First stop: A day in Bangkok

The entry point of our semi-Indochina trip was Thailand. This is because of two reasons, one, it was the cheapest fare at that time and two, we wanted to do a bit of shopping (which we thought we would be able to do). :)

We arrived at the Suavarnabhumi airport via Cebu Pacific airlines at 8:00 am. It was pronounced as "Suwanaphum" which I found amusing when I first heard of it from the taxi driver. My sister booked us at this place called the Cozy Hostel and it was pretty much what it was when we got there.

Cozy hostel reception area

Just like the usual hostels, they require you to take your shoes off before going up the rooms at the upper floors. The reception area was very spacious with a computer in the middle and lots of chairs to hangout. Just further in is the kitchen where you can cook and some tables for eating. Plus, they have overflowing free coffee and tea. 

Cozy hostel near the Hua Lamphong 

It was located in Hua Lamphong within a residential area with very narrow streets and with some small-time businesses lined up in between. It was pretty much like a compound with a "sari-sari" store at one corner and a small eatery/coffee shop at another corner. Some were washing their cars in preparation for Monday's work. I saw a completely different type of Bangkok from my previous visit. The last time, we were at the city center where we saw the big shopping malls and the hurry and flurry of the city life. This side of Bangkok was more relaxed and less extravagant. It was a neighborhood of a typical middle-class Thai. 

We only can spend one day in Bangkok so we chose Chatuchak to be our destination. (It was Sunday and we were just in time for the Weekend market) We rode the train from Hua Lamphong all the way to Chatuchak Park. We emerged from the train to see the huge park adjoining the Chatuchak market. The park had a lake in the middle, a children's playground, a clock tower and of course, lots of grass. There were a lot of people then, (again it was Sunday) and you can find some vendors selling sitting mats to spread on the grass. 

Clock tower at the Chatuchak park

We were looking for the entrance to the Chatuchak market which was way across the park where we were. When we got there, we got hungry so we searched for an eatery (which was not hard to find) along the entrance of the market. The first food we saw was spring rolls! Spring rolls was 40 baht (6 rolls) and we definitely had to have some of that. Lunch for me was the Pad thai (noodles with egg, shrimp, mongo sprouts, some vegetables and nuts and other spices). And it was delicious! It was a mix of sweet and salty (which I like) plus it was not very oily. It is similar to pancit but with an added sweet taste. It costs 100 baht. 

Tasty spring rolls!

Pad thai rhymes with must try :)

Outside the market was lined with different kinds of enticing street food. We definitely had to taste some of them.

We got in the market after that and bought some souvenirs. We couldn't stay there very long since we had to go to the Bangkok Bus Terminal to get tickets to Phnom Penh. And we had to find our way to get there. You can read more of how to cross borders here. 

After the ticket-buying, we got back to Chatuchak to catch the train back to Hua Lamphong. Of course, we had to explore a bit more in the market before heading back to our hostel. 

While we were walking along, a loud song suddenly started and everybody, and I mean everybody, just stopped short in their tracks. Everyone got quiet too. If I remember correctly, it was around 6pm. The song apparently was their National Anthem. There weren't much people singing along but even foreigners stopped too. Of course, we weren't exempted from stopping then. The song ended and we all went back to our own business.

Everyone stopped when the National Anthem began

There was a lot to see at the night market, especially food! We tried the thai original dessert which was comprised of ice and sago and some sweet syrup. Sort of like a simple halo-halo. There were clothes, and decors and bowls and a whole lot of stuff. 

Care for some lemonead?		The original thai dessert
	muang thai boxers
food, food and more food!		the chatuchak train station

We had to get back to our hostel at some point to get ready for tomorrow. We almost got lost getting back. Luckily there was a nice taxi driver who sketched us a map from the train station to the hostel. It was just walking distance and we didn't want to spend a lot for taxi. We got to our hostel and started getting ready again for our early trip the next day. 

First leg accomplished. :)

Half a day at a botanical garden

With my university nestled at the foot of Mt. Makiling, I have been meaning to visit the Makiling Botanic Garden ever since I started my masters degree. Only after one semester did I had a chance (forcing my sister to tag along). It was only about a 5-minute drive from where we were staying within the UPLB campus. You will take the uphill route to Forestry which also the same route to the Mt. Makiling Reserve, pass the arc that says "Forestry". After a few meters at the right side you will get to see the Mt. Makiling Botanic Garden sign. At the gate was a parking lot which means you would have to proceed on foot.

The entrance fee was P20 and they also sell softdrinks and bottled water. Something tells us we were going to need them(cold drinks) and so we bought one each. It also helps if you bring an umbrella as there were paths without shade.

We started out looking at the map not really knowing how big it was. But I can say, it was well maintained. The paths were clean and the flowers and trees were tended. Naturally there were different flora and fauna and I was surprised to find a river inside the botanic garden.

To get to the river, we had to walk down a flight of steps. From above, the sound of splashing water readily reaches our ears. By the time we got to the bottom of the steps, we were astounded to see a pool-like structure momentarily accumulating the water. It also has a mini-falls at the side of the pool allowing the river to continue on its journey.

Some of the flowers in bloom at the garden

We walked for about an hour and we got tired easily because of the hot weather and the uphill paths. (quite thankful for the cold drinks!) But I was awed at the place at the vast species of plants. And there were also birds, butterflies, and dragonflies.

It also was a great venue for gatherings like weddings and they also had a picnic area.It also struck us as the perfect place to study. It was very peaceful and very serene.

It was already 3:30 pm by the time we got to the Nursery area so we decided to get back down. (They close at 4:00 pm)

What better way to close the day with a glass of cold coffee and cheesecake. Since we were still on the explorative vibe, we thought of the Coffee shop inside IRRI. We passed thru Pili drive, passing the PhilRice building. We got to the entrance and we were asked to leave an ID (driver's license) before entering.

At the coffee shop, we tried their delicious cheesecake and coffee. Plus, there was an artisan chocolate on sale at the counter. Dark Chocolate with Green Mango with Sea salt. Hmm.. curiouser and curiouser.. You can taste the salt and green mango bits as they were placed...embedded in the dark chocolate.  It was okay, but my sister didn't like it.

At least, that's one off my bucket list for my Los Banos experience. :)