Southeast Asia Part 3: Thailand

Grand Palace in Bangkok

We had three action-packed days in Thailand and I loved every second of it!

Day 1:
The Celebrity Century docked at Laemchabang which is a 2.5 hour drive from Bangkok. We had pre-booked a shuttle from Oriental Escape to take us from the port to our hotel in Bangkok. The service we received from Oriental Escape was professional, comfortable and safe. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

We chose to book a hotel near the Chao Phraya river because we wanted to avoid the infamous road traffic in Bangkok. After dropping off our overnight bags at our hotel we walked to Oriental Pier. We boarded an orange flag boat and the fare (15 baht) was collected on board. We got off at Tha Chang Pier and immediately smelled the aroma of fruits and grilled food at the market.

Market full of sounds and smells

We walked through the market, crossed the street and then walked alongside the white wall fence of the Grand Palace to get to the entrance. We bought our tickets for 500 baht which gave us admission into the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Regalia Museum. We walked through the Regalia Museum to see displays of coins, jewellery and regalia worn by royalty.

The Grand Palace is huge and there is so much to see! It's hard not to just go crazy with taking pictures of everything. I had to remind myself to step back, put down my camera and admire what I was seeing before my eyes.

At the Grand Palace

Beautiful craftsmanship at the Grand Palace

We had to take our shoes off before entering the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and no photos or video recording was allowed inside.

Tip: In terms of clothing attire for the Grand Palace I made sure to cover my shoulders and knees and to not wear anything skin-tight. Since you'll need to take your shoes off to see the Emerald Buddha it is best to wear slip-on shoes. I wasn't sure if flip-flops were allowed so I wore closed-toed slip-on shoes.

We stayed at the Grand Palace until it closed at 3:30pm. We had originally planned to visit Wat Pho and Wat Arun as well. However, since they close at 5pm and 5:30pm respectively we realized the time needed to travel there wouldn't leave us with enough time to truly appreciate the temples. Therefore we decided to save them for the next time we went back to Bangkok. 

We headed back on the orange flag boat and went to eat at a Thai restaurant near our hotel called Tealicious. It is owned by a super friendly English gentleman and the food was very good too.

Day 2:

We had booked the Railway and Floating Market Tour from BKK Tours. It was a half day tour which allowed us time to explore Bangkok on our own for a couple hours after the tour.

Our day started with our tour guide Ms. Oi meeting us in the lobby of our hotel. We then sat comfortably in a family sized van as the driver drove us from Bangkok to Samut Songkram where a railway market is located. Along the way we saw miles upon miles of salt farms where sea salt gets harvested.

On our way to the railway market we stopped at a gas station to order some iced coffee from Cafe Amazon. The drinks tasted amazing and were a good deal too. Ms.Oi bought some freshly made hot coconut pancakes, a very common on-the-go breakfast for Thais, from a street vendor for us to try.

The railway market is a fully functional market set up at the edge of a railway track selling both fresh goods and household items. When the warning signal sounded to let people know the train was approaching the vendors pulled back their awnings and goods from the edge of the tracks with efficiency and ease. It was quite a thrilling experience to see the local train pass through the market mere inches from where we were standing. As soon as the train passed by the vendors immediately moved their awnings and goods back to the edge of the tracks and business resumed as normal.

The train approaching the railway market

After the railway market we visited a coconut plantation and traditional home located near a canal. We watched a guy make sugar cane from coconut water and sampled a piece as well. It's nice to see that no part of a coconut goes to waste since every part of a coconut can get re-purposed into something else.

All sorts of coconut goodies on display

We then went on our way to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Ms. Oi rented a rowing boat for us and we all went into the boat to experience the way locals used to socialize with their friends. By going through the smaller rivers instead of the main canal where all the markets were set up we were able to escape the crowds. Away from the hustle and bustle we saw locals' homes as well as lots of natural greenery. 

