From Asia and Beyond

OTOP Grand Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:09:00 +0000

Today is the start of the OTOP Grand Sale that is held at the Hat Yai Municipality Park. The exhibition is going to start today until the 3rd of August. We're planning to go there this Sunday and see what interesting products they are displaying and selling. I'm sure they will have great design furniture pieces aside from the delicacies and local products in each district.

Songkhla Zoo Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Last Monday we visited to Zoo again together with my brother's family and the kids. The zoo looks the same from the last time we visited it 3 years ago. But it was a bit disappointing to see a lot of sections closed and some animals missing.

Three years ago, the highlight of the trip was the Penguin show and the Tiger feeding show. But unfortunately, the Tiger Section was closed for renovation. The Camel was also nowhere to be found.

Nearing the end of the trip, the kids were already so tired that we didn't enter the Bird's section anymore.

I could see that there are renovation ongoing to improve the zoo facilities. We were also excited to see the construction of the upcoming Songkhla Water Park.

Here are some of the animal photos we took.

Intermission: Investments

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:30:00 +0000

What are good investments these days? If you're not a businessman, then it'll be very risky to invest and create a new business. Putting money in time deposit is also very slow and doesn't give big returns.

Well, according to the web release that I've just read. One of the best investments during these times is to buy silver bullion or gold nuggets and ingots. These items can be bought online and securely delivered to you. It has been said that now is the best time to buy and they will indeed bring great returns in the future.

So, you want to invest in something of great value in the future. Then better invest in gold or silver.

Trip to Korea Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:25:00 +0000

We just had our lunch in MK Restaurant this afternoon. And after we paid for our meals, they gave us two raffle coupons for a contest with a Trip to Korea as the Grand Prize. Of course while I was filling out my name and other information in the coupon, I can't help but dream of winning the grand prize. Yeah, nothing is impossible. I've already won a free trip to North Thailand last year and it can happen again ( God willing!).

Panda Bears

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Pandas are one of my favorite animals ( next to the Polar Bears). I've always wanted to see a real Giant Panda and I thought that I could see them during my trip to North Thailand. But sad to say, I never got a chance to see them since the zoo wasn't included in our package trip.

But surprisingly, I got to see them in their natural habitat during our trip to Ocean Park in Hong Kong. I never expected to see them there and I was so happy. I just love these gentle giants, they are so big yet cute and cuddly.

Airline Lawsuit

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:01:00 +0000

A few days ago, I've just heard of someone suing an airline for damaging her eardrums due to a screaming toddler in the aircraft. That person didn't sue the parents of the baby ( thank God!) but only the airline. I'm not so sure too whether that's fair for the airline since that's not under their control and I'm sure it's not the toddlers fault. I mean, maybe the toddler is just super uneasy during the flight.

Anyways, I don't know how the lawsuit is going to progress but there are a lot of lawsuits that are happening at this moment. Some lawsuits are logical and legitimate but some seems just funny. But I guess the TransUnion Lawsuit is a serious one since it involves illegal selling of confidential information of the clients to other marketing companies. Now, that's really bad. If you applied for credit in the US from 1987- 2000, then you might be legible to make claims. You better check it out.

Clark Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Cebu Pacific Air has another seat sale. This time it's the routes coming from Clark Airport. Sad to say that the travel date for this seat sale is only from September 1 to October 31, 2010 while booking period ends on the 26th this month. So, that means that my family still can't avail of this flight because they are only coming in November. I hope there will be another seat sale next month with the November flight date.

Amazing Grace Birthday Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:55:00 +0000

My Cousin is having another fabulous blog contest for her birthday where you can win as much as 100$ as a total grand prize. What do you have to do?

1. Blog about the contest with the title "Amazing Grace Amazing Birthday Contest ! " and place the link of her blogs in your bloglist : A Walk to Remember, GraciaFashioista, kids turf and A Bucket of Wisdom.
2. Return to this post and leave your comment and URL of your post.
3. Shout the Contest on Facebook.
4. Copy the Prizes , Mechanics and the the list of Sponsors below.

It's so easy to join right? So, head on to her site now, Amazing Grace and join!

