August - It's Raya and Merdeka Day!

A quick shout out to everyone out there! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri maaf zahir batin and selamat menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan ke-54! It's a double celebration this time around as Raya falls on the same date as Merdeka Day but as always, the more, the merrier. Just enjoy the holidays like I do and go travelling during this break.

Hong Kong (香港) - Trip to the Metropolis City

It had been a month since my first visit to Hong Kong last month and suffice to say, I'm still missing it a lot. My mind constantly slipped back to those fun moments in Hong Kong and Macau. Seriously, six days trip is not enough especially if you have two countries to explore.

I'll start blogging my experiences in Hong Kong soon but at the moment, I'll just show you some of the photos I took when in Hong Kong.

It was a rainy summer day in Hong Kong

A photo best represents Hong Kong

The beautiful Hong Kong from The Peak

The great Buddha statue 

I haven't finished uploaded all the photos in Facebook so just enjoy these sneak peeks. Will be back for more.

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Bangkok - Chatuchak Weekend Market

When we finished exploring Wat Pho, we then went to take the river cruise back to Central Pier and took BTS to Mo Chit where we will be exploring the Chatuchak weekend market. The crowd at the place was scary for it was amazingly crowded.

Everyone is either going or leaving the weekend market

I understand why there were so many people enjoy going there. You can simply find anything you want at that market. From the usual items such as cloths and accessories...

...to household items...

flowers

decorations

...snacks of all kinds...

Common snacks

Exotic foods

...paintings...

...to even pets!

Adorable puppies for sales!

You can just find whatever in here. Where can you get these all-in-one-place market? We also had our dinner there at a small restaurant, ordering simple traditional dishes. Very delicious to say the least.

Look at the crowds!

Chicken

Salad with salted crab, I believe

Instead of rice, we had mihun

Pork

 This night was our last night in Bangkok for by tomorrow afternoon, we will be flying back Kuala Lumpur. After our breakfast, we went back to the shopping centres for another round of shopping before going to the airport. It is definitely a memorable trip.

Bangkok - Wat Pho

After our visit to the Grand Palace, we continued our tour with a visit to Wat Pho, home of the famous reclining Buddha statue. It was just walking distant away from the Grand Palace. When we reached the temple, dark clouds were residing, causing fear in us that possible heavy downpour might occur. Plus, the sight of construction on the temple put us into a dilemma whether or not to enter the temple. However, the idea of coming so far to Bangkok and not visit the famous landmark put us off and we just entered without any second thought.

Wat Pho from afar

One of the few entrances 

Inside the temple, besides the giant statue of sleeping Buddha, it is also a huge complex with many stupas and side temples. Being the main attraction of the building, we first visited the reclining Buddha statue and boy, is it huge! The statue sent off an aura of majestic and importance as we observed it with awe. Tourists from around the world snapped photos of the statue non stop and me being a tourist as well, did the same thing. 

Three shots of the reclining Buddha

There's a limit as to what my digital camera can do and it is near impossible to capture the golden statue in film. I did my best. After admiring the Buddha, we continued with our tour around the complex of the temple. Here are some shots inside the temple:

Bangkok - The Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Statue

So, after cruising all the shopping centres at the districts which pretty much sum out what we did the first day, the next day, we went to the Grand Palace which is easily accessible by BTS from my place. First of all, we took BTS from Chong Nonsi station to Central Pier which is located at the Saphan Thaksin station. 

Then, once reached Saphan Thaksin station, we walked heading towards the exit that'll lead to Central Pier. At Central Pier, you will notice there are many people queueing up for the river cruise. At that pier, there are two types of boats/ferries. One is that you can have the whole boat by yourself or with your friends while the other is like a public speed boat. Of course, the former will cost you more than the public speed boat but you get to have the whole thing by yourself. More spacious but not budget conscious. We made a mistake which was we took the 'private' boat. Two persons sharing is not cheap. However, the experience itself worth it. Cool, river breeze brushing your hair, caressing your face, with the views of skyscrapers and antique buildings by the riverbank. 

'Private' boat

Some of the scenic views you'll get along Chao Phraya river

Me enjoying the ride and the cool breeze

Our stop is at the Chang Pier, the closest stop to our destination, the Grand Palace and its Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We walked across the road and headed to the main entrance of the Grand Palace. The entrance fee is 350 Bahts per person.

At Chang Pier

Some of the local delicacies you'll notice while at the pier

When we entered the palace, the first word on my mind was F***! It was damn majestic and vast! There are many buildings inside the compound, each has its own unique appeal. The designs of each building are very detailed and made of gold. Whether it is real gold or not, I'm not so sure about it. Lets the pictures do the talking.

Before we entered the compound

You may have notice that these buildings are mostly of old designs and are not allowed to enter. You can just look at and admire the intricate and detailed exteriors these buildings spotted. By the way, the King of Thailand still stay in the Grand Palace though I'm not sure whether he was in during our visit. His palace? Here's the picture.

A very modern building who follows the planning of the old palace

Another highlight of the palace have to be the Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of Emerald Buddha. As the name suggests, the Buddha statue is made of emerald and was enrobed in a gold gown that change according to the season. At the time of visit, it was summer, so the robe wore by the Buddha statue was breezy. No photography is allowed inside the temple but if you want to snap a photo of it, you can do it outside of the praying hall.

The Buddha is in the middle but the poor quality...

More pictures to go!

Bangkok - Jackie Chan, Frank Lampard, Julia Roberts and Kate Winslet

What do Kate Winslet, Jackie Chan, Frank Lampard Steven Gerrard, and Julia Roberts have in common? Well, they were seen in Bangkok looking fabulous and posing with fans! Of course, when you saw them in the flesh, surely you'll do the same, won't you?

Miss Pretty Woman

You can't see how excited I am 'cause I played it cool

Miss Titanic, Kate Winslet

Not a football fan but here's LampardGerrard

With Big Brother himself, Jackie Chan

I saw more celebrities when I was in Hong Kong. Wait for it!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

p/s Apparently I made a mistake in identifying the footballer. I was told it was Lampard but rupa-rupanya it's Gerrard. Oops...