Dim Sum at Disneyland!

Yesterday I checked something off my Hong Kong “to do” list I’ve been trying to fit in for a very long time. I finally enjoyed dim sum at Crystal Lotus, the Cantonese restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel on Lantau Island. It’s now well over a year ago since I first read an article about the character-themed dim sum, and I knew instantly it was something I wanted to do. 

It’s only served on weekends and public holidays, and it's not always easy to get a reservation at the restaurant, but I finally got my act together and booked the table about a month ago. With my Magic Access Pass, I am able to visit the park on most weekdays but only certain special weekends, and I made sure yesterday was one of those special weekends before I reserved the table.

It was my seventh visit to the park, so I’ve definitely made good use of my year's pass since that first visit last September with Kristen. I first went back around Halloween-time with Alex to experience Disney’s version of terror; I also visited with Remco on one of my designated weekends in November, since he was keen to see the park during his brief time in Hong Kong. During the Christmas celebrations, I visited for a few hours one day when I found myself alone and off from work. I even went back one random afternoon in February, just because I felt like it. Then, a few weeks ago, I visited with Silja and Ally because, with their respective times in Hong Kong coming to an end, they wanted to see the park before leaving. But I never managed to fit the Disney dim sum into any of these visits, for various reasons!

But, boy, was it worth the wait! I’m so glad I went back for it, as it was, without doubt, one of the highlights of all my visits to Hong Kong Disneyland. My friend Gauthier joined, and we both loved the meal. It was one of the most memorable dim sums I’ve enjoyed in a very long time. 

The food at Crystal Lotus is delicious, of course, but the reason it’s so memorable is because of the shapes and design of the dumplings, buns and other items. They are all made to look like Disney characters, from the delectable Mickey-shaped seafood pancakes to the super-photogenic “little green men” spinach and pork buns, aping the Toy Story aliens! I'm not usually one to take pictures of my food, but I made an exception this time around! 

The attention to detail on all the food was impeccable—almost to a point where you’d have thought they put all the effort into what would appeal to the eyes as opposed to the taste buds. Rest assured, each and every item was just a tasty as it was physically attractive. 

After our meal, we walked around the lovely grounds of the resort, from the pool to the waterfront to the hedge maze. I had never actually been to the hotel before. You see, it's a shuttle bus ride away from the theme park, and I never really had a reason to go. But I was very impressed with what I saw there.

It seemed to me to be based on the Grand Floridian in Orlando, perhaps the most beautiful of all Disney hotels I have ever seen. It was a picture of elegance overlooking the South China Seas. I really hope I get the chance to spend a night or two sometime, perhaps one day when my family comes out to Hong Kong and we want to "get away" from the hectic city without going too far.

Of course, after the meal and hotel exploration, we made our way to the park itself. After all, it was one of my designated weekends to visit, and Disneyland is a good forty-five minute ride on the MTR, so it would be silly to go all the way out there and not go in. Plus, Gauthier is a pretty big Disney fan himself, especially since he comes from Paris and has visited the French park many, many times.

It was another full and wonderful day in Hong Kong Disneyland. From the parade to the shows to the fireworks, there's nothing like a day in Disneyland to brighten just about anyone's spirits!

In other news, I have a couple of other exciting updates to tell you about! First, in less than a week, one of my good friends from Villanova, Jackie, is flying to Hong Kong to visit me. I am so excited to show her around town, and I wish all my friends were as easy to convince to come visit as Jackie. A few weeks ago, I called her to have a quick catch-up. During our chat, I mentioned she had an open invitation to come and stay with me in Hong Kong if she was ever up for it. A few hours later, I got a message from her that she would arrive in less than a month! You see, she recently had to cancel a trip to Europe, and she found out that for only $50, she could change that ticket to a Hong Kong one! I couldn’t be more thrilled, so keep an eye on this space for an imminent update on our adventures!

I’m also happy to report that I have finally booked my next trip home. On July 12th, I fly from Hong Kong to Newark, with a quick stop in London. It’s my first trip back during the summer months since I moved out here in 2009, so I’m incredibly excited to enjoy July, Jersey-style, with my family and friends in the Garden State. As always, there’s lots to look forward to! 

So Much to Write About

So much has been going on lately and I’ve hardly had a chance to post an update about any of it! I’ve wanted to sit down and write at length about my new apartment for almost a month now, but I never got around to it. Then my friend Colleen passed through Hong Kong on her way to a wedding in Bali, but I didn’t have a chance to include that here either. A few days later, having just purchased a new camera, I took a couple of days to visit photogenic Macau to test out my new Olympus. And this past weekend, I zipped down to the Philippines for another quick but wonderful mini-trip to Cebu. Now that I’ve returned to Hong Kong, I’m finally able to sit down and put together this account of the past couple of weeks!

