There are no fat men or women in this country. The sun of this country is very blazing and there is no winter. Most people who were born in this country have double eyelids. In addition, people laugh easily and their smiles are beautiful. Because of this, the country’s nickname is the ‘Country of Smiles.’ What is this country? The answer is Thailand. I traveled to Thailand from July 9 to 13.
Bangkok by Night; My Heart Fluttered in Anticipation.
I arrived at Bangkok international Airport in the night. The time was about 9 o’clock. When I looked outside in the airport, I felt calm. I could smell some special scent that I’d never smelled in Seoul. Although it was night, the weather was hot and moist. After 20 minutes, I took a bus to the hotel. The bus was high, like a London double-decker. Finally, I arrived at my hotel. The things that I felt, saw, and heard in Bangkok made me excited. I couldn’t sleep easily that night.
The next day I went to Tiger Zoo. The highlight is the tiger and pig show. People train tigers and pigs for a very long time. When these animal finish training, they do shows in public. The contents of show were very diverse. A tiger jumped through a burning ring and pig calculated number. Another special thing is that they raise the young tigers and pigs together, so I could see the young tigers and pigs drinking milk from a mother pig. I thought that ‘It was a curious irony of fate.’ After the tiger zoo, I went to Pattaya and I visited Mini Siam.
Mini Siam has many miniatures of famous buildings and cultural assets, and works of art. I could see the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the South Gate of Seoul. It also has Thailand Grand palace (King’s palace) and temple miniatures. Therefore I learned Thailand’s history of royal family through Grand place miniature. It take two to three hours to tour Mini Siam, so you should wear sun cream or bring a sunshade because Thailand’s sun is very powerful. If you visit Mini Siam without sun cream or a sunshade, your skin will burn very quickly.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Greatest Area and Greatest Beauty.
On the third day, I went for a swim in the sea. A place was Coral Island. Coral Island is near to Pattaya, so I took a boat from Pattaya to the island. The boat speed was very fast so I felt as if I were wrapped in a bracing wind. The wind was very soft and had the smell of sea. When I arrived at Coral Island, I was amazed at the color of the sea. It was emerald green and was very clear and warm.
Moreover, the sky was a more attractive vivid because it matched the seawater so well. After I admired the scenery, I started swimming in the sea. Various sea sports are available on the island, such as jet ski, banana boat, sea working and parasailing. However, people paid between $10 and $60 to do these sea sports.
I also visited Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. This garden’s gross area is about two million pyeong (6.6 square kilometers). More surprising thing was that this garden is private property. The owner is Kampon Tansacha who is the old woman who completed the garden. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden was made up of tropical plants that are decorated beautifully. So if you visit this garden, you may be surprised by the garden’s bounty and beauty. Also garden prepares folk performance and elephant show. After you see the elephant show, you can buy souvenirs related to elephants. A special ring made from an elephant’s tail fur has special power among souvenirs.
According to Thailand superstition, this ring brings people luck. First, you run a thread through ring. Second, you hold up thread horizontality. Third, you look through the ring. If your ring moves left, your luck will come from to left and if your ring moves to the right, your luck will come from the right.
It Is More Brilliant than Gold, Grand Palace.
The last day, I visited the Grand Palace, The Temple of Emerald Buddha, The Temple of the Dawn. These three tourist spots are close to each other so I saw them on foot. Grand Palace, The Temple of Emerald Buddha and The temple of the Dawn are very brilliant because they are decorated with jewels. While I looked at these tourist spots, I felt the Thai delicate skills.
The Grand Palace is covered with gold so it is very bright under the sun. I thought that this brilliance express power and fame of Thailand’s royal family. Lastly, I visited Baiyoke Tower. It is located in Bangkok and is the highest tower in Thailand. It has hotel rooms (19 ~75 floors), a buffet restaurant (76 ~78 floors) and observatory (84 floor). While I ate the diverse foods of Thailand at the buffet, I enjoyed Bangkok’s night view. It was fantastic. Thailand is very attractive country for me and I will never forget this memory. While I stayed in Thailand, I enjoyed a piece of heaven.
Tips:
1. If you want a perfect Thai atmosphere, don’t reserve a package tour because many Korean visit Thailand through package tours. There are many Korean visitors and Thais who speak Korean very well in tourist spots which are included in package tour.
2. Don’t drink tap water in Thailand because their water quality is bad. You must buy water or drink at restaurant or hotel.
3. When you visit Grand Palace and temples, you must go the restroom beforehand. There are no restrooms in the Grand Palace and temples.
4. When you visit Thailand, you will see many pictures of the king on buildings, hotels or at tourist spots. If you see this picture, don’t point at the picture with your finger.