The new campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT) became viral since it’s launch last January 10. Despite some criticism, majority embraced the slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines!” as a positive strategy to a more exciting tourism industry this year.

Weekend Haven is more than happy to participate and show some love to pay homage to why we itch on exploring the Philippines and it’s 7,107 beautiful islands.

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Let’s keep our wanderlust on fire and discover more of the Philippines this dragon year, shall we?

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To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.

~ Bill Bryson

A visit to Thailand  isn’t complete without a trip to  a floating market. Escape to an exciting showcase of local custom,  rustic atmosphere and colorful ambiance.

Thailand’s most famous floating market is the vibrant Bangkok Floating Market or  Damnoen Saduak located in Ratchaburi Province. It’s around 105 kilometers away from the bustling city. Despite it’s distance, tourists and vendors alike flock the massive market catering everything from exotic food to fresh fruits to great bargains.

Thailand’s exotic food or not. I dare not to get near this stall.

We only have half a day to spare and the travel time to Damnoen Saduak will take away long hours of our time. Pursuing travel means we have to take a package tour, else burden ourselves and get lost with the blurry sketches on going there.   So, we checked out a nearby alternative that’s easier to navigate. You know we always do an off the beaten path exploration and itching DIO (do-it-ourselves) rather than taking a package tour.

Amphawa Floating Market it is!

After our early shopping at Platinum Mall and Pratunam Area, we checked out from Old Charm House by lunch time. Our host offered to keep our luggages until our flight that evening. We then hurried to catch the skytrain to  Victory Monument.

How to get there:

1. Ride the skytrain and get off at Victory Monument.

2. Find the bus terminal and hop on to a van going to Amphawa. Fare is around 70 baht per pax. Make sure to *tell the driver or operator that you’re getting off at Amphawa Floating Market. Get an interpreter if you must. =P

3. Enjoy the scenic landscape or sleep for about 2 hours.

The hard rain made us worry if we’ll get there on time, we can only hope that it wouldn’t ruin our last minute tour. Travel time is around 2 hours. We got lost initially since our driver wasn’t aware that we are getting off at Amphawa Floating Market. We *missed our stop. Good thing  he arranged for our transfer at another van going  back to the same direction.

Getting lost is part of the fun. I know Iphone maps has made my life easier now, but I’ll still prefer to get lost and take all the adventure I can, most of the time. teehee!

Amphawa Floating Market is open on weekends from 12 noon onwards. Perfect for the late risers! Enjoy good food, local music and busy friendly atmosphere. There are also boat tours to nearby wats.

The canal is filled with small boats maneuvering for the best place to sell  goods. It’s totally chaotic, especially when you see how they fit a lot of stuff into such small space. Slightly larger boats carry passengers for a fee.

Too bad we can’t stay long enough, the least we could do is try native delicacies and sweets like this yummy ice kacang.

Needless to say, our short visit requires a comeback. I hope soon. We can probably try a cruise to the river. Or husband will volunteer to taste spiders. lol.

Going back, we were greeted with heavy traffic. We raced to get our luggages from our host and head straight to the airport for our midnight flight. A bit crazy sked but we made it!

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

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It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

~ Oriah, Mountain Dreamer

I wake up on our 2nd day not feeling well. This is probably the effect of basking out on a hot weather the day before and cooling down at the mall afterwards. Bed rest is so tempting yet I wouldn’t dare missed the fun, so I bid goodbye to our lovely sanctuary and hit the road.

The Grand Hall of Wat Maha That, Sukhothai

Our destination: Ancient City, the Gateway to Thailand’s Cultural Heritage  located just outside Bangkok, in the province of Samut Prakan. An off the beaten path must-see when you’re pressed for time to explore the whole of Thailand.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kuan-Yin) Performing a Miracle

How to get there? Easy. We hopped on a skytrain to On Nut Station and took a cab going to the Ancient City in less than an hour. Cost us around 150 baht for one-way taxi. There’s a cheaper option by bus though but it will cost us more time and we’ll probably get lost. haha.

