Traveling – Frugal Teacher Mommy

Bangkok, Thailand Trip 2019 (part 2)

We booked a Grab taxi for our trip to Wat Pho. We decided to ride a taxi since we’re not familiar with the place and there were four of us—thinking about convenience which was just a little higher in price as compared to taking the train. The first Grab driver who took our request was a girl, and we were so amazed by that! But then, she declined our request after a few minutes, stating that traffic was bad where she was. So we sent another request to any nearby driver. Luckily, after a few minutes, another driver accepted our request. It was also a lady driver! There were a lot of lady Grab drivers in Thailand.

The lady driver was not so young; maybe she was in her late 50s or early 60s. Really amazing, right?! She was quite friendly. But the thing is, she doesn’t speak English that much. She just said “hello.”

As we spent some time in the car and she asked us where we are headed, we said we’re going to Wat Pho. Then she checked her phone. We realized we’re headed the wrong way when she stopped the car to check her phone again. She was saying a certain place, and we just answered Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha. I turned out there’s another place with that name—Wat Pho—and we booked the other one. When we finally understood each other, she asked us if we’re willing to pay the first bill for the trip that was done and rebook another one. What are we supposed to do? Do we have a choice? Of course! So, we paid for 2 trips….that was quite sad.

Finally, we arrived at Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha!

This is the main entrance gate. We paid 200 Baht each for the entrance fee.

Near the main entrance, there was a mini museum which displays the history of the temple and other important facts about Buddha, traditional medicine, and Thai massage.

DZ1 beside a Chinese guardian figure in one of the doors of the main temple where the reclining Buddha is housed.

Wat Pho is the home of the 46-m long reclining Buddha, and it is one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. Its original name was “Wat Photaram” or “Podharam”—thus, it’s now called Wat Pho. This name refers to the monastery of the Bodhi tree in India where Buddha achieved enlightenment. You will be astonished as you see this very large image of Buddha personally. I sure did! Oh, and just a reminder, you cannot enter the temple wearing mini skirts or shorts. Make sure to wear pants or sarong 🙂

Before you enter the temple of the reclining Buddha, you will be given a mini bag to put your shoes after removing them. Then you have to return that bag upon exit.

These are some of the 108 bronze bowls in the corridor which represents the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha.

Also, along the corridors are framed displays of facts about Buddha and other historical information.

The inner design of the whole temple and the framed illustrations, which looked like handmade, are really exquisite.

If you go out, you will be further amazed as the architecture of the buildings there, which have what they call “chedis” or stupas, are really jaw-dropping! These are the large stupas.

I love this photo of Hubby! Very candid!

It was really hot there, just like here in the Philippines, but we can’t let this opportunity pass without having a photo together 🙂

There were also statues outside showing how to balance, just like when doing yoga.

Here are some of the thousand Buddha statues in Wat Pho.

Here’s a photo of DZ1 and DZ2 outside Wat Pho. They decided to sit on the metal bars for the bikes first while resting.

There were several Tuk-tuks parked outside the vicinity of Wat Pho.

And, yes, we tried their famous Thai coconut ice cream. It was so yummy! 🙂

You may have the plain coconut ice cream or you may request for some chocolate toppings, just like what DZ1 was having in this photo.

After eating ice cream, we crossed the street to wait for our Grab driver who will bring us to Chatuchak Weekend Market.

This time, we were satisfied with the driver who accepted our request—-he speaks English better than the first auntie driver 🙂 Also, when he learned that we’re not Thai, he changed the music station to one which plays English songs. Cool! It was an SUV so it was more spacious as compared to the mini car driven by auntie driver.

Upon arrival at Chatuchak, we saw this delicious-looking pancake roll with ham and cheese inside. It was only only for 20 Baht!

The yummy pancake roll with ham and cheese 🙂

We’re at the Chatuchak Weekend Market now 🙂 Yahoo!

We started walking around the Chatuchak Weekend Market, and I was so amazed with the things they sell there. The clothes were so stylish, with good texture, and they were cheap given their good quality!

There were lots of products to choose from. There were clothing, toys, gardening stuff, and of course—-food! We visited a gardening store first as I was looking for seeds to bring back home. I was searching for lavender seeds or plants, but I found none. I just bought the usual seeds, such as mint, peppermint, sunflower seeds. Then after shopping from the gardening shop, we got hungry and decided to try the noodles in this weekend market. We found this shop which seemed to have a lot of customers. DZ2 and I chose a seafood noodle soup; Hubby chose a pork-based one; DZ1 had chicken-based soup. We really enjoyed our noodles. They were so tasty without the aftertaste of MSG. It tasted like they used authentic spices and herbs to give each noodle’s distinct taste.

