Tuesday, October 30, 2012

HALAL Chinese Food @ Tung Yuen Chinese Restaurant, Grand BlueWave Hotel Shah Alam

"Hey, wanna meet up for some Chinese Food?"
"Is it Halal?"
"Why, of course, if not why'd I ask you in the first place"
"Nay, I'll pass. Sorry."
" -----------"

I always face this kind of scenario when concerning most of my Muslim friends. It's either they'll always be in doubt of the halal authenticity of the food or just don't like Chinese food. Either way, it's really a great loss to them.

What's not to like about Chinese food? It's healthy and speaks volumes of oriental culture. (I'm putting "words" here that I myself not sure if it means well, haha!)

Well, fear no more, I'm glad that more Chinese food based restaurants are putting in effort to gain the Halal certificate. And mind you, that's not an easy task. Now, muslims everywhere can be rest assured that Tuen Yuen Chinese Restaurant inGrand Bluewave Hotel Shah Alam is Halal certified. Hurrayy!!! ^__^

Taking on the buffet theme, this restuarant is now offering the All You Can Eat "Claypot & Sizzling" buffet! This special offer is held throughout the month of October and November seven days a week during lunch and dinner which will spoil you with choices of claypot and sizzling dishes together with selections of dim sum, soups, noodles, rice, meat dishes and desserts.

The best thing is, ALL dishes are HALAL and cooked  (yes, cooked not heated!) upon order so all diners will get to enjoy fresh and steaming hot delicacies.


Chinese Cuisine Chef Patrick Ng has prepared us quite a wonderful dining experience with his seven recipes of claypots and seven different sizzling dishes.

All dishes are prepared by Chef Patrick Ng, who has more than 20 years of cooking experience.

Lo and behold, below are some close-ups of the dishes being presented that night.

Prepared with perfection!
Clockwise from upper left (big pictures) : Fish Soup with Pepper and Herbs, Stir Fried Chicken with Dried Chilli and Onion, Pan Fried Prawn with Glass Noodle and Roast Garlic in Claypot. and Pan Fried Lamb Chop with Coffee Sauce.

I've named 4 dishes of the 14 dishes available. If you're interested to know more, go on and head to Tung Yuen Chinese Restaurant yourself! You won't regret it!

This promotion is priced at RM55++ (adult) and RM27.50++ (Children from 4 to 11 years old), available from 11.30am until 2.30pm (lunch) and 6.oopm until 10.30pm (dinner), 7 days a week.

Address:
Tung Yuen Chinese Restaurant Level 1,
Grand BlueWave Hotel Shah Alam,
Persiaran Perbandaran,
Seksyen 14, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor

For inquiries and reservations, please call: 03-5511 8811 ext. 2616

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Climb - Poring Canopy Walkway @ Ranau, Sabah

It was quite a climb from the entrance to the actual canopy walkway. And I did it in my flippers. =)

Place : Poring Canopy Walkway (as the title implies) 
Opening Hours : 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 

Fee per Person : RM3.00 (local), RM5.00 (non-local) 
RM1.50 (below 18), RM2.50 (Below 18 non local) 

Camera or Hand-phone Camera : RM5.00 
Video : RM30.00 

Special Request out of Opening Hours 
Group of 1 -3 people : RM60.00 
Group of 4 people and above : RM40.00

I went for a Sabah trip with four of my friends last July and the full Itinerary can be read here. We rented a car to cut costs and going to Poring Hot Springs was in our itinerary. This is my first time going here with friends from West Malaysia. My last time here was with family. =)

Two of my friends and I decided to trek up the canopy walkway instead of bathing in hot water.
I didn't know what to expect. I was not wearing suitable hiking shoes and was clad only in cheap flippers, blouse and jeans. I also didn't bring sufficient water supply (big mistake!). All that went through my head was to check out the Canopy Walkway.

Truthfully, despite the numerous times I've been to the nearby hot springs, I have never tried the canopy walk in my whole life! And so, I was driven and determined to try it that day. Boy, did I not realize that the path upwards was no EASY TASK.  #drama
I thought we'll be met with the walkway in a few minutes. Instead we had to CLIMB our way up!
At first we were walking in a fast pace, eager to reach the walkway.

The next ten minutes, we slowed down. The path kept heading upwards and upper away.... to our utter dismay. LOL!

I had that feeling, doubting that this path would ever END!
Huff and puff, we pushed our way upwards. Sandals and flippers and all! With HANDBAGS to boot! Kakaka!