For Cash & EC Credits :

Josie's Files , What's Inside Johanna's Heart , My Life & My Journey Online , CDo Extreme, Just the Tip of an Ice Berg, In Pursuit of Happiness , Mom Write for a Cause , From Asia and Beyond , Sassy Chick's World , Anna's Alabama , Mix N' Match , Embracing my Past, Present and Future , , Cups and Lower Case, Foreignpinay.com, Mix and Match Online , The 3 Chies, , Home Decors & Gift , Fe's Journey of Life, Made to Worship, Moms Wish list, VivaPinay, Table for Five, Grampys World, Topics on Earth, Moms Up and Downs Gagay, Pinoy MD,Cacai M's Place, Thoughts Ideas Resources, Cacai's Steps and Journey, Sherryever.com, kissmi.info, loveandthoughts.com Hearts Content, Seasons and Seasoning, Mommy Diary, My Journey to Life., A Journey to Life, Pops Up of my Mind, , Peach and Things ,Yobib's Tales, A Perfect World, My 3 o'clock Prayer
For 6 Blog Domain and Webshosting : Caffeinated Muse , Pinay SAHM , Crayons and Pencils , Blogger's Nook, Life's Digital Moment, Easy Task Online For Beauty products : Me and My Passion,

Beutiful Thais

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:48:00 +0000

The Thais are known to be very beautiful women. I can truly say that I see a lot of Thais women that are indeed beautiful. Many of them have fair and pimple free skin so with or without make up, they still look pretty. Whenever we attend events and see some of them do some traditional Thai dances, I can't help but notice how their faces have nice make up. I'm not sure if any of their make up artists are graduates from Florida cosmetology School but they sure are experts. I want to try out having by make up done by a local make up artist too, I just need to find an occasion to be dressed and properly made up.

Yummy Sunday - Champorado

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:33:00 +0000

The Champorado I made last week

For this week's Yummy Sunday entry, I'm going to feature my favorite Filipino snack called the Champorado, or as I call it 'Chocolate Rice'. I just love to have this snack especially on a very cold, rainy afternoon.

Champorado is like a rice porridge with Cocoa Tablets called Tablea in Filipino mixed with powdered milk or condensed milk with sugar. It's best when served hot. Yum!!!

For more Yummy Sunday entries, please visit Bogie at Bogies Wonderland.

Scenic Sunday - Ocean Park

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:19:00 +0000

This photo was taken during our family trip to Hong Kong Ocean Park last year. This is viewing thing slowly goes up and rotates so one can get the whole beautiful view of the whole park. It's a very smooth and relaxing ride.

For more Scenic Sunday entries, please click the badge below.

Nakhon Si Thammarat for Silver Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:45:00 +0000

I'm looking forward for next week since we are going to Nakhon Si Thammarat to purchase some silver jewelry for my sister's business. Nakhon Si Thammarat is known for their silver jewelry. They have great silver pieces and sold at a cheaper price compared to the shops in the cities. Walso have our business contact there who has became our friend and they are really very nice.

Aside from silver jewelry, some shops also sell gold jewelry. I haven't seen shops that sell gold coins yet, but I know they will also become great business and investment in the future.

*image taken from google.com

Long Weekend - Asahna Bucha Day

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:33:00 +0000

It's Asahna Bucha Day in Thailand on the 26th this month ( Monday) so, it'll be a holiday. The schools are also making Monday and Tuesday a holiday. And I'm excited for the long weekend.

What's the Asahna Bucha Day? According to the site I've just visited,

Asahna Bucha Day marks the day when Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon and the lunar months, but is usually held in July. The Buddha preached his first sermon at a deer park and from this sermon the Dharma (doctrine) of the Buddha was symbolized as a wheel.

Have a great weekend to all!

Auctions and More

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:28:00 +0000

I found this site about military auctions somewhere. I'm glad I did because I've found some helpful information and tips. I'm sure a lot of people who are interested in buying or selling military supplies will truly find this site very helpful.

Carpets Galore

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:19:00 +0000

Home Pro is one of the places where we can get all the household stuff here in Hat Yai. Most of their products are of good quality but also comes with a high price. But just last week, we got a good carpet for a reasonable price. I also found a carpet site online and it would be nice if we could make our next purchase her since their choices are just amazing!

To Songkhla Zoo We Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:06:00 +0000

We're taking the kids to the Songkhla Zoo this Monday. The kids are really excited and so I am. We've actually been to this zoo a few times already and I'm just excited to see the expression of the kids faces whenever they see their favorite animals right before their eyes.

The Songkhla Zoo covers 878 acres of land and is home to hundreds of different types of birds and animals. They also have Seal Shows and Tiger feeding exhibitions at certain times.

Zoo admission fees are quite affordable. They charge 50 pesos for Thai adults and 10 Baht for Thai children while 100 Baht for adult foreigners and 50 Baht for foreign children. There's also a charge for every transportation that enters, 60 Baht for buses, 50 Baht for cars and 10 Baht for motorcycles.

Two Days to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:32:00 +0000

Almost everything is set. We've already moved all our daughter's homeschool stuff downstairs to give more space for my brother's family who is coming in two days. The guestroom is almost set too, though our house is unlike the Noosa Accommodation where they have elegant interiors and luxurious facilities but I think they will still be comfortable staying here in our simple abode.

Our kids are so excited to meet their cousins especially my girl who has been counting the days for almost two weeks.