Yummy Thai noodles 🙂
*The owner was very good in speaking English so it wasn’t hard to order.

After eating, we decided to walk around some more. DZ1 bought two rings, one for each of us. We bought some pasalubong for our relatives and friends. I also bought an artsy pencil-cut skirt. There were so many clothes that I wanted to buy….but I didn’t as I was trying to be a minimalist. I didn’t want to bring home so much stuff only to be conflicted by which one I should give away or remove from my closet. So we just walked around and looked at all those good stuff—-window shopping at its best 🙂

Finally, we all wanted to go back to Lub-d to get some rest. We got tired from all those walking, and it was quite hot. It was just like we’re in Divisoria, but spaces were wider and no jeepneys and other vehicles were passing by while you’re shopping. We used Google maps to find the train station.

We took some photos outside Siam Square when we got out of the train as the station exit was near that mall. We didn’t go in yet as we were so eager to lie down and have some rest first.

We went back to Lub-D and rested for an hour. Then we ate dinner at the nearest local restaurant. It can be compared to our “carinderia” in the Philippines. Most of us ate rice and spicy seafood and chicken. DZ1 ordered a Tom Yum Soup, but it so happened she didn’t like it very much. I think liking that soup would require an acquired taste.

We went back to Lub-D after dinner and rested some more. The almost-whole-day tour really used up our energy. After resting, Hubby asked me to come with him to this local bar which sells craft beer. He said it’s close to Lub-D. He was correct—it was close to Lub-D. But there was a scary and challenging path that we took when we followed the directions in Google maps. It required us to walk in the narrow sidewalk of the main road! There were literally fast cars moving while we’re walking in that narrow sidewalk and it was a little uphill! I wasn’t able to take some photos as I needed to concentrate in walking.

Finally, we saw the neon lights from the bar which says “cold craft beer.”

The official name of the bar is “FEAT LAB,” and it’s just a small place, which has 4 or 5 mini tables for customers. Hubby was so happy when we found it and ordered as soon as we entered the shop.

After finishing his first bottle labeled “CHA TRI IPA,” he ordered another one and another one after that.

Hubby’s third bottle, “PEAK A BREW.” This was the one with the highest alcohol percentage.

While he was enjoying his beer, I was also enjoying my Thai milk tea. It was much better than the 20-Baht Thai milk tea which we bought that morning in the mini marketplace. Well, it should be as the price was much higher.

They used these bottles and cans as display in their shop.

Hubby was so delighted with their craft beer offerings! 🙂 But of course, we cannot stay there all night. So after three bottles, we paid and started walking that scary path again. Hubby said that trip to the shop was worth it. Before going back to Lub-D, I asked him to treat me to McDo. I’d like to have some of their pies again.

When we went back, DZ1 was still awake and was listening to some music.

We cleaned up and started getting ready for bed. What a day! Thank you, Lord, for this tiring but wonderful day in Bangkok! 🙂

Bangkok, Thailand Trip 2019 (Part 1)

It was an early Thursday morning when we left my sister-in-law’s house to go to the airport for our Thailand trip. I, together with my husband and two children, woke up early to prepare for our journey. We left our two younger children with my mother-in-law (MIL), and they stayed at my sis-in-law’s house for two days before they go back home to my MIL’s house.

We arrived at the NAIA terminal 3 airport at around 6AM. We checked-in first, and when we were settled, we had a light breakfast at Kopi Roti. When we were done, we headed to our assigned departure area.

By 8:30 AM, we started to board the plane. DZ2 was so excited because it’s his first time to ride a plane.

Hubby and DZ1 while entering our plane
Hubby and DZ1 while looking for their seats
My husband while preparing to take his seat

My children were sitting with me in the same row, while my husband was sitting a few rows behind ours.

DZ2 while checking out of the Don Mueang Airport
We found Mary and Grant!
We found Hernel, too!
Going out to look for a ride to Saraburi 🙂

After approximately three hours, we arrived at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. There, we met the senior members of Synodevon Mousikos (the orchestra group of my eldest).

Together, we tried to look for transportation to bring us to St. John Mary International School where their orchestra will be performing the next day.

We found it hard to find a ride going to our destination. I think it’s because of the language barrier. The Thais mistook us for locals so they were trying to talk to us in Thai, but then they realized that we were not locals so they just shy away. Luckily, after waiting for about 20 minutes, we were able to find a driver who’s willing to give us a ride to Saraburi. The driver even gave us a bag of longan.

From the Don Mueang Airport to SJMIS in Saraburi, it took us approximately one hour including the stopover at a gas station. This is a note that one should remember: YOU HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF THE VEHICLE WHILE THE FUEL IS BEING REFILLED BECAUSE THEY USE LPG AS FUEL. Unlike in the Philippines, wherein we use unleaded gasoline and diesel, the people usually don’t go out of a vehicle while refilling in a gas station (though it is also recommended to go out).

