This is the first time I checked in online. Online check-in web page at Cathay Pacific Airways is located here. You can search for your flight by using your first and last name together with flight number. If you’re member of The Marco Polo Clob or Asia Miles or registered users, you can simply login to your account to get your flight details. Note that only passengers been issued e-tickets or purchased tickets online can checkin online.

Once checked-in, passengers get to pick their own seats. You can choose whichever available seat that you prefer - front, end, near wing, exit row, near washroom and etc. But be warned that nice seats are hot in demand. It’s grabbed and finished in seconds, or may be has been pre-booked by travel agents. You can also submit the Frequent Flyer Number online.

Cathay Pacific Airways allows early check-in up to 48 hours or until 90 minutes prior to flight departure time.

Wikipedia describes Pattaya (Thai: พัทยา, RTGS: Phatthaya) as a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chon Buri. It is one of the largest centers of tourism in Thailand, with some 5 million visitors arriving in 2004. Tourists visit Pattaya for many reasons including luxury hotels, beautiful beaches, friendly people, excellent shopping, reasonable prices and a wide variety of nearby tourist attractions. Others come for the world renowned nightlife.

I decided to visit Pattaya too, as it’s close to Bangkok, and seems to be a pretty interesting place, especially for men. Pattaya has no short of attractions too, the major draw is of course beach, namely Pattaya Beach and Jomtien Beach, although they’re not top beaches. Other interesting places include Ko Lan (Coral Island), Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, Vimantaitalay tourist submarine, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, The Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Elephant Village, Pattaya Park Beach Resort Water Park and Funny Land Amusement Park, Siriporn Orchid Farm, Underwater World Pattaya (world class aquarium), Alankarn cultural show, Sriracha Tiger Zoo, Bottle Art Museum, Mini Siam, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Mini Siam, Sanctuary of Truth, and Walking Street. However, most is not even listed in guidebooks such as Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide. Guess they’re just existed recently.

And we’ll spend 2 nights in Pattaya, and will go Pattaya first on touch down of plane in Bangkok.

Day 1: Singapore - Bangkok

Depart Singapore to Bangkok by flight. Transfer to hotel and free to do own activities. Meals on board.

Day 2: Bangkok - Pattaya

After breakfast, go to Chao Phraya River - the famous floating river. Then to Wat Arun Temple (Temple of Dawn). After lunch, proceed to Pattaya, and visit Tiger Farm along the way. Dinner at Pattaya and then free to do own activities.

Day 3: Pattaya

After breakfash, go to Coral Island. Then to Nooch Nooch Village, and has lunch in the resort. Watch Elephant Showand Thai Folk Dance show. Free on your own in the evening. Alcazar Show own expenses. Dinner included.

Day 4: Pattay - Dream World - Bangkok

After breakfast, visit Dream World and experience miracle of Adventure Land. Transfer to Bangkok. Visit Snake Farm with various kinds of poisonous snakes. To hotel after lunch in restaurant and free on your own. Dinner will be provided.

Day 5: Bangkok - Singapore

After breakfast in hotel, last minute shopping until departure.

But to my surprise is that the surcharge for this free return air ticket from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand is not expensive. Cathay Pacific Airways is a full service airline, with meals and drinks on board. So reasonably it should charge more for fuel, airport usage, insurance and whatever else. Yet, at last check, for Singapore-Bangkok sector return flight, low cost carriers or budget airlines such as AirAsia charges SGD $148.00, Tiger Airways $120.00, and Jetstar Airways is $128.00.

Luckily, the departure tax of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport which is not cheap price of THB 700 or SGD $35.20 (1 THB = $0.0502913 SGD), is already included in the airfare.

Anyway, as Li Tit and I are going to Australia early July, and the journey to Bangkok has to complete by 31st July, we decided to set the trip at end of July, which is from 27th July to 31st July.

Anyway the rushing was meaningless, as the train was delayed. It seemed like the train was stuck at Woodlands train checkpoint, even though at the time I reached the Singapore checkpoint for bus passengers, the train has arrived and the train passengers have alighted for custom clearance.

Anway, the KTMB train didn’t arrive until 12 midnight, and only departed for Kuala Lumpur Sentral station after almost 1 hour delay.

