Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya (I’m just sweating
from all that) or in short Centara is located in the south end of Pattaya in
the Naklua area. Centara is very much a five star hotel as it is rated. The
whole hotel has a unique marine theme; all 165 rooms are furnished in Italian
styled furniture. The hotel itself features pools, beach, Jacuzzis, and
waterpark for the kids, conference rooms, tennis courts, multiple restaurants
and award winning spa and so much more. The real hotspot for the hotel itself
is the pool area, which resembles a jungle with a river and waterfalls,
pathways that lead you to the Wong Amat beach in Naklua. Room prices start off from about 2,500 Thai
baht in the low season; prices of course vary depending on the season. I
recommend anyone with extra cash traveling to Pattaya to book a room here as it
is alone stands out from the skyscraper skyline that is Pattaya now a days. The superb facilities and services offer everything to all ages!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
LUMPHINI PARK THE CENTRAL PARK OF BANGKOK CITY
Describing Lumpihin has to be done in two parts, because it is literally like day and night. During the day it’s a peaceful park and on a sunny day you can do a plethora of activities ranging from biking, paddle boating in the swan shaped paddleboats on the large lake, have picnics on the never ending grass areas of just enjoy the view of the surrounding skyscrapers that almost seem to bend over the park. During the day time if you dare in the Bangkok’s scorthing hot sunny weather it’s the perfect get away from the noisy city even though you are still in the middle of the city. The greenery and surrounding vegetation makes you forget that, take a beloved one or a group of friends and enjoy the day out doing activities or just enjoying the warm weather over some cooled drinks and a picnic basket. However during sundown Lumpihin becomes a spectacle as people of all corners flock in to complete their daily or weekly exercise and hobbies. From the hundreds of runners running around the 2.5km run track around the park, to aerobics enthusiast you can see an assortment of what seems like hundreds of different sports and activities practiced here. What’s more impressive to me personally is that these same people who flock in around sundown (5pm-6pm) manage to evacuate by nine o’clock as the park shuts its doors for the night all so it can re-open them again 4.30am for the early rising runners and walkers.
The park was built back in the 1920’s by King Rama VI on
what was then royal property. Originally it was a museum where many of the
products and natural resources were shown however after World War 1 it was
re-built as the first park in Bangkok. A statue of the king sits at the
southwestern entrance. Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha in Nepal which it
was named after and now days there are numerous things in Thailand named after
it such as a series of condo buildings. The park doesn’t allow smoking or dogs
in to the park in hopes to keep it clean, between 10am and 3pm the 2.5km
jogging track is mainly reserved for bikers and after three until closing it is
reserved for joggers. Besides the daily activities for the everyday person
Lumphini has numerous other attractions such as bird watching. There is more
than 30 species of birds and there are courses offered on birdwatching for the
interested parties. Also numerous clubs come to the park to enjoy weekly
activities, such as the disabled, Bangkok Elder Citizens club, Home of hope
(homeless children), BMA apprentice school, and the Buddhist Dharma activities.
The park also has a library, indoor & outdoor gym, food center, basketball
court and a swimming pool.
If you feel the need to exercise come and join the crowd, I
personally love the sight of seeing others run around me; it gets my
competitive juices flowing every time. Or if you just simply want to get away
from the hustle and bustle of the Bangkok life go for a day time stroll in the
park. Lumphini is also a great way to help out and take part in charity as I
mentioned numerous organizations and clubs come together there weekly to part
take in activities. Located closest to the MRT Lumphini station and BTS Sala
Daeng Lumphini Park offers something every big city should have, enclosed
greenery and an easy get away for a few hours from the cities traffics, crowds
and noise.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
MY CAMPUS ABROAD: CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY
In the spring semester of 2015 I completed my mandatory
exchange studies in Bangkok, Thailand at the prestigious Chulalongkorn
University. The oldest and arguably the most known university in Thailand is
located in the heart of Bangkok city, and when I mean heart I really mean the
center of the city. Located within an arm’s reach of MBK, and Siam Paragon
shopping malls, the campus is massive and beautiful at the same time. In a way
it blends in to the city because even long time Bangkok residents are not
always familiar where exactly the campus is even though they have surely passed
it on numerous occasions. The school was founded back in 1917 (ironically same
year as my home country Finland gained independence), by King Vajiravudh (Rama
VI) who named it after his father King Chulalongkorn, and features nineteen faculties and
institutes. In the past the tradition was that the King would hand diplomas to
the graduates however currently it is so that the current king’s daughter
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn handles that role. Thailand is a country that
values traditions and this is no exception when it comes to its most
prestigious University.