First things first—I am in love with my new flat. We actually moved in over a month ago, on April 1^st. The move took place in the midst of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, so I was very busy running around from one movie theater to another. In fact, I didn’t even really unpack, and only a few days later, I was off to Thailand for Easter. Back in Hong Kong, life was as busy as ever, but I did manage to get my things sorted and decorate a bit.

The apartment is not entirely new to me. Sonia lived there when I first met her and I celebrated my first Christmas Eve in Hong Kong there in 2009. Amy moved into the second bedroom when she decided to stay in Hong Kong, and she and Sonia always had gatherings, dinners and parties, so I was no stranger to the place. In fact, two of my Hong Kong birthdays were also celebrated there, as well as plenty of other special events. It was almost as if the apartment belonged to all of us whenever something special was happening.

Living Room

So with Sonia relocated to Singapore and Amy leaving Hong Kong indefinitely, it made perfect sense for Rich and me to move into the place, and I’m so glad we did. Sonia's parents signed a long-term lease so that their daughter could live there, so technically we are renting from them. Martin and Mongia are wonderful people, and wonderful landlords, and I know even if I move out, I'll stay friends with them for a long time.

Sonia's mom Mongia

Happy Valley is much quieter than Wan Chai, where I have lived for the past two years. But it’s a very nice part of town, with great bars and restaurants and—of course—the horse racing track. We have a large private rooftop with a view over the track, and it’s perfect for a few pre-race drinks or a nice dinner. And in addition to the two large bedrooms that Rich and I occupy, there is also a third, smaller bedroom taken up by a sweet Filipina named Lisa. She is Sonia's parent's maid, but she lives with us. You see, Martin and Mongia's place is only a few minutes up the street from our own, but they prefer to have there full-time helper living elsewhere. The bonus for us is that Lisa keeps both their apartment and ours very tidy, and she's a gem in terms of changing sheets, doing laundry and washing dishes! King size bed, private rooftop, live-in maid! Can you see why I'm in love with the place?

Our Rooftop... there are usually cushions on the couches, I swear!

If it sounds too good to be true, and you’re wondering what the catch is, here ya go: There is no elevator in the building and our top floor apartment is six floors up! It’s only getting slightly easier as I get used to it, but at least it’s good exercise!

The other half of the roof!

The apartment itself is huge compared to my last two. In fact, my king size bed is actually bigger than one of the entire rooms in the old place! Rich and I are very happy with our decision, and over the past few weeks, we’ve been rearranging the furniture, buying new stuff and making plans to have some work done.  

Finally writing about my new apartment… Check!

About two months ago I got a Facebook message from my friend Colleen informing me that she would be passing through Hong Kong on her way to a wedding in Bali at the end of April. She arrived on Buddha’s Birthday, April 28^th, and only had two short nights, but it’s always nice to see an old familiar face, no matter how much time you get to spend together.

On Sunday, April 29^th, we met up near Colleen and her boyfriend Josh’s hotel in Kennedy Town. After a quick walking tour around Sheung Wan’s dried seafood stores and a quick Starbuck’s stop so Colleen could load up on mugs for her mom who collects them all, we swung by Crystal Jade for a great lunch—xiao long bao, dan dan la mian, chili pork dumplings, we had it all!

With Colleen outside Starbucks 

After lunch, we went to see Lyuba (Russian for ‘love’), a baby woolly mammoth discovered frozen in Siberia in 2007 and currently travelling the world. Only one month old when she froze to death over forty thousand years ago, she is immaculately preserved and has provided scientists with their best opportunity to study the actual remains of one of the legendary prehistoric creatures.

Lyuba in IFC 

A trip on the Star Ferry transported us from Hong Kong Island to Tsim Sha Tsui, and we were just in time to catch ‘A Symphony of Light,’ which I have now seen about a hundred times! Colleen and Josh both seemed to enjoy the show very much, and it was so much fun to see their impressed reactions to the skyline, lights and lasers.

Colleen before the light show

Dinner that night was at the famous Under Bridge Spicy Crab, a restaurant I have been hearing about for years but had never eaten at until that night. Its specialty is—as you can guess—spicy crab and it’s located—as you can also guess—under a bridge. The Cantonese don’t mess around when naming their restaurants! It was actually Josh’s friend Marc and his then-fiancée Jolie who organized the dinner.

Picking our crabs!

As they were getting married in Bali in a few days, they were happy to have the wedding guests pass through Hong Kong beforehand, both to break up the flight and to show them what their life is like in Hong Kong. It was a great dinner, and it was very nice to get to know Marc and Jolie, and also another member of the wedding group, Jorge, who had just arrived in Hong Kong several hours before.

