As a performing artist, so often my working schedule depends on the company that hires me and other performers' hectic timetables, hence to go for a holiday might be an issue. However, one day I just decided I needed a vacation badly, why? I was stressing out, I was tired constantly, and I needed to "return my prayers" to the Four-faced Buddha ( actually not a Buddha, but a deity) in Bangkok. [Unexpected#1] I booked a ticket with MAS Airlines and my accommodation through Traveloka, I was all set. Initially it was supposed to be a solo trip, [unexpected#2] but my friend decided she wanted to join me, and I have a travel buddy not to mention full time holiday photographer. Our flight was on 11112017, single's day, ain‘t it fitting for the both of us? Well it was delayed and we arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok around 3 (Thai time). After purchasing a SIM Card (dtac) for around 300 THB for 4.5 GB of internet of 8 days,we took the train and headed to our hostel. Our hostel is at Phaya Thai, so we didn't have to switch lines, we sat the City Link to Phaya Thai for about < 30 minutes. We stayed at POSH Phaya Thai, it was 0.5 minute away from Phaya Thai BTS station, if I could review this hostel for 100 times, it will be 5/5! It super convenient, and also has a 7-11 beside, not to mention they provide mineral water 24/7, I am a "heavy drinker". Breakfast provided (the food is not bad, really) so I saved a meal each day I was there, they have a jacuzzi and also a pool table, plus a computer for you to do your work. When I was there the WIFI wasn't particularly great but I had data so I wasn't complaining. I have to give high praises to the bathroom, although its a shared bathroom, it was super clean, I have issues when it comes to toilets, but I was in love with this one. So you know if you stay there, you are in for an amazing trip! I chose the mixed dorm room, but i felt safe all the way because each bed has curtains for our own privacy and a locket to keep our luggage. Again, you are in good hands. Check the video below to see more. I definitely have to mention about the check in process, it was very easy, just showed them our booking IDs and signed something and that's it, no need for a deposit, no long waits. After unpacking, we wasted no time, sat the train from Phaya Thai station to Mo Chit station, and walked for a few minutes till we reached CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET! Can you feel our excitement? We reached there at about 5 ish, we bought a coconut ice cream and started our "work out" session, we spent thousands of THB there. Money well-spent! The internet says on Saturdays they closes at 6, but we were there till about 8, only a few shops closed, better for us I guess, lesser money spent. After chucking everything into our bagpacks, we decided to head over to Soi Cowboy, Sukhumvit (from Mochit MRT to Asok Station) to get a few drinks. It was very uncomfortable for me and my friend, as the whole street was filled with women and/or females dressed provocatively trying to get men to go into their clubs by sexually teasing them in the open like that. I am not one to judge the way they want to make a living, I was just rather saddened by what was happening. We drank (about 90 THB for Singha) at a bar that was quieter and less happening compared to the others, after a while we decided to widen our horizons by understanding what is a Ping Pong show. It was a grave mistake indeed, we went to Suzie Wong, not only was the place filled with men oggling over naked women, some were doing the hanky-pankies beside us, the way the women presented themselves were painful in my eyes, after a while I urged us to leave. People would ask me why would I go when I already knew what the show was about, I went because I wanted the experience, nothing beats seeing with your own eyes, and once was enough for me. We left at about 12. A friend of my friend was in Bangkok and he had friends who could drive so we decided to change our plans and followed them [Unexpected #3]. After a simple yet nutritious breakfast, we left for Nana station, to meet up with her friends. We sat a 4x4 pick up and continued our journey to Erawan Museum. The entrace fee (300 THB)was rather expensive, but I guess the amount of pictures I took in there made up for it. I would say if you love elephants (no real elephants though, sorry) and beautiful architectures, its worth it. The museum wasn't big, but the architeture was superb. It was about 3 by the time we finished admiring the museum, we left for our next destination: Ancient City of Siam, Samut Prakan. This place is a collection of all ancient buildings in Thailand, supposed to be a mini version, but you can still go into the buildings. The land to explore is huge, and you can walk or cycle (bicycle included in the ticket price), use a buggy or choose to drive (extra pay). It is definitely not cheap, 700THB normal price, after 4pm its 350 THB, but the place closes at 7, and by 6 it gets dark, so it really depends on you. We ate dinner at some fancy seafood restaurant called Sailom Bangpu, the food according to my friends are okay, since I am a vegetarian I ordered their Mango sticky rice and it was the best mango sticky rice I had at 150 THB. The atmosphere was beautiful. If you think our day was over, you are so wrong my dear readers, my friend and I bid farewell to our company and left for Khaosan Road for a night of drinking and partying (no, I am not an alcoholic, I only drink when I am on vacation). Before we started drinking, we went for a 30 minutes food massage, but ended up getting more then just a foot rub, which was pretty cool. Due to the fact, I didnt eat much the whole day, I ate Padthai at one of the stalls, its was only 35THB and it was