And we met a stroke of relieve! The walkway at last!!!  ~ Half an hour later! Haha!
The weird thing is, the lyrics of Hannah Montana's song "The Climb" kept rewinding in my head through out the whole way. Motivational much?

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

This was a scary moment, being hundred feet above ground level kinda spooked me a bit. Haha!
I'm amazed at how strong these "bridges between trees" are. *mari kita bergoyang...

Life's a climb but the view is great!
I did it!! Flippers and all. Hahaha!

The narrow board-way is what separates me from a great fall below.
The experience sure was WORTH IT! Though next time I should really come prepared with enough water and breathable clothes. I was practically sweating like a pig once we reached the entrance.

I did it! They (kak Masy and kak Zonaku) did it!
We thought there was time to JUMP into a tub of natural hot water but our other two friends were already waiting near the car. HUH! I wonder how long it took us from the entrance to the canopy walk and then back?

I'll surely do this again but perhaps a different Canopy Walk? Danum Valley maybe. =)
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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Patpong, Fruit Market and a Very Generous Man - Part 4

Continuing my travelogue on my night at Bangkok during the holy month of Ramadhan. (Yes, I'm late in updating. hehe) It started with my Bangkok friend picking us up from New Siam Hotel at Khaosan Road and he brought us on a lovely night tour of Thailand.

By the way, Pipi is a broadcast engineer working for a local TV Station called "Thai PBS". He's happily married with a small son. ^__^

So after dinner, where else did Pipi bring us to? Next stop is the hub of prostitution, Patpong.

1. Patpong

The place seemed innocent at first with rows and rows of stalls selling fake branded bags and accessories. A normal night market to unknowing eyes.

The innocent looking night market.
And then Pipi brought us walking into dark alleys where the true colors of Patpong started to shine through.

Seen here is Rayyan being approached by man who is selling seats to a tiger show. Lol.
Once we entered this place, guys in t-shirts and jeans started approaching us and showing a list of shows and prices presumably tiger shows or anything in that manner. I basically giggled when they approached me and told them to ask Rayyan as he might be interested. He he he he. *nakal

Oh ya, my first dildo sighting was at this night market. errrkkk! It's being sold in the open. Haishh..

Strip clubs and anything fetish.
I wasn't able to catch much pictures as we were struggling to keep up with Pipi's stride. He was walking so fast through these alleys as if he was eager to get out of it. Hehe. I blame myself for putting him in this position. I was one curious cat. =p

Once we were out from harm's way, I was forced to eat fried grasshopper as a punishment. Arghh!

I almost puked after having my first fried grasshopper. Erghhh...
Can you guys stomach this little creature? Can you???

Next stop is the fruit market!!

2. Fruit market

Pipi says that the fruit market opens 24 hours a day, EVERYDAY! We started to scream durian while we were at a junction and Pipi asked us if wanted to eat some. We immediately screamed YES! (He treated us like small kids. haha!) And so he stopped his car and we scrambled out to venture into the fruit market.

Carmen and Rayyan at the fruit market.
We stopped at the durian stall and Pipi chose the durian for us. Boy were we excited! haha!

40 Baht per kilogram. It was one humongous durian!
After finishing one durian, Pipi asked if we wanted more. Oh my gawdd! I think one is enough already! He's so generous! The durian tasted the same as the ones in Malaysia and we went back to the hotel with our tummies full and breath smelling of durian!

The thing I admire about Pipi is that he's a perfect example of what a gentleman should be. He fetched us at the hotel (even though he had to walk to get there since it's hard to get there by car), he didn't allow us to spend a single cent (everything was on him!!!) and he walked us back to the hotel. Straight to the lobby!

We had a wonderful night out with Pipi. He paid for everything we ate thus taught me that I, too should learn to be gracious just like him and treat all my country's foreign visitors with the same generosity.

The "baton of kindness" has been passed. Anyone coming to Kuala Lumpur, do find me. I'll be glad to show you around. No charges at all. ^___^

Ending the perfect night out in Bangkok with our picture eating durian. Hehe.

Bon appetite!
~the end.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

In Love with a Bangkok Guy - Part 3

After we went to meet some lady boys at Wat Benchamabophit and Pipi did his prayers to Buddha, we then headed to a lovely restaurant called In Love. I hope I didn't mislead you with the blogpost's title. Hehe.

The lavishly decorated seafood restaurant called In Love is situated strategically facing the Chao Phraya river with a stunning view of the Rama VIII bridge, lighted up and all.

