Day trip to Bang Krachao Thailand

Bang Krachao aka Bangkok's Green Lung, makes a great day trip to escape hectic city life. Enjoy pedalling bicycles 🚲 #moistytravelguide #bangkrachao #Bangkok pic.twitter.com/gYGEMJmZgh

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) September 11, 2023

Bang Krachao ตำบล บางกะเจ้า is known as Bangkok’s green lung  I have been there a few times. Quite nice place to ride bicycles. As you can imagine, many people go there to enjoy cycling  

Even though I’m not interested in touristy things, there are many interesting things to see and do. There is some stuff that is really cool. If you go, you may want to check. 

How to get to Bang Krachao?

We took a bus to Wat Khlong Toei Nok. You can easily just catch a taxi there. When you walk past the temple, you can see the pier. It seemed to charge a lot since I visited last time. We got to the pier, and asked to pay return tickets 20THB one way x 2 = 40THB (1.10USD/1.50SGD) each person. Before the covid, I surely paid less than 10THB one way. When we returned, they asked us to show the tickets. I assume they will charge again, if you lose. So make sure you keep the ticket safe.

Wat Khlong Toei Nok

Well that was not a nice start. Anyway, we rented bicycles once we got to the Island. It was 80THB (2.20USD/3SGD) a day for a basic bicycle. 

Alternatively,

If you want to avoid over-charged boats, there is an alternative pier, Wat Bang Na Nok pier. BTS Bang Na is the closest public transport station. It should be easy to catch a taxi or motorbike taxi to the pier. If my memory is good, I think it’s 5THB (15c USD/20c SGD) one way, and you don’t need to buy a return ticket. The ferry seemed frequent too. There was a rental bike shop once get to the Island. According to Google reviews, 50THB (1.50USD/2SGD) for a day. Not too sure if they were the same shop, there was another place behind the temple. 

Wat Bang Nam Phueng Nok

Places we visited and liked:

Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park and Botanical Garden สวนสาธารณะและสวนพฤกษชาติ ศรีนครเขื่อนขันธ์ is a nice big park. I think you can do birdwatching. 

ร้านอาหารเจ๊จุ๋ม สาขาลูก (Bang Krachao Restaurant) is a humble local restaurant. There are many restaurants and cafes. However they are quite expensive compare to local places in Bangkok. Not all those fancy places are nice in my opinion.

Bang Krachao Restaurant

แม่สวยข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง is a humble local mango sticky rice shop. It’s full of local hospitality. My wife was cut her finger for some reason. The lady at the shop, she went to her house to bring us first aid kit. By the way, the mangos were amazing.

The Ozone Cafe is a big open air coffee shop. We loved drinking in bamboo hut with a garden view. There were ducks too.

Bang Nam Phueng Floating Market ตลาดน้ำบางน้ำผึ้ง is a touristy market. The price was not too bad. Many shops are available. 

Bangkok 🇹🇭 to Penang 🇲🇾 2023 Part One

I had an opportunity to play a couple of gigs in Penang. You would think I have a private jet to tour the world. Unfortunately not. This time, I chose a train to Penang, Malaysia. At the moment, I’m staying in Bangkok. So this blog is about traveling between Bangkok and Penang in August 2023. Nonetheless, it is quite fun to travel between countries for me.

Actually I have done this trip many times and you can read my last time crossing the border in 2018. Many things have been changed since 2018. From Bangkok, I took a train to the border, Padang Besar, another train to Butterworth, then ferry to Penang.

Did you know that we released new SkaCoustic album?

How did I buy the tickets?

Booking this trip is easier than before. As I mentioned last blog, I used Dticket to book train between Bangkok and Padang Besar. It’s easy to book and no booking fees. Once you purchase, you will get an email with the ticket. On the day, you just need to show your ticket before getting on the board. I took Train 45 which is the one straight to Padang Besar. I prefer lower berth bed, but there was no lower berth unfortunately.

Train 45 Special Express, Dep 15.35 Arr 9.50 (next day), Second Class lower berth 918THB, upper berth 848THB Note: Arrival time is in Thai time, when you arrive it’s 10.50 in Malaysia.

