Monday, May 31, 2010

Thailand Day 4 – Sanctuary of Truth & Golden Buddha – Saturday, May 22, 2010

by Dianne on May 31, 2010

5-22-10 Chicken and pork kebabs on a motor food stand

Friends:

On our fourth day in Pattaya, we decided to tour the city. First, we toured on foot for a while. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate Harry Potter…

5-22-10 I guess Harry will take you around town on his broom... Does J.K. Rowling know about his sideline?

Then I hired a cab to take us around the city. That was when the real tour began. Our first stop was The Sanctuary of Truth, a palace carved entirely out of wood.

5-22-10 The incredible Sanctuary of Truth, a palace carved entirely of wood

First, a horse and carriage came to pick us up to take us to the place where we had to climb down a huge flight of stairs to get to the Sanctuary area.

5-22-10 The horse and carriage that took us to The Sanctuary of Truth

Construction on the Sanctuary of Truth began in 1981 and is still 20 years from completion!

5-22-10 Katrin, Nicole & Dianne pose in front of the Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya, Thailand

Prior to trekking down to the Sanctuary, we had to take this photo op. It was too fun to resist!

5-22-10 Katrin, Nicole & Dianne being silly in Thai caricature cut-outs

Before we entered the structure, we were treated to a sword-fighting demonstration. I felt very powerful holding those swords! LOL

5-22-10 Yes, I was involved in a sword fight (and won...)

Master wood sculptors from Thailand, Burma, and Laos painstakingly hand-carve every piece of the structure.

5-22-10 Wood sculptors hard at work carving more of the palace

The result is a breathtaking structure that moved me to tears.

5-22-10 The entrance to the Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya, Thailand

The Sanctuary depicts deities of different religions all representing various cultures’ search of the truth.

5-22-10 Mermaids, elephants, and deities adorn the structure inside and out

Though the place is not a temple, it certainly has an air of holiness about it. For me, it was like seeing The Sisteen Chapel for the first time. It demonstrates man’s ability to rise above himself to create something extraordinary, something heavenly. I feel privileged to have seen this incredible structure in person!

5-22-10 Just WOW!

As Nicole was ascending the stairs leaving the area of the Sanctuary of Truth, I caught this cool picture…

5-22-10 Nicole is intwined in the lovely landscape

Our next stop was the Pattaya City overlook. Our cab driver, Mr. Suwan, suggested it. It it like the massive Hollywood sign in California.

5-22-10 Our cab driver took us up to the Pattaya City sign overlook

The sign has an observation “deck” that overlooks the beautiful, panoramic scene of Pattaya City’s bay.

5-22-10 My big head in front of the view of Pattaya Bay, Thailand

Next, we headed to Buddha Hill, where a colossal statue of Buddha sits. It was dusk so my pictures weren’t all that great… Still it was beautiful to behold!

5-22-10 The Golden Buddha on Buddha Hill, Pattaya, Thailand

When you enter a Buddhist temple or any sacred area, you must remove your shoes. All of the sacred areas we toured were outdoors. Look at my feet! My feet have never been dirtier!! LOL It took me twenty minutes of hard scrubbing to get the bottom of my feet pink again!

5-22-10 My feet have never been so dirty... You have to remove your shoes to visit any of the sacred Buddha altars.

Finally, we went back to the hotel. It was Saturday night and the curfew had been lifted. We wanted to see the nightlife in Pattaya so we headed to Walking Street, a street of music-pumping, light-pulsing clubs. After a couple of hours, we were exhausted so we decided to head back. We ended up walking over 2 miles along the beach back to our hotel!

5-22-10 Ready for a night on the town!

It was a good full day in Pattaya. Nicole, Katrin and I had a great time!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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Thailand Day 3, Pattaya Floating Market – Friday, May 21, 2010

by Dianne on May 31, 2010

5-21-10 Day 3 in Pattaya. Love my amazing balcony view!

Friends:

On our third day in Thailand, we decided to visit the Floating Market in Pattaya. It was built to replicate the floating markets in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand. This floating market represented four different regions of Thailand with handicrafts from all of the regions.

5-21-10 Pattaya Floating Market

I love to shop but the Floating Market was much more than just a bunch of touristy shops. It was a cultural experience!

5-21-10 In front of a typical shop at the floating market with a handpainted parasol

The Thai people are a people of great humor. Everywhere we went, they were smiling, laughing, and making jokes.

5-21-10 Two Thai guys being silly riding a wooden rocking horse. LOL

We tasted local cuisine and ate fare that I’ve never seen on any Thai menu in the United States. I really love the “street” food of Thailand.

5-21-10 Grilled sausage from a floating market boat. Oh the food in Thailand!

I totally fell in love with their watermelon shakes. Nicole and Katrin loved drinking and eating young coconut.

5-21-10 Katrin and Nicole eat the soft meat inside the young coconut. In the Philippines, we call it buko.

We even watched artists at work. This gentleman is putting the finishing touches on an elephant painting that Nicole purchased as a gift for her mother.

5-21-10 An artist adds finishing touches to Nicole's elephant painting

I was really wowed by all the different kinds of food. I wanted to try everything! The hot coconut cakes were awesome.

5-21-10 Cooking sweet coconut cakes on the boat.

They were crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside. They were slightly sweet and highly fragrant, served in a banana leaf bowl.

5-21-10 Sweet, hot coconut cakes inside a banana leaf bowl. Mmmmm!

Another food I fell in love with was Rice Flowers. They are crunchy, delicate flowers fashioned out of rice flour and flavored with poppy seed. They are fried and not overly sweet. They tasted great plain but they were so pretty, we didn’t want to eat them. Once we broke off the first piece, we got over that quickly!