Ancient City, also known as Muang Boran, is the largest outdoor museum in world. It takes you to the heritage of Thai wisdom and discover the arts, cultures, religions and customs of Thai people. It’s also an exceptional experience  to walk through a wide range of architectural symbols in fine Thai craftsmanship on a natural environment.

The Buddha Image of Dvaravati Period

Admission rate is 350 baht per person for foreigner. A map is provided which is really helpful if you are not hiring a guide.

Bicycles are free to use and a tram for big group can be rented for a fee. We prefer to use the Golf cart though. Yey! Golf cart for 2 is up for rent for 100 baht per hour. We planned to cover the whole place in  about 3 hours on quick view, not going down on each and every architecture.

Pavilion of the Enlightened

The 320 acre outdoor museum is an architectural reflection of Thailand’s magnificent past. On the area as large as 600 rais, both the copies and the artifacts of the archaic sites and relics of historically and culturally national importance are laid out in the fittingly relevant pattern and environment. More than that, the visitors can deeply absorb the great diversity of architecture, arts and religions, not to mention ways of living.

that’s me on the go for most of the tour

Hence, the Ancient City can’t be included with the replicas or miniature cities, but it is by its own virtue the reflection of the old-day cities, bringing the Thai back to touch and feel the ancient Siam Kingdom.

To freshen up, we decided to have lunch in one of the restaurants at the floating market.

Overall, we enjoyed our short tour. This is such a wonderful place to learn heaps about Thailand in just a span of four hours without being trapped with loads of tourists. Too bad we can’t stay long enough for sunset, shopping is way too hard to resist. haha.

See our Thailand itinerary here.

Sometimes backpacking and going on cheap vacation deals can be exhausting. Most often than not, a day in the life of a backpacker involves sharing bathroom with molds and defunct shower and sleeping on budget hostels with bedbugs and stinking smell. Yes, the worst part we can have over a great getaway.

We can’t get enough of cheap air tickets but arriving to a no frills accommodation can be a little daunting especially if you’ll be spending a lot of time lounging at your hotel room.

We often dream of a luxury all inclusive holidays with bed and breakfast in a private villa, a stretch of white sand beach greeting the front porch and the best of world-class facilities. Winter is just around the corner and that can only mean one thing, it’s time to plan for Summer. Don’t you love hunting for bargain thrills this early? I know, I do.

Some of my top holiday destination includes Bali, Maldives, Australia and the Caribbean. A perfect descending sun along the turquoise coast and tequila on hand, ahhh… Life is a beach.

I would happily trade my boring weekend to a leisure Cheap Holidays in Spain cruising while having the ultimate R&R feast. I can’t resist the temptation of a cool and down-right luxury paradise with clean linens, spotless en suite bath, Jacuzzi and infinity pool right on the front step.

Who’s coming?

A nomad I will remain for life,
in love with distant and uncharted places.

~ Isabelle Eberhardt

After a hot midday tour at the Grand Palace, we moved on to few more temples. There are a lot of Wats nearby, and visiting all of them can be pretty mind blowing.

Outside the Grand Palace, we asked the security personnel on directions to Wat Pho. Sadly he can’t speak english so he called up this guy from the corner which in turn tricked us to a tuktuk ride. The ride was certainly cheap which will take us to the nearby temples and later on  to Wat Pho. He told us about a current national event held in Wat Pho so its best to go there in the afternoon when it’s less crowded.

Shortly after boarding the tuktuk, I realized that we were off to a scam deal. There has been a lot of writings about the tuktuk ride so I felt hesitant to continue since we were on a very tight schedule and we can’t tolerate and buy time to make a stop to a jewelry shop, a tailoring shop or any exorbitant souvenir shop, that aren’t part of our itinerary.

I immediately told the driver to just drop us to the first temple and then were off to Wat Pho. Oooops, too late.

He refused and beg us to just explore the jewelry shop so  he’ll get a  gas refund ticket. We felt sorry for him so we’ve been nice but it got really annoying when he dropped us to 2 more shops for his gas tickets and asked us to stay for about 10 minutes on each. That killed 2 hours of our precious time?@#$!!