Second leg, train between Padang Besar to Butterworth is easy and straightforward. No booking is necessary (I think you can still book and buy online). You can buy the ticket at the station like in the good ol days. 

Last one is the ferry to Penang. It’s free and you just need to show up. There was timetable. However it was frequent.

Butterworth station platform

Travel experience

Main railway station has been shifted to Krung Thep Aphiwat, used to call Bang Sue Grand Station. I took MRT to Bang Sue. Man, the station is huge. I think I walked a long time. It is relatively new. So less signages at the moment. I lost few time in the station. More shops are opening now. Said good bye to my lovely wife and boarded the train at 15.20h, the train left on time 15.35h.

Krung Thep Aphiwat platform, Bangkok

I have done this trip many times. It felt nice that I could do this again. Anyhow, I knew that food on the train was expensive. So I brought some food and snacks. I was hoping to get some moo ping inside, sadly no one came to sell that time. 

Train 45 Special Express inside

Making beds

Dinning car

Once we arrived at the border at 9.50h next morning, Padang Besar. We queued for immigration. It took about 45 minutes. We headed upstairs to buy the ticket to Butterworth. No one was at the counter, so I used the ticket machine to buy it. No cash on the machine. Fortunately I could use my credit card.

Thai and Malay trains in a photo while waiting for the immigration

Ticket machine in Padang Besar

Waited another one hour for the train to come, and another two hours on the train to Butterworth. Inside of the train was just like a normal commuter train. No one came to sell lunch or snacks like Thailand. Very sad, because I was hungry.

Padang Besar Station

Inside of the train in Malaysia

Finally we arrived at Butterworth station at 14.30h (Malay time, one hour ahead). The station has been renewed. It connects to Penang Sentral which is a transport hub. It has a coach bus terminal which connects many places in Malaysia, ferry to the Island and train station. However it is huge. It was a good 5 minutes walk with my luggage to the ferry terminal. 

Waiting area with free wifi

Unfortunately I missed a ferry as too many passengers that day. I waited a long time, but there were some places that I could get snacks and drink. The ferry was new and clean compare to previous ferry service. At 15.45h, we safely arrived at Penang. To my surprise, ferry and one of the local buses (CAT) in Penang were free.

Ferry to Penang

Next post is returning trip.

Best Kept Secret Beach, Prachuap Khiri Khan ประจวบคีรีขันธ์

Phuket, Koh Samui, and Krabi are popular options for the beach holiday in Thailand. I prefer somewhere less human for a holiday. So I did a little research and found a few nice lesser known beach places.

Sound track for this blog:

Prachuap Khiri Khan is a beautiful chilled tow in Thailand. #moistytravelguide #thaitrip #beachlife pic.twitter.com/eUeqtXkO7A

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) September 14, 2023

Prachuap Khiri Khan ประจวบคีรีขันธ์

Prachuap Khiri Khan ประจวบคีรีขันธ์ is not too far from Hua Hin and really easy to travel to. It is the narrowest part of Thailand, just 12.38 km (7.69 mi) from the gulf of Thailand to the border with Myanmar (from Wikipedia). If you stretch out a bit,  Phraya Nakhon cave ถ้ำพระยานคร is the coolest cave in the area.

View from Wat Khao Chong Krachok

Prachuap Khiri Khan offers various unique experiences. I particularly liked riding my bicycle on military plane runway, nice beautiful Ao Manao beach, and old school buildings. Of course there are many temples and nature.

The Monkey Monument

How to get to Prachuap Khiri Khan

As you may know that over 100 year old beautiful main Bangkok station, Hua Lamphong has been retired (still there are some trains in and out tho). Now Bangkok’s main railway station is shifted to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station (formally Bang Sue Grand Station).

In 2023, you can buy the ticket directly from Thai State Rail’s Dticket. Although you need to sign up for this, it’s easy to use and no booking fees (when I tried, it was the same price as at the counter). For more information, Thai Train Guide and Seat 61.

It took a good 6 hours from Bangkok. We were served humble lunch and snack in the train. Train seats were old, but reasonably comfortable and spacious.

