Friday, February 21, 2014

Bangkok

Russian version
And after Singapore I went to visit my friend Jenny in Bangkok.
Thailand is much more messy and fussy than Singapore or Taiwan. Actually, among these countries it is most looking like Russia one.
The most rememberable thing from my first visit 4 years ago was colourful taxi.


























Firstly, we went to a palace (I seem to confuse where is palace and where is temple, and where is something else). It's beautiful, what to say.























It's main attraction in Bangkok, so if you've been in Thailand then you've probably visited it. Don't want to write a lot.























I met a woman from this video. It's popular in Russia and these are funniest things she says "7 years ago Vladimir Putin came, do you know who is he? Your president. I've seen Vladimir Putin 7 years ago actually alive. Handsome, but he looks like Thai. Why? His height is small. One more person look like Thai even more who? Medvedev (Russian prime-minister). Even smaller. But handsome with no problems"
"Obama also came. He doesn't look like Thai. Because he's not small. Only black color, looks like Thai. We like white, yes, because, black is not seen when it's dark"

I wanted to take photo with her, but was too shy, didn't want to disturb her from excursion and then we lost her. But I took pic with that palace.
And with a guard
And with some school guys
Then we rode Tuk-Tuk (they are here something like taxi also, this is only Thai hickey). Driver told I shouldn't dream about him, cruel man.
We went to Laying Buddha. He's huge. 
And here you should throw coins into pots, it must be something for happy and rich life.
Then we went to a market. Food is freaky spicy, how they eat it?
Same with Taiwan, much stuff in a market, but this looks worse
Because of some ticket I found out it's year 2557 in Thailand, civilization has come far.
Bangkok metro system is called BTS
Only 2 lines
A thing for buying tickets
A ticket itself
At this station there is only one railway so here go trains to 2 directions 
A train inside (in this kind of photos there are always some people looking at stupido turista  capturing their everyday life)
Station
Then we went to ice-cream cafe, they brought us a water in glasses with pictures... And I realized this is chain which impressed me so much 4 years ago (we had problems with camera that time, pics are bad)
And this time we had fondu (it costed about 7 US$), I love Swensen's
Guys from LINE
Then we went to Madame Tussaud museum.
They even had "looking like Thai" Putin among Asian countries leaders.
Actually, this place is perfect to make hundreds of awesome pictures
Or you can put on t-shirt and take a photo with guys I don't even know
Also, they have many interactives.
Here, for example, you can have a fight with huge guy (I won)
Sing in karaoke, dress wigs and glasses
Become super-sportsman
Or musician
Know what Mao Zedong liked to eat
And near exit it is shown how they make these figures

When we went to a street, there were much riot stuff sold, like t-shirts or ribbons
Then I had a diner with my friend and her parents
There are eggs on the top. I don't know what have been done to them so they become so green
Next day we went to Thai foot massage. Ooh, that's so awesome and cheap. Someday I'll come to Thailand again and will have massage every day. 
There my wandering around the world has finished and I came back to cold, grey and minus-thirty-degrees Russia

Friday, February 7, 2014

Singapore

Russian version
Every exchange student have to travel. I didn't manage to do it monumentally (only 5 days in total), but everywhere I go I was expected by friends.
First destination was Singapore. Everything is green























I was staying at my friend's very nice place. And parents were very nice too, her mother even wrote a letter for me. You will hear how nice my friends' parents are not once in my reports from this trip :)
At first day I was taken everywhere by my personal pretty driver























People speak English in Singapore, so you understand them perfectly. When they talk to you. But when they talk to each other you can't understand anything! Because it's not English, it's Singlish, special accent. Singaporean Chinese has its accent too, as my Taiwanese friend told me, and it let you understand if it's Singaporean in front of you.
Had lunch in some food court























I had something standart Asian























By the way, Singaporean prices make me greedy, especially, after Taiwanese ones.

Then we went to Indian area, called Little India






































I planned my trip with a help of Foursquare (and some people ask why I need this app), so I thought Little India is just a temple. And I was very surprised to see so many Indians there. By the way my "have seen more Indiands than for whole previous life" was exceeded in the airport during passport check.
Had henna tatoo























Then we went to some place to eat thin Indian bread with curry. I didn't like curry, but liked bread, especially, these ones in the left and right bottom























Then I went to temple, you have to take off shoes before entering. Girls, who were with me, didn't go and I came alone. But there were strange smell and strange music playing, so I took 2 pictures and ran away























Then we went to the most famous place in Singapore. By the way, there are my friends - Abi, Inez and Jaz. I met Abi and Jaz in Saint-Petersburg when they were exchange students there (and I was Jaz's awful buddy), and Inez - in Taiwan.























Then we rode Singapore Flyer - the biggest observation wheel in the world. It can be compared to Taipei 101 when we speak about number of hickeys inside of it. It has its own cartoon character too.























Or some ball made from everyday-used things























Also, there are some interactive things, for example, you touch it and something moves on a screen, but I have two left hands so my photos aren't very presentable.
So you'd better look at not very bad pictures of "city of the future"























And of me inside of cabin























Then Inez's parents invited me for dinner at restaurant which is located in the park inside one of "trees"






































And on the top of it there is a bar with the most gorgeous view I've ever seen in my life














































Also, during one day in SG I met more Russians than during 4 months in Taiwan, which made me very unwilling to go back to motherland.

Second day. Sentosa island.
Rode cable car (Singaporean version of Maokong gondola)























And went to Universal Studios























First part was about New York























Retro cars






















Handsome guys singing like they do in musicals

Sesame street
And many bright places
 

Then zone of Transformers, where we rode 3D attraction (situation with attraction is not very good here, actually)























"Mummy" with Egypt theme (where my camera died)























"Jurassic park" with dinasaurs






































"Shreck" zone







































Also, there was "Madagaskar" zone where "I like to move it move it" was playing, but I don't have photos from there. Actually, too few pictures from Studio, okay, next time I'll make more
Near Studio there is HUGE store with different sweets

























That is how paradise looks like (but I bought almost nothing because of savings and big ass)

























Actually I was waiting for lazer show and other friend, Timothy (I'm surprised how I managed to make 4 Singaporean friends even bg this country). But lazer shоw wasn't what I expected, just fountain with light and music.

I didn't do without metro. It looks like the one in Taipei.
Train






































Map

























Like in Moscow, you can use ticket many times (and get some benefits from it, as you can see)






































Price depends on distance and can be from $0,98 to $2,40 (I found it from the bad table, so it can be wrong)

























And on esclator people stand on the left side, not on the right, like in Taiwan or Russia. Because in SG (and in Thailand too, btw) they have left-hand traffic.

Then we happened to be at a party area with many bars and clubs. It was Friday night so I looked at dressed-up people and feel nostalgic about my Taiwanese party life. By the way, there are much more European people in SG than in Taipei.

And there my Singaporean trip finished (it could be more interesting but at my last day I slept for too long and had time only to go to airport)
Money of three countries on this photo (and four in my wallet) shows how much and fast I traveled







































And after that Bangkok waited for me...