Almost everyone has a digital camera these days. Point-and-shoot cameras are the most popular because they take great photos, are small, light and cheap. For those of you who like to carry as little as possible gear, don’t like to spend that much money and value having a camera that can go with you everywhere with very little hassle and cost, a quality point-and-shoot is everything and more than you need. My favorite is the Canon S90 which is not the tiniest point-and-shoot but has a great interface, lots of cool features and takes tremendous photos.

For those of you like myself, who aren’t satisfied with getting a great or even excellent photo but want a PERFECT photo, you will likely have to go through a trial and error process to develop a camera kit which suits all your needs. This camera kit will no doubt have a digital SLR camera body and an assortment of lenses.

Benefit from My Obsession

Use my painful and expensive method to finding the right camera gear for my bag to help you. I spent a better part of 4 months literally spending all day reading about lenses, buying them and testing them in real world situations. This was a good and bad experience for me. The bad was instead of traveling and going to new places I was inside reading about the lens options I had and taking photos of the same things over and over again.

The good was I learned a lot about photography, experienced quite a few lens and camera options and found a kit which I am 100% completely satisfied with. Testing lenses inside camera shops wasn’t good enough for me. I just went out and bought the lenses I read about and used them in real world situations.

My Experience with Camera Bodies & Lenses in the Past Half Year

Nikon D90 Camera Body

I loved the D90 when I had it and I still love it when comparing it to the Nikon D700 which I upgraded to. I actually miss the D90 on a daily basis when I’m shooting with the D700! First of all, the D90 has everything you need and then some. The buttons seem to be all in the right place and it is light but not cheaply built. I bashed the video recording capabilities when I first blogged Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera but I would like to take that back!

The video lacks autofocus which renders the camera useless for things which move in the vertical plane but it also allows you to control depth of field which is what really differentiates amateur from professional film! Watch any movie or TV show and you will see focus shift from the foreground to the background almost every scene. The D90 allows you to achieve this professional effect which is virtually impossible on all camcorders. Of course if you’re shooting anything other than small scenes for a commercial or movie such as sports or your kids playing you’re still going to want to get a camcorder but the D90 video capabilities can create some professional looking cinematic moments from your digital SLR.

Of course 99% of people, myself included buy a digital SLR to capture still images. In order to get the still images you desire, choosing the correct lens and knowing when/how to use it is crucial. I had a chance to work with a number of popular lenses with the Nikon D90 and here is my experience with each of them.

My Lenses with the Nikon D90

Nikon Nikkor 18-105mm VR
The Nikkor 18-105 mm VR was the first lens I ever used which came with the Nikon D90 kit. I liked the lens performance initially as the focal range was good for a variety of uses and the photos turned out nice and sharp but as I started reading about the many Nikon and 3rd party SLR lens I decided to ‘upgrade’.

While I was almost 100% satisfied with this lens I figured I could get more out of a longer focal length or wider angles.  The lens is great for any Nikon SLR because of its built in motor which makes it a perfect lens for anyone on a budget who is just getting into SLR photography.

Users of the D40, D60 and D5000 will like this lens a lot more than the standard kit lens (18-55mm VR) simply because it is just as sharp and has that useful extra 50mm of zoom to work with along with the same valuable VR (Vibration Reduction).

Nikon Nikkor 18-200mm VRII
Like many people who have used the internet to find information about lenses I read the glowing review by Ken Rockwell about this lens.

I researched it and determined that the optic performance was likely the same as the kit lens I wanted to be able to cover more range and this popular lens covers 300mm equivalent telephoto.

I will admit I didn’t know enough about DSLR photography at the time I had this lens to get the most out of it.  I believe this lens is a great pickup for almost all photographers who have DX  (Nikon cropped frame) sensors.  Like Mr. Rockwell says, this truly is a do-it-all lens that can get almost everything the average travel photographer shoots with the exception of the super-wide angles.

Nikon Nikkor 50mm F1.8

Another glowing review by Ken Rockwell caused me to purchase this little lens. It was probably the easiest choice to make as it costs around $100USD and auto focuses with the D90’s built it motor. The lens is simple, light, cheap and gets great performance in even the lowest of light.

You can expect VERY sharp images when taking shots of people or animals within this range. Being a prime lens, the drawback is you have to move your feet rather than twisting a zoom ring.

Nikon Nikkor 10-24mm
Even though the D90 was giving me great images I still desired more. At the time I thought it was the camera I needed to upgrade when comparing my shots with the D90 and 18mm (27mm equivalent) and people with the new, expensive full frame cameras.

It turned out what I really was missing was the wide angle from an ultra-wide angle lens. This Nikkor DX lens was expensive and while the range 10-24mm (15-36mm equivalent) was nice, the performance didn’t meet my satisfaction after spending over $900 USD on it. While images in good light looked pretty good, when the light wasn’t there, the images almost never looked sharp, even when mounted on a tripod.

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

I was hesitant to buy a 3rd party lens for my Nikon D90 but I read many positive reviews on Amazon and flicker about this Japanese made Tokina ultra wide. The main knock on the lens from reviews was there was a sample variation with some lenses having issues. It cost $300USD less than the aforementioned Nikkor so I decided to give it a try and I’m glad that I did.

The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 quickly became my favorite lens for the Nikon D90.  Everything about the lens was impressive from the quality of build, to the very smooth zoom ring to the great low light performance and topped off with almost perfectly sharp wide angle images.  Although some reviews criticized its focusing ability, it focused perfectly on my D90 although you should take note if your SLR body has a focusing motor or not because this lens does not have one.
Sigma 18-50 mm f/2.8
After experiencing the vast difference between a lens with a standard (f/3.5+) aperture and the professional Tokina 11-16mm with a f/2.8 maximum aperture I decided to give this Sigma a try. As I planned to sell my Nikkor 18-200mm VR I chose this lens for 3 reasons including the one I just mentioned.

Another reason was the Nikon equivalent lens cost several times more and finally this Sigma had very close focusing capabilities. I thought the macro abilities would make this a great “walking around” lens and it did, well kind of. I found when I used this lens I would only use it for close up objects at 50mm. I originally bought it for the versatility but found it wasn’t versatile at all for the kind of shooting I like to do, especially ultra-wide angles.

I happened to be looking at an apartment on Sathorn 3, Suan Plu Soi 8 one night when I walked past a unique food stall/restaurant.  Outside from the main dining area was a food stall with 2 pans with wonderful looking, sizzling steaks.  The minute I saw the steaks I new I had to try this place so I sat down and ordered.

After a few minutes I received my steak flambe’ and was immediately impressed by the presentation as well as the aroma.  I was hooked after the first bite as the meat was tender and delicious while the sauce was extraordinary.  After I finished the best steak I’ve had in Bangkok I asked for the “Check Bin” (check bill in Thai) and I was amazed that the price was only 150 baht!  ($4.63 USD).

I knew there was something fishy about this particular place to eat in Bangkok because I noticed the chef was paying incredible attention to detail while preparing the food.  I started talking with chef Sanjorn (or John).  It turns out Sanjorn is a current/former chef at the Sukhothai which is one of the swankiest 5-star hotels in all of Thailand!  He is an incredibly nice guy who is more than willing to tell you everything about his food as well as practice his English while you practice your Thai.