I spent one semester at the University yet never really
explored the campus, I had no idea it was so vast and full of life until one
day when I drove around exploring all the different features it boasts. The
campus life is booming, Thai students love spending time on their beloved
campus and it shows. You can spot students easily as they wear the traditional
white button up shirt with men wearing black straight pants and girls either
wearing a long or short skirt. On any given day you can see traditional Thai
cheerleaders practicing choreograph in the outdoor weather, or when you near
the sports facilities there is non-stop commotion. It’s just like any other
modern university campus with an Asian twist of traditions that shows. The
campus buildings are built in the traditional Thai styling featuring pointy
roofs with vibrant colors; however once inside the building they are indeed
state of the art classrooms made to accommodate and assist students with their
studies. The school’s alumnus features a long list of well-known figures
ranging from royalty, politicians to actors.
I really want to show everyone the campus itself not
necessarily talk about the school and its studies, however I can in brief tell
you that the school follows the American curriculum system and grading. All the
professors are highly educated and accredited graduates of such universities as
Yale, Oxford, Columbia, Harvard, Cambridge, and so many more. Also majority of
the teachers have side businesses that they had already established before
becoming full-time teachers meaning that they have real experience in the field
that they teach and best of all contacts that students can surely utilize.
Chula is known to have some of the more famous and rich students within
Thailand and while this may be true there is plenty of others as well. Around
38,000 students currently are enrolled at Chula so it is not only a university
for rich and the privileged as many see in fact it is the mixture of students
that makes it so terrific, everyone can blend in and find their spot no matter
what their supposed social status is. This is also with the help of the numerous
clubs arranged by either the school or students themselves, currently there is
around fourty clubs that students can pick and choose from ranging from Buddhism and tradition
clubs to the cheer club that has been arranging the traditional
Chulalongkorn-Thammasat football match since 1934!
As an exchange student in the sea of Thai students it is
quite easy to be overwhelmed by everything that’s going on or lack of knowing,
however I can through first-hand experience tell you that whatever your hobby
is or that you are interested in go and find out if they offer or practice it.
I myself wanted to pick up basketball again and all I did was ask around and
next thing I know was that I was slated to play in the BBA faculties’ annual
basketball game versus Thammasat and found myself couple times a week in the
extremely hot indoor gym playing pickup ball with local students. This is my
message to anyone and especially exchange students, GO OUT AND TALK TO THE THAI
STUDENTS, DON’T WAIT FOR THEM TO APPROACH YOU! Thai students and people in
general are very inviting and generous, get out your comfort zone and see what
they like to do or if you have anything in common with them. I guarantee the
experience will be better than you could have expected. Now that saying, Thai
students are very shy and group-minded, it is hard to approach girls and boys
outside of class as they like to stick to groups but once you do approach them
they will surely be just as interested in you as you are in them. Thailand is after all the land of smiles.
The campus itself is endowed in a leafy park like closure;
the buildings are not only Thai traditional but a mixture of Italian revival.
For the plant nerds the campus has tons of different plants and trees planted
within the campus from tropical to less tropical ones. The centerpiece of the
whole campus is the sitting statue of King Chulalongkorn which is surrounded by
pink flowers that represent the color of the school. Of all the trees
surrounding the campus the most noticeable is the rain tree which happens to be
the mascot of Chulalongkorn University which is very traditional in Thailand.
Daily you can spot tourists and others wandering the campus greens snapping
photos and marveling at the site of it, as I mentioned the campus is located in
the center of Bangkok city and I recommend anyone who walks by to take a visit
as it is a nice change from the bustling and sometimes hectic city life.
Labels:
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Wednesday, August 5, 2015
KOH TAO & AND THE WORLD UNDER THE SURFACE
As part of my journey to show my good friend South East Asia
and Thailand we headed towards the island of Koh Tao right after our Singapore
trip. Koh Tao is a small island about 25km long in the southern east part of
Thailand right next to the more famous Koh Samui island and full moon party
island Koh Phagnan. This was actually my
first time visiting the island as well and I had one main agenda on my list
what I wanted to do and that was snorkeling. Koh Tao is best known for having
great snorkeling and scuba diving waters with vast corals and marine life.
To travel to Koh Tao the most convenient way I have found to
be taking the bus first to Chumporn and then the high speed ferry to Koh Tao as
it is the most northern of the three islands and therefore closest to Chumporn.
The company I recommend is Lomprayah, they have high quality buses and ferries
and the service works unlike many other services in Thailand, rarely is there
any delays in departures. The ferry ride will last around an hour and
half to two hours depending on the conditions usually. The buses leave next to
Khoa San road twice a day, one bus leaving at 8.45am and another one 14.45. The
total travel time to the port is about six hours with one pit stop at a
facility where you can get food and buy snacks, granted they do raise the
prices there a tad but it’s nothing unreasonable. The total cost of traveling
one way is 1,100b which is more than reasonable considering the bus ride is in
a good air-con bus and they even give you blankets for comfort. The other
choice would be take the train which is a 11 hour ride and you can always buy a
sleeper cart spot however it is just not worth it going all the way to Surat
Thani (which is way more south) and then taking the ferry through Samui,
Phagnan islands and finally arriving at Koh Tao, I believe the price of that is
around 1,600b.