The interior of In Love Bar and Restaurant at Bangkok, Thailand.
We entered through a canopy of tropical plants into the restaurant interior, which has both indoor and patio dining. Went to the second floor as the weather was wonderful and sat down. I've repeatedly reminded Pipi that I only ate Halal food and he said that this place is a Seafood restaurant and so I agreed for him to take us here. It was thoughtful of Pipi to consider our fasting situation and brought us to eat only during the night. ^___^

The view from our table, the spectacular Rama VIII bridge!
It was a very romantic setting and I was glad I wasn't alone with Pipi. That would've been awkward. Haha. LIVE music was being played and we made our orders. All seafood-based of course.

Thailand cuisine at it's best!
Sometimes food can be paled to comparison with the restaurant's rich atmosphere. But this is not the case with In Love. I can bravely say that the food was MARVELOUS!

The service was prompt and polite, abet the language barrier but having Pipi there made it all a lot easier. And we basically licked our plates with delight. (Exaggerated much?) Most importantly, the company was great!

Rayyan, Carmen and Pipi enjoying our dinner at In Love Restaurant and Bar.
If you guys are interested to go here, you could check the link here.  I can't comment on the price though as it was fully paid for. Hehehe...

Next stop...

........ PATPONG!! (After much persuading from my part! huh!) 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Lady Boys at Wat Benchamabophit, Bangkok - Part 2

I've heard from my guy friends of the place called Pat Pong situated in the heart of Bangkok. I always wondered why they keep mentioning this place. Little did I know then, that I'll soon find out. I'm continuing this post from Buddha's Day at Royal Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand - Part 1.

By the way, this is not Pat Pong. =p

Wat Benchamabophit is a Buddhist temple situated in the Dusit district of Bangkok, Thailand. Also known as the marble temple, it is one of Bangkok's most beautiful temples and a major tourist attraction. It incorporates Bangkok's ornate style of high gables, stepped-out roofs and elaborate finials. (wikipedia)

Wat Benchamabophit,during Buddha's Day in Bangkok. 
Unfortunately, I couldn't marvel much on it's architectural wonder as it was night time and the place was swarmed with local Thai people. All I saw was a white marbled building with lights that changes colors from purple, red to green.

My friends headed to the exhibition section on the right of the entrance and we saw people taking picture in front of Thailand's current queen.

I wondered why. hehe. The woman on the board is the Royal Queen of Thailand.
I was struggling to understand the pictures and writings at the exhibition. It showcases pictures of the royal family and the writings beneath them were 100% in the Thai language. This was obviously not a tourist occasion. Haha.

But I felt lucky nonetheless for given an opportunity to experience a local cultural event. Carmen was the only white female there while Rayyan and I were the only Muslims. =p

I was sandwiched between two very beautiful ladies!
I was certainly drawn to the beauty of these two ladies. Little did I know that they were NOT LADIES at all! OMG!!!

So pretty.........
How could a guy be prettier than another girl???

He he he... Can you determine if a lady is truly a lady? Thailand guys know how since they are used to these things. But can  you??? I certainly cannot. =p
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Travelling Gift Set From Dermalogica = HAPPY!

I guess it was my lucky day. Hehe.

Whenever I travel, my skincare regime only comprises of a simple facial cleanser from Garnier, a moisturizer (forgot the brand. haha!) and the most important thing, the sunblock (Sunplay Skin Aqua SPF 50++) Not really an extensive skin care regime. Just as long that I don't get too tanned and my face is clean, thus all is well in my life!

Then again!

Surprise! Surprise!

I received these from Dermalogica! Totally unexpected but super duper happy all the same!

Happy! Happy!
It's been awhile since I last updated my blog on beauty products but this one is different. It's a travelling gift set!! I can basically just dump everything inside that cute little bag seen above and bring it along with me every-time I travel. So very convenient! Thanks Dermalogica!

This precious gift set includes these best selling products (and so they claim. hehe)
  • 150ml PreCleanse
  •  50ml Multi-active Toner
  • 10ml Gentle Cream Exfoliant
  • 4ml Intensive Eye Repair,
  • 10ml Solar Defense Booster SPF50. (YESSSSSS!!! I so wanted this for so long now!!!)
  •  50ml Essential Cleansing Solution 
  • 2ml Intensive Moisture Balance for dry ski
  • 50ml Special Cleansing Gel
  • 22ml Skin Smoothing Cream
So if you guys want this exclusive travelling gift set.. you can head to this link for more details ^__^

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Buddha's Day at Royal Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand - Part 1

Teet! Teet!