Getting Around

You can easily rent a motorbike or bicycle from your accommodation. There is no shortage of motorbike taxis, and tuk tuks. We rented a bicycle from a shop for 50 baht a per day.

Rental Bike (very friendly owner)
Address: QRX2+8CC, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77000

Cool places we visited

คำโฮม : come home – Spicy Thai fusion food
Address: ถนน สู้ศึก Prachuap Khiri Khan

Cool road side massage

Ao Manao Beah – is more beachy, and 4km away from the town. We took our push bikes, crossed the runway. When we were there, no one was there.

Wat Khao Chong Krachok วัดธรรมิการาม (เขาช่องกระจก) – Best view of the town. But many monkeys there.
Address: RQ8X+58W, Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District, Prachuap Khiri Khan

Old school coffee shops in Prachuap Khiri Khan

Coco Coffee
Address: QQXX+HP3, Prachuap Khiri Khan

Unknown coffee shop
Address: corner of Sue Suk and Sala Cheep 5

Ann’s Cafe
Address: 41 Sala Cheep Rd

Prachuap Beach Hotel – Nice basic hotel. The room was big, and view was awesome. Highly recommended. Booking.com
Address: 123 ถนน สู้ศึก Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District, Prachuap Khiri Khan

View from the hotel

Over all, we like this little town. It’s easy to get there and go around. There are many sea food options, activities, beautiful scenery and best of all, not crowded! Thank you for reading and if you know any secret beach town, please let us know.

Vintage Vending Machines in Japan

Hello,

We are excited to share something awesome with you! My parents’ neighbourhood in Japan actually is a super cool spot where everyone has been talking about it for years. You may already know that there are many vending machines in Japan. There are many kinds of vending machines that you can buy almost anything. They have been around quite long time as you can imagine. Anyhow this used tire shop in Japan has been collecting old vending machines. It is almost like tourist spot.

Sound track for this blog:

You may be hard to imagine that there was no convenient stores in Japan back in the days. Vending machines were placed to provide some drinks, snacks and foods 24/7. In their heyday, truckers munched burgers from the vending machine, kids ran to get a pack of cigaret and beer from the vending machines for their parents or stay warm outside by drinking hot canned coffee in winter. I remember that eating a burger from the vending machine late night, brought so much joy as a child, when we were on the road trip. So we popped in some times as its not too far from my parents house. Obviously I tried the burger vending machine first. And it tasted like nostalgia. By the way, they have soba, udon and ramen noodle vending machines. In case you are wondering, they restock everything, and foods like burgers, toasties, noodles and bentos are cooked, refilled and stocked every day.

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Where is this awesome place?
Google “Used Tire Mart Sagamihara Store Food Vending Machine Corner” or “中古タイヤ市場 自販機コーナー” for the location.

Address: 2661-1 Shimomizo, Minami Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0335, Japan (〒252-0335 神奈川県相模原市南区下溝2661-1)

How can I go?
It’s bit tricky if you don’t speak or read Japanese. As you can see on the map, it’s not close to anything, and quite far from central Tokyo. But you are reading this and really want to go. Okay, I’ll try to explain how to go. I just assume anyone wants to go is from Tokyo.

Place to stay in Tokyo? Booking.com

From Shinjuku Station, you need to take Odakyu Line to Sagami-Ono Station (相模大野駅).
Then you go out the station and find bus stop number 1 North Exit. Bus 相25, Sagamihara Station North Exit (相模原駅南口行) bound. You can hop off at Sagamihara Josuijo (相模原浄水場). And this is not the end. You still need to walk to the vending machine place.

Bus time table from Sagami ono station

By the way, believe or not, you can go to Sagami-Ono Station from Haneda Airport directly! Anyone who wants to go there directly as soon as landed, this may be your option.

Otherwise you take taxi from Sagami – Ono Station. But still you need to take bus on your way back as there is no taxi around unfortunately.

Coffee vending machine

Reminders
Just to remember that you can only use 100 yen coins due to old machines. Even though there is the coin machine, better to take some extra 100 yen coins. Popular vending machines can be queued and sold out quickly. The owner has been taking care of the vending machines with love, don’t break them. It was on the news that someone broke some parts of the vending machine. He could not find the parts to repair as it was old.