Jorge, Jolie and Marc at Spicy Crab Under Bridge

The next day, I finally bought a new camera. I’ve been using a Canon Power Shot point and shoot for the past two-and-a-half years. I still remember driving to Best Buy with my sister the day before I flew to Hong Kong back in 2009 to buy it. It has served me well since this whole adventure kicked off, and it’s gone with me practically everywhere, but after my Easter trip to Thailand, I decided I should invest in a nicer camera. It dawned on me that I’m seeing such interesting sights and visiting such fascinating places that it’s silly not to have a great camera to document my adventures. So I did a little research and decided to upgrade to a new DSLR.

I chose the Olympus Pen EP-3, and I am wholly satisfied with that decision! I had seen advertisements for it in the MTR here and they really caught my attention. I loved the striking retro design, but I wanted to make sure it was a good fit camera-wise. I did a bit of online research before making the purchase and bought my Pen at a camera shop on Stanley Street during my lunch break. As I get to know the camera better, I hope to buy different lenses and really get to know how to use it. So far, I’m very pleased with the results.

 

Ads for the Olympus Pen that I saw on the MTR

To play with my new toy, I went down to Macau for two days. As it’s one of the most photogenic spots in the region, there was really no more ideal place to test it out. Ally has a friend named Ma-Cha (short for Marie-Charlotte) who is visiting from France, and since she couldn’t get off work, I was happy to show Ma-Cha around our sister SAR. We grabbed lunch at Nga Tim Café on Coloane and spent the rest of the afternoon strolling its tiny lanes, snapping photos and enjoying the laid back atmosphere.

Chapel of St. Francis Xavier

Macanese home

Coloane Sunset

That night I had dinner at my friend Adrien’s apartment, with Eloise, his girlfriend, and two of their friends also visiting from France. After dinner, it was off to the Wynn for a night of gambling. In the end, I was only down about HKD60, so I have no complaints!

View from Adrien's apartment in Macau

The next day, I went to Taipa to explore some more. Once upon a time, Coloane and Taipa were two separate islands, but now, thanks to land reclamation, they are joined by one massive strip known (cleverly) as Cotai. Close to the Macau Peninsula, Taipa is literally in the shadow of huge casinos like the Venetian and the Galaxy. Farther afield, quaint Coloane has been spared such ostentatious developments. Still, Taipa has a lot of offer, from tiny back alleys to charming squares and the wonderful Taipa Houses Museum, a strip of five colonial homes each showcasing a different aspect of Macanese life.

One of the houses of the Taipa Houses Museum

View of the houses

Another delicious lunch, and some more photographic side stops (the highlight was the historic Red Market), and I was on my way back to Hong Kong. I arrived at the ferry pier around 8pm, and I had to go home, pack and get back to IFC in only a few hours before our flight to Cebu. Complicating matters was a massive thunderstorm, turning my street into a veritable waterfall.

Red Market, Macau

Man slaughtering live chickens in the Red Market

Silja, Chiara, Andrea and I were flying from Hong Kong, and meeting up with Sonia, Amy and Amy’s friend Matt at the airport in Cebu. The plan was then to get to Bohol, where Sonia’s brother Kareem was meeting us with his boat so we could sail around for two days before flying back to Hong Kong Sunday night. Since we planned it as a surprise for her upcoming birthday, Chiara new nothing about the boat trip, so we all had to keep this part of the plan a secret as we started our journey.

Despite the fact that many other flights were delayed because of the rain, ours took off remarkably close to its scheduled departure time. Chiara and Andrea had a slight nightmare when they realized they had booked their tickets for the wrong dates, but luckily everything worked out and we were off!

After reuniting with the others at the airport, we made our way to the Cebu Ferry Pier. Getting there around 7am, we had to settle on 10:30am tickets because all earlier trips were sold out. We used our free time to grab a quick, uber-local Filipino breakfast (octopus, sausage, rice, fish and other assorted mystery meats) and squeeze in some of Cebu’s historic sights—namely Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica of Saint Nino.

Magellan's Cross

Our one hour boat ride to Bohol flew by, as we all slept the whole way. Once there, we took a van across the island to Tagbilaran, hopped on Kareem’s boat and sailed off! His catamaran is beautiful and spacious, and we jumped off from time to time to swim and snorkel in the crystal clear waters.

We dropped anchor off Alona Beach on Panglao for the night, and took the dingy ashore for dinner and some beachfront cocktails. Back on board, there was singing, dancing and drinking, and before I knew it, the sun was rising. This was my second Filipino sunrise following an all-nighter, and it was just as beautiful as the one I experienced in Boracay last summer. I hope to catch many more in my lifetime.

Sunrise

Alona Beach, Panglao

The next morning flew by, and sooner than I would have liked, it was time to go back to catch our flight. A quick dinner of pancakes at the Ayala Center in Cebu City capped off the night. A short trip away, but a sweet one for certain!

