India: Goa

Goa is a smallest state by area in India. This is one of the most popular beaches that locals like to go. When they told us it was like their dreamed destination. We finally tried to go and we wanted to see how it was. This is one of many Indian beaches that tourists should go.

Many architectures were built with a combination of different styles or in combination such as Islamic, Indian and Portuguese. The hotel price is various, depending on where you want to stay in Goa Island. If you love shooting and enjoying the sunset, this may be the place for you!

I must say that the weather was pretty hot when we were there even though it was in December. People were really friendly and we were impressed with a lot of things.

To get there, you could either take a plane from New Delhi or from Mumbai.

Thailand: Bangkok (Temple of Dawn)

Temple of Dawn of Wat Arun is situated in Bangkok, Thailand. This Buddhist temple has an influence from the Hindu god Aruna. This temple has existed since the 17th century and has unique spires built during the King Rama II. This temple is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Bangkok.

To get there, there are many ways to get to this temple, but many tourists prefer going there by boat. That means they will take either a tailed boat or regular boat. If you want to sightseeing along Chao Praya River, this may be a good option.

There is the admission fee for foreigners and it is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm daily. Please make sure you wear long pants and tops with short sleeves. This is the way to respect the place and  the locals will treat you with respect.

If you are in Bangkok, you should not miss this temple. Also, the two big giants are the highlight of this temple. Do not miss this as well!

Thailand: Phang Nga

Phang Nga is in the South of Thailand and is on the Andaman Sea. If you are in Phuket, you could buy a day tour to Phang Nga easily. I paid 1600 baht for this day trip in  2007, so I assume the price may be higher now! Anyway, if you go with the tour, you could visit many places in one day and it is worth your money.

In Phang Nga, tourists can take a longtail boat in order to see different caves, especially James Bond Island (or called Koh Tapoo). I do not have to go in details about James Bond movie because they filmed in this location before! This place  has the cave on the beach as well, if you are interested in seeing limestone cave. You should not miss!

Some travel agencies may have a day tour for kayaking to caves. You could have a day tour or half day tour if you wish. I did the kayaking a couple of times. There was one cave but I could not recall the name, it was really beautiful and is wide open and encompassed with this cave. It was really great experience!

The last trip of this day tour is to go see the villagers, they live along the sea and people are so friendly! Try seafood if possible, that place is awesome!

Thailand: Phuket (PP Island, Similan Island & Chalong Temple)

I think most people know Phuket. Phuket is popular for beautiful beaches and Phuket is ranked for the best world beach in the world for many years. The best season to go to Phuket is summer (Feb-Apr) if you want to see nice crystal clear beach and water. One of the best islands that I love is Similan Island but I will talk about both Similan Island and PP Island.

The most beautiful and famous temple in Phuket is Chalong Temple or Wat Chalong.  This is the temple of Phuket people who come to pay homage. This temple is really beautiful both interior and exterior. You should not miss this temple if you are in Phuket.

Another place that you should not miss before you want to head to the island, you should go to Laem Promthep. It is huge beautiful big panorama view of Phuket. The sunset view is awesome in this place. Again, if you want to explore Phuket around before heading to the island, you should rent a car or buy a cheap package or a day tour. It will be more places where I am talking here such as market tours or any other places for shopping. If you want to be in the mainland, you could rent a car or take a bus to Patong beach. This takes about 30 minutes from the airport. There are many beaches here too, but I found PP island and Similan island are the best beautiful islands in Phuket. You should arrange your day tour or 3 days 2 nights with the travel agency and they will tell you what is included in the package. You should book it before you arrive in Phuket. If you buy the package up front or at the hotel, it may double in price. The better you are well-prepared, the cheaper you will get!

There are some tourists who want to camp in Similan Island. This is part of National Park as well, you have to make sure that the admission fee is part of your package or you may have to pay the fee separately. Some travel agencies may tell you but some may not. If you love scuba diving, this is the place for you! You will not be disappointed with nice and beautiful coral reefs. As I have mentioned earlier, to get nice and clear beautiful pictures of the under ocean, I would suggest you come in March or April. It is a high season, so the price is high and the hotels or even camping may be booked up quickly!

Just a note, Phuket in an international airport as well as Bangkok airport. If you had traveled in Bangkok before you head to the south of Thailand, you could book your cheap flights with Air Asia or Nok Air. Those are low-cost airlines unless you want to have Thai Airways!

Similan Island taken in late March, 2007

Similan Island taken in late March, 2007

Laem Promthep in August 2007

PP Island taken in August, 2007

PP Island taken in August, 2007

Malaysia: Langawi

This is another week that I flew to Malaysia again. I took my days off from work and I flew to Langawi for 5 days. This island is so impressive and lovely. I would say it is one of my romantic places on earth. If you are looking for somewhere quiet and enjoy the beach with reasonable price. Of course, you can get a basic scuba diving for a day trip here. It is not expensive but it is worthwhile to try if you wish.

I would suggest you to rent a car if you want to explore many areas in Langawi. I traveled in July which is not a high season and I had 2 days for rain from my entire trip. That was still ok. The price is pretty good at that time. Seafood is awesome there. Do not miss it!

The Oriental Village

Gondola at Gunang Mat Cincang

Somewhere in the back of the hotel

Palau Payar for scuba diving

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

In 2007, I had a long weekend break from my work, so I flew to Kuala Lumpur. I had myself in many photos, so these are the photos that show the views. Anyway, Kuala Lumpur is really interesting country. Some areas may be a bit conservative due to religion. Travelers should know what people's cultures/religions are before you travel if you want to have a pleasant holiday in the country. Locals will appreciate this if you know how to respect them or even talk basic language. That is my advice.