Sanjorn Cooking on Suan Plu Soi 8

Sanjorn Cookshop’s Location

Although the area is out of the way for most foreigners it is a great neighborhood.  I remembered vividly how much I liked the neighborhood because it was where the old Thai immigration center was.   In addition to the many food stalls on Thanon Suan Plu, there is a wonderful outdoor food market right at the beginning of the soi.  It is easy to see the area is close to a major university as there are uniformed students everywhere.

The actual location of Sanjorn Cookshop is on Sathorn (Thai: สาทร) or Sathon 3, Suan Plu Soi 8.  It is 4 shops down on the left hand side where you will see the outside cooking area and the inside dining area.  It is relatively close to both Sala Daeng BTS, and Lumpini & Silom MRT stations but I take my bicycle there.  It takes me around 20 minutes via bicycle to get to Sanjorn Cookshop from my apartment at Sukhumvit Soi 13.

The Food & Menu

The steak is what I order almost every time I head to Sanjorn Cookhouse.  Each time the steak meal  has subtle differences based on what’s available and so far everything has been absolutely delicious.  The menu is hardly limited to steak as the other menu items which include everything from salmon, to fish, to pork to traditional Thai dishes look amazing.  The best part is everything on the menu is affordable.  I have had food at restaurants in Bangkok that cost several times more than John’s food but the taste pales in comparison.

My Favorite Steak in Bangkok for 150 baht

Some more of the Amazing Menu Items for less than 200 baht at Sanjorn Cookshop

Overall Impression

When dining out at a place for the first time I can immediately categorize the place into one of 3 categories:  1.  Will never eat at again, 2.  Will possibly eat at again and 3.  I’m coming back tomorrow and Sanjorn Cookshop easily fit in the number 3 category.  The chef John is a very nice guy who can provide a lot of information about the food he prepares.

John’s experience and abilities as a chef are likely in the top 1% of Bangkok restaurants and he offers his tasty creations for a fraction of the price that it would cost elsewhere.  Since the price is so affordable I look at Sanjorn as an affordable “personal chef.”  Even though the location is “out of the way” to most foreigners living in Bangkok, it is a breath of fresh air with mostly Thai people, some cool shops, markets and of course my favorite place to eat in Bangkok, Sanjorn Cookshop.

http://web.me.com/garycollier1/Sanjorn/Welcome.html

Ancient Siam is also known as Ancient City to anyone who speaks English.  In Thai it is called Muang Boran.  According to the Ancient Siam brochure you receive on arrival, “Ancient Siam is an excellent reflection of Thailand’s multi-faceted ancient culture presented in an authentic and visually exciting setting.”

From some of the information I read about Ancient Siam, it was originally going to be a miniature golf course.  What Ancient Siam is today is basically an outdoor museum set on a plot of over 200 acres shaped like the country of Thailand (see map below).  Ancient Siam contains 116 ‘artifacts’ of Thailand’s culture.

The ‘artifacts’ range from everything from a simple small statue, to giant Buddhas, to the aforementioned floating market to giant temples which you can walk in.  Each ‘artifact’ has a sign with a description printed in English and Thai.  According to the free map given at the ticket purchase each ‘artifact’ is either real, taken from the real site for reconstruction, duplicated from an original in Thailand or a creative design built specifically for the Ancient City.

Ancient Siam Map (Click to Enlarge)

Getting to Ancient Siam from Bangkok

Ancient Siam is located in Samut Prakan province, between 30-40km from Bangkok depending on where you depart from.  You can get there by bus by taking the air-conditioned bus #511 (Pinklao-Paknam) to the end of the line and from there, taking the mini-bus #36 which passes the entrance of Ancient Siam.

If you take a taxi as I did, be prepared to negotiate.  Make sure you negotiate the price for the fare before you get in the cab. Even if the driver starts the meter, and you tell him Muang Boran he will likely try to overcharge you.  Make sure you get a return trip as well as the driver will be more than happy to sleep in his car while you’re in the park for 1, 2 or even 3+ hours.

When negotiating, keep in mind that the trip is about as far as a trip to the airport.  There will also be a tollway fee of 45 baht ($1.39 USD) each way.  I ended up paying 800 baht ($24.68 USD) total for the round trip having the driver pay the highway tolls.  I feel I may have overpaid a bit, so you may want to offer a couple hundred less and try to get the round trip for around 600 baht ($18.51 USD).

How long the trip takes depends on your taxi driver and above all traffic.  When I went, around 1:30pm, returning around 5:30pm it took me around an hour each way which I though was not bad considering there were few of those Bangtkok moments when your car is stopped motionless for minutes at a time.

Ticket & Transportation

Like I mentioned, Ancient Siam is no miniature golf course.  The overall area is 200 acres so walking in the sweltering heat is probably the last thing you want to do.  Aside from walking there are 4 primary options of transportation within the park;  1.  You can pay a fee to allow your private vehicle or taxi driver to drive through the park; 2.  You can get on a tram with a group for a guided tour; 3.  You can rent a bicycle which I saw hundreds available for rent; and 4.  You can rent an electric powered golf cart with either 2 or 4 (possibly more) seats.

I chose to rent a golf cart which cost 100 baht ($3.08 USD) per hour.  After I bought the admission ticket which cost 350 baht ($10.80 USD), renting the golf cart from the booth right outside the air conditioned ticket office took about a minute.  There seemed to be a shortage of golf carts although I could be mistaken.  I was there on a Wednesday afternoon, so if you go on the weekend, you may want to prepare to wait for a golf cart, use one of the guided tours or rent a bicycle.

The golf cart was perfect for me because I put my my camera bag in the passenger seat and lazily drive around sipping multi-colored Fantas while shooting photos with my Nikon D700 and  my Nikon Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR telephoto lens .

Getting around the Ancient City's Nice Wide Roads via GOlf Cart

Overview of Ancient City & More Information

Muang Boran had an interesting variety of sites.  While some were replicas of actual temples, or the actual ‘refurbished’ temples others were pretty cheesy “creative designs.”  While some of the sites seemed pretty authentic, compared to sites you will see traveling all around Thailand, others such as Sumeru Mountain (pictured below) seemed right out of an amusement park.

Besides just looking at things, there are also things to do such as the floating market, a deer farm and possibly more things I didn’t see.   Look to spend at least 2 hours just sight seeing at Ancient City.  If you want to get out of your golf cart, and check out the various temples and the floating market you could spend 3-4 hours there easily.  There is plenty of places to get drinks, snacks and food.  The park closes at or around 5pm so going early is the best option which will let you avoid the extreme heat and humidity as well.

Sumeru Mountain

Overall Impression

I enjoyed the 2 hours I spent touring Ancient Siam.  While my focus was less about learning the culture about the 116 ‘artifacts’ of the Ancient City the time I spent there I felt “busy” without long periods of nothing to do.  When I was thirsty it was easy to find something cold to drink, and I stayed cool from the breeze while driving the golf cart.

While to some, especially people who have traveled extensively throughout Thailand, Ancient Siam may seem like a cheesy “canned tour” others will consider Ancient Siam as a cultural experience.  I would highly recommend Muang Boran, the Ancient City to anyone who is spending a limited time in Thailand, specifically in Bangkok as it will give them a decent look into Thai culture and history.  I would recommend Ancient Siam to photographers who want to get some shots, but to hardened “templers” or other people who travel far and wide just to see yet another temple, I would only slightly recommend Ancient Siam.