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

View from inside the rowing boat

Our tour finished after the Floating Market and we asked to be dropped off at MBK Centre (a 7 floor mall in Bangkok). After saying goodbye to Ms. Oi and our driver we went up to the 6th floor to eat at the food court. To pay for your meal at this food court you need to load money onto a reloadable/refundable card which you can purchase on the same floor.

After a few hours of eating and shopping at MBK Centre we left the mall to walk to our pre-arranged pick-up location with Oriental Escape. There was a large crowd of people gathered outside MBK Centre to watch a Muay Thai boxing event. We soaked in the atmosphere for a few minutes then went on our way. We got picked up by Oriental Escape and made the 2.5 hour journey back to the cruise terminal in Laemchabang.

Day 3:

We decided the best way to spend our final day in Thailand would be to book a shore excursion from Celebrity to ensure we would make it back to the ship on time. The excursion we picked was Elephant Experience. This was by far the BEST excursion I have ever gone on!

Our morning began with taking a shuttle bus to the Elephant Village in Pattaya. It was approximately a 30 minute drive to Pattaya from the cruise terminal.

We started off our tour by riding on an ox-cart being pulled by 2 oxen. It was a bumpy ride and my excitement kept on building with the knowledge that we would soon be riding an elephant.

The ox-cart ride

The ox-cart ride took us to a location where we boarded a raft to take us to the other side of a lake. At the end of the raft ride we went inside a silk house to learn how silk is made from silk worms. From there we went on a short nature hike to get to the area where the elephants were waiting for us.

Now my favourite part: the elephant ride! One by one everyone climbed up the stairs to a platform. This made it easier to get onto the wooden bench attached to the elephant's back. Once we were seated on the bench we were "strapped in" with a metal handle in front of us. It reminded me of an amusement park ride.

The platform used to get onto the elephant

It was a hot day and our elephant kept spraying herself with water from her trunk. We couldn't help but laugh when we got hit with the excess water several times. The elephant ride went through a rural area past homes and plantations and lasted about 30-45 minutes.

Elephant ride through the water

After the elephant ride we were treated to a delicious buffet lunch serving both Western and Asian food. Following our meal we went to see the elephant show. The show focused on showcasing the versatility of an elephant's trunk (pulling/pushing large items with their trunk to demonstrate strength; picking up a coin from the ground to demonstrate dexterity). We also watched the elephants having bath time in the water.

Elephants enjoying their bath time

The elephant show also demonstrated how mahouts (elephant riders) don't need to use a platform to climb onto an elephant's back. Instead, the mahout gets the elephant to lie down on all four legs so they can step on the elephant's bent front leg and hop onto it's back.

The host of the elephant show picked me from the audience to try climbing onto an elephant without the assistance of a platform just like a mahout would. It wasn't easy and I did need a little help from the mahout and host to get up onto the elephant. I caught myself saying "check that off the bucket list" after climbing onto the elephant without a platform and riding it bareback...just like a mahout!

Getting some help to climb onto the elephant

There is nothing to hold onto and nothing to strap me down once I was sitting on the elephant bareback. I'll never forget the feeling of the elephant's ear flapping against my legs. After going for a short ride on the elephant the host invited fellow audience members to ride bareback on an elephant as well. I felt honoured to be the only person in the audience to climb onto an elephant without the help of a platform.

Best moment ever!!

It still brings a huge smile to my face when I think back on my wonderful experience at the Pattaya Elephant Village. I definitely had one of my best days ever here.


Read Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam here
Read Part 2: Singapore here

Southeast Asia Part 2: Singapore

View of the Singapore skyline from the Celebrity Century

We had two full days at the end of our cruise to spend in Singapore. With clean and reliable train service available throughout much of Singapore we planned out our two days of sightseeing using a map of Singapore's train stations. Since we were planning on using the train so much we bought EZ-Link cards at the Singapore Airport on the day we arrived in Singapore.

Day 1:
The Celebrity Century was docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre. It is a 10 minute walk from the cruise terminal to the closest train station, Marina South Pier.