Kuala Lumpur is in Southeast Asia. It is close to Thailand and Singapore which are around 1.5-3 hours depending on where you are at that time. If you plan to travel to Southeast Asia for many weeks. It is a good idea to combine a couple of countries if you wish. Unless you want to enjoy more places in  one country and you could come back to Southeast Asia next time.

If you are already in Asia, it is a good option to take a  low cost airline which is Air Asia. You can get some good deals from time to time but you have to watch that on the internet. I found a good combination of culture here and people are friendly. I would love to go back there and explore some more places in the future!

The Petronas Twin Towers taken from Renaissance Hotel 

The Petronas Twin Towers at night

Sultas Abdul Samad Builing

Thailand: Rayong (Samet Island)

Thailand has many beautiful beaches in different regions; the east, the west and the south. The top beaches are based in the south of Thailand. This one in the east of Thailand is called "Samed Island or "Koh Samet". There are many nice beaches on the island but it depends on how busy or quiet beach you want. If you love crowds or stay in the busy areas, I would suggest you to go to "Na Darn or Had Sai Kaew". If you love more private or quieter, you may go to "Ao Wong Dueng, Ao Thien or Ao Ta Yai". When you arrive at the pier in Baan Phe, you need to buy a boat ticket to the island. It will take approximately 30-45 minutes depending on which beach you want to stay. You need to make sure that you do not miss your boat. It is recommended if you buy the ticket in Ban Phe, you should buy a return ticket there as well. It will save you cost and time and you can see and ask for timetables with the officer there. When you want to return from the island to Baan Phe, you should ensure to ask the officer at that beach prior to boarding. This is just in case that they know you are leaving and they will ensure that seats are provided enough for passenger in that schedule.

From my experience, I like somewhere quieter, I always go to Ao Thien, it may be a bit difficult at night because I had to walk a bit with my lamp to Ao Wong Duen, where has a couple of bars and where people like hanging out at night. In Ao Thien and Ao Tayai are a bit quieter, it may be a good place for a couple who like to be private and do  not want to be with the crowd. I found Ao Thien is the most beautiful beach in Samet Island because the beach is nicer and if the day is bright (especially in summer), Ao Thien is the best place for kayaking as well). The accommodation is really reasonable when comparing to many other places with the atmosphere. Food is awesome there and people are service-minded and friendly to people.

Before I miss something, I am not sure if this may be changed now for the admission fee of Samed Island. It is common in Thailand wherever you go to many beautiful beaches, they are parts of National Parks, so visitors have to pay for admission fee. As I remember in 2007, the admission fee for Thais is 40 baht but foreigners cost 200 baht. You need to pay this upon arrival to the island (National Park). Do not be fooled to pay more than one time.If I remember right, you will receive a receipt after your payment. You should check things and ensure things are well-prepared before you come here if you want to have a pleasant experience in this beach. Enjoy!

I did not take many photos but most pictures had me in them, so these are what I have only.

Thailand: Samut Prakarn (the Ancient City)

The Ancient City or called "Mueang Boran" is situated in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand. This Ancient city is on the same way where the Erawan Museum located. This place is modeled of all regions of Thailand in one place. Each region represents the famous places here. I suggest you to go there early, so that you finish all regions in one day. This place is the heritage of Thai wisdom and it will be good education and sightseeing for children if you are interested in culture.

You may want to rent a bicycle if you wish or have a private tram for a group of 30 people. This may be expensive but will be cheap for a big group. Renting a bicycle costs 50 baht excluding an admission fee.

For Admission Fee

For Thais, adults cost 350 baht, children cost 175 baht. This fee includes tram, bicycle and boat)
For foreigners, adults cost 500 baht, children cost 250 baht. This fees include tram, bicycle and boat).

The Ancient City opens every day from 8 am to 5 pm.The schedules and activities may be subject to change. If you do not want to waste your time and money, you should check or call them prior to visit this place. If you are looking for more details, please visit here.

Thailand: Samut Prakarn (the Erawan Museum)

I have been travelling in many places in Thailand but I found the Erawan museum is appealing to me. In the past, I had photos taken from the camera film, but this is the only time I had them taken from the digital camera.

Anyway, the Erawan Museum is located in Samut Prakran province, Thailand. The big symbol of this museum is three- headed elephant (the Elephant of Universe). The museum was created by Lek Viriyapant, who was a Thai millionaire and was responsible of the museum construction. The Erawan museum was influenced by Hindu and Thai Buddhism and many Thai people come to this museum to pay respect and seek blessings from "God Elephant" (Wikipedia, September 17, 2012).

People can visit inside the Erawan museum. The inside of the museum looks decorative and beautiful. The basement symbolizes the underwater and there are three floors symbolized the universe, which are detailed in the history of Hindu and Thai Buddhism. The most appealing feature is the curved wall and ceiling which represents the eternal cosmos with hand-painted pattern (Wikipedia, September 17, 2012).

The Erawan Museum

The ceiling inside the Erawan Museum

For admission fee

- For Thais, adults cost  150 baht & children (age: 6-15 years old) cost 75 baht.
- For foreigners, adults cost  300 baht & children cost 150 baht.
- For elderly (age: 60 years old or older) and Samut Prakarn people cost 100 bath only.

The Erawan museum is open from Monday to Saturday and there are seven schedules each day (Referred to the website below).

Reference

Wikipedia (September 2012), The Erawan Museum. Retrieved February 16, 2013, from Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erawan_Museum