ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK....

As usual...play the musics! Com'on buddies.. Let's go party in Bangkok..
Sorry for late write-up for my trip to Bangkok ahe! By looking at the photos, you are sure that this post is not meant to showcase my photographing skills or neither to show off my shopping spree. The photos are nothing more than ordinary and my purchases are nothing to talk about..But you know what..It was superb and my most deserving holiday in years.
I went to Bangkok en route to Yangon to get myself prepared not to get a rude shock from living in the 1st world city state to jump straight to third world, Yangon. Here, I am just emphasizing the state of the cities, the status. Not sucking up to please Singapore and bashing Yangon. The reality is the reality and everyone knows it without me saying. So a 4 days stop-over in Bangkok, being a city not so developed as Singapore but a far better than Yangon, as a buffer. And wanna see newly built Suvarnabhumi Airport.
And since budget airlines hit the world in fury,wanna feel the difference of full-fare and budget carriers so I planned to take budget airlines throughout my journey. Though sceptical about their comfort & services, I went ahead with it being short flights to and fro. I flew JetStars Asia for Singapore-Bangkok, Yangon-Singapore and Air Asia for Bangkok-Yangon routes. Well it's an experience and am a very satisfied customer.

But hey! I won't try them very frequent though. It seems cheaper option but flying full-fare carriers with free and easy packages might be a wiser choice I guess. At least to me.

Talking about competition amongst airports of top 3 ASEAN, Kuala Lumpur International Airpot,Suvarnabhumi Airport and Changi Airport..Ahmm..Singapore Changi Airport still live up to its name. Cleanliness? Easy Navigation? Upkeeping and maintenance? Supporting Agencies like immigration Clearance? Changi Airport! You are my best choice.

I got the impression that being built later and with modern structures and infrastructures, I would be seeing flashy and sparkling clean Suvarnabhumi Airport. Nah..Nothing near Carpet and marble cladded Changi Airport. Free local calls? Free Internet access? or the trollies ..May be I am just too superficial..I don't know.

But the worst is Immigration Clearance. In bound or out bound, you are expected to queue at least 20 minutes and longer for peak hours. This experience is based on my frequent travelling to Thailand from Don Mueang International Airport to this new airport and in a decade. This trip was worse. I check in for my 6:45 am flight at 5am and show up at the immigration counter immediately. It was a near 45 minutes queue and I had to run for my flight because it's announcing last call...
You might ask why grumbling so much and why going there so frequently? Well..once you are out of the Immigration. You are greeted with all smiles and lovely people. I love everything about Bangkok!
The entertainment. Night Life. The People. The food.

It was chaotic the traffic. The pollution and the dins. Who cares! Did you spot this " Bangkok, city of life" in one of the photos? Bangkok means it. Full of life, Full of smiles. Not so routined. Not so robotic.(May be for locals and I was on holiday..)
I was all sweat up walking the roads and I needed a tissue to wipe my face. But no Seven Eleven (711) nor convenience store in sight. I went into a book stall and ask if they sell any tissue. A young sale girl replied politely "no sir". When I was about to turn she took out a packet of tissue from her counter and handed to me.

"Oh. Hkop Hkun hkap! how much?" , I said.

" No. It's free Sir" she replied and I lost my words.

I want to give her the money more than the tissue worths. But it might be so insulting. In a flash of thought, I thought of buying a book and quickly glanced
through the stall. All are in Thai.. I smiled and said numerous "thanks you" and left. But I left with undescribable feeling of falling in love with Thailand. I will come again Thailand..

With the help of internet and stronger Singapore Dollar, I managed to Book a room at Baiyoke Boutique Hotel at $60 a night. A decent and comfy room. The staffs are extremely attentive. A shuttle bus to Siam Square every hour and the surrounded whole sale centre fulfilled my needs and a breeze to shop..huuuuu..so good..

YANGON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, THE GRAND

Ladies and gentlemen. YIA!!!! Please sound it like " yeeee...yah.." the sound that we made when we aced something after a hard fight in some competitions...