We took the train from Marina South Pier to Raffles Place station. After exiting the train station we walked towards the direction of the water to see the famous Merlion statue. We also got great views of the Marina Bay Sands hotel located on the other side of the water.

Merlion (foreground) and Marina Bay Sands hotel (background)

After we were satisfied with all the photos we took we went back to Raffles Place station to take the train to Harbourfront station. Harbourfront station is connected to the basement of VivoCity Mall. If you turn right at the entrance to VivoCity Mall you will see a food court full of Asian food. We ate lunch at this food court instead of the international cuisine of Food Republic on the upper levels.

Our next stop after lunch was Sentosa Island. We took the escalators to Level 1 of VivoCity Mall and followed the signs labelled "Sentosa Boardwalk". When we exited through the automatic glass doors we saw the boardwalk leading to Sentosa Island. It takes about 10 minutes to walk along the boardwalk and arrive at the Resorts World Area of Sentosa Island. The boardwalk is open 24 hours if you are paying by EZ-Link card and there is a fee of $1 to enter Sentosa Island by boardwalk. The more expensive option is to take the cable car to Sentosa Island from VivoCity Mall.

Sentosa Merlion

There are a lot of cool things to see at Sentosa Island. We made stops at the Sentosa Merlion statue, a large candy store called Candylicious, an Orchid Garden and several beaches.

The display outside Candylicious

A free hop-on-hop-off bus takes you to different beaches throughout the island. At Palawan Beach we walked across the suspension bridge to be on "the southernmost point of Continental Asia".

View of Sentosa Island from the southernmost point of Continental Asia

As the day drew to a close we took a free shuttle bus back to Harbourfront station from Sentosa Island. We walked around VivoCity Mall for a bit before making our way back to the cruise terminal for our overnight stay aboard the ship.


Day 2:
Our second full day in Singapore was also the day we had to disembark the ship. We took the train from Marina South Pier to Farrah station and walked to our hotel located in the Little India district.

After relaxing in the comforts of our air-conditioned hotel room for an hour we made our way by train to Chinatown. There were plenty of street food stalls to pick from.

As Singapore is the third richest country in the world it came as no surprise that things are more expensive here than the rest of Southeast Asia. However, Chinatown had lots of shops selling cheap souvenirs.

Souvenirs at Chinatown

After eating lunch and browsing the shops in Chinatown we took the train to Bayfront station to check out Gardens by the Bay. There was so much to see and we spent several hours there.

At the Supertree Grove there are two light and sound shows every night called Garden Rhapsody. Since there was still time before the first show started we went to check out Marina Bay Sands hotel up close.

View of Gardens by the Bay with the Supertree Grove on the right

Inside Marina Bay Sands hotel is a luxury shopping mall, The Shoppes at Marina Bay, which was very impressive. They have a canal inside the mall replicating the canals in Italy. There is even a row boat with a paddler available for a fee.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay

When it got dark enough outside we walked back to Gardens by the Bay to secure our spots for Garden Rhapsody. It was a nice way to end our time in Singapore!

Light and sound show at the Supertree Grove

Read Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam here
Read Part 3: Thailand here

Southeast Asia Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Brunei
The Celebrity Century docked in Muara which is a 45 minute drive from Bandar Seri Begawan (the capital of Brunei).

When I did my research for Brunei I had read that there would be limited taxis available to take passengers to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB). To my surprise we encountered many private vehicles and taxis offering rides to BSB while walking away from the cruise terminal in Muara.

Map of Muara posted at the cruise terminal

We decided not to go to the capital of Brunei and chose to explore the area around the port of Muara instead. Since the majority of cruise passengers go to BSB the benefit of staying in Muara is you aren't surrounded by tourists. Granted there isn't much to see in Muara in terms of "tourist attractions" but I'm happy with seeing locals going about their daily lives in a new place. We made our way to Old Town Muara where the shops and bank is located. There are several supermarkets that sell unique snack items and cold drinks at very good prices. We bought some snacks and drinks from the supermarket and made our way back to the cruise terminal since it was extremely hot and humid outside.