The overall cost for me, including ticket, golf cart rental and transportation was 1300 baht ($40 USD) may be a little high for a budget traveler traveling alone but going in a group will slash the cost a lot.  I probably wouldn’t go back to Ancient Siam but I think for anyone in Bangkok for a few days, especially those who don’t have the time to travel around in Thailand, to spend an afternoon exploring the Ancient City.

Only those who have lived in a cave their whole life have not heard of the Great Wall of China.  There is a saying in Chinese which amounts to, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.”  It is considered one of the most impressive man-made wonders in the history of mankind.   You pick any history book or website and read more about the history of the Great Wall of China.

Besides the fact that the first thing someone will ask when finding out you traveled in China is, “Did you go the Great Wall,”  I have always been interested in man-made structures whether it be giant urban skyscrapers to Buddhist temples.  As soon as I thought about visiting mainland China I began planning to visit the Great Wall.  I knew the Great Wall passed through some seriously remote parts of China but getting there turned out to be easier than I thought.

Great Wall of China Sections Near Beijing

Getting to the Great Wall of China from Beijing

If you didn’t know, the Great Wall of China covers a very long distance.  Very long may be an understatement as in the USA it would go from San Francisco to New York!  Having a wall that far is a feat in itself but the Great Wall weaves through some very rugged mountainous terrain.

The Great Wall’s most popular section is called Badaling and there is no coincidence that it is located around 30 minutes via car north of Beijing.  There are tour groups that go there multiple times per day in tour buses and vans but if you’re lucky you can either get a car and drive yourself.

I was lucky enough to have a friend in Beijing who offered to give me a ride.  We piled in her car and headed on our short journey to the great wall.  The way to the great wall is along a major highway with signs just like anywhere in the world   As we were driving I noticed we passed a huge, impressive looking section of the Great Wall on a hillside which was filled with tourists.  While I kind of worried we were passing the main attraction my friend who was from Beijing knew what she was talking about.

Looking up the Right Side after Purchasing Tickets

A Different Section of the Badaling Great Wall of China

The first section of the Great Wall we passed on the freeway is the most popular for many reasons, primarily because It is closest to Beijing and secondly because it is fully renovated.  Since the wall has been around for over 1000 years much of it is crumbling.  We ended going to one of those crumbling sections which appeared its renovation was incomplete.  Although you really couldn’t see much of it on the highway, it was located on the right side of the highway only around 10km past the first section which was on the left.  Getting there involved going through 2 or 3 villages on dirt roads for about 5-10 minutes but it was well worth it.

As we arrived there were about 2-3 Mongolian yurts which I think were rented out for people to stay the night.  There was a small ticket office which charged a fee which I believe was about 500 Chinese Yuan ($15 USD) then we were free to explore.  As you walked you could see the gateway was really where the Great Wall had crumbled as you could see huge stacks of rocks on the right and the left.

Entrance: Option to hike to the Right or Left

Exploring the Great Wall of China on Foot

We decided to go up the right side.  The right side of this particular section of the Great Wall looked very, very far as it went over the mountain which was off in the distance.  I could see that most of the wall was intact but some if it was obscured by the very uneven hilly terrain so I didn’t know for sure whether I could make it all the way to the top but it ended up not mattering.

When I thought about the Great Wall of China I failed to realize that it is very steep.  The section I climbed had a mixture of small steps and extremely large steps.  To say exploring the Great Wall was a workout is an understatement because it is a very difficult workout.

Each section climbing the hill was very difficult and took around 15-20 minutes to hike up.  Even with the chilly Northern China air and snow still on the ground and on parts of the wall, I started to sweat and was hot for most of the climb.

Each section ends with what I would describe as a ‘rampart’ which in ancient times, were likely manned with soldiers who were the first line of defense against a Mongol invasion.  While some of the ramparts were in good shape, others were in shambles.  Being inside one of the ramparts gave me an eerie feeling as I was thinking how a lone guard would react to seeing a Mongol army storming his position.

When I first started climbing the wall I wanted to climb to a point at the very top of the mountain you can see in the photo below.  While I was getting tired my legs felt like jello the reason I didn’t continue ascending to the very top was because I wasn’t prepared and had little food and no water.

Best part about this particular Bedaling section of the Great Wall of China we climbed:  Other than a Chinese tour guide scouting out new routes, we saw not a single tourist for the entire 2 and a half hours we were on it!

Looking Down from as far as I Hiked (about 1/2 way up)

Overall Impression

The Great Wall was spectacular.  Thinking that I probably saw less than 1% of it had me even more impressed.  I liked the fact that it was also a very good workout climbing up the wall as well.  I only wish I had prepared for a hike rather a typical, “park – get out – take pictures – get back in” type of tourist attraction.

Depending on your travel plans, I would recommend spending a whole day on the Great Wall, possibly camping on it which is offered at various tour companies.  Since each section of the wall is unique you have quite a bit to see although I could imagine after going a couple, couple hundred, or couple thousands of miles on it could get monotonous.

The Great Wall of China is highly recommended for anyone who has a day or 2 in Beijing.  If I were Chinese I could say I’m finally a true man!

Taking a Piece of the Great Wall for Myself

Getting to Beijing from Guangzhou was not as simple as getting to Guangzhou from Bangkok.  I read in every China travel guide that it’s better and cheaper to book domestic flights in person rather than online.  The prices from online searches confirmed this as the flights as the prices for the non-Chinese airlines were high, and the domestic Chinese airlines do not accept online payments!

Since I had a friend arriving from Taipei to Beijing on a specific date, I felt the need to book my ticket as soon as possible to make sure I got there.  I decided to go to the ticket agent at Ramada Pearl Hotel in Guangzhou and book because I figured she would be able to understand a bit of English.

Her English, although far superior to my Chinese wasn’t great.  She booked me an early afternoon flight on China Eastern Airways.  While Chinese airlines have always had a bad reputation for everything from safety to service I truly didn’t know what to expect.  What I really didn’t expect was my business class ticket.  She booked me in business class in the half full Boeng 777 which made the flight a breeze, the food was pretty good and the service was outstanding!

The City of Beijing

I’m not sure if it was just the flight route but arriving in Beijing was different from all cities I’ve ever flown to.  While the sights of most plane’s approaches is usually rice fields, water or mountains, when flying to Beijing I saw a constant city skyline for at least the last 10 minutes.  I did a rough calculation that seeing city for 10 minutes at around 300 miles per hour equals about 50 miles of city!

Beijing was different than most large Asian cities that I’ve been to as the city center was not a cluster of giant skyscrapers but Tienanmen Square which really is just a huge vacant lot.  It’s safe to say that Beijing is a great example of urban sprawl.  The difficult Chinese language barrier withstanding, getting around Beijing was not very difficult.  As long as I knew where I was going and had help along the way, using the subways, taxis and other forms of transportation were not bad.

Beijing was cold in April when I visited.  I had a personal training client years ago who told me that Beijing’s women had a special name which related to their facial skin being rough because of the sand constantly blowing into their face.  Walking out of my hotel it took all but 5 minutes for the cold wind to blow sand in my face.   I’ll never forget that.