Once we arrived on Koh Tao we made our way straight to a
motorbike rental shop, all the rental shops are next to the main pier so it is
very convenient. As a caution you might want to check beforehand for example
from the scuba diving companies or hotels what motorbike rental shops are
reliable as I know many places the visitors get ripped off for having scratches
or dings on the bike that were already there. Our hotel the Montalay beach resort was on the
other side of the island, Tanote bay which is a quiet place which we looked for
on purpose. The standard daily rate for renting motorbike is 150-250thb in the
low season, in the high season it can be couple hundred baht more per day. As
we got on to our motorbikes we headed for the other side of the island, funny
enough it took us a long time to find the our hotel, this is because my 3g
wasn’t working as it was so remote and there isn’t any road signs where we
headed. On top of this roads leading up to the resort was half paved and the
other half dirt bumpy roads that a normal car could not drive over. After a
good hour or so struggle we did finally find it, unloaded some of our stuff and
took a long nap.
As the second day rolled around we headed towards the Sairee
beach section for some lunch. We also stopped by the Koh Tao diver’s
headquarters on the Sairee beach. They are a Finnish diving company that has
been there since 1987, which takes people who want to try their hand at diving.
They also provide snorkeling, and diving courses so you can actually complete
your diver’s lessons there and become a certified firs level diver. After
confirming that the following day we would try our hand at diving we headed on
with our motorbikes to explore Koh Tao and its numerous vie points. Koht Tao is
a very mountainous island or maybe I’d prefer to say hills. Anyhow we didn’t want
to visit the touristiest spot which is the world famous Koh Nangyuan View Point;
instead we opted for maybe the second or third most known viewpoint on the
island the Sairee view point. This is totally accessible by motorbike (granted
you aren’t very heavy and the motorbike you have doesn’t have enough power for
the massive hills you have to drive up). Needless to say the view was
breathtaking and more than worth it, also you have to pay a 50thb charge to
enter the view point, this is to be paid for some local man who sits under a
hut next to the dirt road leading up to the view point.
For the rest of the day we headed back to our hotel to do
some pooling and enjoying the sun, however on my part I was way too excited
about getting a change to go scuba diving for the first time ever, so naturally
I had to go and rent some fins and a snorkel from our resort for a very modest
100thb for the whole day and head on into the ocean. Our hotel was located
directly on the beach so all I had to do was put on the snorkel and fins and go
out and swim, the Tanote bay is known to have some of the better diving spots
and you could even witness some sharks there if you were lucky. So, naturally
me with my GoPro camera in hand I headed off in to the depths. Ironically I hadn’t
done any snorkeling for almost ten years prior to that which is in a way very
sad as I have lived so many years in South East Asia and been on numerous beach
holidays. The great thing about was that all I could think to myself was that
‘’why haven’t I done this more and often?!’’. Unfortunately I didn’t see
sharks, or anything remotely that big either, but the sea life was still vast
and lively with small bright colored fish all around and the coral as well. Later
on in the evening we headed off into town for dinner near the Sairee beach and
we didn’t want to stay too long out as we had an early wake up to go try our
hand at scuba diving.
During the day my friend Juho apparently was too exposed to
the sun and didn’t feel too good the next morning, he decided to skip out on
the scuba diving and stay in bed for the day. This is a good reminder for
anyone (especially if you aren’t used to these temperatures or are visiting for
the first time) to use sunscreen all day even if you feel like you don’t need
it. Anyhow, I made my way on my own to the Koh Tao diver’s headquarters, where I
was met by Antti Karinen one of the diving insturctors. He showed me a short
introduction video to scuba diving and what is good to know, avoid and so on.
We also just talked in general about the different things you have to know when
it comes to diving and what we will be doing when we go out into the ocean,
then we proceeded to find me some fins, mask, and the vest that holds all the
equipment. On our dive I had some other people join as well who were completing
their diver’s courses, two girls from California, a Finnish girl from Lapland
and a Japanese man who seemed very experienced. All of these people were
accompanied by other diving instructors, so it’s safe to say that anyone can
join in on the fun and it doesn’t matter where you come from the professionals
clearly knew what they were doing and spoke excellent English. As well the Koh
Tao divers had invited along Charlie an underwater camera expert who works for
Fatfish movies if you are interested in checking it out, naturally he brought
his camera with him and all the photos from the dive trip I have are courtesy
of him As we arrived on our dive point, Antti made sure that he was
continuously giving me instructions what to remember and what we would be doing
and even possibly seeing under the surface. I was allowed to ask questions and
he gave answers to everything to his best ability.