If anyone tried, please let me know what you ate, how was your experience?

Booking.com

Burger burger burger

Udon and soba vending machine

Sake vending machine

Outdoor eating area. Not so nice when it rains.

Tried Takoyaki this time. Was yummy.

What To Eat in Quy Nhon #moistyfoodytour

There are many local foods available in Quy Nhon. It can be food heaven! As I mentioned, seafoods and Banh Xeo are quite famous as well as seafood. I think you can easily find those information where and what to eat in Quy Nhon. You can easily find popular restaurants on internet. But I assume you are looking for something different from boring travel guides. Well you are right place. Here are some of my favourites and will keep update as I will discover more. You can follow #moistyfoodtour for updated foody info.

Sound track for this blog.

Bánh Xèo Tôm Nhảy Mộc Miên
18 Diên Hồng, Lý Thường Kiệt, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định 590000

I like this clean banh xeo place. Because it’s new and not too crowded. Not mention that their service is great. It’s typical Quy Nhon Banh xeo restaurant, small size and roll yourself with really fresh vegetables. Location is right next to the famous Banh xeo restaurant. I highly recommend this place.

Sisters Tavern & Pizzeria
81 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường Lê Lợi, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

This place is my favourite pizza in Vietnam at the moment. Pizza 4ps has been very popular in Vietnam. There is no pizza 4ps in Quy Nhon. It doesn’t matter, because there is Sister Tavern and Pizza in Quy Nhon. They have a great selection of pizzas and handmade pastas. Pizzas are nice and crispy. I’m happy to eat everyday.

Quán Chín Mẫn
86 Xuân Diệu, Hải Cảng, Thành Phố, Bình Định

There are many seafood restaurants on Xuan Dieu street. My recommendation for seafood is Quan Chin Man. Reasonable price and fresh seafoods. Inside information: they have their own ways to get fresh seafood everyday.

The Social
360 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

The social has a great selection of western foods. My fav is their burger. It’s big and fat, just how I like it. They have a lot of other foods, but I love their burger.

Han Quoc Korean
49 Hoàng Diệu, Trần Phú, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

There are actually many Vietnamese Korean restaurants where have noodle and toppokki. However it’s hard to find authentic Korean restaurants. Han Quoc seems to provide real Korean food (I actually never been. So I cannot tell. But looks like this place is authentic).

Kuma Sushi
53 Nguyễn Du, Phường Lê Lợi, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

Anyone knows Sushi Nhi in Saigon? A chef from Kuma Sushi used to work at Sushi Nhi. So the taste and quality are very similar. When we want sushi, this is our go to place. Now they started providing hu tieu outside.

Sushi Sanh
44 Võ Mười, Ngô Mây, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

Sushi Sanh was recommended by my wife’s friend. So we went to check it out. The restaurant looks like just another local restaurant. But don’t be fool by the look. Their fish are very fresh. We were surprised when we ordered tuna sushi. Tuna was waaaaay bigger than rice. Also fresh! When you crave for sashimi, this is the place to go!

Nướng Happy 89 Nguyễn Lữ
89 Nguyễn Lữ, Ngô Mây, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

Happy BBQ has many locations. They are supposed to be a BBQ and hotpot restaurant. But I love their garlic fried rice! Unique part is bbq on ceramic roof tile.

Bánh Mì Lagu & Bò Kho
71 Ngô Mây, Nguyễn Văn Cừ, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

Bo kho is not that Quy Nhon signature dish. This place has melt in your mouth meat (beef for bo kho and pork for lagu). Local price and amazing quality. This place is popular, so they sometimes close early, when they sell out everything.

CƠM NHÀ 1989
43 Mai Xuân Thưởng, Lê Hồng Phong, Thành phố, Bình Định 820000

It’s kind of family restaurant in Quy Nhon. Many local fav dishes there. The portion is rather big. So it would be better deal when you go to eat with more people than 1 or 2 people. There are one or two more shops in Quy Nhon. By the way, name of “1989” is from the owner of wife’s year of her birth.