Places to Stay in Beijing:  Novotel – Coming Soon

West Beijing as seen from Jingshan Park

Things to Do in Beijing

Beijing has a multitude of things to do but the highlights definitely revolve around China’s history.  If you’re not walking around ancient places you can do anything in Beijing that you can do in any other major city in the world.  Beijing’s food is famous for its “Peking duck” but you will notice the authentic Chinese foods served in Beijing are very sesame centric.   Here are some of the things I did, or failed to do in Beijing.

Tienanmen Square

Most of the most popular hotels on sites such as Expedia’s Hotels.com were within walking distance to Tienanmen Square as was the Novotel I was staying at.  Of course everyone in the world outside of China remembers Tienanmen Square as the site of the student uprising which was dramatically put to end by the Chinese government.  The first thing anyone will notice when visiting Tienanmen Square is a very significant presence of the Chinese government from soldiers to police.

The entire Tienanmen Square and surrounding buildings which include significant government buildings are surrounded by a white metal fence which is a little more than a mater tall.  This makes it impossible to catch a taxi unless you exit the square from the north or the south.

Besides a few monuments and of course the tomb of Mao’s preserved body, Tienanmen Square is nothing more than a parking lot.  The fact that Tienanmen Square is a rather bland tourist attraction doesn’t take away from its allure as evidenced by the thousands or tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists that visit.

Coupled its location & the fact that it is directly next to the Forbidden City and a historic, Tienanmen Square will likely continue to be popular with tourists foreign and domestic for many years to come.

Chinese Flag at North End of Tienanmen Square with Forbidden City in Background

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City in between Tienanmen Square and Jingshan Park.  Along with the Badaling section of the Great Wall it is probably the tourist site you want #1 on your list when you visit Beijing.  Unfortunately I missed on my opportunity to explore Forbidden City because I didn’t about the limitations for buying tickets so listen up.

To enter the Forbidden City you must buy your tickets before 4:30pm.  Even though the city is open until 8:30pm you will not be allowed in without a ticket.  I missed out the first 2 days in Beijing.  I arrived just after 4:30 and even tried to bribe the ticket agent at the gate for tickets but was denied.  I had to choose between the Forbidden City and the Great Wall for my last day in Beijing and I chose the wall.

Looking down on the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park

Zhongshan park

Zhongshan Park, the former imperial garden is a public park which is located southeast of the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng District of central Beijing.  Zhongshan park is another scenic park which has a mixture of landscaping, lakes, waterfalls and of course Chinese architecture.

Zhongshan Park Beijing

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of the Chongwen District in central Beijing.  Like the forbidden city, I missed out on going inside the temple grounds as I arrived after ticket sales were halted which I believe was around 8pm.  Even though I didn’t actually get in the temple there is a small admission fee to get in Tian Tan Park which surrounds the temple area.  The area was cool as I was able to chat w/ tourists and walk around.  I heard and saw some interesting things such as Chinese guys chanting, grunting and telling which I assume had something to do w/ qi.  I also saw groups of adults singing karaoke as well as a large group of retirees dancing near the entrance/exit.  I were told they get free entry in the park because of their age.

Behind the Gates of the Closed Temple of Heaven

Wangfujing Street

Wangfujing Street located in the Dongcheng District which was about a 5-10 minute walk from the Novotel I was staying at.  While Wangfujing Street was really nothing compared to shopping streets all throughout Asia you have to appreciate the fact that this is in the capital of communist China.  Wangfujing Street has some familiar retailers as well as some Chinese retailers.  This is not a place to buy cheap items though unless you’re talking about food.  There is an infamous food street which sells gimmick items such as live scorpion skewers as well as seehorse as well as the deliciously normal Chinese food items such as dim sum, noodles and more.

Walking down Wangfujing Walking Street in Beijing

Karaoke Lovers outside of the Temple of Heaven

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China Badaling Section outside of Beijing

Overall Impression

While Beijing certainly had a number of tourist attractions I could never live there.  It may sound odd, but in retrospect Beijing is China.  Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, & Taipei definitely do not feel as “China” as Beijing.   Beijing differs with the previously mentioned cities, because the major tourist attractions in Beijing are mostly old and ancient and have closer ties to the Chinese government and history.

While the government and police authority is clearly more present in Beijing than the other Chinese cities I visited, it is still comfortable to walk around in Beijing.  The parts of Beijing I visited were clean and while there was a good amount of traffic with cars honking with people hacking and spitting I never found Beijing to be nerve racking like I did Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

It helped greatly to have a couple of friends with me who spoke Chinese.  When they asked questions to people they always received a warm response as I noticed the people in China to be very social of course when spoken to in their own language.  More often than not, when asking directions a few people came over and tried to help which soon started to be a rather long conversation.

I stayed in Beijing for 4 nights which could have been enough if I planned my trip better.  I actually think 4 days is perfect for a trip to Beijing.  Staying at a hotel near Tienanmen Square and waking up early will allow you to visit the Forbidden City, the square and Jingshan Park in one day.  An excursion to the Great Wall would be perfect for your second day.  The third and fourth days would allow you to visit any museums, parks, or temples you are interested in.  Throw in another day for some shopping and you have a nice, activity packed trip to Beijing.

Next Destination in Mainland China – Shanghai - Coming Soon

Live Scorpions from a Food Street off Wangfujing Street

View More Photos from Beijing & All around the World at tourismPICS.com

I purposely waited to write my primary post about Taipei because I really had nothing to compare it to other than Hong Kong and all of your average Chinatowns that I’ve been to.  When I went to Taipei, other than my Taipei Lonely Planet Travel Guide, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I thought Taipei would be yet another large bustling Asian metropolis.  Now that I’ve been to mainland China including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai I feel I can write a little more about Taipei.

I actually got the trip to Taipei before I booked my weekend trip to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand the earlier weekend.   I didn’t realize it when I did that traveling 2 consecutive weekends is not a good idea.  The previous weekend I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Chiang Mai returning to Bangkok Monday Morning and I was scheduled to go to Taipei on Thursday which only gave me 3 days at home to catch up on this blog, tourismPICS.com amongst other things.

After I realized that traveling 2 consecutive weekends was probably not a good idea it was already too late to re-book the flight for the next weekend.  I also saw a poor weather forecast which included lots of cloudy skies and fog which makes taking good photos difficult as well.  Even though the next weekend was supposed to have better weather, I decided not to re-book and lose the few thousand baht I spent on the original tickets.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in the center of the city of Taipei

Getting to Taipei

Lucky for me Taipei is only around 3 hours away from Bangkok.  I did a few searches on major flight search engines but found nothing cheaper than what AirAsia offered.  I took the painless 3 hour flight from Suhamabhumi to Taipei International and following the Taipei Lonely Planet guide’s advice, I took a bus from the airport to the city.

The drive in from the airport to the city was pretty long.  The bus had 3 drop off points which were relatively close to the hotel I booked for the first night.  I ended up getting off the bus at the first stop and then taking a taxi to the hotel which coincidentally was named First Hotel.