Once we arrived at our first destination I put on my vest,
weight belt, fins and mask according to Antti’s instructions and literally
jumped in to the deep end (the vest contains a floating vest that you control,
I wasn’t going to sink so no worries), from there we swam towards the shore
into about meter deep water where we went through different phases that needed
to be learned. Things such as learning to clear your clear your regulator of
water, for example I had no idea you could blow water through it even when it
was in your mouth, funny enough Antti told me a story about how he had food
poisoning while going on a dive and, well you can maybe imagine the rest. Also
I learned how to clear my mask of water under water, and how to switch or find
your regulator under water while holding your breath, again funny enough you
don’t actually hold your breath instead you blow out slowly because it is
easier. I also learned some basic hand signs such as everything is ok and how
to get the other divers attention when you something is wrong. While we did this Antti always told me first
what we do , then we went under water he did it first and then I did it after
him, every time being very encouraging even I failed (for example clearing the
mask), I tend to be very competitive and hard on myself. I treat it like a
sport and I want to be the best straight away.
After learning the basics of all the essentials that you would need to
know when under water we headed in to deeper waters, about 3-4meteres where
learned to float buy adjusting the air in your vest so you could basically
float in mid water and swim without having to worry if you will either come up
on your own or slowly sink to the bottom. From then on we just headed in to the
depths, Antti pointed the way and we swam off, he did hold me the whole time
though just as safety precaution as it was my first dive and had to be done.
The feeling when we went in to the depths of suddenly 6-8meteres was surreal, I
can’t really explain it better than what Antti told me, he said for example
business men and people who work under lots of pressure end up taking scuba
diving as a hobby for the reason that once you are under you forget everything
on top as to say. You are just in the water calmly swimming and looking around
at all the different life and colors around you. I actually caught myself
experiencing this, for some reason I would start thinking about what if water
gets into my mouth and I swallow it and how I would maybe choke on it and so
on, but immediately these ideas would go away as if I was in mid thought saying
to myself in my head ‘’so now if I swallow water and ch..uuu look at that big
colorful fish!’’ . It was fantastic, I literally haven’t experienced anything
like it and I was loving it. Also the comradery that you have with your fellow
dive partner is great, you aren’t talking but you continuously find yourself
interacting or pointing at something and just laughing in your head how great
it was.
As I came up from my first dive we were swimming to the dive
boat, Antti told me how it went very well except for the fact that I was
swimming very quick (maybe it’s my competitive spirit doing its old tricks
again) and that my usage of air was very rapid.
On the boat finally heading for the second spot all of us who were on
the boat sat together eating fruits, talking about diving and life in itself
was great, I mean how it cannot be? You live and work on an island only
majority people see on movies and the diving and the feeling you get from it is
just amazing. As we arrived at our second spot, it was almost business as usual
already for me, just strapped on the gear and jumped in. We went straight under
in the deep, no more lessons. Also I noticed Antti didn’t hold me the whole
time anymore (although staying within touching contact always); I could see he
enjoyed it much more as well. This time around also we stopped around to float
and stare at different fish and coral, we even posed for some pictures underwater, it was all so surreal. As we again came up and swam toward the dive
boat Antti told me that we basically completed the maximum dive depth you can
on a trial dive, which was 12meters! When I heard this I couldn’t believe it,
it really doesn’t feel like it, I don’t know if the water is so clear or what,
I do remember looking up at one point during my dive and thinking ‘’now I’m
deep’’ He also said we were under for a good solid 50minutes, which again
doesn’t sound believable, the time just goes so fast when you are under. As we boarded back on the boat and headed
back to camp on the shore we again had some good talks and laughs with these
new found friends. Antti made it very clear he would be more than happy to take
me out if I ever decide to come complete my diving courses, and to be honest I
am strongly considering it.
The day had
come to an end the sun was going down, I had great memories, you can only go
once in a lifetime scuba diving for the first time and have it be that amazing.
I just want to thank all the staff at Koh Tao divers for making it so memorable,
and Antti, Kim, Tom and our cameraman Charlie especially. I couldn’t think of a
better ending for my trip. Lastly I went to see if my friend Juho was alive and
well (which he was for the most part), had some dinner and sleep. The next day
we packed up, hopped on our motorbikes for the last time to return them and got
on the ferry back to shore and on to the long bus ride back home. All in all I have to say this, I was waiting
to come to Koh Tao for several months now, and it has been more than what I could
have expected. In comparison Koh Phagnan
is a large island and has its own appeals but Koh Tao was simply brilliant and
beautiful.