We haven't set our plans yet for our activities while they are here but we will surely go to the zoo and to the beach!

Songkhla Water Park

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:09:00 +0000

We were checking Songkhla Zoo's website yesterday when we saw a link that brought us to the site that announces the upcoming Songkhla Waterpark. I was so excited when I saw the site and the computer generated plans for the park. It's almost like Lost World of Tambon in Ipoh.

According to the website, the waterpark will be opened next year. Wow! I can't wait to bring my kids there!

PSU Agro Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:30:00 +0000

I can see a lot of banners and billboards now advertising the most awaited Agro Fair at Prince of Songkhla University. They usually have this in the month of August and it's one of the biggest fair in Hat Yai as it's attended by many participants and small scale to medium scale businesses all over Thailand.

When we come to this fair, we never miss to try out the different delicacies in the different provinces and check out the other products too. They have a wide variety of stuff on sale, from plants to the best anti wrinkle eye cream . The kids favorite stall though is the Rabbit pet shop. It's really cute to see the tiny rabbits with their colorful shirts and headbands. Adorable!

Anyways, I can't wait for the fair and I'll make sure I'll take a lot of photos when we go there.

Still No Promo Flights

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:26:00 +0000

November is just around the corner and still there are no ongoing promo flights for my mom and sis' family who will be visiting us this November. I constantly check the 3 budget airlines that flies from Manila to Bangkok/Singapore/Malaysia but still there's positive update. I wonder if it's already the peak season for travelers. But I do see some cheap flights but they are all to different destinations.

I guess we just need to be a bit more patient, wait for another few weeks before booking their flights.

Ananta Burin Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Thank God for internet hotel agents, we got more than 50% off deal when we booked a room in this hotel 2 months ago. Hubby and I wanted a very budget holiday to Krabi and we spent hours searching for budget hotels but comfortable for us with the kids. And our search paid off as we saw that the Ananta Burin Resort, a four star hotel just had a price like that of a 2 or 3 star hotel.

I just love everything about the hotel especially the interior of the room. They had very good interior and lighting design. Not sure though if they had Kichler lighting. The bathroom was also huge and had a separate shower and bathtub. The hotel staff were also very friendly and accommodating. The kids especially loved the kiddie pool and we were practically there most of the time. The Ao Nang Beach was also nice and we had fun at the beach which was very near the hotel. Oh, how I just loved that holiday in Krabi. Thank God for his special blessings and we will truly treasure those moments.

The Cruise Ship-like Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:54:00 +0000

On our way to Krabi the other month, we found this Cruise ship-like hotel along the highway to Trang. It's the Grand MP Resort Hotel. The hotel design is really intriguing as it's huge and very ship-like. When we wanted to go in and check the interiors, we found out that it's still under renovation and it will only open in October this year. I wonder if the interior is also designed like a ship's interior. I even jokingly told my Hubby that maybe some guests would feel seasick once they enter the hotel. Anyways, I hope we get a chance to see this hotel once it's back in business. I'm sure with outdoor lights, spot lights and discount landscape lighting this building will stand out at night and can be one of the main attractions in the city.

Waiting for Promo Flights

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:43:00 +0000

We're still waiting for promo flights in any of the budget airlines. Sad to say that my Mom and sister's family were not able to book in the recent Cebu Pacific's seat sale. They encountered problems during the booking period that's why.

We hope that there will be upcoming promotional flights before the rates rise up since November is the start of the peak season. I hope too they could get the cheapest rates available together with the travel insurance. They won't need NC health insurance though but it's also good if they will have one.

Bangkok Pills

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:38:00 +0000

When we went back to the Philippines, I've heard many people were talking about the Bangkok Pills. It seems that many celebrities took these pills for weight loss and seemed effective. BUT, these pills are dangerous since the side effects were really bad. And it was just recently that I've come across a forum that talks about these pills and I found out that they were not FDA approved pills. I'm sure that these pills could do more harm than good in the body. That's why it's important to get fda approved diet pills before taking them. It's for our own safety and health.

The Six O'clock Habit

noreply@blogger.com (Budget Traveler) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 10:02:00 +0000

Come Six O'clock in the evening and you will see a lot of women and a few men doing aerobics in any park or field here in Thailand. People here are very conscious about their health that it has become a norm for anyone to be seen jumping up and down and dancing at at any public places at 6 O'clock. Most of the Thais are also fit that you seldom see overweight or obese people. They truly don't need to read apidexin reviews as they are already fit and healthy.

I remember I joined the locals doing their aerobics a few times and I felt so self conscious the first time I joined them. I was dancing and all the while, laughing at myself for doing such thing at a public place. We could never do that back home because people will be all around and watching and maybe making fun of the others. But this is Thailand!