A Great Vacation - Coursework Example

A Great Vacation Have you ever been on a vacation where every cent you used was your hard-earned money? I have. I think this kind of vacation is so much better than free vacations because it is a form of reward for working hard. It was memorable for several reasons. It was my first time to go to Bangkok, Thailand with my parents and a close friend. Also, I was able to pay for my ticket and my parents’ tickets with my own money. Of course, no vacation is absolutely perfect but despite all the glitches, this one still ranked great for me. For my trip in 2008, I decided to go to Bangkok. My mother told me she had a college friend who lived and worked there. My Aunt Amelia, what I called my mother’s friend, had extended an invitation to stay over at her farm and house in Bangkok. Since I knew my parents would like to see the country too, I planned to bring them with me on this trip. Fortunately, I was able to find an airline company which offered cheap tickets to Southeast Asia if bought several months before the travel date. A plus about this arrangement was when I told one of my close friends about it, she decided to come along with us as well. It proved to be a good idea because I knew my parents would not let me go around Bangkok alone. I would be forced to spend time with the ‘oldies’. Since my aunt wanted to spend more time with my parents, my Mom and Dad left for Bangkok a week earlier than my friend and I. Looking back, it would not have been such a bad idea after all to leave when my parents did. At least, the early trip would have saved my friend and I a lot of stress. When my friend and I got to the airport, there was a long line of people waiting to be checked in. Too excited about our first time to travel together, we fell in line and started talking about being in Thailand the next day and the places we wanted to see. With around ten or fifteen people, including us, waiting to be checked-in, an airline personnel suddenly informed us that they had overbooked the flight. To make up for their error, they were going to give us a hotel voucher for the night and another voucher with 1-year validity for any trip of equal value or lesser value. This was all great since I was going to get a free trip. However, it also meant a day not getting to see the sights in another country. The next day started off bad. The airline company was supposed to call us after they had coordinated a flight to put us on. The call that we should have received in the morning came in the afternoon. Even worse, the flight they were planning to put us on was not until that evening. We were totally upset because it was going to make us waste another day. After much arguing, the airline agreed to fly us to another state from where we would be leaving for Bangkok at an earlier time. In keeping with its unprofessionalism, the plane bringing us to Bangkok was delayed a couple of hours. We wasted a whole day again but we were finally in Thailand in the evening of, supposedly Day 1, of our vacation. We just had a total of three days to go sightseeing. We started off by waking up early and checking out my Aunt’s neighborhood for some authentic Thai breakfast. My Aunt lived in the city so there were noisy cars, elevated roads, buildings and busy people in casual wear everywhere. This was no different from back home. It was a surprise because when I think of Thailand I usually have images of a laid-back atmosphere and temples. I suppose I got my first authentic Thai experience at breakfast when the food place we ate at handed me my bottle of Coke. The usual “Coke” logo was written in Thai alphabet “โคก”. I know it was only a simple thing but the sight made me feel excited. After breakfast, we met my parents at my Aunt’s place. She was nice enough to lend her driver and car to us so we could go around the city. First, my friend and I booked ourselves a room at a pleasant hotel about 5 minutes from where my Aunt lived. Our room was quaint and cozy. There were two single beds with separate canopies and a receiving area with wood furnishing. From the hotel, my Aunt’s driver took us to several places. First, we went to the Grand Palace (Things). The current King of Thailand does not live here anymore but the place is still used for special ceremonies. It is open to tourists who are required to be in proper attire such as sleeved tops and skirts or pants. We were not able to get there in time so we decided to go back the next day. Instead, my Aunt’s driver suggested going to Wat Arun or the “Temple of Dawn”. This sacred site had small prangs or pagodas decorated with numerous porcelain of different designs. The center prangs was the highest at about 80 meters tall. I tried to climb as high as allowed since the upper most part was cordoned off. The view from where I stopped was amazing. I could see the river, the roof of Grand Palace and Wat Pho, another significant place and our next destination. Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Things) did not have the famous giant statue when we visited. Supposedly, it had been moved to another place. We did see the medicine pavilion where paintings of massage techniques were located, the stone giants that guard the entrances among others. Most of the structures were decorated with porcelain, marble and gold. Needless to say, we took a lot of pictures. Our first day in Bangkok ended with dinner courtesy of my Aunt at a karaoke bar where she got my father and friend to sing on stage. All in all, it was a tiring but fun Day 2. Day 3 started off with Continental breakfast in our room at around seven in the morning. The night before, my Aunt informed us that some of the sights we wanted to see were a bit spread out so we decided to start early. First, we went to the Rose Garden. It was quite an expansive area. There was a hotel where we ate lunch; a man-made lake surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds; another lake which had scattered replicas of the different styles of Thai houses along its banks and a mini-river where two women on boats were selling fruits. The highlight of the place was the huge flower garden in the middle of everything with its green well-manicured grass, tall fountain and colorful array of blooms. It was a sight to see and another good spot for photographs. Next, we headed over to the Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo. One cannot visit Thailand without getting to see its elephants as the animals are a big part of the country’s history. Here my mom, friend and I were able to watch the elephants play a game of soccer, do a short play of how they helped fight a war in ancient Siam and perform tricks. For some change, we were also able to buy some bananas to feed them with. This part was a bit scary yet fun at the same time because we had no idea how much of banana we were supposed to offer. The helpful elephants though just grabbed every piece we held out with their trunks, avoiding our hands and put them in their mouths. Because those places were a couple of hours away from the city, we got back in time for dinner and decided to call it another day. Our last day of vacation found my friend and I awake at six in the morning. We were going to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Things), the largest one near the city while my parents were going to spend the day with my Aunt. The place was further than the ones we had gone to the day before. It was worth the long ride though. Once we got into the boat, we sped through the canals. We actually had to slow down once we reached the market because the boats carrying tourists and vendors were causing traffic. There were wares, Thai people, boats and tourists everywhere! It was a crazy sight! We bought some fruits and souvenirs after maneuvering our way through the crowd of boats and headed off to the Grand Palace. Even if there were so many people at the Grand Palace, there was still an aura of respect and calm. I guess because even the tourists were filled with awe about getting to be in the same place as royalty. There were reminders everywhere to keep quiet, to behave accordingly, etc. Also, in the middle of all the buildings was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The place seemed to throw off a sacred air in the surroundings. Our last stop was Chatuchak Weekend Market with my parents and aunt. This place is a famous tourist spot because of its souvenir shops so it was always crowded. Unluckily or luckily for us, we went there on a Monday so there were just a few people and a few stores open. We were still able to buy some nice-looking items nonetheless. Despite the overbooking incident and the delays, I still consider this trip to Thailand a great vacation. There were still many places Thailand is famous for that we were not able to go see. Nevertheless, our 3-day vacation was filled with unforgettable sights and experiences. I was also able to spend time relaxing with my friend and parents. Moreover, my parents had a grand time visiting with Aunt Amelia and it makes me happy knowing I made that happen with my own hard-earned money. Work Cited “Things to see and do in Thailand.” World Travel Guide. n.d. Web. 1 May 2012. Read More