Finally reached Wat Pho, one of the largest and oldest Wat in Bangkok. It is the house of a 46 meters long and 15 meters high gold plated reclining Buddha. The feet and eyes are engraved with mother of pearl and illustrates the passing of Buddha into Nirvana.

The Wat Pho complex consists of two walled compounds. It houses more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most from the ruins of the former capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.

We did a quick round and headed out. Since we swear off to use tuktuk for the rest of our Thailand journey, the mister and I decided to wander by foot and find our way to the Giant Swing in front of Wat Suthat. The 88 feet tall giant swing was formerly used for the swing ceremony, one of the 12 royal ceremonies during King Rama I regime. The ceremony was discontinued after several participants fell to their death. Today,  it is one of the famous tourist attraction in Bangkok.

Further ahead, we saw the Democracy Monument at the center of Bangkok. It was built in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup d’etat. It led to the end of a 150-year old absolute monarchy and Thailand’s constitutional government was born.

Of course we can’t missed Thailand’s Khao San Road, the backpackers and budget travelers haven where the cheapest accommodations and best travel deals are within reach. This is yet the most lively part of Bangkok where you can find everything, from places to stay, variety of dining options and souvenir shops, open 24 hours.

Soi Rambuttri is a bit laid back than Khao San Road but hosts a number of budget options as well.

We sampled the most popular thai dish, pad thai from one of the street stalls. A stir-fried noodles that tasted heavenly!

On to our next destination, Mahakan Fort, one of the two remaining fortresses in Bangkok. It is built to protect the eastern entry point to the island. Behind the fort is a recently converted small park where we rested and killed time for sunset.

A refreshing sight awaits us at the resting area overlooking the river and Rama VIII Bridge.

Just a few steps away is the terminal where we boarded Chao Phraya Express Boat back to the Central Station. We were supposed to wait for night time to catch Wat Arun lightings but we only  have 30 minutes left before the last trip and it’s not even close on getting dark.

Wat Arun or “Temple of the Dawn” is best viewed during sunset and evening where it makes an impressive silhouette against the skyline. Perhaps the most striking riverside landmark in Thailand.

Since we were out the whole day and we wanted some cold treats, we went mall hopping during the night. We window shopped at Siam Paragon and MBK. I’m quite disappointed since I can  buy the same items back home (particularly in Divisoria and Tutuban) at fairly cheaper price.

We discovered something though, street stalls offer better deals, for the same item.

And what better way to cap of the day than a sweet ice cold treats from  Swensen’s!

For him, strawberry stripes and for me, butterscotch brownie  sundae. It’s high time to indulge and were lost for words. Mmmmm.

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.

~Kahlil Gibran

Days before our trip to Thailand, I plotted our first day to be a walking tour around Bangkok. We are eager to do-it-ourselves rather than join the many travel tours offered around town. This saves us with more shopping money and quality time.

Disclaimer: If you are up with this challenge and wanted to follow our itinerary, you’d better be fit and able to go distance at an unbearable heat. You should be ready to get lost and still have a good time.

Our Thailand itinerary will get  you started with the information needed such as commuters guide, landmarks, fees, timings, and the like. Thank God, google is just a click away and fellow bloggers like Gael did a wonderful account on her previous Bangkok walking tour as well.

First Day in Bangkok

BTS Skytrain Ratchatewi station is  a good 5 minutes walk from our accommodation. We bought our BTS Skypass Smartpass since we will be using the skytrain on most of our trip. At 8:30 AM we found ourselves heading to Saphan Taksin station.

At Saphan Taksin Station, we walked towards the Central Pier to catch the Orange flag express boats. Flat Fare is 15 baht. We didn’t wait long, and a passenger boat appeared shortly. When everyone is aboard, it left at once. We sailed away through Chao Phraya River. Our eyes were treated with floating restaurants, private boats, temples and architectures. We were impressed by how convenient and effective this mode of transport for tourists and locals alike, a far cry from being stuck on road traffic.

From Pier 1 we went down to Pier 9, The Chang. This is the gateway to the Grand Palace. Off the pier, we entered a market, since we were already starving, we didn’t hesitate to try out our first thai food for breakfast. I ordered fried rice with vegetables and chicken while the mister tried out some local soup. We  enjoyed our meals that we were both sweating like pigs when the day has  just started.