Tip: The cruise terminal is air-conditioned and has free WiFi.


Vietnam
The ship made two stops in Vietnam: Nha Trang and Phu My (Ho Chi Minh).

Cable cars in Nha Trang to take people to Vinpearl Resort

The port of Nha Trang is a tendered port. As we got off the tender there was an outdoor market with several tables set up selling souvenirs a few feet away.

There were a lot of taxis waiting for passengers as they left the port area. I definitely learned the importance of saying a firm "no thank you" to the taxi drivers. I made the mistake of saying "maybe" to a taxi driver and was followed all over the city as I walked away.

While walking around the streets of Nha Trang I saw an alley of what I thought was a market. Turns out it was actually just the alley of people's homes. It was nice to walk through the alley and take a peek into what a local's home looks like from the gates outside.

Alley in Nha Trang

As the sun was particularly strong on this day my family decided not to make Nha Trang a beach day because we didn't want to become "lobsters" (having our skin burnt red). However, we still wanted to explore Nha Trang so walking to Vinpearl Land was our way of accomplishing that.

Vinpearl Land is where you can take the cable car to Vinpearl Resort. To get to Vinpearl Land we walked along the water and followed the direction of the cable cars.

Almost at Vinpearl Land

The entrance to Vinpearl Land has many park benches shaded by trees making it the perfect spot to cool off after the walk from the port. There also is a neat looking fountain to take pictures by.

Made it to Vinpearl Land!

Our second stop in Vietnam was Phu My (Ho Chi Minh). The ship docked in Phu My which is a 2 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). When doing my research for this port I found that the best price for a shuttle service to Ho Chi Minh from Phu My was through a Celebrity Shore Excursion called Saigon On Your Own.

Tip: Ho Chi Minh is easy to navigate on your own without a tour guide. Since we knew where the shuttle would be dropping us off in Ho Chi Minh we used Google Maps to plan out our day. We made sure we visited several of the major landmarks, architectural marvels and famous markets.

On the ride from Phu My to Ho Chi Minh we passed by a lot of motorists and rice fields. It still amazes me how casual the motorists are about driving in traffic. They weave around other motorists and people crossing the street with ease.

Motorbikes in action in Ho Chi Minh

The shuttle dropped us off at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame Cathedral

From there we followed the itinerary we planned out and walked from landmark to landmark. Our first stop was to see the Saigon Opera House.

Saigon Opera House

Next we walked by City Hall.

City Hall

We then walked into Rex Hotel (which is close to City Hall) to use their washroom facilities.

Tip: The cleanest washrooms in Ho Chi Minh are inside the malls and in fancy hotels.

From there we made our way to Saigon Square to check out the market. After wandering around the market for a little bit we made our way to Ben Thanh Market. This market is more crowded and popular with tourists than the market at Saigon Square.

Ben Thanh Market

On the shuttle ride over to Ho Chi Minh our tour guide mentioned the restaurant Pho 2000. It was made famous when Bill Clinton ate there in 2000. Since we were in the vicinity of Pho 2000 (located on the 2nd floor of a building to the right of the clock tower side of Ben Thanh Market) we ate lunch there.

Pho 2000

After eating lunch, we made our way towards Bitexco Financial Building (the 2nd tallest building in Vietnam). It has a helicopter landing pad on the side of the building and was quite the architectural marvel to look at.

Our final stop of the day was the Reunification Palace which was formerly the presidential palace. To get there we made our way back towards the Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office.

Notre Dame Cathedral (left) and Post Office (right)

Reunification Palace

One final note: Crossing the streets in Ho Chi Minh is absolute insanity. The best thing to do is to walk at a steady pace as you cross the street and let the motorists weave around you. I have to admit I silently screamed to myself every time I stepped out onto the streets.


Read Part 2: Singapore here
Read Part 3: Thailand here