Prologue
When it comes to Thailand, common zones are Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai.... then quite a few years ago Hua Hin was a hype where people posting photos of themselves horse riding along the beach. Horses gotten tired, now I hardly hear people travel there.
Next better "player" Khao Yai. Pics on social media from this place are absolutely stunning which is the main potent on me. So, I gotten everything booked and planned out about 6 months in advance.
I arranged in such a way that major hacking of my kitchen and common bath would be done while the family was away. The brilliant plan however made me very very exhausted with clearing the house and packing another 2 person's luggage...
As if it's not bad enough, my right ankle was painful again and I sprained my neck on the day we fly. I was (and still am) chui inside out for this trip. Many a times I wonder if I am making life difficult for myself.... I must be close to mental illness together with poor health and I am trying to adjust things out....
As if it's not bad enough, my right ankle was painful again and I sprained my neck on the day we fly. I was (and still am) chui inside out for this trip. Many a times I wonder if I am making life difficult for myself.... I must be close to mental illness together with poor health and I am trying to adjust things out....
Anyway, Khao Yai is indeed beautiful before my eyes. Vasts of greens, fresh air to inhale and amazing architectures. However, I didn't manage to take much good photos. I also didn't get to fly the drone I bought specially for this trip :(
Blame it on the guys, my aching body, my mood swing, my lack of concentration, whatever, ultimately I only have myself to blame. I hope to salvage this regret in my coming trips to Siem Reap and Okinawa.... Travelling without coming back with good photos is worst than coming back without shopping loots -___-||| I'll kill myself if I still don't get good photos in these 2 places lolxx....
Haiz.... why I sounded so despairing sia! Well, this trip is still worth blogging about with some fun points and also genuine reviews!
So here we go!
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Duration: 6D5N 13 to 18 Dec 2018
Time zone: 1hr behind Singapore
Mood of travel: Free & Easy with chartered car in Khao Yai
Chartered transport: Thai National Parks Taxi
Damage THB10,150 for 2 days including transfer from airport and back to Bangkok hotel on the 3rd day.
Travel Buddies: Husband and teenage son
Flight: Jetstar, total damage around $870 (for 3pax)
Accommodation:
In Khao Yai - Casa De Montana:
Caravan 1 night THB3,800
Luxury Container 1 night THB5,300
In Bangkok - Glur Central Pratunam (3 nights) THB8,835
Currency: Thai baht, THB1 = SGD0.04
Weather:
Khao Yai - around 16 to 30°C
Bangkok - same as Singapore
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Itinerary outline with links:
7.10am Changi Airport ➞ 8.35am Suvarnabhumi Airport
11.30am Dairy Home Chom Suan
1.50pm PB Valley
3.45pm The Bloom by TV Pool
4.50pm Primo Piazza
6.00pm Midwinter Green Restaurant
8.00pm Check in Casa De Montana Caravan
Super early morning flight at 7.10am with Jetstar, slept my way through and we landed safely in Suvarnabhumi Airport.
After clearing, went queuing over at the counter to purchase SIM card until this lady lead us to this vending machine.
However still need to get back to the counter to get the SIM card inserted and activate.
It's THB299 for 8 days 3GB.
Arrangement was made with Thai National Parks Taxi (it's a confusing name of the taxi company).
We found our driver holding my name around Gate 3 and we made a short walk to the carpark for our transport.
The driver looked like a big thug but was actually a "harmless" cheerful guy. He laughed a lot, spoke simple English, same age as my hubby, heehee...
Very responsible and trust worth it, his name is Tharadon Kaewveingchai, contact no. 085-505-9284.
We needed early lunch, we let Tharadon decide and he drove us to:
100/1 Thanon Mittraphap, Phaya Yen, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima,30320, Thailand
The location is, however at the opposite lane and the U-turn is about 1km. I would strongly advise to visit during driving back, on the way to Bangkok. It would be a much better arrangement.
The country house was attractive to urban noobs like us.
The tree house by the side was too lovely to be real.
I didn't climb, just admire from the ground, didn't want to damage it with my weight lolxx...
Entered into the country was their dessert cafe.
