ガンダム！| Gundam in Bangkok

Between March 7 ~ 11, 2012, there was a special Gundam exhibition at Terminal 21 in Bangkok. (BTS Asoke). I paid a visit and took numerous photos for anime fans. Please enjoy!

Main Display:

Original Gundam! (about 140cm tall)

There was a table set up of amateur "gunpla" -- plastic models of Gundam characters. All entries were Thai, but I was really impressed with some and took photos of the best.

Table full of Gunpla:

Ready for launch:

Nice action! 

They look like Charlie's Gundam Angels (laugh):

I enjoyed walking around the display area. There were tons of gunpla in glass cases...like this one. I don't want to know the cost... @_@

This exhibition also featured manga, character goods, etc, but again, gunpla was the main attraction. I found a huge box...

Oh!

And then noticed the price..yes, that does say 21,000 baht! (=¥60,000 / $600)

I was looking around for my boyfriend (Char and/or Garuma -- depends on my mood.LOL) but all I could find was this...
I am disappoint:

height: about 130~140 cm.

The piece d'resistance was a huge, 3~5 meter? tall Gundam. It's not the towering Gundam that graces Odaiba in Tokyo, but I was still impressed. I wondered only this: "How many parts did the kit come with?" (laugh)

Pretty cool, eh? If only Char were there, this exhibition would have been perfect! ^_^

Bangkok Canal Tour #2

We continue by boat to explore the hidden canals of Thailand's largest city....

After departing Wat Arun, our boat made a pit stop. This is something I didn't know, but the canals connect to the main river, the Chao Phraya, via a lock system. Our boat entered the lock and waited for the water levels to lower....


Inside the lock:


Waiting for the door to close...


The whole process took about 15 ~ 20 minutes. Once inside, we cruised through the narrow canals, which acted just like roads...and many were even sign posted as such!

Beautiful house:

 A green house...


Rows of houses...

One thing we all noticed: you could easily see the flood marks from last year's big floods. Many houses were still in a state of repair. The foundations especially were often seen being replaced. My parents enjoyed the tour as they liked seeing the "real Bangkok" rather than all the fancy temples and shopping malls. They hope you will try something similar.

Bangkok Canal Tour is available through the City Discovery website. Click HERE. We liked this site  for booking things as it works all over the world...just select the city you are visiting. The canal tour took about 4 hours. Price: about $30 per person. Recommended to bring water, sunscreen and a hat. This tour does not stop at any "jewelry shops" or "souvenir shops"...which is often typical of most tours in Bangkok!

Bangkok Canal Tour #1

While my parents were staying in the Kingdom, we participated in a half day boat tour. This tour focused on the unseen side of life in the city -- the numerous canals which criss-cross like back streets in NYC.

We boarded a van which drove us to the main pier in Bangkok -- River City.

Docks:


Military Fort:



Our boat made a short stop at Wat Arun, which is famous for the thousands of pieces of broken pottery attached to the temple.

Temple structure:


Detail of pottery:


Figure:


Our guide led us through the back end of the temple, to the monk's living quarters. I enjoyed taking photos in this area...

Side of prayer house:


Bells:


Steps:


Prayers & chanting:

Please visit again to see views from the boat. Information about the tour will be posted then.

Wat Arun is located on the Chao Phraya River, in Bangkok. Access: BTS to Saphan Taksin, change to river bus, getting off at Wat Arun. Entrance ticket is 50 baht per person. No shorts, sandals or bare shoulders are allowed. Wiki page is HERE. 

Ancient City #2

We continue to explore this large "Disneyland" of Thai monuments.....

As stated in an earlier post, Ancient City is very large, so we used the free bicycle rental to travel around the park. I snapped loads of photos, which showed the historical and cultural side of the country....

For example, there are many Chinese Thais living in Thailand, which is reflected in some of the architecture:

Chinese pavilion:


There was a re-creation of the famous "floating markets":


I bought a Thai tea from a vendor at the market:


My mother loved this bridge, built like a rainbow:

Click for more details and to read the explanation.

As over 90% of the population in Thailand is Buddhist, temples, shrines and images of Buddha were a prominent feature of this park. We stopped at one; I really loved the mix of pink, orange and gold here:

 My favorite area of the park was a garden called "Garden of the Gods". Here, large black sculptures could be found interspersed between a traditional, manicured garden. Gods of knowledge, the Sun, Moon and days of the week could be found here. It was really incredible!

