Sunday, July 01, 2018

Suggested itinerary for Chiang Mai trip

Day 1: Arrive at Chiang Mai Int’l Airport before noon and pick up a car booked earlier. Have lunch at Ohkaju (ร้านอาหารโอ้กะจู๋) restaurant. Visit friends and finish off all the businesses in the city. In late afternoon, check in at The Room Mahidol Hotel. Dine out at Suanpak (สวนอาหารสวนผัก) Restaurant, next to Central Airport.

Day 2: Visit Wat Phratad Doikhum (พระธาตุดอยคำ), Wat Phrathat Doisuthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ). In the afternoon, visit Wat Phalat (วัดผาลาด) where you can have a good coffee at the waterfall, operated by monks. Then, visit Kruba Sriwichai Shrine to be blessed. Have dinner at ร้านอาหารกองบังคับวิทยุการบิน next to the airport. At night, go to Mae Rim and check in at Suansawan Hotel (โรงแรมสวนสวรรค์)

Day 3: Have good breakfast buffet at the hotel before check-out at 11am. Have lunch at a local restaurant by the stream along the road on the way to Pongyang Zipline & Jungle Coaster where you can chill out for a good coffee by the waterfall. Then head back to the main road 107 highway and continue to check in at 32 Coffee Hill & Resort. You should arrive at the resort by 4pm to enjoy an afternoon bush walk before the sun goes down. Have dinner at the resort.

Day 4: Have breakfast at the resort before check-out at 9am. Visit Mokfah Waterfall and Chiang Dao Cave, and temples before heading back to the city. Have dinner at ร้านอาหารบ้านไร่ยามเย็น. Check in at Poonpetch Hotel

Day 5: Breakfast at the hotel. Leave for Bangkok before noon.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Suggested itinerary to Russia from Thailand

Day 1: A stopover in Moscow
10:30 Take TG974, a direct flight from Bankok to Moscow. Upon arrival at Domodedovo Airport, buy Tele2 a sim card for phone use in Russia. Actually you could just buy from other companies as well, as long as they give nationwide service because you're going to fly to St Petersburg the next day. Alternatively, you could buy AIS Sim2Fly, the roaming package from Thailand for approx. THB900.- This allows you to use Line application, which is not applicable in all Russia mobile networks. Feeling tired from the 8-hour flight, it would be a good idea to stopover at an airport hotel here to refresh yourself and be ready for the trip to St Petersburg. So, take the Air Hotel shuttle bus parked just in front of the airport exit. The bus takes just 5 minutes to arrive at Air Hotel which is located in front of the airport. In fact, it's a walking distance from the airport.

Night stay: Airhotel Domodedovo (Twin room without bf = approx. THB2,500.-/night/room)

Day 2: On the way to St Petersburg
You would probably wake up early today due to your early bedtime the day before trying to set yourself up for the 4 hours behind Bangkok time. Take the hotel shuttle bus back to the airport and take a local flight that you booked earlier online S745 (S7 airline) which leaves Moscow 10:30 for St Petersburg. At 12:00, you should then arrive at Polkovo Airport in St Petersburg. In front of the airport exit, you can take bus or minivan #39, 39Ex, or K39 for the price of approx. 40RUB. The bus will take you to the Moskovskaya Metro Station, where I guess everyone on the bus/minivan will get off. From there take the metro to Admiralteyskaya station. To get there you need to change from Metro Line 2 to 5. Check in at the Library hotel where you can find some good Asian restaurants in the neighborhood (Indian, Japanese, Chinese). Enjoy your late lunch there. In the afternoon, take the metro to Mayakovskaya for shopping at Galeria.

Night stay: The Library (Twin room with bf = approx. THB1,700.-/night/room)

Day 3: The Winter Palace and city sightseeing
The Winter Palace, which is now the Hamilton Museum, is the highlight of today's trip, or in fact the whole trip's. As the gate is open at 10:30, it is a good idea to stroll along the Neva River, just behind the palace building and also a good time for taking pictures at the grand Palace Square in front of the entrance. You could as well cross the road to St Issac Cathedral located nearby for good pictures. You'll then may have to queue up a bit at the admission office to buy the ticket for the price of 700RUB, so arriving half an hour early is suggested. You'll surly spend no less than 2 hours there as there are many glamorous and glittering things to amaze you, and you can take pictures there.

  St. Petersburg Savior of Spilt Blood Chruch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Palace
http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-show-why-st-petersburg-is-europes-best-destination-2015-9

After getting out of the Palace (should be after 13:00), it is suggested that you walk to Koh Chang Restaurant for Thai food on Bolshaya Konyushennaya St., within a walking distance from the Palace if you take the historic road under the victory gate, constructed by Tsar Nicholas I in claiming his victory over the French Emperor Napoleon. After lunch, cross the street and walk around the road with the building on your right. Then, you should see the Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral. This is a tourist trap with lots of souvenir stalls. Take a good walk along the canal down to intersection where you'll find a big book shop at the corner of the main street. The book shop itself is a tourist attraction for its best location. Inside you can also find some good souvenirs and stationery for reasonable prices. Have a rest for an afternoon break at a coffee shop for some good desserts before crossing the road to the Kazan Church which is worth a visit. Here you'll find people performing religious ceremonies in their routines and tourists are welcome inside so long as you behave yourself and don't make noise. Find you way to the Sodovaya St. before walking back to the hotel. It's a bit of a walk, if you like city sightseeing views along the canal. But if you're too tired, you can always take the metro back to Admiralteyskaya station. Have Asian dinner around the hotel to finish the day. If you happen to be here in the summer, you can also enjoy the Neva river cruise operating during the summer, starting late April.
(If you have another day to spare, I would suggest two more tourist attractions: Peterhof Palace and Catherine Palace where you'll go out to the suburb. But if you don't, it's time to get back to Moscow.)

