Part 1- Indochina Travel: Bangkok & Ayutthaya, Thailand

Hello everyone!

How is the first quarter of the year going for you so far? 2015 has been a great year for both Jan and I and we’re happy to share that we’d able to accomplish our goal as couple to start travelling together for as long as our schedule & (budget) would allow us most especially that my parents are now legally allowing me to travel with him. Yeahey! I feel so grown up! Thank you mama & papsi for your trust!

So this 2016, we once again map out the destinations we want to visit and kick start our first travel this year to 3 of our beautiful neighboring countries in South East Asia—Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam. Yes, we managed to squeeze our short vacay and visit 3 countries in just 10 days!

For 3 countries so close together, it’s so interesting to discover that each of them have their own unique charm, culture & tradition, food, beliefs etc and we’re so grateful that God has given us the opportunity to experience this amazing trip all at the same time. If you’re interested to know how our trip went (as well as how we cross board thru bus travel, itinerary and little idea of our expenses), please keep on reading!

Warning: Photo-heavy post!

---------

Jan & I decided to visit Thailand first as our starting point because he has an aunt who resides in Bangkok with her family—which would also be a good opportunity to visit and bond with them as well. Their family kindheartedly offered their humble home to us in our 3days & 3 nights stay in Bangkok. We arrived in Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 1am and took a cab to get straight to their home. It’s my first time to meet Tita Am (Jan’s aunt) and her little family and I could say that they’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. We never felt away from home for this trip because of their warm company and it’s like indeed vacationing with a happy family.

Our first day in Thailand was very relaxing.. for breakfast, we ate Bami Nam at a local Thai eatery near their home. The noodle soup can be compared to the mix taste of ramen and mami. Very delicious and it is only 70baht. We also tried Arabic coffee from a coffee shop nearby. We literally ate a lot in Thailand. Not only the Thai cuisine is delicious but also pretty cheap, too! A descent full meal in Bangkok ranges to 35-100baht.

 Delicious Bami Nam

In the afternoon, we visited the school where Tita Am works (and also where their cute little daughter, Megan, studies). We then headed for a sumptuous Thai buffet in this restaurant. The dinner buffet costs 210baht per person including unli drinks! Not bad, right?

Hello there! :)

Shabu-shabu the Thai-style :)

The next day, we woke up early for our day tour in Ayutthaya. We rented a van to tour us around the City for 2700baht. Our van driver named Anon is a nice guy although he cant speak English well. He looks like Jestoni Alarcon, an actor from the Philippines. Hehehe.

We started our tour in the floating market. Its so fun to watch the busy vendor cooking their goods. It reminded me that we’re in Thailand, indeed. But we weren’t able to try one as we had a heavy breakfast in Mcdo. Hehe. We just roamed around and fed the healthy fishes in the river. Feeding animals specifically the fishes seems to be a very therapeutic activity for me!

The hungry fishes

And then we proceeded to the ruins of Ayutthaya. It is said that Ayutthaya was used to be the capital of Thailand and one of the most progressive City in the world during the 14th Century. The City was attacked by the Burmese who burned the City to the ground and was never rebuilt by its inhabitants. The ruins are known today as one of Unesco’s Heritage Site.

We also fed the cute elephants in Ayutthaya

Afterwhich, Anom brought us to this restaurant for lunch. The resto is like a typical calenderia but serves the most authentic & delicious Thai dishes.

This dish tastes so yummy!

We also visited a few more temples. We could no longer recall the names of the temples but here are some of the photos we’ve taken..

 Stunning Buddha Image

Our tour ended at around 3pm, took our restful afternoon nap and before we know it, its time for dinner!! We ate at MK Restaurant.. a shabu-shabu restaurant with a mix of Thai & Chinese Cuisines.

We also bought some souvenir shopping & ice cream cake in Sweden Ice Cream Restaurant . Sweet little Megan imagines that it’s her Teddy’s birthday! Hehe

 I miss this little girl

In our 3^rd and last day in Thailand, Tita Am introduced us to some of cheap & delicious streetfoods in the market. The location of their home is very convenient because the market, establishments and their workplace is just walking distance away. We tried home-made soya milk, sticky rice with breaded pork toppings, bbq, a sago cooked in coconut milk which is very similar with our desert meal called ginataan & grilled rice.

 Sticky rice with breaded pork toppings

While enjoying our meal, this cute little girl entertained us with her own lyric composition. Megan is such a sweetheart. I wish our future kids would be as bright & witty as her.

Ofcourse, we wouldnt leave Thailand without experiencing their very own Thai massage. We had our thai massage at this spa

Their whole body massage only costs 200baht. And yes, nothing really beats the original. As you can see, we both looked relaxed and energized after the massage! hehe

We also went to the Promenade mall for more souvenir shopping and ate at the Sunrise Restaurant for dinner.

And just like that, our 3 days in Thailand went by so fast. Our trip wouldn't be as fun & special as it was without the love & warm hospitality of Tita Am and her little family. We bid our goodbyes and headed to the Tranport Ltd Company in Mo Chit the next early morning for our bus trip to Siem Reap. (Full story of our Siem Reap trip here

To Tita Am, Tito Elmer & Megan.. If you would be able to read this, thank you, thank you for everything. We miss you already and we would definitely come back. Till next time!

Always,

Rica ♡