Quán Nem chả Lợi

113 Tăng Bạt Hổ, Phường Lê Lợi, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định, Vietnam

Every night, when you drive pass this place, and smell amazing. Hard to resist. Great flavour and lively atmosphere. Very local.

Vegetarian options
You will be very impressed by quality vegetarian restaurants in Quy Nhon. I’m not vegetarian, but I’m happy to eat at a vegetarian restaurant. There are many vegetarian restaurants. If you don’t know where to find, go to any temple. You will be easily find some vegetarian restaurants. Anyhow here are some of my fev.

Hoan Hỉ Vegan Restaurant Nhà hàng Thuần Chay Hoan Hỉ Vegan
65 Đặng Văn Ngữ, Hải Cảng, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định

Recently relocated to new shop. It’s very clean. Also foreigner friendly for some reason. I love their mi xao (stir fried noodle) and banana leaf salad.

Ẩm Thực Chay Cát Tường
155 Trần Cao Vân, Trần Hưng Đạo, Thành phố Qui Nhơn, Bình Định 55108

They provide many kinds of vegetarian foods. My fav is com ga. Fried rice of the plate is always nice.

Hope you enjoy reading this post. Which one would you like to try, when you come to Quy Nhon? Have you tried any of those places? Addtionally, you can find many hotels in Quy Nhon on Booking.com.

More life

Moisty

Small Beach Town Quy Nhon

Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hoi An and Da Nang are popular destinations in Vietnam. I don’t think many people know about small coast beach town Quy Nhon. Half million population city is famous for beautiful beaches and seafood. 

The town is not so developed like neighbouring cities like Nha Trang, Hoi An or Danang. However it has own charm. I spent some time in Quy Nhon, and love to introduce this amazing city.

Meanwhile Sound Track for this blog

First, so how can I come to Quy Nhon?

There are many ways to come to QN… 

By plane, Phu Cat airport is the closest to the city. However only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have direct flights to the Phu Cat. From there, need to take a taxi to the city. Cheapest company Sep 2022 is Lado 195k dong, then Sun taxi 200k dong (going back to the airport is different price. So better check with your hotel). The prices have been changed many times past few months. There is also airport bus from/to the airport. I think it’s 60k dong at the moment. I have no idea how often and when the bus leaves. Please check this link for the location.

By train, there is regular train, reunification train to Dieu Tri station where is another 10 km away from the town. And there is seasonal train (peak season only) to Quy Nhon from Ho Chi Minh City. 

Mộc Cát Café is great spot to watch train action in Quy Nhon town. Trains between Quy Nhon (not dieu tri) and Saigon stations are seasonal. #moistytravelguide

15 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Lê Hồng Phong, Tp Qui Nhơn pic.twitter.com/4ZmI8bmtyV

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) July 2, 2022

There are many buses and vans coming to Quy Nhon. Or simply you can drive to the town.

Ok, I’m here in Quy Nhon, how can I get around the town? 

It’s not the big city, but not small for walking. So you may need something to explore the town. I believe you can easily rent a motorbike from your accommodation. Bear in mind that traffic manner is awful here. You need to be extra careful. 

Quy Nhon 26/Jun/2022 pic.twitter.com/4VHuXMZeBW

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) May 26, 2022

Recently shared bicycle app, TNGO is available here in Quy Nhon for some reason. So now you can ride a bicycle to go around. Yay. 

And just like any other major cities, Grab is available in Quy Nhon. You can go anywhere any time! 

Traditional taxis are near big hotels. If you are in a big group, there are electric cars or carts. Bit pricey but make sense when you go with a big group. 

There are some local buses running. I have no idea how to ride. However it could be very interesting.

Ok, now I’m getting bit hungry, what can I eat in Quy Nhon? 

You can find usual Vietnamese foods here like Banh Mi, Bun Bo, Pho, Com Tam and Mi Quang. Many Vietnamese tourists love seafood. Xuan Dieu street has many seafood restaurants. 

Xuan Dieu street

Quy Nhon has own style of Vietnamese pancake, banh xeo. A lot different from Mekong delta Banh xeo. It’s much smaller and often wrapped in rice paper, like burrito. 