The furnishes within were simple yet warm and welcoming. Some how felt like Hokkaido.
Everything was clean and neat, everything was pleasant, we just wanted to stay as long as we could.
At the left hand side was Dairy Home's restaurant where we had lunch.
They serve organic veg, rice, grass-fed beef and of course desserts and drinks made from milk!
Bunny mould Organic rice THB20
Then, I think this is a dolphin.
Beef steak THB410.
Spicy sour sauce with plenty of garlic and cut chilli inside, mouth-watering. And, the crunchy cucumber were the sweetest I ever had!
Grilled pork chop THB390.
This was tender juicy with black pepper sauce.
Vanilla milk shake THB95.
Very milky, love it.
Total we paid THB1,065. Not the cheapest but justified with the lovely and relaxing environment.
Behind was courtyard with a river. It was very sunny, so I went back in after a few photos.
Big house = adult washroom, small house = children washroom.
Creamy white, so clean and dry, the cubicles looked like rooms with solid wooden doors and brass knobs. Omg.... why toilet also so gorgeous one!!!
Children's toilet was too cute.
My son managed to squeeze in lolxx...
Right side of the country house was another section of dessert cafe.
Wanted to just take photos inside here but bought this little cup of mousse since it was only THB40.
After all the nice things, I dropped my phone while getting up the car. I found out only when drove off. We had to do a troublesome and time wasting big U-turn.
Heng, I found it lying at the spot we parked. Not sure if the phone was ran over by the car....
Looking at all the cracks, my heart cracked too. Took me a while to "examine" and realized that only the tempered glass protector was cracked. The phone was perfectly fine!
Thank you all gods of the world. I no money to buy another phone sia.
About half an hour's drive, we were at another tourist spot:
Tix of THB350 was really expensive especially when we weren't particularly interested in wine.
According to it's website, PB Valley is Khao Yai Winery with 320-hectare plantation of which 80 hectares is dedicated to growing grapes.
It has a restaurant at the left side and a souvenir shop on the right selling wine as well as grape and other fruit juices. Middle is a ticket counter.
Outside is where the tour trains would pick up visitors for tours.
We some how didn't visit park, not sure what we had missed out.
While waiting for the tour train, we walked to the duck and rabbit house.
Lots and lots of big fat rabbits here and they had plenty of space to hop about.
Ok lor, buy for the fun of it.
Here's my glass bottle of rabbit food which I returned after feeding.
The rabbits wouldn't allow you to touch them unless they were too concentrated on eating. They hopped away the moment I land a finger lolxx... But it's freaking cute when they ate from my palm, could feel their tongue and fluffy cheeks.
Here a video, pardon my squeaking cos some tried to bite my toes.
The little pond had mandarin ducks, chickens and gooses.
This came to me asking for food but I got none lolxx...
Saw an alien plant full of thorns on the stalks.
It's patchy pink flowers were weird too.
There was a very nice vast of carpet grass beside the restaurant.
A few tour trains came who gotten into one of them. The young lady guide was obviously bored with her job, we were bored with her narrations too. I couldn't make a word out of her. The wind was fanning my eye lids, dozing off was just natural.
We dropped off the see these little grapes.
Got up the vehicle again, totally shut off from the guide's talking to enjoy the view.
This must be Hokkaido in summer.
Got down again, we were in the winery and I still didn't know what's the young lady talking, so I gotten zero knowledge about the winery.
Barrels were for real, got red wine inside and the smell was very so strong.
Took lots of pics of my son which he said not nice. I also don't know what is nice to him lah sia... hard to please.
Finally some wine tasting.
We tried to drink back our THB350 lolxx...
Next, just a few minutes' drive:
Tix THB100.
I am sorry but this place is not recommended. It's not very well maintained.
The following photos were the best out of the worst, choosing certain better looking spots with effort.
Curtain roots were perhaps nicest section.
Squat down for this angle.
Some enormous long beans???
Giant melons.
Divine combination of yellow and blue.
There were goats, so we fed.
Greedy or hungry?
Played tug and pull with it lolxx..
They looked hilarious.
