Thailand vs Japan!

On Tuesday evening we went to watch Thailand vs Japan at Rajamangala National Stadium.

Thailand got through to the final stage of the World Cup Qualifying stage for the first time in about 20 years - so this was bound to be a popular match! Tickets sold out within 1hr - we were super lucky to get tickets (Go Kev!)! 

The stadium is about 30 min away in a taxi, but on Tuesday 70 000 footie fans were heading to the stadium and the traffic was mental, even more mental than it usually is in Bangers! Our taxi driver was amazing...after a few illegal manoeuvres on the motorway he got us there within 35 min! 

Footie Fan Alert!

When we arrived we headed to the ticket collection, then soaked in some pre-match festivities!  We wondered around the market, checking out the 'authentic' t-shirt and football merchandise, had some fried chicken and beers, then headed to the stadium to support our beloved Thailand! .

The stadium was packed!!! Almost every seat had a bum, and if it didn't have a bum, it's bum was sitting / standing in the aisle closer to the action! All supporters were asked to wear blue and it was so awesome to see all the fans sporting blue t-shirt in honour of their team! 

Shorty after the match started - it started to rain!!! And it rained...and rained...and rained... luckily I had my trusty blue bin-bag / raincoat think on hand so stayed a bit dry! 

(*Handy Tip*- During Monsoon season I carry zip-lock bags in my bag - so when it pours at least the phone and wallet will stay dry!)

Although Thailand put up a good fight, Japan scored in the 18th min and again in the 75th min! The rest of the match the Thai goalkeeper worked super hard at keeping more goals out of his goal! 

We snuck out with 10 min to go, not just cause we were soaked, but thought it best to get a head start on hunting a taxi home as 70 000 disappointed fans would shortly be doing the same. We hailed a taxi a few blocks away and headed home to dry off!

Bangkok Adventure with Take me Tours!

Last week I went on an adventure with 'Take Me Tours'!

www.takemetour.com

I’m not usually one to go on an organized tour (Kev usually organizes all that kind of stuff) but I wanna learn more about Bangkok and explore every inch of this amazing city – so I signed myself up for a day-trip! I was looking to do something a little different and something further out of the city centre so I opted for the ‘ Food tasting & Boat Riding through the Mangrove Forest’ tour – the tour was from 09.00-17.00 and cost 2,290bht (£50).  My tour guide ‘Pitipong’ collected me from Ekamai BTS station, a few stops from where I live, and off we set...first stop Wat Sothon!

Let the adventure begin!

Our first stop was Wat Sothorn  - for those who are wondering what a Wat is?!? – it’s a Buddhist Monastery or Temple. Wat Sothorn is located on the Bang Pakong River in the Chachoengsao province, about 1hr 30min outside of Bangkok.   This Temple is home to Phra Phutthasothon, or “Luang Pho Sothorn” who is considered to be one of the most respected Buddha images in Thailand. We first went to the Old Temple that housed the Buddha where locals were placing offerings of eggs, placing gold leaves on the statues and praying to the Buddha. We then visited the newer part of the Temple which which is massive and can be seen from miles around. 

Behind Wat Sorthon is a Chinese Temple that is also exquisite! The colours and statues are a feast for the eyes. A big golden Buddha with a big belly sits in the middle welcoming all that visit. It's very peaceful inside and you could spend hours admiring the gorgeous paintings.

Outside the Temple, was a small food market and Pitipong treated me 'BBQ coconut thing' - I forget the name of it, but it’s made from fresh coconut flesh, coconut cream and palm sugar. It’s then rolled in a leaf, that’s only found in that area (Mangrove Forest Leaf) and placed on the BBQ.  I’m a big fan of coconuts so was super excited to try it - it was chewy and very sweet - but yummy!

We then drove to Wat Klang Nam (also called Hong Thong Temple - which means Golden Swan) It was about a 40 min drive from Wat Sothorn and we drove past acres of salt farms along the way which I was pretty excited about as I love salt! You could smell it in the air and tell you were getting close to the sea! We arrived at the Temple - and well - I was blown away!!!Wat Klang Nam is by far the most beautiful Temple I have yet to visit! It’s a hidden gem and one of those places you will visit that will make you hold your breath for a few moments while you take it all in and realize just how lucky you are to be somewhere so magical!!! Wat Klang Nam is not as big or opulent as some of the Temples I have seen and I think that’s what makes it special – it’s unique, it’s quaint...it’s on the sea!

We set off on the walkway to the Temple, kind of resembled a pier, and the cool sea-breeze and bell sounds were calming and welcoming.  People write their name on bells and hang them in and around the Temple to bring them good luck – there are thousands of bells  -  the sound they make adds to this magical place! (sadly the pictures just don't do the Temple justice - but trust me - it's exquisite!)

There are two parts to the Temple that are full of beautiful Buddha statues. At the far end of the Temple, facing out to sea, is a memorial for Prince Chumphon who was considered a patron saint for anyone out at sea. The view from the Temple is spectacular, you can see all the way to Pattaya! Around the Temple are hundreds of 'golden mini temple looking things', these I am told are to hold your ashes when you pass, some of these have 'reserved' signs on them, and some are already occupied. 

Outside this magical Temple is scene from an old Thai story - Phra Aphai Mani. The characters pop out of the sea bed and it’s about a flute-playing man, a pretty mermaid and an ugly giant lady. The short version of the story is...the ugly giant lady falls madly in love with the flute-playing man and disguises herself as a beautiful lady. The flute-playing man falls for her and they have a child. One day the flute-playing man realizes that his missus is actually an ugly giant lady - he leaves her and falls in love in love with a pretty mermaid. Oh – so this flute he plays is magical, so when the ugly giant lady comes to take revenge on the shallow flute-playing man that has left her for a pretty mermaid... he plays his flute and kills her! (he must have been really out of tune!) Moral of the story -  stay away from men who play the flute! 

After a spot of lunch - since we were at the sea, what better place to get lunch than a seafood restaurant on the pier for some Crab fried rice! Yum!!! - we headed to the Naval History Park at Chulachomklao Fortress.  The fortress is located at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and played a massive part in protecting Thailand against it's French enemies in 1893. The HTMS Pinklao is stationed at the fortress, and is open to the public, to have a wonder and play 'Navy Navy'. We climbed around the ship for about 20 min, I had loads of fun pretending I was the captain and of course I just had to have a 'Titanic' moment! Out of nowhere massive dark, gloomy clouds arrive and we just made it back to the car before the heavens opened! Sadly we couldn't go on the walkways through the Mangrove Forest as it was near on flooding! 

My 'I'm the Queen of the World' moment!

Last stop of the day we headed to Paknam Pier and got the boat across the Chaoprays River (in the rain). We were on a smallish boat and I must say I was super impressed with the boat driver - he was very skilled at dodging the massive cargo ships along the way!. Once on the other side we we had a wonder around the Fresh Market! What a Market! Food galore! Anything you could think of - they had it!  Fresh fruit and veggies, herbs, spices, meat and seafood galore! Massive prawns, bright green mussels, squids, crabs - if I was a massive seafood fan - this would definitely be the place I'd do my 'fish pie' shopping! There were also a few stalls cooking up some local delicacies and the smells were incredible!  

One of the best parts of the tour (apart from the magical Temple on the sea) was that it didn't feel like I was on an organized tour. It felt like I was being taken around by a buddy! My tour guide - aka - new buddy Pitipong was awesome and very informative. We chatted in the car about Thai culture, London life and he answered any questions I had. Its definitely a great way to explore Bangers and having someone with you who knows the secret magical places to visit is definitely a plus!

Pitipong & Me!

www.takemetour.com