Banh canh is popular in Quy Nhon. I think it’s tapioca noodle with branch of fish balls. This place is famous and legendary.

Amazing to capture the light between clouds #quynhon pic.twitter.com/Vh93F0XJOj

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) February 9, 2022

Ko Sichang เกาะสีชัง

Did you know there is a beautiful island with many things to do and see in Thailand, but not many tourists go there? Also it is easy to access from Pattaya and Bangkok.

Ko Sichang เกาะสีชัง aka Sichang island is one of lesser known islands in Thailand and one of closest islands from big capital city, Bangkok. Also not too far from Pattaya. Easy access from Sri Racha. But don’t except too much as it’s not like a major tourist area. Yet this peaceful island offers hiking, beaches, historical buildings and traditional temples.

How to go from Bangkok

The best way to go to Ko Sichang from Bangkok is catching a bus from Ekkamai or Mochit Bus Terminal to go to Sri Racha, then take tuk tuk to ferry terminal/pier to Ko Sichang.

Here is what we did…

We took bus from Ekkamai Easter bus terminal. From BTS Ekkamai, take exit 2 and easy to spot. The ticket counter 16 in the terminal sold tickets to go to Sriracha. It costed 103 baht in August 2022. There may be more options for going to Sriracha. Many buses go to Pattaya. Sriracha is on the way. You can ask if they can take you to Sriracha. 

Our bus went through some places to drop off the passengers. We got off in front of the Robinson mall in Sriracha. You can catch tuk tuk to ferry terminal from the mall. I think it would be 60 baht. Instead we went to drop off bags at our hotel. The hotel gave us a ride to the ferry terminal. The boat pier was near Wat Koh Loy (used to be different) now.

The boat looked like leave every hour, but the lady told me not every hour. I could not understand exact schedule as she explained to me in Thai. The ticket cost was 50 baht. We hopped on the boat which was not the greatest boat in the world. But well, it took us to Ko Sichang safely. It took about an hour.

As soon as we got off the boat, we rented a motor bike. By the way, you can rent a tuk tuk with a driver for 300 baht, I think. If you are with a group, it will be cheaper. Anyhow we rented the bike for 250 baht. She said that she would discount next if we would show her business card.

She said that she will discount next if we show her this.

We thought it was a bit pricy. I remember that I paid like 180 baht 5 years ago. However we wanted to have our freedom, freedom to drive wherever we wanted to go.

No helmet was provided as they said “no problem”. It meant there was no police. It was really nice driving around the coasts, hills and bushes.

We went for a quick feed. Then headed to Phra Chudathut Ratchathan Palace พระจุฑาธุชราชฐาน. It’s a historical place. I think it was used as summer house or retreat for royal family during King Rama 5 era. 

Beautiful place to chill and explore. Water was quite clear even when it was cloudy. Speaking of cloudy, it looked like rain soon. We left early and heading to other places before rain.

Next we drove to Hat Tham Phang หาดถ้ำพัง. One of most popular beaches in the island, but it was very small. We spent some time to enjoy the beach. 

We just drove around and ended up we were at Chao Pho Khao Yai Shrine ศาลเจ้าพ่อเขาใหญ่. It has a great view from the top. Highly recommended, when you are in the island. 

Amazing little island of Thailand 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/ReeCV9nIOZ

— Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) September 3, 2022

Spent some time at a coffee shop before heading back to the main land. We could have spent more time to explore. Due to rainy season, the weather was not that good all day. So we left earlier than we expected. We wanted to stay longer. Mai pen rai, we will be back one day. 

We returned the bike and got on the boat to Sri Racha. We caught tuk tuk when we reached to the mainland. He took us back to the hotel in Sri Racha for 60 baht. 

Lastly there is a map in the island to show some interesting places to visit. We have done only few. But you may want to try. 

Also when you want to go back to Bangkok, you can catch a bus from Sri Racha bus terminal where is a bit away from Robinson. There is one next to Robinson, but they always tell me to go to the bus terminal. I don’t know why. And always bus stops at Robinson 🤷‍♂️ May be someone can explain to me. 

