Australia says NO to Mooncakes
So preparing for the trip, I bought some mooncakes for my relatives, colleagues and friends. Fresh from Hong Kong, I wanted to send them the vibe of the Mid-Autumn Festival this coming Sunday. I was all set with my “pasalubong” for each of them when I learned earlier today that the Australian Customs is a bit strict when it comes to goods bringing in to their country. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) would not allow the following:
- Foods that are commercially prepared, cooked and raw food and ingredients
- Dairy and egg products
- Animal products
- Seeds and nuts
- Fresh fruit or vegetables
- Live animals and animal products
- Plant materials
- Used freshwater watercraft, sporting or fishing equipment
Unfortunately, mooncakes belong to second category as they have whole egg yolks inside. You can learn more details by visiting the AQIS site.
So just making really sure that I can’t bring them even though they are packed and sealed, I Googled if there were incidents where mooncakes were confiscated by the Australian customs. I found out from forums that these festivity cakes are, indeed, banned from the land down under.
Crap. Now I’ll have a feast of mooncake myself. I tried giving some to my officemate, however, most of them had already bought one for their families. Anyways, its better I learned earlier than being dumbfounded in AU. Now I am getting my travel jitters (is there even such a thing?!). My first trip outside Asia. Yay!
Next and final destination, Bangkok
As much as I enjoyed our Pattaya trip, Bangkok was just an okay experience for me. We headed back to BKK at 9 in the morning and arrived to our hotel at around 11. Our taxi had cost THB 800. We chose Queens Garden River View as it is close to the airport – around 10 minutes drive. Our flight back to Hong Kong will be quite early the next morning so we needed to stay somewhere nearby.
The room was not as big as the one in RS Seaside but the decors were much better. Rooms cost THB 850 per night excluding breakfast. It has a mini bar and furniture was also nicer. Although I don’t use a hair dryer, it was nice they had provided one. Downside: no lifts. The bellboy had to bring our stuffs to our room which was on the third floor. The staffs were all nice though. Thailand is indeed a land of smiles.
As soon as we ate lunch, we took a cab to go to The Grand Palace. We had asked the hotel reception to write our destination in Thai alphabets as we learned some cab drivers could neither speak nor read English. They had advised us to get a hotel cab service costing a thousand Baht for a five-hour service. We knew it was too much since it’s just inside Bangkok area. We took a local cab instead, showed the driver our destination and went on our way.
The drive to The Grand Palace took almost two hours. Our hotel was far from the heart of Bangkok and we needed to take an expressway. Traffic also contributed to our long drive. Our instincts were correct and had only paid around THB 200 plus toll fee for our cab.
When we reached to our destination, we were already kind of stressed out from traveling. The palace was nice but I did not enjoy our trip. It was very sunny, streets were busy and since it was Sunday, a lot of tourists had also come to visit the palace. Just a note: no sleeveless and short pants allowed.
After about an hour, we decided to go the mall as it was really hot. We initially wanted to take a tuk tuk ride, a form of urban transport in Bangkok. It was quite similar to our local version called tricycle, only the passenger’s seats of tuk tuk are on the back. It could have been an additional Thai experience however, the drivers were trying to charge us for too much. We decided to take a taxi instead, half the price and air-conditioned already. Taxis in Thailand, as far as we have experienced, were good. They had a fair meter and took us to our destinations without going around the area just to charge for more.
We initially went to MBK Center, but the mall wasn’t that good. We transferred to Siam Discovery Center, which was connected via a footbridge. The mall was nice but not what we were looking for. Again, we transferred to another mall – this time to Siam Paragon.
Since we were too tired, we decided to just eat at Orangery and watched a movie after. It was our first time in an iMax theater and we watched The Dark Knight. Tickets cost THB 250 per person but they don’t have the 3D show like the ones in PH.
We headed back to our hotel quite late and we were really burned out. I mentioned earlier that I did not enjoy BKK experience that much simply because it was more like Manila. It’s a busy city and there’s traffic. Not a good spot for relaxation.
The next day, we woke up early as we took the hotel airport service at 7am. The service cost THB 150 and the vehicle was a Toyota van where all other hotel guests rode. Had we taken a cab, it might have cost us cheaper and we’ll get a private service. Next time we know better.
End of TH trip.