We arrived just in time for the last practice of the day.
Synodevon Mousikos at work 🙂

After the practice, our host brought us to their lovely home. They also prepared yummy dinner for us (they’re really generous and hospitable). I really liked the native corn there. It’s so sweet!

The next day, we woke up early to go to SJMIS. We rode with our family host. They also have a van like ours 🙂

The very cute trash bins at SJMIS
DZ2 at SJMIS’ playground
The central area of their campus
FTM took a selfie 🙂
One of their outdoor hangout areas
Another outdoor hangout area, with a different shape

While DZ1 was practicing, hubby, DZ2, and I went out of the campus. There was a Burger King just outside the school. After eating there, we took a walk, and we saw a nearby place wherein you can eat local Thai food. Too bad we’re too full to eat again 🙁 I just bought a delicacy with sweet coconut. It was really delicious!

The chicken and rice meal I had at the SJMIS cafeteria
at the SJMIS cafeteria
FTM and DZ1 while eating the rest of the meal outside the SJMIS music hall 🙂

The show was about to start 🙂

Synodevon Mousikos played awesome music there at the SJMIS theater! 🙂 They played soundtracks of different movies and series, from Avengers to Game of Thrones.

After the show, we immediately went to Siam. Our host, who became our friends, in Saraburi helped us get a van to Siam. DZ1 and DZ2 were so tired that they slept during the whole trip. Then after an hour, we arrived at our destination.

We took the subway going to Siam Square. There we saw an ad showing the photo of spinach pie in McDonald’s. It looked so yummy! But we were so tired to line up, and we just wanted to reach our hotel.

Along the way, we took photos of the scenery. It’s very much similar to the cities in Manila, but there’s a difference in an overpass bridge which I’ve seen there. They used art in providing seats and shade to the people who’d like to rest after going up the stairs to cross from one side to the other. Here’s a photo of these artsy mushrooms:

Finally, we’ve gone to the side in which our hotel is located. Thank God! While we’re walking, DZ2 saw a vendor selling slices of watermelon. We were so amazed when we heard that one slice is 10 Baht (20 PhP)! It’s so cheap as compared to the price of watermelon in the Philippines. We told DZ2 that we’ll go back there. We had to put our bags down in our hotel first.

At long last, we reached our destination—-Lub D. It was a colorful hotel in Siam. We were able to get a room for 4. We’re booked for the next day already, but for this night we were not able to get a prebooking. Thankfully, there’s one available room for us.

As we walked up to third floor, we saw colorful metal grills as lining up the stairway. At the ground floor, there were washing machines for doing one’s laundry

Our room has 4 bunk beds, and each one has a mini light for reading. There was a metal cabinet to put our things. The room is quite small, but it was liveable and okay especially if you’ll use it for sleeping purposes only.

After resting for a few minutes, we went out to have dinner. On our way to Lub-d, we saw food stalls across Lub-d, and that’s what we checked out for dinner. We saw mouthwatering, authentic Thailand street food. We didn’t know what to choose. There are a lot of choices!

Finally, after making several rounds, we were able to buy food to satisfy each one’s hunger. FTM bought vegetable pad thai. DZ1 bought shrimp on a stick. DZ2 bought balls on a stick. Hubby bought chicken pad thai. What a dinner! We were all full after this Thai food fest!

After eating, we walked a bit to digest the food that we consumed. Since it’s quite late, the two malls across each other are both closed 🙁 So we decided to go back to Lub-d.

My husband decided to go to the bar of Lub-d to check their menu. The bubuts and I stayed inside and started to go to sleep.

The next day, we woke up early to get breakfast. Good thing, there was a McDo that’s very close to Lub-d, just a few steps away. Of course, we wanted to eat authentic Thai food in Thailand, but we’d also like to see for ourselves the difference between our local McDo and that McDo in Thailand. We found out that they have this very yummy and creamy spinach pie. I can eat it all day! They also carry corn pie, but they don’t have the apple pie which we have in our country. The spinach pie waa better tasting than the corn pie. My son ate McDo porridge. That one was also not offered in the Philippines.

The McDo that we visited is at the ground floor of Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok, Siam.

After eating at McDo, we decided to walk around. We saw this mini marketplace which sells affordable food and vegetables. There were fried mini donuts (10 Baht for a pack), Thai milk tea (20 Baht), pad Thai (ranging from 50-100 Baht—much cheaper than the pad Thai we ate last night in the food festival), and other kinds of street food. I bought a cup of dessert, which consists of small sago and red beans with coconut milk. So yummy! And it’s only for 10 Baht! The counterpart of this in the Philippines is what we call “Ginataan”.