Typical Brightly Lit Taipei Street

Places to Stay in Taipei

I booked a hotel for the first night only beforehand because I wanted to make sure it was in a good neighborhood, write a couple more posts for this blog and of course the hotel only had 1 night available.  Maybe it was due to the fact I tried to postpone my trip to Taipei but I found it difficult to find hotels online.  I ended up calling hotels which happened to be full, and asking them for the numbers of hotels which possibly had vacancies.  I ended up staying at the following hotels in Taipei.

Places to Stay in Taipei:  First Hotel

Places to Stay in Taipei:  Dolomanco Hotel

Things to Do in Taipei

Just all Asian cities, Taipei has all the shopping anyone could hope for.  Whether you want expensive designer handbags or cheap knock-offs, you can find it in Taipei.  Here are some of the tourism attractions I had a chance to experience in the city of Taipei.

Taipei 101

Core Pacific City

Visit Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

River Bicycle Ride

Overall Impression

I truly believe I missed out by visiting Taiwan without leaving Taipei.  Like I mentioned in the introduction, Taipei is a relatively small city and with the language barrier it was very difficult to get around in a timely manner.  Looking in the Taiwan Lonely Planet Guide I saw many very beautiful sites that I wish I went to.

I can’t speak for Chinese speaking people but I would recommend anyone going to Taiwan to spend no more than 2 days in Taipei.  Plan your trip well ahead and plan your excursions outside of Taipei and see the beautiful natural as well as historic man-made attractions that Taiwan has to offer.

View More Photos from Taipei, Taiwan at tourismPICS.com

Tourims Pics Travel Photography

Getting to Guangzhou

My new strategy of travel lead me to make Guangzhou my first destination to mainland China.  Instead of taking long flights and passing over or even worse, waiting at the airport of places I want to visit, I flew to Guangzhou instead of Beijing where I was to meet a friend who was traveling as well.

Instead of taking the 5 or so hour international flight to Beijing, I took the 2 hour flight to Guangzhou offered by AirAsia which has the best prices in the region.  I made sure to pay the extra 250 baht ($7.50 USD) to get the exit row seat so I could type a post or 2 for this blog during the short trip.  Keep in mind both Shenzhen and Hong Kong are very close by and while all have international airports, the bullet train is probably the easiest and cheapest method of travel.

I arrived very late to the Guangzhou airport from Bangkok and I was immediately approached by a tout who spoke perfect English.  I was immediately skeptical thinking he was trying to rip me off or squeeze money out of me some way.  I was pleasantly surprised as he was able to sell me a sim card for my cell phone for cheap and lead me to a taxi for the drive to the hotel and didn’t try to charge me a single dime.

Places to Stay in Guangzhou, China – Ramada Hotel Pearl - Coming Soon

Getting Around in Guangzhou

Like Taipei which I visited a few months before, Guangzhou was very difficult to get around mentally at least.  Physically there was more than enough taxis, buses and a thorough subway system as well as a giant train station but mentally there was very little to help me get around.  Guangzhou seemed completely unprepared for tourism.

Even trying to find tourism information from the Ramada hotel I was staying at was almost impossible due to the language barrier.   There wasn’t even tourism pamphlets in English at the airport or my hotel.   Even when I booked my flight from Guangzhou to Beijing I could barely communicate my desired information to the attendant at the ticketing desk at my hotel.

Like Taipei, when I wasn’t getting around by foot, exploring the area around my hotel and the Pearl River I took taxis.  Taxis in Guangzhou were pretty cheap but required the directions written down in Chinese to go where you wanted.  I also found it interesting that there was a metal cage with some glass surrounding the taxi driver’s seat in all taxis.

Things to do in Guangzhou, China

Besides growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area which has a huge Chinese population, before Guangzhou I had traveled to Taipei, where very few people spoke English and Hong Kong where there are a lot of English speakers.  Since most of the Chinese people in San Francisco were from Guangdong province in southern China I hoped English would be widely spoken in Guangzhou.

My hopes were dashed as I found it very hard to get around, hence this “Things to do in Guangzhou” section is going to be slim.  Guangzhou is a huge city so I could have just been in the wrong areas but I’d assume English is not widely spoken anywhere in mainland China.

Since it was difficult for me to get around, like my trip to Taipei I feel, “I didn’t really do much” in Guangzhou.  Luckily from my hotel’s location I was able to walk to Guangzhou’s yet to be completed future main tourist attractions as well as a good portion of the Pearl River.

2010 Asia Games

Like the Olympics 2010 Olympics was a worldwide showcase for Beijing, the 2010 Asian Games is going surely to be huge for Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and China as a whole.  As you can see from the picture below when I was in Guangzhou the site for the games was under construction.

Under Construction site for the 2010 Asian Games

Visit the TV & Sight Seeing Tower

When I was in Guangzhou during the 2^nd week of April 2010 the tower appeared to be going through the final stage of construction.  As you can see from most of the photos, the tower is pretty easily visible from most of Guangzhou as it is Antenna or spire 610 m (2,001.3 ft) tall and is the third tallest structure in the entire world.

From a distance I could see the tower which would light up in mesh-like patterns of different colors.  There were plenty of views from along the Pearl River but I had a taxi driver take me to tower which was in the midst of a construction zone.  I assume the tower will open when the 2010 Asian games begins to showcase Guangzhou along with the following.

Visit the Guangzhou International Finance Center

The Guangzhou International Finance Center aka the West Tower of the Guangzhou Twin Towers skyscraper was an ominous dark object towering over the Guangzhou skyline at the time of my visit, but along with the Radio and TV tower it is likely to open for the start of the 2010 Asian Games.  As a new skyscraper and one of the tallest buildings in the world, I assume it will have an observation deck and house numerous tourist attractions.  I didn’t get very close to it as it was obviously not finished yet.

Guangzhou International Finance Center (right)

Pearl River Walks & Liede Bridge

Guangzhou is basically split in half by the the Pearl River.  From what I read the Pearl River is very polluted as one may expect going through large industrial areas of China.  Access to the Pearl River was within a 10 minute walk from my hotel.  I was pleasantly surprised when there was a rather long scenic walkway along the river.   There were a few people milling about and a couples relaxing amidst the foggy/smoggy Guangzhou night.

The walkways along the Pearl River were a bit unpredictable as they would abruptly end or sometimes be under construction.  Also apparent along the Pearl River is Liede Bridge which is a brightly lit, futuristic looking bridge crossing the Pearl River.  There was walking paths on either side easily accessed by spiral staircases.  Interestingly enough the power abruptly shut off around 9pm which was the signal for me to catch a cab back to my hotel.

Walking Path Along Pearl River

Liede Bridge

Take the Bullet Train

Before I booked my flight from Bangkok to Southern China I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to go to Shenzhen or Guangzhou.  I decided on Guangzhou and planned to take the train to Shenzhen as it was only an hour away.  I made my way to the giant train station to find almost no English signs.  The train station was very confusing as there were many different booths and lines all w/ Chinese writing.  If you or a friend oes not speak Chinese and want to take the train from Guangzhou to anywhere, I highly recommend having a guide or things planned out beforehand.  I luckily found a scarce “English Speaking Booth” and got my ticket to Shenzhen.