Night stay: The Library

Day 4: Getting back to Moscow
Refreshed by the good breakfast, you're now ready to get back to Polkovo Airport (by metro or taxi). The flight S716 (S7 Airline) leaves St Petersburg at 11:15 and arrives Domodedovo Airport at 12:45. At the airport exit to the main road in front, follow the walkway and look for the sign Aeroexpress Train. Buy the ticket for the price of 500RUB which will take you to Paveletskaya Metro Station where you will get to Line 5 before changing to Line 3 and getting off at Smolenskaya station. Once you're out of the metro exit to the main road, turn left and walk towards the Arbat St. (I mean the Arbat, not the New Arbat!) The Landmark City Hostel where you will spend a night is located here on Arbat St. Here on Arbat street, you have a big 24 hours supermarket, McDonald, Starbucks, and some fast food restaurants which you should already be familiar with. The street is well known among tourists for best day and night shopping spot.

Night stay: Landmark City Hostel (Twin room without bf = approx. THB1,200.-/night/room)

Day5: Kremlin Palace, the Red Square, the Gum and night shopping
Make sure you have a good meal of breakfast, and enough calories to burn today. (You can easily arrange yourself for one from the big supermarket at the street corner and McDonald). Start your day by walking along Arbat St. to Kremlin Palace. Once you walk pass the Arbatskaya St, just follow the crowd who will lead your way to the red Kremlin Wall. Find your way to the ticket admission office where you will queue up for three types of passes. One will get you to Kremlin Palace (700RUB), that is the whole area inside the palace. Inside the palace compound, you would need two passes in get into the two sections, one that allows you to enter the Amoury Chamber (500RUB) and another one that allows you to get inside the Diamond Fund (250RUB). Of course, you don't need to buy both of these two, and Amoury Chamber is more popular than the Diamond Fund. All the tickets are available at the front entrance. Unlike the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, you are not allowed to take pictures here. After approximately two hours, you should be out of the Palace around 13:00 feeling hungry. From the Palace exit, which is next to the Amoury Chamber, turn right and walk along the red Wall on your right until you find the ticket office where you queued up in the morning. Continue walking along the red Wall on your right until you find the grand building of Four Seasons Hotel right in front of you. Next to the hotel on the left is a shopping mall where you can find some fast food to grab a bite for lunch. Look for KFC. Asian and local food is also available at food court of this shopping mall. Do not shop just yet, as you'll have time at night for coming back here and doing night shopping. Right now you need to cut through the heart of Moscow before the sun goes down and the night gets colder.

  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUM_(department_store)

Now that you're full and refreshed, get ready for the world famous scene of Russia where you may be familiar with, perhaps from magazine covers, posters and TV broadcasts, the Red Square and the St Basil's Cathedral. Just walk further from the Four Seasons Hotel to the Red Square and enter the St Basil's Cathedral. It's time for taking pictures and vdo clips to share with your facebook friends as you now arrive at the heart of the Capital Moscow. Opposite the Cathedral is the National Museum which is worth a visit for another hour. Then, in late afternoon, after getting out of the museum, don't miss a good and popular ice-cream for tourists for the local price. Get inside the Gum luxurious shopping mall and grab one for the price of 50 RUB. Most people may just do window shopping for this mall is full of exorbitant brandnames, but the food here is not too expensive at all. In the evening, walk back to the mall where you had lunch. It's time for shopping for souvenirs as you're leaving for Bangkok the next day. If you have lots of handbags to carry, you can get back to the hotel from the Teatralnaya metro station located in the vicinity. But if you don't, why not walk your way back a bit to Arbatskaya station which you walked pass this morning. It's on the way back to the hotel anyway. You'll find a good Asian restaurant on the second floor of Burger King, next to the station entrance. After having good dinner there, you can also enjoy night shopping along the Arbat street back to your hotel.

Night stay: Landmark City Hostel.

Day 6: Shopping 
In case you couldn't do enough shopping the day earlier, today is another shopping day for Russian jewelry, and perhaps some matryoshka dolls, a traditional local Russian dolls where you can find all over Arbat St. These wooden dolls are cutie as they come in set like families where one is put inside another in different sizes ranging from the big one to the smaller one, and yet to another one even smaller, and the other minute one, and on and on. I find this funny the way they are designed traditionally. Don't be bother looking For Vodka, as you can find a variety of them at the airport. Leave early afternoon to catch a direct flight back home which departs at 18:25 (TG975).
  Image result for Russian jewelry  Image result for vodka
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/117445502754713639/
https://taxfree.arlanda.se/en/liquor/vodka/absolut-vodka-100cl.html

Day 7: Home sweet home!
Arrive Bangkok early in the morning at 7:30(+1). Time for hot and spicy Som Tam at the Suvarnabhumi food court to fresh up the day!