Pattaya Experience Continued
Third and final day in Pattaya was full of activities. We had breakfast at the beach, bought some food at a 7-Eleven store and a noodle from a street vendor. As usual, the noodle was prepared with the vendor’s bare hands.
At around 8:30am, a taxi service arrived and took us to Nong Nooch Village. We watched some Thai cultural and elephant shows which both were entertaining. Only, it was surprising that their cultural show involves the Philippine’s national dance, Tinikling. I am not sure what they call it, but it sure did look like our folk dance Tinikling. It was just sad that Thailand does better in tourism than the Philippines; and with this kind of show, people would assume it’s of Thai origin, not the Philippines.
Sayaw ng Maglalatik was also part of their show. I am not sure if it’s of Philippine origin, too, but I just felt like it was also our own. See, I had always been part of my school’s cultural shows since elementary and Sayaw ng Maglalatik was one of the dances we get to perform. Watching these Philippine folk dances performed by a different nation on their own land, it just felt like taking away a part of our identity. 
So anyway, after the shows, we took the elephant tour which costs THD 800 per person for 30 minutes. It was a fun experience and we got to tour a little of the village. The master of the elephant offered to take some photos of us. Later, he had asked for his tip for taking those photos. We really planned to give him some tip, we’re just surprised he had asked for it first. 
After our Nong Nooch experience, we headed back to the hotel and had our lunch at a local shop called Choke-D. Once again, we ordered the Phad Thai – only this time, it was really good, not to mention cheaper.
We decided to head to the beach since the weather was better – it was already sunny. However, there were still strong waves and the beach was not so clean. We did not really get to swim. We rented a Jet Ski instead which was also quite cheaper compared to the Philippines. The initial price was THB 800 but we managed to bargain it down to THB 600 for a 30-minute ride. After the Jet Ski experience, we continued our swimming at the hotel’s pool. Then we prepared for the night’s activity.
We did not really plan to watch a cabaret show. It was our taxi driver earlier at the Nong Nooch Village who had recommended it. She had arranged the tickets and had picked us up at the hotel that evening. She was a really nice lady.
She had recommended for us to watch at Tiffany’s since it’s the oldest and most original of all. Performers were mostly gay – or all gay, I was not certain. But they sure looked like girls - with boobies and hourly figures.
The show costs THB 800 for each person. It’s a VIP seat and the show lasted for an hour and a half. It was an entertaining show, I must say – reminded me of the movie Moulin Rouge. The performers lip synch the songs matched with some dance numbers. Costumes and stage were both extravagant. There were lights all over, movements everywhere and colors were all vibrant. As for the performance itself, call me bias but Filipino gays are much better performers. 
After the show, our taxi driver dropped us off to the Royal Garden Plaza. We had our dinner at The Pizza Company where we met an Australian stranger who was also a tourist. Our tables were close to each other and our orders got mixed up so that started the conversation. He had been staying in Pattaya for a month already. He mentioned our orders got mixed up since Thais are not as good in English as Filipinos do. He had been to the Philippines long time ago. Too bad we did not get the chance to exchange contacts or take photos with one another.
That was the end of our Pattaya spree. Next stop, Bangkok!
The Proposal
Earlier in the afternoon of August 8, 2008, my honey was asking me where I wanted to have our dinner date. He said it’s better for us to know early so we can just go directly in the evening and not waste time. I suggested we go somewhere close, inside the Jomtien area. We then decided to go to the Palm Terrace, a restaurant just in front of the Jomtien Palm Beach Resort where we had our spa and bowling game earlier.
We arrived at around 10pm with our rented scooter. Some people were looking at us as we were dressed formally – my honey having his tie and me wearing a nice dress. When we got to the place, we ordered some food and I immediately got occupied taking photos. The place was nice. It was an outdoor restaurant and we had candlelight dinner. Just across the street, the beach was overlooking. The place was really romantic. It was perfect.
When they served the food, I was busy viewing the photos I took out of my camera. I did not realize right away that the last meal served in front of me was a plate of an engagement ring! When I did notice, my honey took the ring and said his speech. I was really caught off guard, I was shocked. I did not hear a word he was saying, it was like everything was on mute. The only words that really struck me was the last line “…will you marry me?” Perhaps it was the line I was waiting for as it was my cue for saying my part. Still, I was in complete shock. I got nervous and did not respond right away. When I came back to my senses, I said “Yes! Of course I will!” with “Yes” in a different tone, my honey implied. It was so obvious I was nervous. He was teary eyed and I was still in shock. When the proposal was finished, I asked him to repeat what he said earlier since I had not heard any of it except for the last line. It was so funny and embarrassing. 