At the end of the market we turned right, walk along the sidewalk, Amulet Market, I reckon and got lost. We found out later that we should have crossed the street from the market  and walk straight until we find the entrance to the Grand Palace. We lost about  30 minutes and shed a few calories from our first boo-boo.

Finally found the entrance, with a lot of early visitors touring as well. We can’t deny that this is the most famous landmark in Thailand, and a visit for a first-timer is a must.

The fee is 350 baht which is inclusive of:

• The Entrance ticket to the Grand Palace and the Temple of Emerald Buddha
• The Entrance ticket to Vimanmek Mansion Museum, Support Museum Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, Sanam Chandra Palace
• The Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins

We only used the first ticket as we weren’t really eager to see the other 2 places.

The Mythological Giant Temple Guard

Temple Dress Code:

All Buddhist temples in Thailand have very strict dress codes. Be sure to dress up properly to avoid inconvenience. Men should wear long pants, shorts are not allowed. Women should either wear pants or a long skirt. Mini-skirts, sleeveless blouse and see-through dress are not allowed. Shoulders should not be exposed. There are shawls available for loan at the entrance.

Leather sandals are preferred more than shoes since it is highly observed to take them off when entering a sacred temple. Flip flops are not allowed too. Buddhist temples are extremely sacred places, for visitors it may only be a tourist spot but for the locals it is a place of worship.

Phra Si Rattana Chedi – Grand-Palace

The Grand Palace is a magnificent complex of buildings in Bangkok, Thailand. It served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. King Rama I eventually ordered the building of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; as the Monarch’s personal place of worship and royal temple.

Hands down to the craftsmanship of Thai people.  Their creativity prevailed in each and every temple around Grand Palace. The intricate details, from carvings to paintings were excellently done from wall to wall.

European Style Grand Palace Hall

Is it true that too much of temples make you sick? Having been to Indonesian temples just last month, I still had a vague memory of their amazing sculptures. To quote our new Thai friend , “What is a wat? They all look the same.” Having seen a few, my mind can only take as much of  the strange sculptures and bright colors. And too much gold.

We spent 2 hours wandering around Grand Palace. My headache is building up so we didn’t finish checking out the inside of each temple. We still had a few places on our list and we’re running out of time.

We got screwed up by riding the Tuktuk. More on our next Thailand post.

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Alice came to a fork in the road. “Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Did I mention we are crazy over Cebu Pacific’s seat sale?

November 2009 was an ordinary month until the Zero fare came out.  Everyone went mad, and booked tickets around Asia, even if the travel date entails almost 10 months of waiting. Everyone including us.

We got our tickets from Clark to Bangkok for only P544 for 4 persons. Wooah, not kidding. It’s the cheapest airfare ever next to our Indonesia flight. We scored Bangkok to Manila tickets at P803.00 per person. Not bad either. I wonder when can I chanced upon sale tickets to Paris, Greece, New Zealand, and the like?

Call me Alice and I am in Wonderland. Sa-wat-dee.

Fast forward to August 2010, 9 months later.We were supposed to go on a foursome adventure. Yay, did that sound so unwholesome? But our couple friend had to back out for family matters. So it’s just Mr. and Mrs. HavenHunter and our Thai Adventure ahead.

With our last minute changes in Backpacking Bangkok itinerary, booking our accommodations and researching the best budget friendly routes to our destinations during the next 3 days, I was surprised I still had an energy to burn on the next days.

We went aboard the Philtranco bus in Pasay bound to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark. It was the last trip for the day at 2:30 PM. It made a stop at the Megamall terminal to picked up more passengers. Aircon Bus Fare is P350.00.

We reached the Airport at 5 PM. We were kind of early for our 8:45 flight, but we do have a plan B, if we could only check in our luggage instantly and leave. Unfortunately the gate opens at 6 PM. We found ourselves killing some time by A. shoot aircrafts and CESSNA planes, B. doing my make-up, C. facebooking, D. Dinner at the Airport.

We paid the terminal fee at P600  each and travel tax at P1,620 each. Cebu Pacific flight was earlier than expected. I’m loving them more and more.