My handphone ringed. A local Thailand number blinked on my screen. This guy never replies my messages, he only calls back. Hehe. He has reached Khaosan Rd (the backpackers area where I was staying at) and is now looking for a place to park. Also noted that he'll be at my place shortly. His manner is so proper. It was already day six of our travel in Thailand and we kept him waiting quite a long while for this day to happen.

Sorry, my friend. ^__^

Sure enough, he showed up at our hotel five minutes later as we (Rayyan, Carmen and I) were waiting at the hotel's ground floor restaurant. Masaya went to meet his friend and won't be joining us. I introduced my Thailand friend to my backpacker friends. And then shamelessly asked him if I can bring my friends along. Haha! I think I just dropped a bomb on him! Instead of being mad, he said he didn't mind. Later we hopped into his truck and were off to tour around Bangkok night scene!

Things to note -
1. It was Asalcha Buddha's day ( 2 - 3 August 2012)
2. The city is lighted up beautifully to commemorate the day.
3. No alcohol is allowed being sold in Bangkok for two days.
4. People were busy paying respect to King Rama V (Chulalongkorn). And other Buddhas as well.
5. Everyone enjoys free bus rides in town. Hoyeahhh!!!

First stop was to the Royal Plaza, a public square in Bangkok which houses two of the most iconic places in Bangkok
1. King Rama V Equestrian Monument
2. Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall - former residence of King Rama V

Rayyan had the best view of the city because he sat in front with Pipi. I sat at the back with Carmen.
The public square was free of moving vehicles  Vehicles were allowed to be parked near the beautifully lit entrance gate as seen in the picture below. Traffic in Bangkok itself was also in their ultimate low. The night was beautiful!

The gate into Royal Plaza. And here's a picture of Pipi, me and Carmen!
I first met Pipi in Malaysia during an international convention and training course. Twice! First time in 2011 and the second time early this year. He drugged me with stories of Bangkok and offered to be my guide if I was in town. I only had to take his offer on it and so here I am! (With additional two new friends of course. haha) ^__^

Pictured in the first picture is the king's statue situated in front of the palace. And below are Rayyan, yours truly and Carmen. 
It was Buddha's day and I saw locals praying to King Rama 5's statue.I wondered why and decided to google it. I found out that people considered King Rama 5 as Buddha. Below the picture is the answer why which I copied word by word because it's actually a good read!!! hehe

Locals burning incense and leaving bouquet of flowers and food in front of the statue that night. Truly a cultural, spiritual thing to watch. 
Why do Thai People Pray to King Rama 5? (source)
Thai people pray to King Rama V, Chulalongkorn, because he was considered to be a Buddha, and a very famous and popular buddha at that.  It should be noted for those unfamiliar with buddhism that this is "a Buddha," as in someone who has reached enlightenment, not "the Buddha," as in Sidhartha Guatama Buddha.  To some degree, Rama V could be compared to a Catholic Saint.

The real question you are asking, I think, is "why is King Rama V a very famous and popular Buddha?"

The answer requires a bit of an understanding of history.  King Rama V's reign lasted from the 1870s until 1910.  During that time Europe was busy colonizing the world.  The French had control of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia while the British had control of India and Burma.  In effect, Thailand (then Siam) was surrounded by European Colonialists vying for control of this "available" land while King Rama V was desperately trying to keep control of his country.

King Rama V did a few fantastic things in order to keep the British and the French out of his country.  He played the two off of each other using some brilliant diplomatic maneuvering, he ceeded each some land to keep them happy, and he instituted sweeping reforms and modernizations in order to convince the Europeans he led a modern country that did not need what the Europeans would call a "civilizing influence."

These reforms and modernizations included building a modern military training ground and sending himself and his princes to Europe to learn about democracy and constitutional monachies.  He also transformed the country from a network of city-states to a single state, abolished slavery, and built a railroad system facilitating trade, communication, and central government control.

It is a source of pride to many Thais that Thailand was never colonized while all of their neighbors were.  Chulalongkorn was the mastermind of this protection. He kept the foreigners out while acting as the father of a modern nation and maintaining enlightenment as a Buddha.

That is why people pray to Chulalongkorn. | --> end of copy

Seen here are Thai people praying to "Buddha"
And look at the crowd that has gathered here! They even brought mats and food as they seated themselves at various spots at the public square. Almost as if they were having a picnic there! Pipi was going to do his prayers here but wanted to bring us to some place first.

