A Visit To Maeklong Railway Market & Amphawa Floating Market | Bangkok Travel and Beauty 2016 (Part 2)

Today we are super excited because we are heading to the legendary Maeklong Railway Market or Talat Rom Hup which means 'umbrella pulldown market'. 

Novotel buffet breakfast

Buffet breakfast selection at Novotel Hotel

But first was buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Maeklong Railway Market

We reached Maeklong Railway Market at about 10am and had time for coffee. After which we walked down to the market. 

The interesting thing about this market is that it has a train that runs through the market at certain timings. At about 11am there was an announcement to inform that the train is coming. 

Train at Maeklong Railway Market

The train was extremely near. Check out the video and you will understand what I meant. It is totally worth to make a trip down.

Maeklong Train Station

As Maeklong Railway Market was the last station of the train route, the train stopped for a while and we took the chance to take more photos of the train.

After the train left the station, we headed to a secluded place for lunch and I totally forgot to take any photos. The food were super delicious and only the locals will know how to get there and surprisingly it was full house.

I think for the next holiday I need to plan what are the must take photos otherwise I seem to keep forgetting to take photos to share. So upsetting. Does it happen to you too?

Amphawa Floating Market

Next we drove to Amphawa Floating Market. The second most popular floating market and I loved it here because it is mainly visited by the Thais which has an authentic feel to the place.

Seafood by the river

This place is very popular for eating seafood by the river. It smells so good as you walk through the marketplace. 

Long tail boat at Amphawa Floating Market

When you are there, you have to take the longtail boat to explore the surroundings of the river. We paid about 600 baht for a private boat. 

Houses and temples along the river

Traditional old Thai houses

Children playing in the river

It was a beautiful sight of traditional and modern houses, temples, wildlife, children playing by the river. 

We enjoyed so much for the past 2 days with my cousins.  We managed to do what we intended to for this trip and there are some other places we'll leave it for our next trip.

Bridge to Platinum Mall, Bangkok

Big C Supermarket

The next 2 days were purely shopping at Platinum Mall, Big C and the street stalls.

Not forgetting swimming at the hotel and just relaxing around the area and dinner with my cousins.

Maygori at Siam Square

Yummy desserts at Maygori 

We had a wonderful dinner at Siam Square called White Flower Factory. The Thai food there were really good. Maygori is a great place for dessert too.

Soap & Glory 

Cosmetics from Bangkok ,Thailand

Beauty buys from Bangkok was also a must. Can you believe it Soap and Glory is half the price compared to Singapore Sephora. MUST BUY!

It was a good reunion and we are looking forward to our next trip together. 

Do remember to pin my story down for future reference. This will be my last post for 2016. Have a great 2017, remember to stay positive and beautiful always.

Bangkok Travel and Beauty in December 2016 (Part 1)

Bangkok is a fantastic place for budget travelling with shopping at affordable prices and indulging in yummy Thai food. This trip we had the privilege of my cousins bringing us to places we have not been before. As they are locals it was much easier to move around with them.

We found a good deal on Scoot website, which gave us the opportunity to maximise our time in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the first flight out from Singapore and the last flight out from Bangkok Don Mueang Airport.

As we were too early to check in, we headed straight to Jatujak Weekend Market or to the tourist is called Chatuchak Weekend Market. 

Thailand local food in Jatujak Weekend Market

We sat down for brunch since all of us were very hungry. The food were fantastic and cheap. But be careful there are always two kinds of prices in Thailand. The local price and tourists price, so don't get cheated. 

Food corner in Jatujak Weekend Market

It was pretty cooling when we reach Jatujak about 10am but it started to get quite hot in the afternoon. I would highly recommend to be in shorts and cooling top to beat the hot weather.

Jatujak Weekend Market

After a couple of hours shopping, the heat and the navigation of the market got the better of us, it was time to take a shopping break. After so many years I still can't complete walking around Jatujak because I seem to be walking in circles. It goes to show the difficulties in navigation there.

Novotel Hotel at Siam Square 

Novotel Hotel Lounge Area

Entertainment area at Novotel Hotel Bangkok

We left and headed towards Novotel at Siam Square to check in. The location was superb. Is like staying in our Singapore Orchard area. 

Laser Games At Siam Square

Laser Games waiting area

As the room was not ready, we decided to have some fun at Siam Laser Games which was located just below Novotel. It was our first time playing and it's so fun.

Novotel Hotel at Siam Square

After the games we went to check in. The staffs were nice to give us a complimentary upgrade and an extra bed for the kid.

Rod Fai Night Market

As weekend was a chance to head off to Night Markets too, we drove to Ta Lard Nud Rodfai at Srinakarin area. It's not very convenient to get there for sure but you can check from here the best way to get there. 

Rows and rows of stalls at night market

Ta Lard Nud Rodfai Night Market at Srinakarin area Bangkok Thailand

This place is highly recommended by me to the extend of skipping Jatujak next time.The selection was good and the price was better then Jatujak as this place is more frequented by the locals. We are looking at 100 - 300baht range. Since it is a night market, the weather was so much cooler.

I apologize for the quality of the night photos. It didn't turn out well as I was really tired and had no tripod with me. But I just need to show everyone the place. We ended the night late and we were exhausted. Went back to hotel to rest for an exciting day tomorrow. Remember to pin my Bangkok Travel & Beauty Part 1 for future reference and check out my Bangkok Travel and Beauty Part 2 .

Krabi Fun Family Holiday | Ko Hong Island | Paradise Island (Part 4)

This brings us to our last part of our Krabi fun family holiday. Time flew by so fast that we wished we do not have to face reality. 