Yes I sounded YIA!!!!!when landed in this newly built Yangon International Airport (YIA)... It was a pleasant sight on arrival which was very very different from the scene half a decade ago.

In my previous trip, I had to run around from table to table to get out of the Airport. Once upon a time, a shuttle bus would bring us from the plane's stairs landing to the terminal building. And there was a gentleman who greeted us tirelessly " Myanmar Nationals go to that table" " Myanmar Nationals go to that table" and rigorously pointing us to like a ticketing counter.

And there a very nice chap would be smiling sweetly and making you filling in your parents' name, your address and how long you would be staying in Myanmar? (My guess was that it's not safe for Myanmar Nationals to stay too long in Myanmar and they would like to ensure our safety throughout our stay with our family..we are precious hard currencies earners right!)

Oh yah! almost left the traditions or rather Myanmar Airport Culture out..Before I went back on my 1st ever trip, a friend advised me to buy a pack or two of the most sellable cigarettes from Changi Airport back. I thought it was duty-free and I could make some money selling away once I arrived back to Yangon. So I did and aha..It was all gone before I could leave the terminal.

Yea.. while filling the form, the gentleman behind the counter was talking to me non-stop. He was so concerned and caring. I felt so warm coming home after a few years in a foreign country. He asked. "Oh how are you adjusting your life there?" "How was your job and bla bla" My tear welled up .. Man! He's not my uncle..Not my relative but he's so caring..but before long.. my tear rolled up back into my eyes in shock " Since you were there for 2 years, you could have made much money.. Do you have something for me?"...

Oh!!Thank you friend!( was thanking my friend who reminded me time and again I must buy cigarettes back).. well ok..I unpacked and put 2 packets on the counter..and "Oh only 2?.. I was lost and worried for my passport.. another 2 more and he waved me off..no more warmth.. no more smile.. goodness..I sighed...
Well cutting the story short. After filling numerous forms ,passing through immigration counter then custom.. I finished all cigarettes. I heard later I was fortunate. Some friends of mine, had to buy a liquor voucher from a duty free shop right in front of Custom before they could make all cleared exit...

No more.. now no more.. thanks to my cousin, a porter saw me and whisked me through counter without a stop after dropping a dollar note at immigration counter. I am willing because he was so helpful telling me, I need not to get departure form as he already endorsed "LEAVE" on my passport.. So.. when asked..I quickly drop a note worrying someone might notice what I am doing...haaaa. Thanks god no one seems to know.

Overall.. now we should be proud of having gleaming, spotless terminal building with 2 aerobridges. In no time, who would say we wouldn't have multi-terminals.

But hey.. Look at the information board. I missed the flight despite I went to Airport before dawn to check in for my 10:35 am flight. hahaa..

You see? Me and fellow travellers were waiting for our turn to board our plane in a single holing room. But our gate never opened. We never boarded the plane of our flight 3K586. But it departed without us. We're there sitting till 10:45 am. Well 1st time in my life so far so I took the photos ha ha.. Hopefully the computer technician responsible to update and adjust the timing would not be fired after my post. Cheers.. What an experience!!!

TAKE ME HOME...COUNTRY ROADS

Dear Pals! click "play" on youtube and let's travel together the journey home..
Almost heaven..Northern Shan State..Blue-ridged mountains..Dote-hta-Waddy River..haha..pals.. look at the pictures and hope it could ease you from feeling homesick..After calling Singapore my second home, living and leading a robotic life style for fews year, a short trip back home was so refreshing and rejuvenating..I tell you..
No mobile phone..no email access. no internet and no worries.. do make me rounder aha.. as you can see..

And it was quite an expansive trip back home though after clearing taxes to my beloved embassy close to SingDollar 7,000. Why should I be clearing the tax before I went home? you may ask.. Well.. I have to...

