Fun family trip up north to Thailand for Malaysian family

While in Pattaya, the writer and his family enjoyed some water activities like parasailing. — PAO FOOK SEONG

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The reputation of Thailand as the “Land Of A Thousand Smiles” is well known throughout the globe. Its rich culture, history and its “feat” of never being colonised by a Western power add to its mysticism.

A few years back, my family and I visited the country – we went to Bangkok and Pattaya for the first time. The drive from the Suvarnabhumi Airport to our hotel in downtown Bangkok was an eye opener for us as we did not expect the city to be so developed, with its elevated highways and much talked-about notorious traffic jams.

We were there at the end of the year and there was a strong Christmas vibe in the city as elaborate decorations were everywhere, with seasonal music blaring in shopping malls too.

The streets in Bangkok were narrow and there were so many makeshift stalls peddling food and other items on the sidewalk, which somehow made the space even more packed. Initially, I thought that most of them were one-way streets as I figured only a single vehicle could pass through at any one time. But I was wrong.

Interestingly, there was hardly any incidents of road rage when we were there as the drivers caught going the wrong way would just reverse, while other drivers patiently waited. I’m pretty sure things would be different if this happened in Malaysia, and I do wish that all Malaysians would learn to be more patient and understanding on the roads just like our northern neighbours.

We visited the Four Face Buddha but did not linger around unlike our fellow travellers who made a beeline for the iconic tourist spot to take pictures.

Instead, we had some coffee nearby to observe the many little food stalls by the walkway. We were tempted to try some but refrained as we were afraid of the “after effects”.

We left Bangkok for Pattaya, a coastal city, at the break of dawn the following day. Our first stop was the Siracha Tiger Zoo where tigers roamed freely. We were amazed to see a tiger nursing piglets and likewise, a pig nursing tiger cubs!

Apart from that it wasn’t such a fantastic place to visit although we could rent rifles to shoot some trapdoors, which would then release some food for the tigers.

There was also a circus performance of tigers leaping over a ring of fire while growling “menacingly” at their trainers.

Next, we assembled at the crocodile pen to see a crocodile and human wrestling each other...

The following morning we went to Coral Island to try parasailing. There were quite a lot of people already queuing up for their turn by the time we reached the floating pontoon.

Riders were strapped to a parachute, which was tied to a speedboat. As you float up in the air, you will feel as though you were Superman, flying high with a bird’s eye view of the waves, structures and envious people down below.

Although parasailing was great, Coral Island itself was a letdown. It’s a very beautiful island with blue-green waters but you must pay to use every facility, like the beach chair and shower, there.

When we got back to Bangkok, we stopped by the Garden Elephant Sanctuary and Shooting Club. Our tour package did not include elephant rides, so we wandered around and found a shooting range within the sanctuary. We tried our hand at target practice with real guns, which was an experience of a lifetime for us. The sound of the guns popping were deafening though, and there was ringing in our ears for quite a bit.

On our last day, we went shopping at the MBK Complex to buy souvenirs, and then later took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel. The tuk-tuk driver went out of his way to accommodate all four of us in his taxi, and even helped us take a family portrait.

The short ride through the streets of Bangkok was so easy for him but breathtaking for us. We were lost in the sights and sounds of the Land Of A Thousand Smiles, one of our best holidays together.

The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.