Today the kiddos are looking forward to island hopping. I know everyone say must go Phi Phi Island and I can understand why. But it will be super crowded with swarms of tourists from both Phuket and Krabi, and it was too far away from Krabi. We decided to heed our guide, Surin's advice to go Ko Hong Island and Paradise Island instead.

Surin came to pick us up at 9am and it was raining. As we drove towards the jetty, our prayers were answered, weather started to gradually improved. 

By the time we boarded the long tail boat, sun was out smiling at us. Surin suprised us again, when he said he'll be joining us today!

Ko Hong Lagoon

Ko Hong, here we come! It was a nice 15 mins ride, with the beautiful skies clearing and the island beckoning us. 

First stop, was the Ko Hong Lagoon which was only accessible during high tides. We stayed there for a while to soak in the atmosphere as we don't have such nice lagoon in Singapore. The lagoon depth was shallow which allowed us to stand on the sand bed. 

Ko Hong Island, Krabi

Next is the beautiful Ko Hong Island. The sea was pretty clear and we could spot so many fishes around while we were snorkeling. The corals were more beautiful as you swam further away from the beach. 

Dining area at Ko Hong Island

Sheltered eating area at Ko Hong Island

After 2 hours of snorkeling, our stomach started growling. Time for lunch, which was bought by Surin. See how well we are all taken care of! 

Paradise Island

Old school swing at Paradise Island

Paradise Island

After lunch we head of to Paradise Island which was nearby too. It wasn't a big island but it was as beautiful as Ko Hong Island.

By the end of the island hopping we went back to Krabi land and head back to hotel for a nice dinner nearby. 

May & Zin Restaurant in Krabi

We found the highly rated May & Zin Restaurant just beside our hotel. Mind you it is not a posh restaurant set up, it was inside an open air food court set up.

The food was delicious as rated in Trip Advisor, the only down side was the food took a while to arrived as they cooked by table order. So I would suggest to order everything in one order instead of adding orders along the way. Otherwise you have to wait very long during peak hours.

It was a superb trip which we all totally enjoyed so much trying out different activities. We hope to go back again soon. Till the next holiday! Bye Krabi.

Krabi Sunset

Krabi Fun Family Holiday | Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail | Ao Nang Shopping Street | Haven Massage ( Part 3 )

Entrance of Tab Kak-Hang Nak

This post is slightly longer, but the details and pictures are worth your few minutes! Part 3 was an adventure which brings us up nearer to the clouds. 

Start of Tab Kak-Hang Nak trek in Krabi

But first let me introduce a wonderful guide that went through ups and downs with us.

He was introduced to us by chance and the next few activities we engaged him as our driver. You may contact Surin at 087-8269842 (+66 87 8269842). He speaks good English and can communicate well. Highly recommend him!

Surin drove us to our destination for our morning adventure which was TREKKING!

A little background of the hike we were doing. The hill is named Tab Kak-Hang Nak, it has an elevation of about 500m, and the signboard at the entrance shows it was a 3.7km hike to the summit. It sure did feel longer when we were hiking.

I did googled reviews about this hill and was not looking forward to the hike. But hubby said the view will be worth it. 

Along the hike at Tab-Hang Nak Hill

So here we go. I was told that the hike up will take about 2hrs. With children we thought we will take longer then that but in actual fact the kids were much faster then us. 

Many a times we can't even see them but we were so glad that Surin guided us during the hike and it was he who was taking care of the kids all the time.

Steep trek at Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill

Along the hike there were information boards that tells you which checkpoint you were at. Number 13 was the final number before reaching the peak. At number 8, the path became steeper and this continued till number 10. 

To be honest, I felt that this hike is not really suitable for younger children. My suggestion is children 10 yrs old and above will be a good age to handle the hike, but still have to be really careful.

First lookout point at Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill

2hrs later, we finally reached the first look out point. The view was fantastic. we took a quick break and continued to the highest peak. Here the view was awesome. 

2nd lookout point along the hill

We took a longer break to soak in the view and at the same time had some snacks and drinks. It is very important to bring along lots of water, snacks, sunblock and mosquito spray.

Summit of Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail

Dark clouds seen at the summit of Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill

Rain approaching the mountain

During our summit rest, we saw dark clouds in the distance. Rain was approaching us. Something that I wasn't looking forward to as it meant going downhill was going to take longer and the paths will be muddy and slippery. 

True enough, we went through 3 heavy downpours and we were drenched. The children surprising took it very well and of course we had our wonderful guide, Surin to help them along the way.

It was truly an experience that all of us will not be able to forget as we went through mud and rain together!

Waterfall at the mountain

We ended the trek with a nice wash at the refreshing waterfall!

Shopping is always part of the itinerary wherever we go, so during this trip we went to Ao Nang Shopping Street which was about 15 mins slow walk from our hotel. 

Ao Nang Shooping Street

The street was a favorite for the tourists to bargain as they shop. Of course we did the same too. We bought some clothes and dry bags. The prices were so much better comparing to Phuket.

It was not as crowded as Phuket which allow us to enjoy more of our shopping experience here. 

Haven Massage in Ao Nang, Krabi

When you come to any part of Thailand, massage is a must. So we managed to find this Tripadvisor's highly rated massage place called 'Ao Nang Haven Massage'. 

The place can only take 4 person at a time so remember to pre booked your slots. We were very blessed as we just did a walk in and there were slots for us. 

The masseurs were very good. Their strength goes according to your request and so far it was fantastic during the massage. The children enjoyed their first massage expierence too.

I continued to have my manicure and pedicure done since it was so cheap. But it was not that fantastic. So I wouldn't recommend it.

If you have not read our Part 1 and Part 2 adventures yet, just click on the link. 

Looking forward to our last part of the 'Krabi Fun Family Holiday'.