Three hours of smooth flight aboard the budget carrier. We landed safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok one hour before midnight. One thing we learned about this trip is to listen closely to the flight attendant when announcing which gate to exit for luggage retrieval, especially if the Airport is as huge as Hong Kong, Dubai and Bangkok.

Me and the Mister heard different thing so we were unsure which way to go. I urge him to go to Gate 14, after a quick sweep at the first gates, and finding out that our fellow passengers weren’t there. Oh dear, so jealous of those westerners who have really long legs that they were out of sight in an instant.

The encounter with the Immigration Officer was unusual. No questions asked. What a breeze.

Suvarnabhumi (pronounced “Su-Wana-Poom”) means “The Golden Land” is located  30 kilometers East of Bangkok at the Samut Prakan Province.

After retrieving our bags, we went one floor down to the taxi area. We made reservations at the Old Charm Guesthouse, a recommendation from Nina of Just Wandering. I have the address down in Thai, so I gave it to the lady and she explained it to our taxi driver. We paid 485 baht including the toll fees and airport fees + tip  for the metered taxi.

I’m dying to have these clays. I promise to take you home next time. Teehee.

We initially thought of staying around Khao San Road, known as backpackers area where cheap hotels, inns and hostels are located. But my inner thoughts get the better of me, that I sometime get sick of staying in worn out hostels.

I’m longing for a good, clean, comfortable and peaceful vacation home this time. Even if our itinerary will make it to the Amazing Race cut, I wanted to feel  some laid back moment after our a busy day out.

My kind of Morning in Bangkok

The Old Charm Hostel is located near Ratchatewi BTS Skytrain. It’s  very convenient, especially because we need the train to get around the city for the next 3 days.

Minnie welcomed us at her office. She’s lovely and accommodating and despite our late check in, she showed us around the hostel. Our room is the first one of the three rooms by-the- pond. It is air conditioned with glass doors fronting the lily pond. I am instantly smitten by the giant lily pads, errr… victoria lotus!

Our cozy room. We even have a breakfast nook.

The  restroom is common and that we share with the other guests.There is a bar on the same compound as the guesthouse. The Tree House bar is jam packed with hip young Thais every night. If you want to have a drink or two, there’s no need to go far.

On the Bedside: Bacardi Breezer in Strawberry we bought at 7-eleven store. IMY.

We can’t afford staying in a fancy hotel or a bed and breakfast Inns, if it weren’t off peak season. This is the closest we can get, since we were able to avail the August Promotion: Stay 1 Night, Get another 1 night for Free! and Booking with shock rates : 990 baht for by the pond room. Our total bill is just 2,190 baht for 3 nights! Ah, this really is a relaxing paradise amidst the bustling city of Bangkok.

This quaint hostel truly offers serenity. They have 2 Buddha suites with it’s own bathroom. A swing chair at the front porch is a great addition if one wants to spend an entire day to lounge.  There’s also a prayer room for Buddhist.

One thing we love about our accommodation is  it’s closeness to nature. The frogs croaking at night, the sounds of the crickets and the birds. We were more than happy that we are in the city yet it felt like we were hundred miles away, beyond the mountains, camping.

For our first night, we had mini sausage breads and giant yakults from 7-eleven.

**All photos were taken by Ferdinand Teves. Join us on facebook and get instant updates.

It’s our first time in Thailand, so we decided to dig deeper into it’s heritage and wander around the country’s capital, Bangkok.

We only have 3 days to indulge with Thai’s culture, food and adventure, although I must admit that the Land of Smiles is worth coming back again and again. I never really said goodbye, because my intuition tells me that I’m going to see it again soon.

So many temples to check out in one day, and then there’s shopping. I’ll go crazy on both.

Our beautiful accommodation is a secret hideaway from the bustling city of Bangkok. It’s just a walking distance away from BTS Skytrain and Pratunam Area. I can’t wait to go back.

After our Bromo Sunrise Tour, we returned to our hotel for a quick breakfast at half past 9 in the morning.