delicious, not to mention cheap for me at least. Its time to check the place out, after 1 hour of walking around and getting randomly catcalled, we decided to chill at a bar called Kalanbatu, a Bob Marley themed pub. A lot of pubs, but this was the most happening one for me, not to mention how sweet the waiter was to us, took care of us girls. The alcohol was about 100 THB per glass (Long Island, Chi Chi etc) and 300THB per bucket, literally a small bucket. I loved it, in the end we even made friends with 2 Thais and 1 German guy, super random yet it was fun [Unexpected #4]. We partied, drank and talk about I don't even remember what till 3 am. They even made sure we reached our hostel safely. Much love to these 3 people. Despite drinking so much, none of us got a hangover. We left the hostel at 10 am to Erawan Shrine (Phayathai - Chit Lom station) for my sake, since I couldn't pray because I was menstruating [Unexpected #5] I try to do what I could to "return my prayers". We walked around for awhile and again shopping, before heading to Super Rich Money Changer, the rate was good here. We sat the train from Siam to Sala Daeng , Silom to meet up with friends for lunch. As we were walking to the restaurant, you guessed it, we went shopping again. There are just too many street vendors, we can't help ourselves. After lunch we took a Tuk-tuk to the Snake Farm (200THB). The show (1430 on weekdays) was one of the highlights of my trip. They showed use a few venomous snakes and we get to take pictures with the non-venomous one. It was exhilarating. We even witness a snake trying to escape from its cage, I love snakes so don't mind me. We decided to walk around Silom area right after, and accidentally wandered into what I assumed would be the Japanese street. We got a massage along the way and headed to Sathorn Pier ( Silom - Saphan Taksin station). It was around 530pm, from the pier, we sat a ferry to Asiatique, be mindful you have to wait for awhile and the earlier you get (earliest 530pm) the better, because the queue was super long and alot of people had to stand during the whole boat ride. Its free, but the catch is you have to wait. We were amazed by the lights, and it felt as though we were no longer in Bangkok. We went to this western restaurant in Asiatique, called Wine I Love You, literally as well. it served western cuisine, and the waiter could speak Mandarin, so you can imagine how we tease and "flirt" with the waiter (AHHAAHAH). After that it was as though there was a calling, we started our shopping journey. We didn't even finish the whole place, but we called it quits because the place was super huge, extremely and we got tired of bargaining. We were so tired, we didn't want to wait in line for the ferry, so we sat the express ferry for 30 THB per person. We went back around 10 ish. It was my last night [Unexpected #6] in Bangkok, because I got a job offer I couldn't refuse, so I had to cut my trip short. Anyway, we decided to go back to Khao San Road and enjoy the rest of the night. However before that we stopped by a hidden bar - Wanderlust. I would really recommend Khao San Road if you are up for partying and meeting new people, its really a place to just not do anything and get wasted I guess? We drank till 4 in the morning, went back home and I woke up at 7 am to catch my flight. The check out process for the hostel was even more convenient, just hand them the keys and you are done. And so guys, that's how I spent my unexpected trip.
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The reason behind this trip: friends. One's getting married and the other's furthering her studies in Japan, and that's more than enough reason for us. After buying some groceries for our dinner that night, we left Bandar Sunway at about 12 pm and embark our 1.5 hour journey to Bilut Hills Resort. However, we decided to take a detour and stopped by Bentong Walk for lunch as well as to do some sight seeing. Foursquare told us to try this kopitiam, Thong Kee 溏记, we weren't disappointed, the food was good ( we ordered noodles 板面) not to mention cheap. Worth trying! There's nothing much to see, apart from some street art about Bentong's waterfall and bridge to the waterfall ( We didn't manage to go there because of time constraint but you guys can put it in, if you love adventures). Despite being only 24, us old souls were more excited when we saw their famous Bentong Ginger ( they are suppose to be super spicy), needless to say, we bought a bunch home, I also brought back some ginger soya bean from this souvenir shop called Yang Guang Bentong Trading 阳光 ( its good, they say you can shed a few pounds with it, yes that's why I bought it, don't judge me!). And off we go, to our supposed destination. We reached just in time to check in (2pm), who says a bunch of girls going out would be a tardy party? *Flips hair* These are the views we were blessed with when we arrived. We took our time to take in all of the green. Its not a huge place, but definitely a secluded one. They have 2 glass houses, one for staying ( 2 storeys, about RM 560) and the living room glass house, anybody can have access to it (equipped with air-conditioner, a telescope and an amazing view). This is the inside of the glass house, real comfy to say the least. Some how I am unable to upload my room's picture, but its in the video below, so you can have a rough idea how it's like. We took the queen deluxe room + an extra bed, everything was for RM 200, not that bad, plus the toilet is not far at all ( mind you its a shared toilet, there's one in the house itself and one outside, its new and clean, so don't worry, I am also picky when it comes to the bathrooms). Now comes the part I was looking forward to, BILUT EXTREME PARK!!!! YAAYYYYYYY! Its a 2-minutes drive from