Will continue with part 2. =)
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Thailand Trip Day 6 - Into Bangkok

Into Day 6 of our trip in Thailand. We never did expect to stay two nights in Ayuthayya. There was something about Ayuthayya that made us want to stay a bit longer. Maybe because we felt welcomed here? Or maybe because the lodging and food were very cheap!

But sadly, we had to leave for Bangkok. And besides, my friend is waiting for me there. ^__^

We packed up our stuff, shared a tuk-tuk from the guesthouse to the train station and planned to share rooms in Bangkok. I'll be pairing with Carmen and Rayyan will be pairing with Masaya. Saves a lot on our budget as staying in Bangkok is never cheap.

We (note their HUGE backpacks) were heading to the ticket counter of Ayuthayya's train station.
We came early but the only train to Bangkok was hours away. Huhu. So we ended up staying at the station for a long while. (Down the drain goes my plan to explore Bangkok in the afternoon and time was running thin!)

Carmen says that everything in her bag is her lifetime supply of clothes. Hehe.
And so.... we waited for our train. Rayyan and Masaya went off to find a cyber cafe. Carmen went wandering to I don't know where while I stayed with the bags. =)

Thank god for the FAN! It was one hot day outside. 
When we were on the train at last, there were no available seats and we ended up standing most of the time. Thankfully, we eventually found some empty seats half-way through the ride and boy, my back was already sore!!! *bertahanlah. Sejam je lagi, cetus hati kecilku!

And once we reached Bangkok, we yet again faced another problem  ~ looking for available hostels or hotels that can take all four of us. The first five or six hostels that we walked into were full until we set our eyes on the New Siam Hotel as pictured below.

Our savior! And thankfully cheap too! 370  Baht per twin sharing room!
You can imagine how relieved my room-mate and I were when we finally got a room!!! We practically jumped on the bed! Haha!

Relieved!
Rayyan and I decided to find some vegetation Pad Thai from the streets before meeting up with my friend whose coming at 8 pm. Pad Thai js a famous Thai dish here and Rayyan was very keen on me trying it. On our way we chanced upon a Muslim seller who gave Salam to us. This seller also helped tell us when it was OK to break fast. Thanks kind sir!

We break our fast with vegetarian Pad Thai that night as seen on the bottom right picture.. =)
Sure enough, Pad Thai was delicious!!! 

After having our fill, we headed back to the hotel and waited for my dear friend to fetch us.



This was when I got nervous... *blushes.
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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Halal Food in Ayuthayya's Night Market are the BEST

Updating on a Sunday when I feel the most laziest in the whole week. The day where I more seldom than not, wakes up late to the sun already streaming through my bedroom window. And also waking up thinking what to eat today. What a dilemma!

At times like this I remember my eating times overseas.

Thailand in particular for it's cheap, delicious food. Can buy up to 3 dishes under RM10!!!

Ayuthayya to be exact where I was accomappanied by friendly strangers who share only one thing in common...

.... the love for travel and adventure. A way to be a kid again where we are prone to new discoveries.

I go back to that day where we four were at a table, some where at a night market in Ayuthayya, waiting for the sun to go down so that Rayyan and I can break our fast. We were fasting for 5 days already and still going strong. Masaya and Ayako whom we hardly knew were sharing their adventure stories and we talked a lot despite the language barrier.

The happy eating days. Hehe. 
You can get a lot of selections in the night market. How wish I know the names of the food I've eaten.

Let's go through the foods I've tasted in Ayuthayya. ^___^

My favorite food in Thailand. Apart from the juice drinks though. Sweet!!!
The one belowis like Roti Canai Banana sipped in chocolate syrup. Hehe.
Mataba Banana + Chocolate = 30 Baht
And this is fried chicken. The only stall there that sell these.
Buy these and rice separately. Nice!
And these below were our meal on the second day. Here's mine, chosen by Rayyan as I didn't know what to eat.
Some kind of Thai mee. Hehe. Delicious!!!
And this one was Rayyan's meal.
It looks like Tom Yam soup to me. Hehehe. Hot and spicy!!
And there were some extras too. I think some sushi perhaps? Have forgotten already but am sure Rayyan knows the name of the food. =p

Ahhh... I'm missing Thai food!!!