Monday, August 3, 2015
SINGAPORE THE WEST OF THE EAST
Summing up Singapore in one word can’t be done, there so
much going on at the same time it’s just impossible. I mean look at the place,
it doesn’t have one center, it doesn’t have one main street, it doesn’t have
one main language, it doesn’t have one main culture and I can keep going on
with this and that’s what makes it very special.
Singapore is a fusion of cultures, languages and everything
else. If I had to describe it to someone I would say Singapore is the West of
the East. By this I mean it is the one plot of land here in South East Asia
that just does not fit in and is more reminiscent of a Western country. Once
you step in to the country first thing you realize is that everyone speaks
English and this is really bizarre as it is, the English is not your typical
perfect English but rather the perfect English if an Asian person spoke it and
that’s exactly what it is. They don’t make mistakes but you also don’t get the
sense that it would be their first language but it is! Second thing you notice is there is the
diversity of the population it’s fantastic, you don’t get the feeling that
‘’yep, I’m the tourist and I stick out like a sore thumb’’ well besides my huge
travel backpack of course and last if not actually first the overall cleanness
of the whole place. It’s outstanding, being used to the streets of Bangkok
(which by the way has been cleaned up in the recent years) I was so surprised
how it has stayed so clean. But there’s a logical explanation for it all and
that is the people actually care to obey rules and laws, again this is
something different from all the neighboring countries, I mean live ten years
in South East Asia and then go to a place and you see its clean and people
actually care about rules, it really is something different.
Once we had arrived and made our way through the extensive
and impressive metro system to our hotel we immediately left for town and of
course the Marina Bay. Funny story time; so once we get to the Marina Bay we
started to ponder where the infamous Marina Bay Sands Hotel building was, there
was plenty of signs inside the metro tunnels pointing different directions where
it would be, and once on the escalator out of the tunnels I look straight up
and was awe struck, I told my friend Juho ‘’Look up!’’, we were literally
inside one of the columns of it heading out of, it was amazing! I couldn’t get
my eyes of the building itself, it really is captivating and stunning. My whole
entire time there in I just couldn’t stop staring at the intricacies of the
architectural marvel of it all. The Marina Bay itself is full of life all
around it, there’s restaurants, bars, people and music. I can understand that
locals would want to come there every day and spend quality time with friends.
It has such a hip and swanky feel to it as well, plus you don’t even notice
tourists because you can’t separate them from the locals. The fusion of culture
once again proves its worth.
We stopped off at the foot of the Marina Bay Sands to eat
some pizza and drink quality beer in an Australian street bar. All the people
seemed to be enjoying their after work beverages with light snacks inside the
bar and outside of it you had the stunning view of the bay and watching all the
people go by you really don’t get the feeling that you are in Asia besides the
tropical hot weather. The Marina Bay itself has a lights and water show every
day at 8pm and 9.30pm, this show has lots of smoke, lights and music but
honestly not too much action, it worth seeing once and then you kind of realize
it’s something perhaps to captivate the tourists who walk by. After the dinner
we made our way around the marina just taking in the massive buildings opposite
of the Marina Bay Sands, this is where you realize Singapore is truly an
architect’s dream place, I personally don’t know anything about architecture
because I can’t even draw a square or circle. All the massive buildings hold
some of the world’s largest company’s logos, Bank of America, HSBC, UBS and so
many more. As our tour of the bay was coming to an end and the day itself huge
fireworks went off opposite of us at the very opposite side of the bay, this is
when we came to realize that it was the official opening of the 28th
South East Asia games, these are essentially the Olympics for the countries in
the region.
So day two and we had the whole day ahead of us, we went in
for some brunch at a quality little house just couple blocks from our hotel
next to the little India district. Ironically this turned out to be one of the
more popular brunch spots after asking around and it definitely was just that,
people queued in large number and the food itself was amazing for the life of
me I can’t remember the name of the place (bad blogger Aleksi!). Once again I
found myself pondering and watching as there was an even mix different
ethnicities of people, I just couldn’t help being stunned by this my whole time
in Singapore. All I could think was ‘’who are the people of Singapore!’’. To
open up a bit about this you have to realize Singapore is tiny and small
however it has little India district and China town and then a large expat
community all intertwined into one population. We didn’t have a clue where to
go besides looking at the map, like in typical me fashion I didn’t do any
research where to go and what to see. I just pointed to a map and thought that
place seems like there’s going to be something there, this place was called Orchard
road, full of shopping malls and people, so naturally we did some shopping. The
one main thing I notice about the shopping malls and building of Singapore is
that they blend in perfectly with the city outlook. Majority of the time you
wouldn’t even know there a mall inside some of the buildings wall, and honestly
I had mixed feelings about it. I just didn’t like the idea of not knowing where
I can go and shop and eat; a mall should look like a mall!