Thai classic, Mae Nak

Ghost story of Prakhanong

Thailand is more than street food, beach and night life. It has a rich cultural heritage with many folk tails and stories. This is one of my favourite stories. It’s the story of Thai ghost. Every Thai knows this, and made movies like Ghost of Mae Nak. So this is a short version or what I roughly know…

The infamous ghosts haunt this 1959 movie (from thenotsoinnocentsabroad.com)

Mae Nak was a pregnant woman. Her husband was sent to war. Unfortunately Mae Nak died from complication of child birth while her husband was away. However when he came back, Mae Nak was with her baby. All people in his village were scared to tell him that she was a ghost. Because anyone tried to tell him, was killed. Anyhow he found out she was a ghost, and ran to a temple. A monk fought and Mae Nak’s spirit was put into a bottle.

Shrine of Mae Nak is actually exist in Bangkok. It is located in Wat Mahabut (วัดมหาบุศย์ ) and it is believed to be her burial place (Phoenix Voyages). You may be interested to visit there, when you have a chance.

Image from google

The locals visit there for pregnant women seeking painless childbirth, men to be exempted from the military draft, and even obtaining lucky lottery numbers (Phoenix Voyages). Nonetheless, it’s really nice place to visit. I found the temple/shrine has a calmly atmosphere. Also there are street food stalls, canal, cats, and funky skeleton.

Please take off your shoes

The shrine/temple is located by khlong/canal

How to go to Wat Mahabut/ Mae Nak Shrine วัดมหาบุศย์ (แม่นาคพระโขนง)

Map: From BTS On Nut to songthaew stop

Now hopefully you may be interested in visiting the shrine. It’s easy to access. First, take BTS and go to On Nut station and get out from exit 1. You can find many motor taxis near the exit 1. They can take straight to the shrine (not too sure how much tho). Or you can walk to Big C On Nut, then take a local pick up truck songthaew (9 or 10b). Then get off at soi 7. Easy walk from there.

BTS On Nut

Referances

Phoenix Voyages – https://www.phoenixvoyages.com/news/the-legendary-ghost-of-thailand-s-mae-nak/

Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Nak_Phra_Khanong

Accommodation

Additionally I stayed here, Qiu Hotel right next to BTS On Nut. It comes with nice pool and easy access to everything.

Day trip to Chùa Châu Thới (Chau Thoi Pagoda) from HCMC, Vietnam

There are many day trip options from Saigon. However I don’t like any those or kinda boring. Surely it’s not only me thinking this way. #MoistyTravelGuide will provide some DIY options for day trips from Saigon. This one is a nice little trip. 

If you are a spiritual person, this place may be your place. Chau Thoi Pagoda is just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. It has great massive statues, also spectacular panorama view from the pagoda. I would love to visit again sunset or sunrise time. 

Tricky part is there is no public transport to go there. If you don’t have your own transport, my suggestion is taking a motor bike, car or taxi (Grab 300 – 350k dong). 

Address: Xã Bình Thắng, Dĩ An, Binh Duong, Vietnam

Originally tweeted by Moisty Atsushi (@MoistyAtsushi) on June 8, 2021.

A Day Trip to Wat Pariwat

As you may know, there are many temples in Thailand. There are 400 temples around Bangkok. Not all 400 temples are the same, and not all of them are famous like Wat Arun or Wat Pho. Some of them are unique. I have done some Thailand temple posts. This Wat Pariwat is a truly wacky temple. It is relatively unknown among tourists. When I was there only one person praying in the temple. What makes Wat Pariwat stand out is that many cartoon and movie characters, pop culture in holy sights. It is fun to spot them at the temple. 

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How to go to Wat Pariwat?

It is very easy to get there. You just need to follow this simple 5 steps.

Step one: Go to BTS Chong Nonsi and find exit 5

Step two: Follow the sign to BRT Sathorn

Step three: Buy a ticket (15Baht)

Step four: Hop on the bus

Step five: Hop off at BRT Wat Pariwat

Then you can already see the temple.

If you like this, you may also wanna check those posts about unique Thailand temples.

Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ

Wat Saman Rattanaram วัดสมานรัตนาราม

Doraemon temple – Wat Sampa Siw