini adalah oase di tengah 'gempuran' aneka kuil (wat/temple) yang tersebar di Bangkok dan didengungkan oleh perusahaan travel. Bangunan bergaya Prancis yang dibangun di era Rama V sebelumnya digunakan sebagai tempat upacara pemberian gelar. Kadang saya ke sini hanya ingin menikmati damainya kota sambil menyeruput kopi dari cafe DoiTung, grup yang diprakarsai oleh keluarga raja saat ini. Sebentar ataupun lama, berada di dalam tamannya rasanya nyaman sekali.  Saat ini bangunan utama bagian dalam dipakai sebagai tempat pameran barang hasil kerajinan masyarakat Thailand yang diprakarsai keluarga kerajaan. Untuk masuk ke dalam bisa gratis dengan potongan tiket masuk Grand Palace atau membayar 100 baht untuk keseluruhan komplek yang nantinya bergabung dengan Vimanmek Mansion (di bahas di posting lain).  Oya, bangunan ini namanya Ananda Samakhon Throne Hall. Sempatkan datang ke sini kalau ingin merasakan nyamannya suasana Eropa sejenak. Tapi jangan buru

Thai and Food, not Thai food

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Thai food is everywhere around the globe I am sure, but I am more interested in the affair between thai people and food. Any food. Although Thai food itself in internationally known, thai people I observe in Bangkok many times prefer international food too. Japanese food could be on top of the list. You'll easy to find any type of Japanese food at any standard (fine dining to fast food). Fuji can be the biggest Japanese restaurant chain here and during lunch/dinner time, its easy to find people queueing to get a table. Its not that the restaurant is small (standard size can cater up to 200 persons) but just because they're popular. After Japanese, Italian and Bakery could be next on the list. However, you actually can find many types of food in Bangkok, even recently MBK's fifth avenue has Indonesian section, an authentic one! not a fake one and tend to taste like malay or singapore food. Thai people always eat. Food vendor is everywhere! No shortage, available 24/7. De

Pattaya

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Located only 1.5 hours drive from Bangkok and famous for its nightlife, Pattaya still on the list to visit by traveller coming to Thailand from around the world. Although many bad rating given to Pattaya lately by some friends for these reasons : - the beaches is far overrated. (kind of true..Bali @ my home country still offer much better ones.) - the services by locals can be a ripped off (but it happens at many touristy places, right?) - its not family friendly due to many sex shows and go go bars. It used to have many HIV cases here. - not much to see around (well.. its not true!) I'd say Pattaya is not that bad. We should appreciate the local tourism authority whose trying to change that bad image of adult destination to a family friendly tourist objects. Beside the beach (well, it is very narrow with too much umbrellas), within short drive we can also get to Nong Nooch (Nong Nuj) with beautiful garden landscape, Mini Siam, Pattaya floating market (claimed as the biggest one)