I initially plan to hop onto Singapore Johore Express at Queen Street to cross to Malaysia side of border. As I left home at around 9pm, I felt that its service might have stopped as it’s late now. I should have took MRT to Kranji and transfer to cross border bus, although it takes about an hour just to reach Kranji MRT station itself. But instead, I took SMRT bus 985 where I alighted at Upper Bukit Timah Road opposite Bukit Timah Plaza. From here I have to transfer to another bus 961 to get to Kranji where I can transfer to another border bounding bus or bus 170 to get to Woodlands custom.

The worst thing happened now, and it’s what I always hate most about public transportation in Singapore. The bus didn’t come quickly when I needed it most. I waited more than 20 minutes for either bus 170 or bus 961 to arrive, yet none of them appear. Finally 3 buses number 961 arrived together at once.

I have tried to take taxi to Singapore custom instead, but no luck, as now Wei Heng had arrived in JB. So no choice I boarded the bus 961. Luckily, may be the driver knew he was way behind schedule, he was driving as fast as possible. But the distance is still far enough that when I reached Kranji bus stand, it’s already 10.45pm. Without much choice, I quickly boarded a taxi and asked the taxi driver to speeding to custom. I paid RM 10 for this taxi ride, as the taxi driver didn’t have small change, and I didn’t have any small notes.

As I walked towards Singapore Immigration Departure Hall, I can saw the train’s passengers was alighting the train and walked to clear the immigration too (The train’s railway is below the overhead bridge that linking Woodlands Checkpoint departure hall, arrival hall and Woodlands Checkpoint taxi stand). So now it’s a rush between the train and me to get to the JB train station.

So it’s either the guesthouse full because of our booking, or the guesthouse is really full even before I made the reservation, and the hotel will arrange an alternative for us, or the guesthouse simply ignore our reservation. We’ll know when we arrive in Siem Reap airport, when we shall know whether the hotel will send representative to pick us up airport.

I have decided that as we will go to Phnom Penh last, so the accomodation there will only be decided when we reach Cambodia. So my search now is mainly focused on Siem Reap, where we will be staying our first few nights in Cambodia. However, my search for accomodation for Siem Reap is made easy of several website such as Tales of Asia, which has a very detailed information on Siem Reap accomodation and guide for overland travel between Bangkok, Thailand and Siem Reap, Cambodia. The owner of Tales of Asia has now open its own guesthouse in Siem Reap named Two Dragons Guesthouse & Restaurant.

After discussing with Chung Khoon and Ciline, with some comparison to Lonely Planet Cambodia guidebook, the Rough Guide to Cambodia and Footprint Cambodia, we decided to book Bou Savy Guesthouse which has free breakfast, free airport pick-up service and hot shower, plus cheap rate of just USD $12 for double room with air conditioning. All these are major criteria that I looked for when searching for accomodation, as the group is pretty diverse with different expectation. Too bad Bou Savy Guesthouse replied via email that they’re fully booked on 10th August 2006, our second day in Cambodia which we plan to visit Angkor Wat. It will be much inconvenience to come back to Siem Reap from Angkor just to switch hotel. Bou Savy Guesthouse also recommends us to Angkor Star Hotel for USD $25 a room per night, including breakfast, but this is way out of my budget.

Then I emailed to several guesthouses in one go, including Two Dragons Guesthouse & Restaurant, Dead Fish Tower Inn, Hostel Geckoo’s Nest, Jasmine Lodge, Queen House Villa, Ancient Angkor Guesthouse, Popular Guesthouse, Red Lodge, Golden Temple Villa and Garden Village Guesthouse.

Among those, only Two Dragons Guesthouse & Restaurant, Dead Fish Tower Inn, Queen House Villa, Jasmine Lodge, Popular Guesthouse, Red Lodge and Golden Temple Villa replied to my email. Of those we picked Golden Temple Villa after influencing by Wai Ling that it’s close to Siem Reap central Old Market Psar Chaa area, which is close proximity to the famous “bar street”, although in actual, we would seldom patron any of the bar there.

Golden Temple Villa rate is USD $15 for air-cond double room and USD $20 for air-cond triple room. No free bicycle, but there are hot shower, free internet access, free flow of coffee, tea and fruits.