As shopping was done we once again had the task of finding a
place to go eat dinner, we could have gone to China town or any other district
but we just came to the easy conclusion again that Marina bay it is, it’s just
too good of a place not to go twice in one weekend. As I said before the
building and its surroundings is just too captivating, I personally didn’t even
feel the need to go up on top of it to get the view in (or pay the 25$ cover
charge), the Marina itself holds tons of rooftop bars to get in views and you
could go to anyone of them as I asked around and they would all be worth it.
Singapore was a delight and the perfect get away, if you happened to have some
extra cash lying around I’m all for it and I urge anyone who has not been to at
least visit.
There’s also one other thing I always think to myself being
a traveling former expat child, would I live here? The answer in Singapore’s
case is a,no. It’s just too safe, too clean, just too much somehow. I don’t
like rules or at least following them always, no one j-walk’s (hell we even do
that in Finland!), and no one litter’s, yes littering is bad but I’m making a
point here. I felt that if there was an empty street and I crossed in the
middle of it someone would yell from their window ‘’hey! you can’t do that go
back!’’, this is just the feeling I get. I guess I’m used to Bangkok, Jakarta
and all the other less developed areas, they have raised me in a different way
from Singapore. Singapore is my mind from what I saw meant for the business
savvy people, working there in the business world seems like the optimal thing
to do, the business district is so diverse and developed. Living there as
something else I just don’t see it myself, I couldn’t. Not because I don’t want
to but because I wouldn’t know how to, now you can say I’m biased which is most
likely true and I don’t know until first hand experiencing it but this is my
opinion and how I see it, hopefully someday I can be proven wrong or otherwise.
But in my book Singapore gets a huge gold star, and I will definitely be back!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
MY BEGINNINGS
I made this text as an explanation of my background and why Southest Asia is so close to my heart. Having grown up as an expat child our world views are molded into something very different that we carry with us for the rest of our lives and I have finally began to realize that. I have learned to embrace and cherish it and this is why I wish to share it.
Growing up being an expat child I have developed an unquenchable thirst for travel and meeting new people while seeking out locations that make you never want to leave. Now 25 years old and being back in the land where this thirst began, Southeast Asia is again at the palm of my hand and I wish to discover every corner of it and what it has to offer. Currently I have made my way back to Bangkok, Thailand where my fondest memories are to be found due to the fact that I have lived here on two different occasions, however now it is all different, no parents of course; no family and I have finished my mandatory exchange semester at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University. Now I’m looking to tap into passion of traveling and being the ultimate travelling tourist.
What you have to understand that this is my journey, this is my background in a nutshell. I am not special in any way and don’t see myself as that. Being an expat child or person if you will you have the privilege of living a unique life, but we have our problems and issues as well. We are normal people but our problems might not be the same as others, and you can talk with anyone who has lived their life abroad they will tell you some of their stories and it will be different from mine. But what is great about our problems is that we can relate to each other in a way that others can’t, our problems are literally OUR problems and that’s what makes them so unique. Having the school bus break-down on the highway on your way back home, missing your weekend after school activity game because your dad over slept or not finding your favourite shirt because your maid cleaned your room and re-placed everything that was in a organized mess. They sound bizarre to you but so does not having enough money to get home on a bus from school to me or mom forgetting to buy you food that you can make once you get home from school, they sounded just as odd to me because we take things for granted that others don’t and vice versa, It’s just how it goes.
Growing up being an expat child I have developed an unquenchable thirst for travel and meeting new people while seeking out locations that make you never want to leave. Now 25 years old and being back in the land where this thirst began, Southeast Asia is again at the palm of my hand and I wish to discover every corner of it and what it has to offer. Currently I have made my way back to Bangkok, Thailand where my fondest memories are to be found due to the fact that I have lived here on two different occasions, however now it is all different, no parents of course; no family and I have finished my mandatory exchange semester at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University. Now I’m looking to tap into passion of traveling and being the ultimate travelling tourist.
What you have to understand that this is my journey, this is my background in a nutshell. I am not special in any way and don’t see myself as that. Being an expat child or person if you will you have the privilege of living a unique life, but we have our problems and issues as well. We are normal people but our problems might not be the same as others, and you can talk with anyone who has lived their life abroad they will tell you some of their stories and it will be different from mine. But what is great about our problems is that we can relate to each other in a way that others can’t, our problems are literally OUR problems and that’s what makes them so unique. Having the school bus break-down on the highway on your way back home, missing your weekend after school activity game because your dad over slept or not finding your favourite shirt because your maid cleaned your room and re-placed everything that was in a organized mess. They sound bizarre to you but so does not having enough money to get home on a bus from school to me or mom forgetting to buy you food that you can make once you get home from school, they sounded just as odd to me because we take things for granted that others don’t and vice versa, It’s just how it goes.
