Following the fish mouths at Gamcheon Culture Village

We probably looked determined to complete our Collect-the-Visitation-Stamps quest. Though I guess we had looked more lost than determined.

“YOU, COME HERE.” Poised on a stool on the opposite street, the old man gestured for us to go to him.

With a disapproving look, he told us that we had missed the first stamp station.

“Little Museum. GO back, and left.”. Right. We understood his instructions.

“People, and Birds” by Jeon Young Jin

With gusto and confidence, he flipped open our gigantic colourful map.

“Next, you go here (taps on the map with his pen) Opposite me. You know? Go staircase. Go Photo Gallery stamp. Up there also Dark House. Constellation stamp (tap tap tap) Continue up. Is photo zone  (tap tap) Also is Haneul maru stamp (tap tap tap) You take free postcard from them here. House of Light close now. You also take House of Light stamp here.

Gamcheon Culture Village – art in residence

Postcard: The Little Prince and The Fox

The little prince and the fox keeping each other company at Busan.

 

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world”  

– The Fox @ Busan

(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Postcard: Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince, Korea

 

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”

 

Bangkok and Khao Yai, 6 days itinerary

Day 1

• Air Asia flight from Singapore – Don Mueang – SGD$183/pax, inclusive of 20 kg sports equipment check in
• Cab from Don Mueang to FuramaXclusive Hotel (Sathorn) – THB400 (inclusive of highway tolls), about 25 minutes ride
• FuramaXclusive Hotel (Sathorn) – SGD$113/ for two inclusive of breakfast
• Dinner at Anna & Son – THB1800 for two (https://www.facebook.com/annaandsoncuisine/timeline)

Day 2

• Car collection at Hertz Thailand (Sathorn)- THB5000 inclusive of insurance and GPS
• Drove from Bangkok to Khao Yai, 4 hours including a stopover at Palio for lunch (MK Steamboat – THB600 for two). 3 highway tolls en route – THB50, THB10, THB55

From the Bangkok highways, we made our way towards Mitraparp Road and Thanarat Road. The map provided by the resort was very accurate and it was comforting to ‘check in’ with the various landmarks to ensure we were on the right path. There are 2 routes to get to Muthi Maya from Mitraparp Road, one of which is shorter and termed the Scenic route since it passes through the vineyard. We had planned to stopover at Palio for lunch, thus had give the scenic route a miss. We took the scenic route on Day 3 instead, on our way to the Grand Monte Vineyard.

Adventures in Khao Yai, Thailand

The junta has taken over Thailand. There will be nation-wide curfew from 10 pm to 4 am.

With a countdown of less than 10 days  before our 5-days Drive and Golf adventure to the Land of Smiles, the news was a spoiler. Logically, we knew we should cancel our trip, since such situations are unpredictable and have the potential to escalate any moment. Yet we knew that through all the disturbing reports, a big part of Thailand was still safe and life goes on as normal. We were in Bangkok in February 2014, right in the heat of all the ongoing protests and eventual election. We witnessed the closing of a busy section of Sukhumvit Road by the protesters. We also witnessed how the closed-off section was alive with night markets, parties, and rock concerts. So we knew that this time, the military rule and curfew will not make us change course too.

Though we’ve traveled through a few parts of Thailand, this was our first attempt at driving in the country. Traffic in Bangkok is crazy. Handling directions was easy, since we’ve got the handy GPS. Maneuvering through the traffic was another matter. Inching through the jams patiently was yet another. After the successful management of the traffic in Thailand, it makes one wonder:

What are traffic rules for? During rush hours, the shoulder of the road may be taken as a lane. A four-lane highway can become a six-lane highway to accommodate more. Signaling is not to give ample notice that you have the intention to change lanes; signaling is to tell people ‘Hey, I’m changing lanes RIGHT NOW’. Rules… are meant to be broken.