Shenzhen China – Coming Soon

Overall Impression

The reason why I finally booked my first trip to mainland China was primarily because my (Chinese speaking) friend was going to be in Beijing and Shanghai.  Since I’d rather take multiple short flights rather than a single long one Guangzhou was more of a pit stop.  Similar to what I experienced in Taipei, it was very difficult to get around in Guangzhou because of the language barrier.

Like I mentioned before Guangzhou seemed like it wasn’t quite ready to be an international tourist attraction although you can see it was taking steps to be.  Perhaps I stayed in the wrong area but it seemed like there was not much going on in Guangzhou and I wouldn’t recommend anyone visit Guangzhou unless travel plans are well thought out and/or you or a friend speak fluent Chinese.

There is no airport on Koh Phangan.  There are many travelers whose only time spent in Koh Samui is to wait for a Koh Phangan bound ferry at Big Buddha pier which is very close to the airport.  There are other points of embarkation to Koh Phangan including points along mainland Thailand but the easiest for most people is to fly into Samui Airport and book the ferry.

There are a couple different companies offering a trip from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan so it is important you know their schedules according to your itineraries.  I took a standard boat with what seemed to be a hundred or so fellow travelers on it.  It was the standard island transport boat which had indoor and outdoor seating, a small snack bar and bathroom facilities.  The trip from Samui to Phangan takes around 30 minutes unless you book a private speedboat which costs a ridiculous 7000+ baht.

Big Buddha Pier in Koh Samui (Big Buddha at the edge of Land in center of Photo)

Arriving in Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan Map (Click to Enlarge)

There are a few different piers on each island in which you can get from Samui to Phangan and vice versa.  I took the ferry from Big Buddha pier to Thong Sala pier which is in the center of Phangan.

Upon arrival you will no doubt see non-stop reminders of what Koh Phangan is famous for.  There are signs advertising the full moon and associated parties everywhere.  It is nothing like Koh Samui’s over development induced signage overload but you will notice them even in Thong Sala which is about an hour drive away from Haad Rin Nok beach on Southeastern Phangan which is the home of the infamous Full Moon Party.

After arriving on Thong Sala pier there are beautiful deserted beaches and fishing boats to the right and the town is directly in front.  There is nowhere to get lost as if you walk straight you will see numerous stores.

You have several transportation options after your arrival.  I saw many young travelers who I assume were on their way to Haad Rin the town/beach of the Full Moon Party getting in the back of ‘sawng teeo’ which are pick-up trucks converted to taxis with 2 benches lining their bed.

I had planned to rent a scooter/motorcycle and I rented one from the first vendor I saw.  She charged me 200 baht ($6USD per day) all I had to do is hand over my passport, pay her the 200 baht and I was off.  I initially planned to head back to Koh Samui because I still had all my stuff except for camera at my bungalow there.  I knew Koh Phangan had only a handful of main roads so I set off looking to explore the island but had no idea how long it would take or what was in store for me.

Thong Sala Beach (Directly to the right of Thong Sala Pier Upon Arrival)

Exploring Koh Phangan

I really didn’t have an itinerary on Koh Phangan.  I knew the island was small and I could just ride around on my scooter and explore various towns, mountains and of course beaches.  My exploration of Koh Phangan got off to a good start as I took a road to the northeast which lead me to the Chinese mountain temple on my way to one of the northern beaches.  The road seemed brand new and I was able to zip across the island.

Once I got to the north end of the island to the small fishing village there were a few small dirt roads which I decided not to take on my Honda scooter.  To this day I’m not sure whether the roads lead somewhere or just to someone’s house.  According to the maps there are non-paved roads that lead to the northern beaches but I figured there was a lot more to explore so I left and headed back south.

Once I drove back South I came to a familiar intersection.  Rather than going back to Thong Sala I decided to head northeast as I was pretty much just randomly driving.  The northeast road suddenly changed from paved highway to one of the worst dirt roads I’ve ever driven on.  The road was flat on probably 10% of it as it had grooves in it from a likely mixture of motorcycle traffic and rain water.

Beach on Northeast end of Koh Phangan

I almost crashed my scooter half a dozen times even though I was driving cautiously.  I consider myself lucky for not crashing, that’s how bad the roads were.  The dry loose dirt along with the multiple grooves in the road were a major problem going down the steep hills. Through the mountains on the way to the coast the roads would become paved for short stretches then back to the horrible dirt roads.

A great thing about traveling on Thailand’s islands is the small villages which often have restaurants.  I would usually stop and get food at these villages.  I stopped at one with a kid practicing Muay Thai in a full ring next to a dining area overlooking cliffs as well as one with a massage setup overlooking the beautiful beaches and landscapes of Koh Phangan (pictured below).   Like most of Thailand the people were extremely friendly but it seemed the people on Phangan were even friendlier!  I usually ordered fried rice as it’s pretty much impossible to get sick from eating it.

I finally got to the beach I had traveled the dangerous roads to get to.  The area I reached was an amazing looking crescent beach which was enveloped with dense forest.  There was another beach to the Northeast.   The area was very quiet and family/couple oriented so I decided I wanted to go to Haad Rin to spend the night.  I still had some light so I decided to brave the horrific roads in the darkening skies to get to an area with more options.

Haad Rin Pier after Sunset in Koh Phangan

I ended up getting to to Haad Rin just after sunset.  I drove around and found the town remarkably similar to the infamous backpacker’s ghetto Khaosan Road in Bangkok.  It was like a whole town of Khaosan road with tons of backpackers, tourists along with shops and of course 7-elevens.  I thought it was pretty cool but instead of going out and partying I ended up getting exhausted so I had to find a hotel where I ended up crashing without getting to sample Haad Rin’s infamous night life.

Places to Stay in Haad Rin Koh Phangan, Thailand:  DROP IN CLUB RESORT & SPA - Coming Soon

Things to Do on Koh Phangan

Full Moon Party

If you are interested in the Full Moon party or any of its offshoots such as the Half Moon Party or Black Moon party you should check out their official website:  FullMoonParty-Thailand.com There are numerous websites online completely devoted to killing your brain cells in mass quantities, enjoy!

Haad Rin – One of the Most Developed Areas on Koh Phangan

Beach & Water Activities

Anyone headed to a tropical island should not be surprised to find beach and water activities and Koh Phangan is no exception.  There are many beaches and all the water anyone could want and more.  Most beaches I saw on Phangan were not very crowded with the exception of Haad Rin Beach the scene of the full moon party.  All water activities from snorkeling to jet skiing to fishing are available as well and are best booked ahead.

Exploring

Riding a motorcycle or scooter on Koh Phangan is an adventure in itself.  While some roads are in perfect condition, calling others “roads” to begin with is doing them too much justice.  If you want to explore every inch of Phangan I would recommend recommend renting a dirt bike rather than a normal scooter.  I saw numerous couples having difficult climbing up hills in their low powered scooters.  I had enough trouble navigating the pot holed roads on a scooter by myself during dry season I couldn’t imagine trying to get around on a scooter when the mud/clay roads are wet, in addition to impossible it is likely extremely dangerous.

Elephant Trekking

Since most of Kho Phangan is covered with dense mountainous jungle, on the back of an elephant is the best way to explore some of it.  I saw a few elephant stables one which was near Kuan Yin Shrine almost caused me to get in a wreck because there was a stray horse in the middle of the road.