Where has it all
begun then you might ask, the story goes something like this; back in 1995 I
moved to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia as a little kid out of Eastern Finland, without
any experience of travel or the world outside. I was put into an English
speaking kindergarten where I was for a year before starting first grade of
school at the age of six in an American private school called International
School of Kuala Lumpur (known as ISKL), from then on the rollercoaster ride
just took off on its own, after two years in Kuala Lumpur we were off to
Jakarta Indonesia where I managed within a year attend two different private
schools and flee the country itself all together in under a day, this means we
were yanked out of school mid-lesson, told to pack our bags with only essential
things and head to the embassy from where we were taken straight to the
airport. Jakarta had become a war zone of sorts due to the brewing civil war.
After Jakarta we
all thought Finland was our next destination for the foreseeable future but it
turned out to be Bangkok, Thailand. Again I was put into an American private
school (ISB), and this is where I finally started feeling the sense of
belonging. I had also started understanding that this is the normal life for me
now; changing locations would always be a part of my life. Bangkok gave me
great memories and friends but it was finally time to head home to Finland
after three years. By far my biggest struggle was adapting to Finland as a sort
of foreign kid with very little Finnish language and culture knowledge (even
though I would spend all my summers in Finland), I didn’t have the privilege of
having friends there and I couldn’t talk about school or anything that had to
do with daily normal life because no one understood what I was doing and I
didn’t understand what they were. It was all a big blur, and suddenly Thailand
had become an option again. I didn’t want to leave, to be fair I never wanted
to leave any location I was at, that was just me. I had learned to adapt
quickly, I had to, and there was no other choice so naturally I didn’t want to
leave.
This time it
wasn’t Bangkok Thailand we were moving to, it was Chon Buri, a half hour drive
from Thailand’s notorious sex capital Pattaya. This location seemed odd and I
knew it would take time to understand it, we lived in the middle of nowhere in
a country club where people came only to golf. Our backyard was the fifth hole
fairway of one of the two courses and our school was located about 200meters
from our driveway. Coming in from Finland I was just so different as a person
again, I wasn’t this young naïve kid anymore, I had grown up (mind you I was
only fourteen going on fifteen). But the culture was so different this time
again, yes I knew the Thai culture but I was different so everything else seemed
different. Compared to majority of the
other kids I was just, older. In Finland you have to learn to be independent
from a very young age onwards. You don’t have the school bus or drivers taking
you to school and back, you don’t have the food ready on the plate as soon as
you get home, and you don’t have the room ready and cleaned for you every day
(not that I really cleaned my room anyways) and I was used to this all. To me
it was normal, so for a good year almost I stuck it out just focusing on my
then budding football career (I was playing with some of the very best expats
in Thailand against others in South East Asia and prior to that in Finland I
had intentions of moving to a very highly regarded clubs youth system before departure
came to intervene) as I didn’t know what else to do. When I finally hit high
school it all changed, my older sister was a grade above me and we were very
close, so naturally her friends became my friends. I stuck it out with older
kids from then on; I had finally found my place.
For the next
three years my life took a very unexpected but fortunate change, I had
found loyal friends who I can depend on still till this day. I was moving away
from that stereotypical Western mentality and had become just a diverse
individual and this I can only thank my friends for and the environment they
put me in. Now mind you some things were hard to change, for example I never
learned to eat with chopsticks (what can I say, I’m stubborn), I didn’t touch
sushi or any remotely odd looking Asian or foreign dishes however instead I can
proudly say just like almost any expat child that I can swear in about ten
different languages which is an achievement in itself, trust me it is.
As the years
rolled by and high school was nearing its end I was given the information from
my parents that it was time to pack up and leave back to Finland at the end of
the year, I was just starting my 11th year of school meaning I was a
Junior and had one year after that and I would graduate high school. As the year started to wind down we had
agreed with my parents that I would stay in Thailand for a year with a host
family and graduate, however a host family was not to be found and I was forced
to return to Finland a year from graduation.
‘’All this again, oh man!’’, that was my thought once again returning to
Finland, but this time it was easier. I had grown from the past experience and
the transition was easy, I had pretty much come into the same situation as
prior however I was older and so were my classmates and friends. Majority of my
friends from round 1 in Finland ended up in the same high school as me, the
expat community lives on even after you leave the country just so if you ever
were wondering.
Anyways, high
school, family moved abroad, living alone for the first time, getting a job, military
service, new job, and applying to school was all next on my plate in somewhat
that order. I don’t want to bore you with any more details but yes I am
currently a student at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and on the
verge of graduating (hopefully), and I finally learned to eat with chopsticks
and sushi is one of my favorite dishes. So there you have it, that was a so-so
accurate description of my life abroad thus far and my beginnings.