He later revealed that he wanted to know where I wanted to eat for dinner so he can arrange everything. The original plan was to stuff the ring inside a cake, but there was no enough time. The proposal was a cliché, the ones you usually watch in movies. But it felt so special when you experience it personally. I cannot believe it. He had chosen the perfect place and the perfect moment. He made 08-08-08 an unforgettable date, indeed! I earned myself a fiancé and I fell in love all over again.
The Pattaya Experience
The weather was not so good on our first two days in Pattaya. It was windy and cloudy, occasionally having light rain showers. We decided to stay at the Jomtien Beach as we learned it’s a less busy area in Pattaya.
We booked a room at the RS Seaside hotel which costs THB 2,850 for 3 nights accommodation excluding breakfast. The room was spacious with its own small kitchen area. It has a nice porch with a view of the hotel’s pool. Few things lacking, however, were the clock and additional bin. For such a spacious room, there was only one bin at the bathroom. In the beginning, we also experience quite a difficulty with the time as there were no clocks around. We had to constantly remind ourselves that we came from a place which is an hour advance. Nevertheless, for a cheap accommodation, it was good enough. Beach was just across the road but waves were a bit strong due to bad weather conditions.
As soon as we arrived, we unpacked our things and wasted no time. It was around 7pm and we immediately scouted for a place to eat. Just outside the hotel, we found a street vendor and we bought some fish ball, chicken ball and BBQ squid. What surprised us was the fact that they are using their bare hands to prepare the food. We were trying to control not to laugh since it might offend the vendor. Nevertheless, the food was great and sauce was also nice.
Later, we found a nice restaurant called the Nusa Playa. We ordered the famous Phad Thai and some other local dishes. Their version was quite salty though. The other dishes were too spicy but we still managed to finish all. 
After eating, we walked around the area and passed by a scooter renting shop. We inquired out of curiosity, without the real intention of renting one. Scooters can be rented for 24 hours at THB 200. For tourists like us, all they need is a passport copy and show the driver’s license. As soon as we learned how cheap and easy it is, we hurriedly rented one. And off we went exploring the streets of Pattaya.
Day 2 was a special day for my honey and I. It was August 8, 2008 and we wanted the whole day to be nothing but a pampering and relaxing experience. In the evening, we wanted to have a romantic dinner date.
We started the day with a breakfast at the Natural Park Resort. We went to this place because we saw from the outside that the dining area looks very local and relaxing with cushion seats on the floor. It was still windy but in a good sort of way. The place was overlooking the beach but food was not so good. The service was a bit slow, too, and my coffee was served cold! Still, it wasn’t that bad of an experience as the ambiance was nice and crew was friendly. Although they cannot speak good English, they still try to communicate. Unlike some other country I know.
So after breakfast, we did some shopping at the Outlet Mall. Since it’s an outlet store, you can imagine how cheap the stuffs are – only we don’t have much time as we have some other plans.
We were trying to find a good spa resort but we kind of got lost somewhere in the south of Pattaya. We reached a place called the Walking Street, where I was reminded of my hometown Olongapo when the US military base was still there. Olongapo, however, was a much much lighter version of the Walking Street. I honestly felt a bit scared passing by this area. The vibe was just so… worldly. And I felt like I was really out of my comfort zone.
Since we spent too much time getting lost, we decided to head back to Jomtien area and take the spa treatment from there. We headed straight to Jomtien Palm Beach Resort and took the Body Health Program, a 90-minute treatment for THB 2,000, which included:
- Drink Herbal Tea
- Foot Herbal
- Form Bath Cleansing
- Steam Room
- Jacuzzi
- Aroma Therapy
- Eat Fruit
- Drink Herbal Tea (again)
It was my first spa experience and it was such a good way of relaxing. An hour and a half felt too short though. Afterwards, we played bowling as the resort also has a facility. Games cost THB 90 per set, shoe renting for THB 30 and socks for THB 10. Then, we headed back to our hotel and prepared for our big date.
djong here. thanks for stopping by i gotta go! and happy anniversary! enjoy your bangkok trip!