Hotspring Getaway

During my last weekend in Phuket, me and 2 of my friends decided to go out of Phuket to have some relaxing time. Just a short drive out of Phuket is the town of Phangnga and this time we chose to do some R&R at the Hotspring Beach Resort and Spa.

We were after the 1 day pass only for this trip. At the counter, information regarding this is detailed and we had to pay 400 THB per person. This includes access to swimming pool, hotspring and icy pool, 1 drink, use of locker and towel.

After paying the above and 100 for towel deposit, we then went into the locker room to change. It has an exit directly to the pool areas and we then chose our seats. 

We positioned ourselves in the Hotspring Pool first.

My friend, Tanya, says that after 10 minutes in the hotspring pool, it is recommended to dip immediately to the icy pool. It is said that this is good for body circulation. This is the icy pool enclosed in a building and is very much cold. 

We also wandered thru the usual swimming pools. 

Tired of pools, we ventured out of the place and went to the nearby beach. The resort has a cute walkway towards their restaurant named Sala Thai. This is also the path towards the beach.

Further on, there is another wooden bridge which is a part of the restaurant that allows people to go to the beach side.

It was like a virgin beach to me. The sand is white though they are not as fine as the sands in Patong, Phuket but the peacefulness and serenity of the place is a big bonus. 

It was indeed a great afternoon and one of the best quick trips in my book! Thank you for reading and 'til next time!

Phuket - never try, never know

I know I blogged about the places that I've been to but I have not blogged about Phuket - where I have resided for 3 years. My life was pretty boring here. My schedule was quite uneventful. I work for 9 hours a day, went to the grocery to get some needs, eat somewhere and come home. Repeat this for 5 days a week. I am not complaining. In fact, this is what I like and gotten used to. My work has blessed me with enough annual leave to travel and so I had time to explore. But this blog is not about my routine life. I want to talk about how lovely Phuket is and how it has captured the hearts of foreigners who come here to have a holiday or those who stay for work. In one of my tour guiding role with some visiting friends, I saw the sign: Phuket - Never Try, Never Know. Yes, I agree. Let me enumerate some of the places to visit in Thailand's largest island. 

1. Beaches

Patong Beach

This is most probably the first reason holiday goers are here in Phuket. And why? Because of the pristine beach and fine white sand that the island has been bestowed. I still remember the first time I saw Patong Beach, my jaw dropped because of its beauty. Beach lovers would surely not get enough of it.

Kata Beach

2. Island Tours

Phi Phi Island Tour

Numerous companies allow tourists to book for day trips in the many islands near Phuket. These options are online and there are also a lot of booths town or in Patong. Even hotels can help make a booking. Definitely worth having as there are a lot to choose from.

Similan Island Tour

James Bond Island Tour

3. Viewpoints

Karon View Point

These are sites usually in elevated parts of Phuket to see from the bird's eye view. Aside from seeing a lot of places from afar, it is also very cooling and lovely.

Rawai Viewpoint

Promthep Cape

Big Buddha

4. Dining Options

A restaurant in Chalong

There are a lot of dining options in Phuket nowadays. From Thai food to Japanese to western food. You name it, I'm sure you will find it. It is lovely to dine in places where there are nice views such as my favorite restaurant in Rang Hill. 

Tunk-ka at Night

4.Night Markets

Best to hunt for souvenirs or outfits. The first market I knew was in Naka (near Phuket town). For me it was big and like a maze but definitely way smaller than Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. I can easily spend 2 hours just by walking around and seeing different clothes, food and souvenirs here. I feel that the most interesting stall here is the one selling  cooked insects. Exotic food at its finest!

5. Pagodas

What is a trip to Thailand without seeing its majestic temples and Pagodas? I'd say it would be incomplete. There are a number of temples around Phuket but I think the biggest cluster is in Chalong. Interesting place to see how Thais pay respect to their monks and their beliefs.

6. Other Activities

If unfortunately there is rain on your holiday, don't fret! There are still things to do in Phuket and I have enumerated them here

Come and give Phuket a try! You'll never know you'll have so much fun here!

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)

3 Places not to miss near Bangkok

I love Bangkok but it is also worth it to discover what's outside of this big bustling city. I'm happy to have the opportunity to travel and would like to give suggestions to future travelers that there are also nice places outside of Bangkok. I know there are a lot but here are 3 of  which I went to: 

1. Ayutthaya

The full name of the place is Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. It is 85 km north of Bangkok. Accessible by minibus and trains, this is popular for daytrips from Bangkok. As an avid fan of UNESCO world heritage sites, I kept this on my bucketlist and fulfilled it. My story here.

2. Hua Hin

About 199km southwest of Bangkok is the lovely Hua Hin. It is a beach resort town popular for Bangkok residents to have a getaway to. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the name means "Stone Head" after the rocks at the north end of the powdery sand beach. Me and 4 of my friends went there for a 2 day getaway and I've detailed the story here.

3. Pattaya

Another resort city but this time located 100 kilometers south east of Bangkok is Pattaya. It is a major tourist destination in Thailand where there are a lot of entertainment and activities. Me and my friend went for a short trip and you can see it here.