Small green sago and red beans with coconut milk 🙂

That mini marketplace is close to Siam Stadium Hostel. I forgot to take a photo due to excitement 🙂

When we’re fully stocked in the tummy, we headed toward the Jim Thompson House Museum.

This street sign leads to the Jim Thompson House Museum.

Most of our photos are outside the museum as we were not allowed to take photos and videos inside the museum. We were asked to leave our valuables along with our shoes before we entered the museum for the tour. When we’re done with our tour inside Jim Thompson’s House Museum, we prepared to go to Wat Pho.

To be continued in Bangkok, Thailand Trip 2019 part 2.

The Bubuts’ Day Out in Makati

Last July 12, the Bubuts and I went to UCPB Makati. I decided to bring all of them with me so that they will get to experience how to commute going to Makati. We came from Carmona so my first instinct was to ride the bus going to Cubao outside Starmall Alabang because it will pass by Ayala MRT station. So that was just what we did.

Here’s a photo of us in a jeepney going to Alabang. The fare now is PhP26.00.

Here’s another photo of us inside the Cubao bus. The younger bubuts sat at the last row of seats, the older bubuts sat on the third-to-the-last row, and I sat on the metal floor of second-to-the-last row. Good thing, we were able to find seats. I thought we’ll be standing up for the rest of the trip because we were the last ones to enter, and we were a bit in a hurry. I was planning to arrive there right after lunchtime. Also, in my experience, most of the people riding these buses are willing to stand up to leave right away because they know there’s heavy traffic along the way.

After thirty minutes, we arrived at the Ayala MRT station, and we started going up the stairs. This MRT station is connected to SM Makati, and from there you can go to The Landmark, Glorietta, and Greenbelt.

As we enter the SM mall, my youngest said he’s hungry when he saw Chowking. So we had our lunch first before we head out to look for the UCPB office.

After lunch, we started our walking journey by the help of Google Maps. Thank you, technology 🙂 As we were walking, I was telling the bubuts that before when Daddy and I were looking for a certain place in Makati, our only means was to ask the people around for directions. But now, we have Google Maps! 🙂

As we were walking, there was a girl who suddenly pull down her shorts and undergarment. She bent down and started peeing, while there were several people walking and motorists passing by. I was shocked! It was so open. She could have found a place quite hidden instead of peeing in a place that’s so open for everybody to see what she was doing. She looked okay (I mean without mental illness), and that place was very close to Greenbelt so she could have looked for a restroom. That’s why I can’t understand why she did that. I’d like to think she cannot hold it anymore.

After fifteen minutes of walking, we finally reached our destination. Then we looked for our contact person, and after a few minutes, we were able to get the documents we needed. Thank you, UCPB, for a smooth transaction. 🙂

On our way back to SM, we took some more photos of Makati to fully experience this part of the city.

The Bubuts at the Ayala Triangle Gardens 🙂

The Bubuts with the Gabriela Silang statue in Makati Ave. 🙂

I decided to bring them to Ayala Museum since it was along the way. I’ve looked it up, and I know that what they offer now is the Ayala Museum on the go because they’re undergoing a renovation of the site. By the way, the Ayala Museum entrance is free! 🙂

On this date, they have the “Contemporary Wood-carved Netsuke” display in Greenbelt 4 (July 1-21, 2019). The Bubuts enjoyed what they’ve seen there. They saw 65 works made by contemporary netsuke carvers and artists. According to the free booklet which we obtained there, a netsuke is a non-slip toggle that has been used since the Edo period (1603-1868) to secure the small personal items such as money pouches, medicine container, or tobacco containers worn suspended on cords from the obi (a sash worn with kimono). The crafts were so artistically done, and they were so charming. I was personally super amazed with their work that I want to buy one, but of course they’re not for sale.

The Bubuts in front of PLDT Makati and its shiny statues in front of their building 🙂

After visiting the Ayala Museum on the go, we crossed over to The Landmark, and they visited Toy Kingdom. Here’s a picture of the Bubuts with Iron Man.

After so much walking, they again asked for food and drinks….so McDonald’s to the rescue! 🙂

Finally, it was time to go home. We rode a bus to Alabang to meet my husband and mother-in-law there (who stayed with my sis-in-law and was about to go home, too). My youngest bubut was so tired that he fell asleep shortly after sitting down.

The Bubuts while walking to Festival Mall Alabang 🙂

It was a tiring but very fun day with the bubuts. When I asked them how was their experience, the younger ones agreed that it was very tiring. I pointed out that at least now they get to appreciate going there riding in our car and that the moral lesson here is to be more grateful everyday. I’m glad I brought them with me.

Thank you, Lord, for this trip and for a safe trip home. 🙂