Ayala Center, Cebu City

Having slept for no more than two straight hours—and never in a bed—over the past three days, I was very happy to flop onto my new king-size mattress in the apartment back in Hong Kong. I was also very happy to be off from work Monday, so I could just sleep to my heart’s content.

Monday night, Colleen and Josh passed through Hong Kong again, this time on their way back to the States. Their hotel was overbooked, and they actually wound up spending the night at my place, and it was so nice to see the photos and hear the stories of Marc and Jolie's wedding. They went with me to my office the next morning, and I gave them some sightseeing tips so they could enjoy their last hours before flying home. It's always great to have friends visit Hong Kong, and I'm so glad I can add Colleen to the list of my fellow Villanovans who have gotten to enjoy the city.

With Colleen and Josh in my apartment

Now, things have settled down, and I’m back to the grind at work. Of course, life in Hong Kong is rarely, if ever, quiet, but at least I can say it’s less busy than it has been these past few weeks!

Easter Travels

Easter is a good time to travel out of Hong Kong. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays here, and a Chinese festival called Ching Ming—also a public holiday—usually falls around the same time, meaning that by taking only a day or two off from work, one can travel for a prolonged period. This year, the timing was perfect, and I was not missing the opportunity to get out of town to explore a new and exciting Southeast Asian destination.

After lots of flight checking and reading up on different places, I decided Thailand was calling my name. My earliest big trip out of Hong Kong over that first Chinese New Year was to visit my friend Erin in Northern Thailand, and since then, I'd always wanted to see everything the country has to offer. I hadn’t been back since my second trip, in July 2010, when Jamie and I met up for a weekend in Bangkok. But my memories of the country were still fresh and vivid, and it seemed like a good fit, especially since flights were reasonable.

My first trip to Thailand with Emily and Erin

With Jamie at the Grand Palace in July 2010

Ally, my roommate, was also keen to explore Thailand, and so we began reading about various destinations. Eventually we figured out an itinerary: fly in and out of Bangkok and make the journey up to Ayutthaya—a historical capital generously peppered with ruined temples—for the middle portion of the trip. From Ayutthaya, there are several intriguing locales all within a few hour's jaunt, and we could figure out the specifics once we got there.

Over the next few weeks, I got more and more excited thinking about returning to Thailand. My friend Courtney, from Toronto, also decided to join us, so we had a nice little trio.

Flying out of the airport in Macau is often cheaper than flying from Hong Kong. This time, the flight schedule was also incredibly more convenient, minimizing the time we had to take off from work and maximizing our time in Thailand. If you happen to be an admirer of Macau, as I am, flying from there also gives you a chance to soak up some Macanese culture before your vacation proper begins. 

This time, Ally and I enjoyed an al fresco lunch at Nga Tim Café on Coloane's tiny, tiled town square, and we also saw the giant panda exhibit at a nearby park. After a pre-flight beer in the airport, we were off to Bangkok!

My friend Silja was coincidentally staying at the same hotel, and we overlapped two nights with her and her friend Maike, visiting from Germany. Upon arrival, we all met up and had a few welcome drinks at a nearby bar on Khao San Road, Bangkok's backpacker core.

It wasn't until much later that night that Courtney arrived. I was just about to go to sleep, in fact, when she showed up in the lobby of our hotel, the Buddy Lodge. Needless to say, we decided to go out and have one celebratory drink before turning in.

The following morning we woke up early and explored the town, walking by the impressive Grand Palace and other historic structures and monuments in the heart of the famous city. This was when we first became aware of the imminent funeral of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda. She was born mere hours before her father, King Rama VI, passed away in November 1925. Had she been a boy, she would have become king at one day old and ruled for eighty-five years. But as she was a female, she had to settle for the life of a Thai princess.

The princess died back in July of last year, but as is often the case with people of prominence in Thailand, the cremation did not occur immediately. Her body laid in state, ensconced within the walls of the Grand Palace for the ensuing nine months, as her funeral was planned.

None of us had any idea that her royal cremation would be taking place during our trip until we saw signs about it that very morning, but it wound up playing quite a significant role in our Easter vacation.

One place I really wanted to visit on this trip was the National Museum. I had missed it on my previous visit to Bangkok, so that morning, it was stop number one. And what a treat it was to explore, chock full of thousands of years of history and artifacts engagingly telling the fascinating story of Thailand. The first building traced the geological development of the region, eventually detailing the earliest appearances of the Thai people and highlighting the various improvements made by the powerful Thai rulers, right up to the present monarch, King Rama IX. 

National Museum

The second building was a massive, sprawling collection of rooms showcasing countless precious objects from every imaginable slice of Thai life. There were weapons, jewels, instruments, ivory, dolls, masks, sculptures and many other items on display. Wandering through the various rooms was a great way to soak up the flavor of Thai culture, and I highly recommend a visit if you ever visit Bangkok.