I may be granted a return passage to Singapore only upon presenting the tax receipts duly endorsed from the Myanmar Embassy here in Singapore and with a self-written leave application. You won't understand why the hell we need to show the leave applications to immigration officers at the Grand Yangon International Airport. Neither do I..A myanmar national returning home from a foreign country is required to produce a leave form subitted to his/her company if he wanted to go out of the country again. This always puzzles me if there are requests to Myanmar Immigration Department by our companies in foreign countries to check on us whether we are AWOL(absent without leave).. Well..I don't know if we went without leave from our companies, we would be denied entries to our mother country. I dare not to try..So rather save than sorry.. I just have to follow the norn..Writing my own leave application approval. signing and addressing myself. Presenting it to the officers at Yangon Airport every trip going to own country..aha.. we are well-displined and law-abiding citizens..and proud of it..anytime.. haha
You think I am complaining? You are wrong. You may go to the embassy and check it. Not only me but all of us are willingly paying our due to our beloved mother country and so much so that we write in to the embassy requesting the ambassador to accept our taxed-dollars in a standard format. I think that the least we could do to support our hardworking leaders in their nation-building efforts towards a developed and mordernized country ( the slogan that we have seen for the past 2 decades and still going strong).
I think our contributions is well-spent if I have to say. If not how could we take care of the medical bills for our down-to-earth hardlined leaders who scarifice their well-beings for the countries whenever they have to come for medical check-up. Only if they are well off and healthy so that they could look after our nation's wealths Right?

Generally my beloved mother country is still standing still and retained her sleeping beauty. I am grateful to the leaders who put in so much efforts to retain the old charm and selectively permit the traders to import only decade-old motor vehicles to supplement the greying cities. I think it is "differentiation". Right! I fully support it. We have to differentiate ourselves from neighbouring countries. If we are just another like any other countires with skyscrapers with multi-layers express ways with full of state-of-the-art cars on the roads, who would want to visit our country. Aha..We will just be another Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Beijing and Shanghai right. Guys.. Appalause to our leaders..it is a tough and hard work you know.


You see! we have the best eco-friendly roads and cities in the worlds. Our express ways are so narrow that everytime our bus coming head on with the vehicles from the opposite direction, I closed my eyes, I hold my breath. But I was just too coward I guess! Our skillful highway drivers.. I tell you.. fantastic! If we bring them to up and coming Singapore F1 racing, the current famous racers would have to run for their money.
I went a bit out of topic aha.. ya seriously I got an idea to set up a talent management company to represent Myanmar racers to grace the world racing circuits.

Monaco Racing Tracks? narrow and winding tiny roads going up and down the hills? It would be sure a laughing stock if our highways drivers heard about how risky and adventurous to drive and win millions there!
Or if our drivers can't leave to race the Monaco, the Malaysia's Sepang (may be wrong spelling) or Singapore's world first night racing..we could bring the racing event to Shan State in Myanmar. It would be the world most exciting racing event and guess? who will win? Who else. Our myanmar drivers. Calling ! Calling Investors! If you want to take a look at the said potential race tracks..take a look at the photos here first and if you are interested to see the real roads.. Let me know..I will find some contacts for you guys.

Why you need me? You should know you need a good and powerful contact to do any money making business in Yangon! This is a good and lucrative deal and once in a life time opportunity and for sure you can't have 100% foreign-own company to make such money. Aha..You gotta share with someone big...yes I say someone BIG..if no! simple.. no deal..

The term "NEPOTISM" is so commmon that if you are not part of it then you are out of business..aha..
Anyway ! anyway... business aside.. I hope you do enjoy the sceneries that is so refreshing right..
And I have no grudges against China though I have seen how all things china flooding Myanmar. If not for China, who else would have supplied sub-standard merchandises so cheaply that our general public could afford and survive without...aha..

Who else would buy our superior quality teak wood in thousands that stimulate our fledging economy and that create border-trade inequalities, making our loaded one poorer and China trader richer? aha.. You know right..China is making the world standup with its ever-increasing trade surpluses.. So we Myanmar is not being left alone. We are one of the trend setters with many trade deficits while dealing with them. Thanks God China is willing to trade with us.Stay think and thin with us throughout aha.. [THOUSAND OF TEAK LOGS READY TO CROSS THE CHINA BORDER]
Guys..like it or not..but I really enjoy my trip..