warning: image heavy post.
so i've been meaning to do this, but didn't really get my ass down to do it.
but finally, its here.
everything that's been on for the past 2 months.
first weekend in bangkok and company weekend getaway!
the room/chalet was sweeeet, 2 to a room - outdoor pavilion, jacuzzi and sunbeds.
how lux.
the resort, infinity pool leading to our company beach party!
songkran festival - the thai new year where people splash water and throw a wet mixture of flour and water.
this is the extremely mild version in the office where they dab/smear that mixture on your face.
this was before it got worse. 
view from the office - mind you, not my office.
i face mmm, half that (through hr's room) and filing cabinets.
haha 
my apartment :)
that's the living, dining, hanging out area all rolled into one.
i still have a spacious bedroom, plenty of space for visitors *AHEM
so who's next? 
my bv crew in bangkok , happy nights! :)
the grand palace, needs more detailed exploring.
but good effort for my first self initiated touristy pursuit,
even took the ferry along the chao praya river to get there! 
my journey to ancient capital ayutthaya.
and here is something i typed on mobile whilst on my journey.
this train trip is everyting i imagined a 3td world country to be. sitting in the (mind you) 2nd class carriage, the window panes are rusty and dirty, the ads look abt 30 years old but yet i am happy. i am jubilant as the train rocks its way down the tracks, as the bells whistle, as we bounce along black steel bridges. We stop at little stations where vendors come aboard and sell their wares, offering food or a drink for a mere 10 or 20 baht. overheads fans whirl but it doesn't help much with the thick humidity and building heat of the day. i have long gone cared about perspiring in this country, it is a physical discomfort you learn to adopt as you walk along the dusty streets under the tireless blazing sun. oh the horns have blasted, a slight screech of the reluctant brakes and we are once again commencing on our journey onward to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. the wind gushes through the windows and i begin to feel my beads of perspiration drying off. the passengers in the next carriage chatting excitedly, easy genuine smiles across their faces. they are packed alot more compactly in that carriage where there are wooden benches with minimal cushions. i'm, to be honest, quite comfortable. i have a (sort of) plushy cheap pvc seat that allows me to adjust the back angle - such luxury! the little bit more comfort that accompanies the prestige of buying a 2nd class ticket. i stretch my legs forward, attempting to capture the rare sunshine that i encounter - the perils of being an office lady. i'm basking in this heat but it appears that everyone else have a different agenda. they crowd on the opposite side of the carriage, trying their best to escape from the ferocious rays. Them rays that taint the skin to the dreaded brown, unappreciated by the Thais where the social perception of beauty often aligns heavily with the fairer skinned. we always want what we can't have, is the grass really greener on the other side? we're still passing the suburbs of outer bangkok, i am fervently awaiting the paddy field passing landscape. it just takes me away from the hustle of the city, towards the simpler and more often than not, more blissful ignorance of the world around us - an escape from reality. 
the above mentioned old school toothpaste ad on the train. 
one of the relics at ayutthaya.
a pity that these pictures are taken with my mobile camera,
2 megapixels. how to capture the beauty of these places?
but really, its the experience of being there that really matters.
the faith of the devotees, a witness of what would have been a glorious era, the khmer influence in architecture, the disregard for building friendly steps - or maybe people back then were smaller and had tinier feet, the extravagance and grandness of the worship of gods, the knowledge that the ruins are such because of war and violence between domineering kings and devastating natural disasters.
all these cannot be captured on a dslr, much less on a 2mp MotoQ. 
i cycled around this ancient town, sometimes on dirt paths like that, sometimes by the river
and other times by the road with cars/buses/motorcycles/pick ups beside me.
hou scary at times, but most times feeling extremely carefree and happy.
almost 2 months here, i can say - yeh i'm happy.
soon i can start the countdown :)
jiLL divulged at 11:48 AM 0 Comments