The largest sculpture, the God of the Sun:


Another God...


Close up of a hydra...the many headed snake. (This snake protected Buddha during the rainy season while he was meditating...):

 We cycled to another section of the park, which contained a large man-made lake. Here, we found a huge sculpture and the grand, golden "Pavilion of the Enlightened". All unbelievable!!

Another Chinese pavilion:

A huge sculpture:

Click photo to read details on the card.

Enlightened Pavilion:

I could only get 1/3 of the buildings in this photo -- it's really big!!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Ancient City. While in Bangkok, this makes a nice day trip just outside the city. I encourage anyone who loves architecture, history and culture to explore this fantastic park.

Ancient City is located about 1 hour by taxi outside of Bangkok. Taxi fare: about 300 baht ($9/ ¥900). Entrance fee for adults is 400 baht, includes a free bicycle to ride around the park. ($12/ ¥1,200). Website in English is available HERE. 

Ancient City #1

About a 40 minute drive outside of Bankok, near Bang Na, lies a huge park that is Thailand's answer to Disney World's Epcot Center. The park is is filled with ancient monuments, which can be found all over Thailand. The name of this place? Muang Boran (Thai), or Ancient City (English).

This park did not disappoint. I had been warned that it was so large, you needed a day to really explore everything, so we spent a long time here, admiring all the structures...

Temple 1:

Temple 2:

Traditional Thai house boat dock:

Thai Palace:

Palace guard dog? 

Detail of a window shutter -- full of mother of pearl!!

Outside the palace, a large fountain:

The entry ticket included free bicycle rental, so we enjoyed riding around...

My parents are so cool. ^_^

I took many pictures; it is just too much to share in one post. So, please visit tomorrow to see more photos.

Ancient City information can be found HERE. Access: by taxi (cost: about 300 Baht one way), or BTS  Bang Na + bus. Entry fee is 400 Baht (¥1,200 / $12) for foreigners -- this includes a bicycle to rent for the day. There are many restaurants and small shops inside. We recommend bringing a hat and bottled water. Food inside was an exceptionally good deal. We ate 3 dishes + drinks for only 200 baht. (¥600/ $6 for 3 people).

Cha Am Beach #2

Final post regarding an overnight trip to this beach resort area....


Cha Am beach is much quieter than other Thai beaches. It seems quite undeveloped, which is nice, as most beach resorts these days are filled with high rise towers. Next to our hotel for example, was a huge field...

All that undeveloped land....

I had rented a private car with driver. The return trip back was quite fun, as I could chat in Thai. The driver laughed at my obsession with my camera. I took many photos while we drove!

On the road....

Outside of Cha Am area....

When we returned to Bangkok, the driver took us over a bridge and slowed the car down so I could get some shots. We chatted in Thai remarking how beautiful the city looks from the rivers and canals....

Nice view, no? ^_^

Cha Am is an easy 2.5 hour drive from Bangkok. The resort in the previous post was: Grand Pacific Sovereign Resort & Spa. Website HERE. The resort has a shuttle bus to Hua Hin (200 B?) and Cha Am downtown. (70 B?) 

Cha Am Beach

This is the first of a series of posts on a beach resort destination in Thailand. Please enjoy!


While my parents were visiting Thailand, I decided to surprise them (and treat myself!) to a beach holiday. Thailand is famous for its beaches, but most only know Phuket, Krabi and Pattaya. Cha Am is located about 2.5 hours outside of Bangkok, close to Hua Hin, making it easily accessible by car. We went during the week, thus enjoying a nearly deserted beach! ^_^

I booked two rooms -- I thought my parents deserved a private honeymoon -- overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. My mother loved it and couldn't stop talking about the rooms. Here are the photos:

My twin beds + Sala (=Traditional Thai sitting room) :


My balcony:


My shower (which was amazing!!):

The bath:

Make up desk:


Sink:

My parent's room was equally as spectacular. They had a four poster bed!!!

The hotel resort had a very unique feature -- 3 swimming pools! See the view from my balcony...

I loved the elephant theme of the pool...

My dad, who loves swimming, jumped in immediately and I enjoyed the beautiful weather, poolside:

Tomorrow I'll show more photos from the hotel, the beach and area. ^_^

Information on this hotel will be reported in the next post. Thank you for your patience. 

For those who are interested in learning more about Cha Am, please visit HERE.