Through travel I
wish to experience the obvious things, see new places, meet new faces and
simply just see what wealth this part of the world has and share it with others
through blogging. Why do I choose blogging to share this? I believe to have an
upper-hand in blogging due to the fact that my family already boasts two
full-time bloggers; I have myself kept a blog, and I can be insightful and
portray what I see into diligent words while providing spectacular pictures of
everything I witness. Blogging can also hold endless sources of information in
the modern age and that is something I will utilize such as social media which can
provide information in a heartbeat for interested parties, through Instagram, snapchat
you can get the first sightings of my voyage as I keep it all updated. I’m on
my way, join me!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
SONKGRAN THE THAI NEW YEAR
All the pictures are from Pattaya, it was way too hectic in the locations that I went to to carry a camera around. Also i'm kicking myself for realizing that I don't have any quality video of this great week, oh well, maybe I just have to come back again.
This past Songkran I had the privilege to celebrate my
seventh Songkran in Thailand, three of them I’ve celebrated in Bangkok and the
rest in Pattaya. This year I actually managed to do both Bangkok and Pattaya
for the first time, I celebrated two nights in Bangkok and one in Pattaya.
Bangkok being so big it is only celebrated in certain locations that are worth
going to (if you want the ultimate water fight experience) such as Khao San
road, Silom, and RCA. Other individual spots also arrange pool parties and foam
parties such as the club Narsisist that has a foam party for every day of
Songkran. This year also RCA arranged a massive concert with world class
artists such as Afrojack and Deadmou5e to name a few. For those who don’t know what Songkran is, it
is the traditional Thai New Year and mainly celebrated in Thailand and is some
other areas of South East Asia. The reason it is the New Year because it
follows the Buddhist/Hindu solar calendar and the purpose of throwing water is
because it’s a way of washing away the sins and bad luck. Often when locals
come pour (or spray) water on you, they say Happy New Year or vice versa you
can go pour (or again, spray) it on the locals and often they will acknowledge you
with a smile and Wai (putting the hands together and bowing the head).
Me personally I was at Khao San twice and club narsisist
once and the first thing you realize is that once you get to Khao San road is
that it is packed, very packed with people. It takes a good solid hour to walk
through from one end to the other end. The atmosphere is great, people are
soaking wet and shooting water at each other in all directions and everyone
seems to be dancing as soon as they hear music, the mood is very festive to say
the least. Sonkgran is a great way to connect with the locals as they rarely go
out in such a fashion as they do on Songkran. If you are at Khao San I suggest
you pick wisely a street bar to park at with your friends, order a bucket or
drinks and just stand there shooting at by walkers while listening to good
music. This is always the best way because you avoid being in the crowds and
have space while still part taking in the water fighting.
As Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday rolled past and Bangkok
sonkgran was celebrated once again, I left for Pattaya on Friday, where
Songkran is celebrated on Sunday which I was sure not to miss. Having celebrated some of my most memorable Songkran’s
there I was really looking forward to it. My friends and I have a tradition of
getting a pick-up truck and a driver to drive us around the town from noon
onwards. From the back of this pick-up we shoot and throw water stopping in
front of people who have water fights on the streets and honestly it is the
best way to do it. In Pattaya the streets are everywhere flooded with people
within the immediate area, the cars are all packed with people throwing water
and the whole city is in a festive mood.
Beach road (the main road) is closed for water fighters; think of Khao San
road but twice as long and twice as wide and everyone throwing water. It’s
amazing how fast a good solid six hours can go by when you have so much fun,
and if you are hungry, need water or anything it is all within an arm’s reach
on the side of the streets as people sell all of the above mentioned items next
to the street at every short interval. When Songkraning you let your inner kid
out, you have to. You throw and splash water at everyone and everyone does it
back to you, and everyone does it with a constant smile on their face. You
notice yourself just dancing to the loud music blaring from the people who
party and splash water on the side of the street even stopping and jumping
around with them, pulling people into your truck and so on. There is no feeling
like it and honestly anyone who is in Thailand during this time period I dare
you to leave Bangkok and try out other locations for Songkran such as Chiang
Mai (heard it is one of the premier places), the North East (Isan) or even the
islands down South.
After it gets dark we leave the car and head up to beach
road by foot where the non-stop water fighting continues, Beach road is so wide
so they manage to set up DJ sets and stages for people to party in front of,
also the street vendors are in full mode selling everything from food to water
guns, if you are one of the lucky ones who can keep going for a solid 12 plus
hours then you definitely will end up at the walking street which is at the
very end of beach road and has all the clubs and bars, some clubs even allow
people to water fight indoors so don’t even consider yourself being safe from
the water at any point . For me personally I wasn’t up to it this year, I
called it quits way before midnight and headed for a well-deserved rest. Five
days out of a seven day Songkran week isn’t a bad achievement in my books. Till
next year, or the next time.
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