There were deers too, they were more gentle.
Scorching sun, nice on photo, hide in reality.
Now some bad pictures.....
Heart frames were naked, observe around, weeds and grass over grown.
I guess this was a plot of sunflower plants.
Fountain no water and it's yellowing with stain and dirt.
Close up of the supposedly nice windmill.
Otherwise it's beautiful.
This was the famous giant hermes bag I saw online.
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| This photo of The Bloom Hotel by TV Pool is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
This was what it in reality, it's a pity.
Another few minutes' drive:
This place didn't feel like Thailand at all, was very Europe, beautiful everywhere, every corner. It's my eternal regret that I didn't take enough photos. I was probably too excited over the alpacas.
Entrance fee THB200.
There's a souvenir shop which I passed by.
There's also a cafe, which again, I never check out.
Ignore my lame pose, appreciate the nice backdrop.
Had the urge of rolling on the grass.
I wished I was in this pic instead of this girl.
The main purpose to Primo Piazza was to meet them, ALPACAS!!!
The entrance fee includes a bunch of grass for feeding. Ticket need to be shown so don't lost it. In case lost, no worry, you can easily pick up plenty of long grass from the ground.
Born with natural blur face sooooooo cute!!
And they were fluffy soft to touch!!!
They got really big teeth and I tried not to provoke them lolxx... This one, just eat slowly like having fine dinning sia.
Out in the field where a sheep pee freely, waahaahaa....
The sheeps were happy and healthy with plenty of land to roam about though occasionally being chased by naughty visitors.
Crazy cute baby sheep sheep, I couldn't believe I am touching unprocessed natural cotton lolxx....
Older sheeps and a donkey behind there.
The curled up horns were very unreal.
"I eating lunch, don't take photos please..."
"Ok lah, make it quick and nice!"
Was about to leave when the alpacas were set free onto the field while their barn was being cleaned.
So we stayed behind to watch them rolling on the sand and ran around the field.
We had to make this the last attraction of the day as our energy level were rock bottom le.
Becos' everybody was talking about it, so here we were for dinner:
Sunset set very early, by 6pm was already dark, so I missed the day view of this mansion. We also missed visiting the organic farm behind the restaurant.
The place was huge for a restaurant, there, must be hundreds of tables here.
The night was cooling like aircon, the alfresco dinning area was very comfortable. Just a minor complain: the chair was really heavy to pull.
Visited their chic washroom. So far I was really impressed with Khao Yai's public restrooms.
Indoor dinning area was posh with a touch of country style.
Midwinter has a mini-mart.
The night was charming with a lady singing accompanied by guitar, soothing.
Drinks came first, then the dishes took forever, about more than half an hour I think. But we were so exhausted that we were just happily resting, didn't mind the wait at all.
Front: Apple Tea THB85,
Behind: Thai Milk Tea THB95
Prawn Bisque THB225
Tasted very much like lobster bisque, my boys couldn't accept the taste but I love it
I read from somewhere they had free flow bread, so I requested. Only some crews understand English, so google voice translator was useful. A small basket of assorted buns and croissants came finally. And seriously..... it's so freaking SOFT and DELICIOUS!!! But I forgotten to take photo, heehee..... It's stupid to eat bread cos' it's filling but it's so good, we just had to request for another basket. It took forever to come but it's worth it to stuff ourselves to content.
So remember to request for BREAD, it's FREE! You can order as much as you are able to eat!
Curry beef with rice THB280.
It was quite nice, would be perfect if it came with a small bowl of curry.
German pork knuckle THB850.
We shared this sinful crispy juicy knuckle, burps. Overall, the dishes we ordered were awesome. I had to repeat again that it's surprising that simple kosong bread could be so good and unforgettable.
Midwinter is quite expensive in this region, price comparable to Singapore's. But since the serving is slow, it's a good place to talk. The ambiance is also romantic for couples.
We left around 7.30pm, there was a crowd waiting for their tables. Would advise to come early to take a peek at the organic farm that we missed and have early dinner to avoid the crowd.
We checked into our accommodation around 8pm. It's really a sigh, will blog about it the next post.