Our final stop at the National Museum was a sort of warehouse storing the palanquins used for royal funerals and other state occasions. More than mere modes of transport, these massive teak chariots painted bright red and gold are impressive displays of craftsmanship, and they were looking their best thanks to the upcoming funeral of Princess Bejaratana.

After a rather daring expedition back to our hotel—running across a bustling major highway—we embarked on our first bona fide adventure of the trip, the nighttime bike tour of the city. Run by a company called Grasshopper Adventures, the tour was truly phenomenal from start to finish, even with a slight hiccup that resulted in some roadside beers while one of our group member's tires had to be repaired. In addition to cycling past many of the city’s iconic attractions, the real gem of the tour was a trio of stops to further explore some well-known sights: Wat Arun, the flower market and Wat Po.

Nighttime Bike Tour of Bangkok

Floodlit at night, Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) is arguably Bangkok’s most beautiful temple. Our guide, Anna, explained the history of the sanctuary and gave us many interesting tidbits about it. We even got to snap a photo with a gaggle of giggling baby monks, who were living at the temple for a few weeks. With their saffron-colored robes and unforgettable laughter, the children seemed so tranquil and carefree.

With the baby monks at Wat Arun

Wat Arun illuminated at night

The bustling flower market was a complete contradiction to the calm of the temple. Open all day and all night, the market was jam-packed with customers buying bright yellow blossoms. Anna got us some delicious food from a local street vendor, and Ally and I liked it so much that she ordered us a second helping!

Our final stop was at Wat Po, the dramatic temple that houses an enormous reclining Buddha. Like Wat Arun, it’s a place I had gone with Jamie on my last trip to Bangkok, but it was undeniably stunning in the moonlight, and I’m so glad I got to see another side of this justly-famous wat.

Back at the hotel, we linked up with Silja and Maike, who had spent the day touring markets and other attractions outside of Bangkok. They were flying to Koh Samui early the next morning, and Ally was exhausted after the full day, so after a few drinks outside our hotel, Court and I went off on our own to explore Bangkok’s nightlife scene!

Our first stop was Sky Bar atop the State Tower. If you’ve seen the movie The Hangover, Part II, then you may remember the climactic scenes filmed here, where Mr. Chow is arrested and taken away via helicopter. The bar is very proud of its role in the film and has even gone so far as to add a Hangovertini to its cocktail list. We only had one drink here before the bar closed, but it was awesome to look out over the twinkling lights of the city from such a high perch.

Sky Bar

Next up was a club called Bed. A friend of Court’s had recommended it to her before she left Hong Kong, and it was an uber-trendy place with great music. After Bed closed, we hitched a ride to another bar with a group of expats living in Bangkok and spent the rest of the night barhopping with them. To make a long story short, around 7am we arrived back at our hotel via tuk tuk.

7am tuk tuk ride back to the Buddy Lodge

The next morning—a couple of hours later, that is—we woke up and headed to Hua Lamphong Railway Station to catch our train to Ayutthaya. Our timing was impeccable, as would turn out to be the case on numerous occasions over the next few days. We arrived at the station with less than five minutes to go until an Ayutthaya-bound train was scheduled to depart. The tickets cost a whopping fifteen baht each, and after settling in, we enjoyed an atmospheric two hour ride through the countryside in true Thai style.

Third class Thai train

We arrived in the afternoon, headed straight to the ferry that crosses over to the historic island, and wound up meeting two friendly backpackers, Ronald (from Holland) and Yvette (from Germany). The five of us walked around the old town together hunting for a guesthouse, and we wound up booking neighboring rooms at Tony’s Place on Naresuan Road, the main hub of the city. 

Mere minutes after choosing our rooms, the skies opened up. It was a torrential downpour, and we were only a heartbeat away from being stuck in the middle of it, with heavy backpacks and no place to stay in a strange, new town. Instead, we wound up watching the rain from the comfort of a ringside table at Tony's Place. With Singha in hand, it was quite a nice alternative to getting drenched. Impeccable timing yet again.

Enjoying a Singha in Ayutthaya

After the rain calmed down, our group decided to go out and explore Ayutthaya. Without a map or any sense of direction, we just started walking. We stopped in a little bakery, grabbed a few Singhas at a restaurant overlooking the river and inspected a few of the town’s modern wats. At one point, we stumbled upon a little ferry that crossed the river to another wat, and we forked over the three baht it cost for the journey. Owing to the afternoon's precipitation, we disembarked on a very muddy field and could hardly walk! At one point, the strap on my Havaianas even broke when the sole of the shoe got stuck in the deep mud.

Back on the island, we wandered some more and stopped for food in a local parking lot, where a few makeshift restaurants were set up. The tom yum gai was possibly the spiciest thing I’ve ever tasted. Somehow, it was also one of the most delicious. This has never happened to me before, but I was practically in tears from eating something I enjoyed so much. I couldn’t finish it even though I wanted to. It was a very strange culinary experience.