An hour later, we were ushered to the van that will take us to Surabaya. No one really mentioned that as we reached the town of Probolinggo, near the registration area, we have to switch vehicle. To our surprise, all those going to Surabaya will take the public Aircon bus. We left some fellow tourists waiting for their service to travel back to Yogyakarta or further to Ijen and Bali. We were with the other couple who is heading to Surabaya airport.

It was a dreaded 5 hours journey to Stasiun Pasar Turi (Pasar Turi Station) in Surabaya. Now, I know why they dubbed traffic in Indonesia a nightmare. It’s terribly bad.

From the Surabaya Bus station, we hailed a cab to take us to the train station.

Fortunately, one lady from the train station counter can speak english. We asked for Eksekutif train to Jakarta (Gambir Station) and she suggested Sembrani which leaves at 6:30 PM. Tickets are priced at IDR 310,000 each. Great, we still have two and a half hours to explore Surabaya and catch a late lunch.

We deposited our luggage at the store which offers safekeeping and walked outside the station to find a place to eat and when we got too tired, Mr. HavenHunter hailed an Angkot, a local minibus transport. We went down to the nearest mall with a supermarket and some fast food chains.

There aren’t any large malls nearby, so we decided to go back and kill time at the train station instead.

Night trains are a backpacker’s bestfriend. It’s a great way to save money for accommodation and pay for the cheap train fare instead. We get to lose no time and will be waking up to a different city. Not as comfortable as hotel bed though.

Sembrani is  a little worn out and for business class and executive class train, it’s not a posh one. I’m on the verge of exchanging our tickets to Argo Anggrek which I learned is a newer train. It will leave at 8:00 PM that night.

When traveling to Indonesia, forget about the time, because everything don’t normally come on time. Our supposedly 6:00 AM arrival at Jakarta’s Stasiun Gambir was late by two and a half hour.

Upon arrival, we freshened up and changed clothes at the restroom. I even heard splashing of water, so I’m guessing visitors can use the restroom to bathe.

We deposited our luggage for safekeeping as our prior decision to go explore Jakarta before our red eye flight to Manila.

Our first stop is the National Monument (MONAS tower) located at Merdeka (Freedom) Square park next to  Gambir station.  This 422 ft. tower symbolizes the fight for Indonesia’s independence.

There is a beautiful pond along the park that sits  beyond Indonesia’s national hero, Prince Deponegoro statue.

The Istiqlal Mosque can be seen from afar. It is the biggest moque in Southeast Asia where a Cathedral Church towers right in front of it.

We headed to Mangga Dua to check out the shopping scene. We first indulge ourselves with an appetizing lunch at A&W.

Mangga Dua is a cluster of large shopping center selling cheap finds from clothings to footwear, accessories, etc. at wholesale and retail prices. It’s like Divisoria’s 168 of Indonesia.

Our next stop is Jalan Surabaya to find some local handicrafts. I still find it a little pricey than Yogyakarta – Malioboro market. Too bad we missed out a good shopping at Yogyakarta. The whole stretch of Jalan Surabaya is a feast for antique collectors searching for  Wayang Golek (Javanese Puppets), Indonesian Traditional Batik and old handicrafts.

We also went to Pasaraya Grande Shopping Mall at Blok M to check out the Indonesian Antiques and handcrafted goods.

We decided to head back to Gambir Station and pick our things when Mr. HavenHunter find it difficult to maneuver his sprained feet. Just outside the train station are Damri bus going to Soekarno Hatta International Airport Terminal 2.

At the airport, I couldn’t resist spending my last Indonesian Rupiah with this Javanese Dolls, Rama and Shinta. I like Shinta’s dress much than Sita.

A few more Indonesian Batiks (sarong) for souvenirs too.

Mr. Haven Hunter checked the counter for lost baggage to claim the tripod we missed out during our arrival in Jakarta. He was taken to the warehouse, but after tedious search along with a lot of Cebu Pacific passengers claiming for lost items too, the tripod is nowhere to be found.

Our whole Indonesia backpacking took us into a roller coaster of culture, heritage and breathtaking nature.

We reached Manila at half past 5 in the morning.

See our full itinerary to Backpacking Indonesia here.