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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Lawang Sewu - Each door will open to another

~ Intermission ~

I've been neglecting this blog and I somehow feel guilty about it. I also haven't made any records on the dates of every trip I made so far. So I'm starting it with this post on my most recent trip. Will do that for future trips as well.  ^___^

Surabaya - Mt Bromo - Trovulan - Semarang | Indonesia Trip
27 September - 2 October 2012

As always... details later. muahaha!


Friday, October 5, 2012

Ayuthayya - Temple Hopping via Tuk-tuk

Thailand Trip Day 5 

Continuing where I left off. it seems now I update once every week! Haha!

Rayyan and I booked a tuk-tuk to do more rounds of temple hopping in the area. We did it via boat last evening to visit temples that were accessible via the river. This time around we tried via land and thankfully it was a bright, sunny day outside! Paid the tuk-tuk 150 Baht per hour. =)


1. Wat Thammikarat 

The first stop for the day was Wat Thammikarat. It is said to be a lesser visited ruin and is actually still a working one. Lesser visited? I actually preferred this one instead of all the other temples I visited before. Maybe it's because there are not that many people around except just us two. Hehe. I liked the quietness of the place. The compound itself is surrounded by modern buildings and there's a chendi guarded by lions. Eh? =p (note: A chendi is used to store remains of royal relatives)

One particular chendi here was surrounded by lions though some are faceless.
The place was in very good condition and clean too! I liked the tall pillars in one structure and finding a Buddha statue at the end of it. Makes people wonder if the building was always roofless, no?

Clean and carefully preserved despite some missing pillars.
Walk a bit in front and you'll find the Buddha altar.

Cool tall pillars. Unusual that there's no roof above. Hehe.
Moving next to our next temple. (Note: no parking fees are charged in Ayuthayya. Only entrance fees.)

2. Wat Naphrameru-Rajikaram

The temple where the Burma king was accidentally hit by his own cannon during a shoot out and died before reaching the Burma-Thai border. The irony of his death. The original Buddha image that was said to save Ayuthayya is in this building. Oh, you do know that Siam was invaded by the Burmese army right? Hehe. Nothing much to look at except for that particular large golden Buddha image.

It is a  modern building housing the Buddha that saved Ayuthayya.
3. Wat Lokayasutha

Next stop, the reclining Buddha. Wat Lokayasutha is the name of the place where Buddha gracefully reclines and it is listed as UNESCO World’s Heritage. I think I should start listing down all the UNESCO places I've been to. Been to a lot lately. This is the second largest reclining Buddha in Thailand.

Buddha pandai tutup aurat tau!! Hehe.
4. Ayuthayya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal

The tuk-tuk driver brought us to an elephant park. He was hoping that we would go on one of the rides but we refused. Reason number one, no money and reason number two, also no money. Muahaha! Yes, we were getting pretty low on cash. It was of course our fifth day in Thailand and have 2 more days to survive! 

Interested to go on an elephant and venture around Ayuthayya, here are the rates as seen below.
400 Baht/person for 15 minutes
500 Baht/person for 25 minutes

I personally didn't like the idea of riding elephants with all that heavy gear on their backs. I read somewhere that there's actually a weight limit on an elephant's back and that's a bit over, don't you think? *looks at the poor elephants.
Those red seats are made from heavy metal! *methinks
At least we get to watch a baby elephant do tricks for free like sitting down and acts like its laughing with the shaking shoulders. hehe. But still, I felt uncomfortable. I bought elephant food instead and fed the elephants there to sooth my senses. Hope the dear elephants weren't mistreated here. Sigh.

Baby elephant sitting down for the amusement of human beings. Does that feel right? Err...
5. Wat Phra Sri Sanphet

We moved on to the next site which was within a very tall walled closure! The funny thing is, due to its high entrance fee, we didn't go in. Hahaha! So how did we manage to take the picture below if we weren't able to go in? I had to climb the wall a bit just to take a glimpse inside. Later on that night I googled to know what it was. Smart of me huh? 

Wat Phra Sri Sanphet houses two chendis. The remains in which it houses can be read here. Hikss..

Wat Phra Sri Sanphet - graves of the dead?
6. Wat Maha That

We finally reached the last stop of day, Wat Maha That. This site is well known for the Buddha's head stuck in the trunk of a tree. There was a couple doing a shoot here. Perhaps newly-weds? We didn't stop to ask. Hehe.

The complex is really big! A bit disappointed though that the head was smaller than expected. hehe
And so ends our adventure for the day. ^___^

Nearing to my post on that "special" night out in Bangkok with a "certain" somebody in the next.... errrr.... two posts perhaps? Hehehe. Pray I'll update again of course.
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