The next day we woke up early to rent bikes and cycle around the UNESCO World Heritage Sight of Ayutthaya. Our bike rental cost a whole thirty baht, and we rode around from about 9:30am until 3:30pm. The ruined wats were truly breathtaking, both in their scale and their attention to detail. Dozens of headless Buddhas, crumbling stupas and red brick walls were spread over acres and acres. It was a sight to behold. Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand from the 1300s through 1767, when the Burmese army destroyed the city. Although the Thai troops eventually defeated the Burmese, the capital was subsequently moved to Bangkok, and Ayutthaya was left in ruins. Today it is, as my Frommer’s guide points out, “one of Thailand’s travel highlights.” Boy, is it ever.

Chedi at Wat Mahathat

Broken Buddha statue

We paid the minimal fee to explore two of the wats up close: Wat Mahathat first and then Wat Ratchaburana. We spent the rest of our time biking around the city, passing many stunning temples. Along the way, we encountered some playful elephants and saw the sights of this gem of a town.

The famous Buddha head surrounded by tree roots

Ancient Thai wall painting at Wat Ratchaburana

Monks at Wat Ratchaburana

Elephant and mahout

That afternoon, we were signed up for a boat tour around the island. We bought some beer for the trip and headed to the pier. Our boat cruised all over and let us off at various wats, both modern and ancient. The first place we stopped had an enormous indoor seated Buddha, and the second was perhaps the most stunning of all the ruins we saw that day, Wat Chaiwatthanaram. Unfortunately, just as I was snapping photos of the impressive sight, the daily downpour decided to start. I got absolutely soaked, but it was worth it to see the glorious temple up close. The captain—after taking a survey of the passengers—cut our trip a little short, and we headed back to the hotel, where we chilled for a few hours drinking Singha and snacking on Thai food.

Huge indoor seated Buddha

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, just as it started to rain

We took a tuk tuk to a small restaurant overlooking the river for dinner that evening and walked around the floodlit temple ruins afterwards, eventually getting back to the hotel. Again, everybody else went to sleep, and Courtney and I found the one bar on the strip that seemed to show signs of life, called Chang House. The hostess was an incredibly crazy and hilarious Thai woman who encouraged us to act as human jukeboxes, since you cannot play music after midnight in the small city. We made friends with a German couple, a Brit and a Spaniard, all taking turns choosing songs and belting out our renditions of Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Believing and Rebecca Black’s Friday, among many other favorites. Eventually the bar closed, and 7-Elevens in Thailand are apparently forbidden from selling alcohol after midnight, so we cut our night short after making plans with our new friends to meet back at the same place the following evening.

With the Thai hostess of Chang House

Saturday was our most hectic day of touring. I wanted to fit in two separate sights, the Summer Palace in Bang Pa-In, about thirty minutes south of Ayutthaya, and the temple town of Lopburi, just over an hour to the north. So, again, our day started bright and early, as we journeyed by tuk tuk over bumpy roads to Bang Pa-In.

The Summer Palace feels like it’s been magically beamed to Thailand from some perfect nineteenth century European dream. It’s an immaculately kept royal residence with beautiful architecture and pristine grounds. The complex was a pet project of King Rama V, who was obsessed with all things European, and his fascination over a century ago still makes for a marvelous attraction for modern tourists all these years later.

Instead of feeling like an Asian palace with little European touches, it actually seemed more like a European palace with subtle Asian influences, as if some French king had gone to Thailand and, upon his homecoming, constructed a new palace incorporating subtle Thai motifs into the design.

Across the river from the Summer Palace is a building that looks like a Gothic cathedral straight out of a European fairy tale. You take a simple cable car to get there, and suddenly you realize it’s not a church at all, it's Wat Niwet Thamaprawat, designed to emulate a church but actually a working Buddhist temple. It’s got to be one of the most surreal sights I’ve ever seen.

Rickety Thai cable car across the river

Wat Niwet Thamaprawat, disguised as a church!

Having explored Bang Pa-In all morning, we headed to the local railway station to catch a train to Lopburi, a town full of more temple ruins and rambunctious macaques. It was a long walk to the station from the palace, and it was oh-so hot out, but we arrived just in time to catch our train!

The train arriving at Bang Pa-In Railway Station

It was another enjoyable Thai train ride, with views of surrounding wats, Buddha statues, small towns, vast fields and eventually even mountains, as we chugged our way northward. One of the first things you see when the train pulls in to the station in Lopburi is a huge statue of a monkey, but it isn’t until you actually go out exploring that it becomes clear just how big a role monkeys play in the life of this otherwise-sleepy little town.