5-21-10 Rice flowers are sweet, delicate and crispy. They are fried and made with poppy seed. One of my favorite snacks!

I watched a Thai dance show. The Thai culture is so fascinating and beautiful. They are a storytelling people. You can see it in their art, in their architecture, and in their dances.

5-21-10 Traditional Thai dancing at the Pattaya Floating Market

We stopped and got a 2 hour traditional Thai massage for a mere US$8.50!! It was amazing. I didn’t know my body could contort in that many positions… I felt like the little woman doing my massage was dancing on my back! Still, it felt so good afterward!

5-21-10 Nothing can beat a 2 hour Thai massage for $8.50!

After the massage and loading up on tons of great art and handicrafts, it was time to head back to the hotel. It was sooo hot at the market and we were dying to take a cold shower before dinner. It was an awesome day at the Pattaya Floating Market! I loved all the sights, sounds and smells… Okay, maybe not ALL the smells!

5-21-10 The big spiky fruit is durian. I can't get past the smell to eat it.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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Thailand Day 2 – Thursday, May 20, 2010

by Dianne on May 31, 2010

5-20-10 The amazing view from my top floor room at Discovery Beach Hotel, Pattaya, Thailand

Friends:

On our second day in Thailand, Nicole, Katrin and I decided to stay close to the hotel and chill out on the beach. There was still a lot of political turmoil in Bangkok and the red shirts were seen in other provinces in Thailand. The weather was perfect for a day at the beach. All over Thailand, there are shrines venerating Buddha. The beach was no exception.

5-20-10 A Buddhist shrine at the beach in front of our hotel

I was anxious to dip into Thailand’s water. The sand was a golden brown and the water was a pretty blue green but it was not clear. The water was quite cloudy. Fortunately, I had my beach shoes so I could avoid stepping on anything foreign.

5-20-10 Getting ready to dip into Thailand's warm waters

The water was also warm, like bath water. It was also shallow quite a ways from the shore.

5-20-10 Pattaya Beach, Thailand

Because it is a public beach, vendors of all sorts come by trying tempt tourists. There was all sorts of interesting food….

5-20-10 A food vendor with his baskets balancing on his shoulders

…and jewelry! No, I could not resist!

5-20-10 Vendors come by selling everything from food to jewelry to henna tattoos and massages

We made friends with both the young and the old alike. Look at this little Thai boy. Isn’t he a cutie?!

5-20-10 The little Thai boy who kept hanging around us

After beaching for a while, we decided to chill out at the hotel’s gorgeous large pool. There, I met a couple from Estonia with their 4 year old daughter, Katrina (named after the 2005 storm!). I used her mother’s beach scarf and made “Bandana Man,” telling my story. The little girl loved it!

Later that night, Nicole, Katrin and I decided to explore the city before the 9pm curfew. The street next to our hotel was a street full of clubs with ladyboys and working girls! It was quite a site to see. We ended up taking a tuk tuk to another area of the city to eat Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles). There is no Thai food by the beach for some reason but you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables almost anywhere at any time!

5-20-10 A truck loaded with exotic tropical fruits

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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Thailand Day 1 – Wednesday, May 19, 2010

by Dianne on May 31, 2010

5-19-10 The fresh orchid corsage given to us by Thai Airways before we landed

Friends:

I am “back-blogging” now. While on holiday in Thailand, I chose not to blog because writing is part of my job so I am now catching up with my blog. I did mobile uploads to my Facebook and wrote captions to go with each picture so you could keep up with me on Facebook.

I left Bohol early and landed in Manila around 8:30am. I was traveling to Thailand with my friend, Nicole, and my cousin, Katrin. We left for Thailand mid-afternoon. I was so impressed by Thai Airways. The service, even in coach, was superb! We were constantly served drinks (sodas, juice, coffee, tea and wine – all free). We were given a hot towel to refresh ourselves and the hot meal was delicious, served with real silverware and in real dishes, not plastic or paperware.

5-19-10 Thai Airways Meal with real dishes and silverware

When we landed in Bangkok, the airport was eerily empty, devoid of any life whatsoever. I was supposed to work in Bangkok but it was cancelled because of the political turmoil. Since I had already booked my flight, I chose to move further south to the beach resort area of Pattaya, Thailand, turning lemons into lemonade and parlaying my Thailand tour into a holiday.

5-19-10 The Bangkok Airport

I arranged for car service and my driver was waiting for me when we arrived. Sweet!

5-19-10 My driver awaits...

Nicole and I bought pre-paid sim cards at the airport and were able to use our phones in Thailand. In fact, I was able to call home several times! Pattaya is about 1.5 hours south of Bangkok in the Chonburi province. There is no speed limit on their highways. Our driver flew! We arrived at our hotel, Discovery Beach Hotel in Pattaya. Our top floor hotel room was very nice with two double beds, a small sofa, TV, a bathroom with a HUGE tub and a separate shower. It’s best feature was the amazing balcony with a view of the beach and the entire city of Pattaya. After watching the news, we found out that riots broke out in Bangkok, several buildings were burned down, there were shootings, and an 8pm curfew was instituted in most provinces. I called the front desk to find out if this was true and it was. No one could be outside past 8pm.

5-19-10 Hotel room at Discovery Beach Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand

Since we couldn’t go anywhere, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant overlooking the beach. While we were eating, police drove through the streets with a loudspeaker ordering people to go inside. It was pretty scary and I thought I had made a terrible mistake in coming to Thailand. Thankfully, the next few days proved me wrong…

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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