Hiking

Like Samui, there are numerous “waterfalls” on Kho Phangan.  If you arrive in the dry season expect those waterfalls to be less than a trickle if there is any water at all.  There are plenty of places to hike on Phangan which are best accessed with a group.  There are numerous beaches which have few if any roads which are only accessible by hiking or boat.  If you like hiking, plan ahead, get a tour guide and you can find it on Phangan.

Chinese Temple

The Kuan Yin Shrine is a Chinese mountain temple.  It is located rather close to Thong Sala town and pier and is easily accessible and impossible to miss on one of the main, high quality roads of Koh Phangan.  View more Photos of Thailand’s Island Temples on tourismPICS.com

Leaving Koh Phangan

The options for leaving Koh Phangan involve taking a boat to the coast of Thailand’s mainland or to another island.  Since I had all my belongings at Koh Samui I had fewer choices.  I hastily returned my scooter to the vendor which was literally 50 meters across from the ticket booths only to find the boat back to Big Buddha Pier on Samui didn’t leave for another 5 hours!

The bad news wasn’t so bad at all because it gave me another 5 hours on the island which allowed me to explore the main roads I missed the day before and a waterfall which included a hike to a viewpoint which I was able to get some of the following Koh Phangan photos.

View more Photos from Koh Phangan at tourismPICS.com

Leaving Koh Phangan

Overall Impression

I had no intention of going to Koh Phangan’s Full Moon, Half Moon or Black Moon Parties.  The reason I traveled to the Thai islands in the first place was to relax and while it was relatively difficult to relax on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan had a lot more quiet and peaceful places to relax and most importantly didn’t have the buzzing circular traffic 24 hours a day.

I loved Koh Phangan.  On Koh Phangan there were dozens of kilometers of beautiful white sand beaches with less than a dozen people on them.  That is my idea of a tropical paradise and that is exactly what I consider Koh Phangan.  It really has just enough of everything without going overboard.  Yes the infamous Full Moon parties are crazy but that is such a small percentage of the island.

I was only on Koh Phangan for around 24 hours which in no way does it justice.  There is so much to do, so much to explore on Koh Phangan the next time I go back I will definitely spend at least a week there.  I would recommend any travelers who want to relax on a tropical island, go hiking, elephant trekking, swimming, snorkeling, beach bumming to their heart’s content to spend at least a week on Phangan.

Even if your soul goal is to party like a rock star and have a wild night on Haad Rin beach’s Full Moon Party you can still explore the entire island in a week or simply relax on a secluded beach with your friends during the day and that includes nursing your hangover.  I just can’t say enough positive things about Koh Phangan a great relaxing place which is definitely on the list of places I will return to in the near future.

Old Hut overlooking Yet Another white sand Koh Phangan Beach

View more Photos from Koh Phangan at tourismPICS.com

If you’re at all familiar with the geography of Thailand you may already know that often times it’s not as simple as simply booking a flight, landing, getting to the hotel and lounging on the beach.  Some of Thailand’s islands have only a few thousand if any inhabitants while others are almost completely developed.

Koh Samui happens to be one of the 3 largest islands along with the Phuket and Koh Chang.  While Koh Chang doesn’t have an airport and requires a ferry from the mainland’s Trat airport Phuket and Koh Samui both have an airport but with the airport at Koh Samui there is a catch.

The airport on Koh Samui was built by Bangkok Airways which for a long time was the sole airline occupying the airport.  Times have changed and now Thai Airways has a couple flights in and out of Samui along with a couple tiny airlines but if you plan to head to Samui you’re probably going to be flying Bangkok Airways.

This is not to say Bangkok Airways, “Asia’s Boutique Airline” is not good but it does limit your options especially if you pay attention to airfare.  Due to the obvious lack of competition Bangkok Airways can charge a few extra baht for each flight.  I was flying from Singapore so I paid what I thought was a lot more than a typical domestic flight in Thailand.

Bangkok Airways Plane Flying over Big Buddha Pier on Koh Samui

Getting Situated on Koh Samui

I picked a bungalow which was the very cheapest accommodations for Koh Samui on Hotels.com which was located in Mae Nam Beach which was supposed to be one of the quieter areas on Koh Samui.  Upon arrival I went to the one and only counter for taxi and was quoted 600 baht ($18 USD) for a ride to my bungalow.

I pretty much knew I was paying way too much for a cab or one of those pickup truck style cabs with 2 rows of seats in the back but I wasn’t in the mood for inconveniencing myself so I just plunked down the 600 baht and in 15 minutes I was at my hotel.  If you arrive to Samui Airport and don’t want to spend 600 baht to get to your bungalow make sure you plan your transport in advance.

Places to Stay on Koh Samui Thailand, Bungalow – Coming Soon

Koh Samui Island

My Koh Samui experience was quite different than what I expected.  I was under the impression that Koh Samui was a quiet and peaceful island which wasn’t overdeveloped like Phuket, Hawaii or other popular tourist islands but Samui was just that.  I specifically avoided Koh Phangan because I thought it was going to be covered with drunk teenagers attending full moon parties and overcrowded roads but that is exactly what Koh Samui was like.

I rented a Honda Scooter (moped?) from the Bungalow for 250 baht ($7.50 USD) which was overpaying and began to drive around Koh Samui.  When I say drive around It’s not a figure of speech.  The main road of Koh Samui is a 2-way 2-4 lane road that goes in a circle around the entire island.  My hotel manager said it takes from 45-60 minutes to go around the whole island.

There are many interior roads, the ones I drove on were all paved and in very good condition (note the exception pictured below) as opposed to what I read which said they were all bad.  The huge problem with getting around via scooter on Koh Samui is the absolutely ridiculous sign overload.  I’m not exaggerating when I say after you see the sign of the place you are trying to get to, you will see 20-50 signs before your turn.

In addition to being really annoying this showed some serious overdevelopment of Koh Samui’s coast and beaches.  Most of the beaches were either crowded tourist beaches like the two most popular Chaweng and Lamai or smaller beaches lined with resorts.

Typical Beach Scene Surrounding Koh Samui

Things to do on Koh Samui

If you don’t plan on driving around in circles like I did you should probably plan your things-to-do itinerary before you set out.  Even if you plan it out, make sure you have a general idea of how far you need to go so you don’t get confused by the sign overload.  At the very least, if you are driving yourself, drive very slowly on the far side of the road to be able to see where you want to go.

Beach Bum it

If being on the beach and in the water is your thing there is no shortage of it on Koh Samui.  You will no doubt be sharing it with hundreds of Western tourists but there is an abundance of water activities from surfing to snorkeling to jet skiing.  While 90% of anyone visiting a tropical island wants to take advantage of this, alternative activities are important for if you get bored or get that likely bad sunburn.

Grandmother and Grandfather Rock

Tourist attraction rock formations which resemble human genitalia are not entirely unusual (See Halong Bay, Vietnam) but Koh Samui has its own version.  I didn’t get a chance to see Grandmother and Grandfather rock mostly because I was caught up in the turbulent traffic swirl and missed the sign.  I didn’t get a chance to take my own photos but I got the idea from other people’s photos.  If you want to see Grandmother and Grandfather rock you’re in luck because it’s very close to Lamai Beach one of Koh Samui’s 2 most popular beach and areas.