Outdoor Buddha

Lopburi Railway Station

Our first stop was at yet another awesome ruined temple right across the street from the station. Also called Wat Mahathat, the temple was nearly totally deserted, and we had free reign over the place.

Wat Mahathat, Lopburi

As we strolled along the small streets of the town, the monkeys began to make their appearances. Emerging from under a car, peeking around a corner, climbing along on electrical wires—they were everywhere! Shop owners in Lopburi are armed with sticks to ward off the animals, who often wreak havoc and steal food from market stalls.

Running amok

They run this town!

After a few minutes, we came upon Phra Prang Sam Yot, the temple the monkeys call home. Built in the Khmer style, it would be completely impressive even without the throngs of macaques running the show here. Add them in an you’ve got an unforgettable sight. I bought some seeds and a bottle of juice to feed the animals, and they anxiously consumed everything they were given. They even climbed all over me, hoping they would find some more food, as you can see in the video below.

We surveyed the rest of the town, but our main goal was to find a place to eat, as Courtney, Ally and I were all absolutely starving. On our hunt for a restaurant, we wandered around King Narai’s palace and ducked into an exhibit there. Eventually—and mercifully—we found a chic little art café that served delicious food. A random restaurant in a random town, and we had a meal to remember for a song! 

Lopburi Sunset

The train ride home was the best train ride of my life, and I am not exaggerating. We sat in the “café car,” which served beer and food. With oversized windows and a funny little man in charge, that car was the highlight of all our transport adventures thus far. He spoke scant English and we spoke even less Thai. Still it was fun to try and talk with him to find out how we lucked out in getting such a cool train. As best we could figure out, this particular train is the sole daily service with a “café car,” and if it hadn't been running several hours behind schedule, then we never would have gotten to experience it. Timing on our side, again.

                                                                                             Best train ride ever

They were out of Singha, so we drank Chang, another popular Thai brew, instead. Ally and I even ordered some vegetable fried rice onboard, and when the train stopped at an interim station, touts selling small cups of ice cream came up to the open windows and we bought some.

Lost in translation

The sun setting as we rolled along the Thai countryside really reinforced for me just how phenomenal the trip had turned out. Thailand is truly a very special country, and whether it be the big cities or the small towns, there are delights at every turn.

For our last night in Ayutthaya, Court and I convinced Ally, Ronald and Yvette to accompany us back to the bar we had discovered the previous evening. With our old international musical group reunited, we had another great night of performances at Chang House—karaoke without a karaoke machine! It was a blast, and a great way to say goodbye to this indelible corker of a town.

Final night out in Ayutthaya

After only a few hours' sleep, I woke up at the crack of dawn, ready for Easter Sunday. During my research, I had read about a church in Ayutthaya called St. Joseph’s, and on our boat cruise, we sailed past it—one of the most beautiful little churches I have ever seen. Bright yellow, standing proud overlooking the river, St. Joseph’s, I was told, is perhaps the oldest church in Thailand, founded by French missionaries in the 1600s. 

Although Easter mass was entirely in Thai, I was able to follow along with most of the service. At its conclusion, I participated in a post-mass ritual that should be instituted in all churches: a sticky rice and ice cream party! At first I thought the idea was quite strange, but one bite was enough to convert me. It was a delicious way to conclude a very memorable Easter service.

It was much trickier than I had anticipated to make my way back to Tony’s Place afterwards. You see, I had taken a tuk tuk to church, but I didn’t want to pay for the guy to wait and take me back, especially not knowing how long the service would last. I assumed I’d be able to flag another tuk tuk down pretty easily, but, boy, was I wrong. I had to walk a good ways before I even spied a tuk tuk, and it was already occupied. To boot, the passengers had booked her for a tour set to last several hours. Luckily the driver—a kind Thai lady—turned out to be a hero and offered to take me along with her passengers to the wat they were visiting, where she said it would be easy to find an available taxi.

We pulled into the parking lot of Wat Chaiwatthanaram, and I was again awestruck by its majestic beauty. But there were no tuk tuks to be found! Then, while her passengers were exploring the ruins, my hero drove me across the bridge back to the island, negotiated with a moped driver to take me back to my guesthouse, and refused to take any money from me for her kindness, even after I insisted.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram on Easter Sunday

The moped ride back to the hotel was fun, with the breeze blowing as we past the ruins which had by now been eternally imprinted in my memory. I pulled up in front of Tony’s Place just as Ronald and Yvette were getting ready to head off to their next locale—Kanchanaburi. We said our goodbyes, and then Ally, Court and I packed up our belongings to head back to Bangkok. Although we loved all the trains we had ridden thus far on our trip, we decided to splurge and take a boat down the Chao Praya River back to the capital. 

Main strip of Ayutthaya

A driver picked us up from Tony’s Place, and we drove off to the pier, which was much farther away than we had expected. A convivial Thai buffet lunch was arranged on the boat, and I enjoyed feasting on chicken, pork and beef for the first time in over forty days, since I had chosen to give up meat for Lent this year. Before long, the boat was off on its journey. 