I wanted to visit another place called Kanchanaburi but maybe during the next time I come to Thailand. I hope this inspires you to visit these places soon! Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)

8 things to do in Phuket on a rainy day

For most people, going to Phuket means going to the beach. But what if due to the unpredictable weather, this activity is not possible? Well, there are still quite a lot of things to do in Phuket on a not so sunny day and some of these I have tried out myself. I know there are a lot but here is my list: 

1. Dine Out

This is the first on my list. Of course when travelling, it is not only about the beautiful sights and sounds of the place but also how it can please our palates. This is best because you are in Thailand and who does not love Thai food? It is better to go out and choose a restaurant of your liking and taste the dishes that are offered. One of my favorite restaurant is Tunk-ka Cafe which I wrote about here.

I even brought my mother and sister to this place to enjoy the food and ambiance. 

There are numerous places for dining in Phuket as well as other cuisines like Japanese and Vietnamese. Doing research on where to go and what to eat will definitely pay off. 

2. Shop

image taken from asiawebdirect.com

If its cloudy outside,it may be best to spend time on shopping. Stores and malls are all over Phuket and offers a wide variety of products such as dresses, souvenir shirts, keychains and whatnots. Great gift ideas too for loved ones who are back at home. 

3. Watch a movie

It was cloudy and we were afraid to be wet and sick so my sister and I decided to try out the cinema in Jungceylon Mall in Patong, Phuket. Here she is ready with her snacks. One tip for cinema goers in Thailand, you have to bring a jacket with you or you'll freeze inside. 

4. Strike a pose at the Upside Down House

It was actually my second visit to the upside down house and I still had fun this time with family. Striking a pose can be enjoyable especially when the staff helps out and takes your photo. You can read my about my first experience at this post.

5. Pose a lot more at Phuket Trick Eye Museum

Can't get enough of poses and photos? Try out the Trick Eye Museum located in Phuket Town. Funny and challenging positions ensuring memorable photos. How me and my friends had fun can be browsed here.

6. Attend a Cooking Class

Eating is good but I think learning and experiencing how to cook the dish is better. I tried this out in Bangkok but there is also a class being offered in Phuket. It is quite expensive but I am sure that it will not only fill the stomach but enhance the experience of eating Thai food. My cooking class adventure can be accessed here.

7.Karaoke

I remember we used to go out and celebrate birthdays in Karaoke bars. Its a fun time for us Filipinos to sing and a lot of these kind of places are already in Phuket. Go ahead and sing your heart out. It does not matter if you don't have a nice voice. What's important is your having fun!

8. Watch a local show like Siam Niramit

A showcase of Thailand's history and ancient heritage is a good idea to attend to. I was especially amazed at how the performers delivered the show. I thought it would be a boring one but the 1 hour seemed to run fast. My story here.

Phuket is great during sunny or cloudy weather and there are amazing options to choose from. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Duterte vs Catholic Priests in the Philippines

image taken from 4.bp.blogspot.com

I truly agree that President Duterte is committed to the country and he shows this with his war on drugs. Citizens, including me, did not know the severity of this problem until he sat in the office and started reading out his list of narco-politicians. If not with him, the Filipino people would never have known that illegal drugs can freely be taken into prisons and even worse are being cooked and distributed inside. The drug lords who are supposed to be suffering for their sins inside the prisons used these places to hide what their doing, one even had the audacity to have a concert held in a hotel while being an inmate. What other country can have this? OMG Only in the Philippines!

What I truly cannot fathom is the seemingly uncooperation of the Catholic Church. I do agree that killing people is not a sin but not when these drug addicts are also killing innocent people and worse bring people to addiction as well. Instead of helping out our Dear President or even suggesting ways in order to eliminate drugs in the county, I think they are making it worse. These drug problem has been tolerated for too long and previous administrations were not strong enough to stand up and stop it from proliferating further. The President even said to his detractors in jest that if they think that giving these drug addicts a chance to change then they must be the first to do "Adopt an Addict" program. Yes, people can change and I truly believe people can. But how can they change if there is no iron fist that should and could push them to do so? If we always tolerate them and not punishing them, how can they learn their lesson?

This brings me to a realization that tough love is important, to family, friends or even country men. I remember when I was a child, my father even let me kneel down on beans which hurt my knees a lot. For me it was not child abuse but a way of my parent to instill to me that what I did is wrong and doing the same action can give me the same or worst punishment. But persons who are drug addicts or pushers are not simply frightened by simply kneeling down, heck even putting them in prison is not scary for them as they can still continue their business.

President Duterte hits back at these priests whom he says does not seem to grasp the gravity of the drug problem. He further slammed them about their hypocrisy and said that he knows a priest who even has 2 wives. The priest bites and says if the President can prove this correct then he will give him 10 Million Pesos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net). Father, I did not know that you were rich to amass this money? Amazing. If you had this amount, would it be best to help build rehabilitation centers and participate in programs to help these addicts if you are really afraid that they will die?

Now, stories of Catholic Priests who sired children, squandered offering money, having sexual relationships with parishioners, and more are surfacing the internet. Of course, these are not all of the Priests and I believe there are good ones. But this points out that they are not perfect and as human beings it would have been better for them to help the government rather than oppose it. Because, helping the leaders would mean a better and safer community to all and not a divided one because of selfish interests.