Grandfather & Grandmother Rocks

“Templing”

Not that Koh Samui is the best place in Thailand to visit Buddhist temples and shrines but there are a fair share.  The most popular temple to visit in Koh Samui is the Big Buddha, located very close to Big Buddha Pier which is the primary embarkation point for Koh Phangan and other nearby islands.  There are various small shrines and temples on the island which I didn’t get a chance to visit.  Another rather large temple which I happened to visit was Wat Nuan Naram which you can more on the following link.

Thai Island Temple Photos on tourismPICS.com.

Hiking & Trekking

I had this 1000+ meter peak behind the Bungalow that was beckoning me.  My plan was to hike it so I went to 7-Eleven and bought some Man Vs. Wild survival gear like a cigarette lighter, flashlight, small pocket knife as well as a fresh phone card for in case I got lost.

Little did I know the hills in Koh Samui are no joke.  My Man vs Wild survivor kit was sorely lacking mosquito repellent and in the first 30 seconds I had to stop after getting my leg sliced up by some cactus like plants, I had about 500 mosquitoes buzzing around the fresh meat.  Needless to say I wimped out and saved the hiking for another day.

There are many mountains on Koh Samui and many opportunities to hike them on foot, mountain bikes, ATVs and of course elephant back.  None of these activities are going to be something you will do on your own so if you are interested by hiking and trekking make sure you call one of the many groups and make plans.

Eat, Drink & Party

It is Koh Samui’s close neighbor island Koh Phangan is world renowned for its Full Moon Parties but there is no shortage of partying on Koh Samui.  Aside from the huge night club Green Mango in Chaweng which could be in any urban city center to there is a ton of night life venues mainly concentrated in Chaweng and Lamai beach areas but there are also smaller, low key spots throughout the island.

Party at Green Mango Night Club in Koh Samui

Leaving Koh Samui

I had a 6pm flight from Koh Samui back to Bangkok.  With check-out time being at 12pm it meant I had a few hours to kill.  I planned to write for this blog so I wanted an internet connection and most importantly air conditioning.  I was worried about getting stuck at the small Samui Airport for 6 hours but rather than lugging my big bag around I decided to bite the bullet and wait at the airport.

What I didn’t know was Samui’s airport had a very nice boutique-like row of shops and restaurants.  There was everything from a sports bar, to a professional massage studio to ice cream shops, coffee shops and eateries.

All were air conditioned and the coffee shop even had a free wireless internet connection with any purchase.  Needless to say I got some work done and consumed some delicious extra calories before I boarded my Bangkok Airways flight back to Bangkok.  If you have some extra time on Koh Samui I would recommend going to the airport early what you’re going to find there is likely better than anything else on the island!

Bangkok Airways Koh Samui Airport Shops & Restaurants

Overall Impression

I still have nightmares of all the signs in Koh Samui.  It bugged me to the end and it made getting around way more difficult than it should have been.  While I thought there were many beautiful sights on Koh Samui it wasn’t what I envision when I think of a tropical Island.  Of course it still is Thailand so it is still covered in nice, laid back people.

I had just came from Singapore so it was really easy for me to appreciate the Thailand cost of living as well although some things were priced for the tourist.  While I liked some parts about Koh Samui and would consider going back before I left, I probably would bypass Koh Samui next time and use it for Bangkok Airway’s “boutique” airport after visiting its less developed neighbor, Koh Phangan.

View the Complete Koh Samui Photo Archive at tourismPICS.com

Places to Visit from Bangkok, Thailand – Koh Phangan

One of the first things anyone who goes to Singapore will notice is East Coast Park simply because every form of transport leaving the airport drives by it on the way to the city.  It seemed very peaceful as you could see the aqua blue water and white sand beaches with a nearby canopy of tall trees.

East Coast Park was on my to do list as soon as I saw it but I purposely decided to wait until early the next week because I had a premonition of big weekend crowds.  I went on a Monday afternoon and the crowds were pretty tame.  My plans were to check out the beaches and go for a bicycle ride.

My primary objective was to get a good physical workout with a nice bike ride but I took some time to take some pictures and check out Singapore’s coast.  I inspected some of the many beaches in East Coast park and they ranged from small to medium sized white sand beaches to artificial jetty-like structures which showed that all the beaches were probably man made.

Cement on the Left - Beach on the Right - Singapore City in Background

Bicycle  Rental

I stupidly went to the first bike rental shop I saw which was right next to the eatery complex complete with McDonalds, Burger King a couple Chinese restaurants and more.  Without thinking I plucked down 10 Singapore dollars ($7 USD) and my ID (I used my California’s driver’s license) to get my bike.

Their “best bike” was a hybrid of some kind.  In the first 10 seconds I tried to ride it became evident that there was not a chance in hell I would make it more than a mile in this bike.  I’m used to nice bikes, not Lance Armstrong quality road bikes, but bikes that can ‘get on it.’  As I was riding down the bike path around 100 meters towards Changi Airport I saw another bike shop.

I went to the other bike shop and asked them what their best bike was.  They showed me a few nice hybrid bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes.  The higher end bikes cost a bit more, I chose a Cannondale hybrid which cost 20 Singapore dollars ($14.30 USD) but it was well worth it.  I immediately returned the crap bike to the first bike shop, without asking for a refund and was on my way.

Beachfront Bicycle Shop with Crappy Bikes

Bicycle Ride

Bike Path with Marked Pedestiran Crossing

The bike path was very nice and wide, free from potholes with more than enough signs to tell you everything you want to know.  There were red and white pedestrian crossings throughout as well.

This was my first time at East Coast park so I had no idea how far the bicycle path went but the plan was to go all the way to the airport.  I started riding and stopped a few times but ride as far as the path went.   East Coast Park actually ends in a few kilometers from the bike shop but there are numerous “connector” parks and other parks connected.  Yet again, a Singapore dot gov website details all the parks and connections.

I ended up riding all the way past Changi (Singapore International) airport to land’s end where there was a culdesac (pictured below).  Luckily for me or anyone who decides to go on this bike ride there are 3 or 4 little areas with shops and/or restaurants for refreshments and most importantly bottles of cold drinking water.

Interestingly, I noticed quite a few people which looked to be Malay from their head scars camping throughout the parks towards the end of the bike path.  I got some refreshments at the end of the path found an empty park bench and drank some fruit juice before I readied myself for the ride back.

End of the Road Land's End: Pasir Ris park

Overall Impression

On the way back the time was nearing 4pm and I could tell as the park was getting more crowded.  More bicyclists, rollerbladers and joggers were crowding the park which gave me the impression that it would be pretty crowded on the weekends.  Bicycling as far as I could figure out you could go from East Coast Park I could see dozens of empty small beaches.

East Coast Park is about as natural as you’re going to get on Singapore and anyone who wants to cool off in the calm aqua waters, relax on the beach, get physically active with bicycling, rollerblading, jogging, snorkeling East Park is worth a trip.  There is even a golf course and yes, Singapore’s First Cable Ski Park, and surely some surprises for a first time visitor.  I would recommend anyone who finds themselves in Singapore for an extended period of time, get a tube of sunblock, your favorite book and head to East Coast Park for a peaceful ocean breeze and a variety of physical activity if you choose to be active.