the resort, our gracious host sent us there. They have archery and ATV. Due to the fact that all 3 of us never had any experiences with ATV or motorcycles, we chose only the 30 minute session, trust me it was enough for us, back aches from the bumps and because the steering wheel was really hard to turn, I thought i'd develop biceps from just going left and right on the ATV, no joke. They will give you some time to get used to controlling your vehicle, by going round and round a tree, it was not as easy as it seems. After getting used to that, they will let you go round and round a few trees, kidding, there was a small bridge and a few bumps as well. And off you go, your 30 minute adventure under the hot sun, the route we took was scenic, greens on top of greens on top of greens. There's a small stream we had to cross, and a few hills to overcome but we survived. I honestly felt like one of the Charlie's angels, being all cool. After all that excitement its time to relax and chill before prep-ing for dinner. Yes I climbed a tree, you don't know how many man power was involved just for me to climb this tree. It was not in the "What-to-do-in-Bilut" website, but you know, YOLO. Dinner was cooked by our amazing chef, Bibo who is also a fantastic artist. Nothing taste better than homemade food paired with a beautiful view. Our host being extremely nice, also helped us buy some snacks from the city which is about 25 minutes away, just so we won't go hungry at night. So what can you do at night, you ask? Sing your heart out like you just broke up with the greatest lover ever, kidding, or am I? We brought our own wine and cheese, so you know we were snacking and drinking till we can't no more, we were so full! The best part about the whole night, the bonding session, the heart-to-heart talk till 3 am, don't we are crave for such moments sometimes? And its sleep, and checking out at 12pm the next morning. Overall what do I think about this place, its very suitable for chilling, there's even a barbecue pit (you can either bring your own food or ask them to prepare it for you) if you are into that, but because it was only the 3 of us we skipped the hassle. There's really nothing much to do but admiring mother nature and relaxing, also bear in mind, NO WIFI! You are encourage to have lunch before you go because there's nothing there for you to eat, you prepare your own dinner, or you can ask them to help you with the delivery from the city, don't worry breakfast is provided, but just something simple like Nasi Lemak (remember to tell them if you are a vegetarian). Its a great place to bond with your loved ones, because who are we kidding, you are stuck there. I would encourage you guys to check Bilut Hills Resort out. :) You can contact Mr Kelvin, he is our extremely nice and gracious host. ;) I've included a brief video, so you guys have a rough idea what its like there. I look horrible without make up and also because I was sick with the flu (excuses)! So before 2016 ended, my friend and I decided to try this place out, something like end of the year #YOLO stuff. Since its so widely recommended online, we wanted to see for ourselves how amazing this place really is. Its in Banting, about one hour drive from my place, somewhere around OUG. Since it was a Friday, so its considered "Peak Day" I guess, we paid about RM25 per person and RM 20 (with RM 10 deposit) and off we go, into the land of sand and water, not to mention bamboos ( and two cute, shirtless guys building a hall? DAMN). Naturally the first thing we do is to look around, the huts look amazing and very comfortable, granted we didn't get a chance to go in as we only had one day passes. However, from our points of view, its looks clean and they have mosquito nets to keep those little buggers away at night, so 10 points to Tadom! I didn't take pictures of the toilet, BUT THEY ARE CLEAN! I am very particular with bathrooms and toilets, and its the first place I'll check everytime I go somewhere, and Tadom Hill Resorts get 7/10 for their toilets, bravo! Now the formalities done, its time for some fun! YAYYYYYY! Time for some action, before that REMEMBER TO WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS, if not you are going to be hearing alot of whistle blowing, literally! The pathway to the lake is decorated with fake grass, so that's lovely. The view, BEAUTIFUL! The pictures are not edited so you can see how gorgeous the view really is. bright blue sky with clouds, clear lake, and fake green grass. YAS!!! What we came here for! Jumping into the water like a bunch of monkeys, KIDDING! But seriously, alot of jumping. I have a terrible case of acrophobia ( fear of heights), so it took alot of courage to jump into the water again and again and again, although it does not look too high up from here. I jumped till my arms were sore the next morning, thought they were going to break off on their own. And that was basically it, after 3 hours or so, we were done. It wasn't a bad experience but maybe I expected more, so I was abit disappointed when I was done with everything. I could see there are still some constructions being done, so hopefully the next time I come there would be a 2.0 to this post.
I still think I would be an awesome place for a bunch of friends to hang and bond with one another, also to switch off all electronic devices and enjoy mother nature. There are also volley ball courts, table tennis, huge Jenga, so I guess to go and stay there with a close group of your friends would be amazing. I guess I'll still be seeing more of Tadom, hopefully, till then! |
AuthorAn Aquarius actress seeking for the meaning of life: good food, good friends, good places, good music, basically everything that is good.
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