Court, Ally and I found a spot the outdoor deck and enjoyed some more Singha as we cruised down the river, passing exotic wats, impressive palaces, distinctive churches and stately mansions. We drifted by the Singha Brewery, the Department of Corrections and countless lavish high-rises. There are countless cities in this world that rely upon their signature river, but Bangkok has a relationship with the Chao Praya that surely ranks among the most intimate. The stunning buildings nestled on its banks created an ever-intriguing panorama as we made the three hour journey south. And I loved every minute of it.

Back at the Buddy Lodge, we carried on drinking Singhas by the rooftop pool, as we watched the sun set over the city. We had one last night in town, and we wanted to make the most of it. There’s a pretty famous restaurant on Sukhumvit Road called Cabbages and Condoms. It might seem like a strange name at first, but it has good intentions. Basically, a Thai senator created it to promote safe sex and family planning. He came up with the memorable name because he felt that in order to solve the problem, condoms need to be as readily available as cabbages in a market. The profits all go to aiding this serious issue, and the food is absolutely delicious to boot.

Sunset from the rooftop pool of the Buddy Lodge

Unfortunately, this wound up being the single moment of the trip when our timing was off, ever so slightly. It started to drizzle just as our tuk tuk driver stopped up the street from the restaurant to let us off. As we made our way through the raindrops, they intensified until it was practically raining buckets. Although the place was only a few steps away, we never really stood a chance. We were all soaked to the skin in a matter of seconds. And as I had reserved a table in the twinkling garden, we also had to wait for them to accommodate us due to the bad weather. It all worked out, though. We browsed the items in the gift shop for a few minutes and snapped some photos, and before long, we were seated and treated to a mouth-watering meal.

Cabbages and Condoms

After dinner, we were all exhausted after so many full days and running on little sleep. Court was flying back the next morning and was heading to the airport at 5am. Ally and I had flights at 3:40pm, so instead of having a massive night on the town, we all passed out instead! A few hours later I woke up and decided to take one last moonlit stroll around the Grand Palace. Those dramatically lit spires will always be one of my favorite Asian landmarks.

Grand Palace

Royal Crematorium

Court departed in a blur the next morning, the skies still dark. For me and Ally, our final day began with my favorite Thai breakfast, banana pancakes. Erin and Emily introduced me to them in Chiang Mai on that first trip back in 2010, and I don’t think any subsequent stop in Thailand would be complete without generous helpings of them.

Khaosan Road on our last morning

As we were eating, Ally and I heard cannon fire and noticed that the Royal Cremation was being shown on the restaurant’s television screen. It was a very impressive display indeed, and we were so intrigued by the sounds and images, that as soon as we finished our meal, we headed to Sanam Luang—the great open field abutting of the Grand Palace—to check it out for ourselves.

Of all the things we saw and all the places we visited over this trip, I think I have to rank the Royal Cremation ceremony as my absolute highlight. The pomp and circumstance was unreal, as two hundred men pulled the princess’ chariot through the streets of Bangkok, eventually stopping in front of the crematorium. Deafening cannons fired constantly as the procession continued, and music was supplied by one of the regiments. It seemed like the entire Thai army was there, with their immaculate and colorful uniforms showcasing a myriad of vivid hues. Without doubt, this was the most impressive funeral I have ever seen and a fitting way for the Thai people, many dressed in black, to bid farewell to Princess Bejaratana.

I wish we could have stayed watching all day. Apparently, King Bhumibol himself even made a rare public appearance later that day to pay his last respects to his cousin. But eventually the time came to catch our flight, and we had to head out. Suvarnabhumi Airport is one of Asia’s best, with plenty of dining and shopping to keep you busy. It’s a very comfortable place to wait for a flight, and Ally and I took advantage by indulging in one last Thai meal, complete with—as you must have guessed by now—one last Singha. I capped off a trip of memorable meals with a delicious mango sticky rice, and before we knew it, we were off to Macau.

Mango sticky rice in Suvarnabhumi

To bookend our trip with Macau fun, upon landing, we hopped on the free shuttle bus from the airport to the Venetian. Last time I did this (after Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai), I won some money and it was a great end to my vacation. This time, however, Lady Luck had other ideas in mind. I lost everything I put down on the table, but it was still good fun. We caught our 11:15pm ferry home and back to my new apartment I went, exhausted but grateful for how perfectly the trip had worked out.

The ostentatious Venetian Macau

Thailand is called the Land of Smiles, and it's probably the most magical and exotic place I've ever been fortunate enough to visit. It has oodles of character and so much to offer, and I’m so glad I live close enough to explore this mysterious and wonderful place. Thailand, you haven't seen the last of me yet!