Sunday, March 17, 2024

Wat Saphan and the Floating Market @ Bangkok [Thailand]

There were two stopovers for the boat trip we took at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market and the first one was Wat Saphan Floating Market where we were given 20 minutes to explore. 

20 minutes?! Guess it's a touch and go, and that doesn't bode well for my obsession with being trigger happy when it comes to photo-taking! We shall see! 

Now, the floating market was pretty small and definitely incomparable to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. Not much items for us, especially when our tummies were already filled with food purchased and ingested at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market.

I was curious about this though. Having signs in Thai could only mean that the target audience was the locals, and not dimwitted foreigners like me. Thankfully, I had my Thai friend with me.

Turned out the pails housed fishes that could be purchased for release into the canal for merits. It's a Buddhist practice frowned upon in Singapore as it could impact the eco-system for our small nation.

Given the namesake, it's obvious that there would be a temple (known as wat in Thai) for us to check out. I know Thai temples as they are always decked out in opulence, often with generous displays of gold color, which dilate the pupils of a Chinese man!

Niches homed within a stone fence; definitely good use of space although I wonder if the stability of the wall would be compromised. I can't confirm give my weakness in physics and I am not civil engineer / architect. 

Main temple I presume?

Statues of Buddha inside and outside the building. Even though I am a Buddhist, I am more aligned with its principles, rather than the actual practices. To me, no point praying if you don't believe in doing good deeds. 

Half melted candles - a fire hazard in my opinion! Coming from a country where the majority of us stay in apartments, there were just too many fire incidents involving lighted candles on altars. From recent news, however, it seemed that batteries from electrical devices are bigger problems.

There is a reason why I seemed unsure on whether the building I shared earlier was the main temple. This roofed structure, with no walls, was much bigger. 

Aside from the many statues of Buddha under the roof, I also noticed many statues of roosters! What importance and relevance would the domesticated bird had in this temple?


According to my Thai friend, the temple was over 200 hundred years and previously known as the bridge temple. There was a war and the temple was destroyed. However, three Buddha statues were left standing and they were housed within this structure! 

I am showing two of them here; the black statue and the one that looked discolored. As you can see from the second photos, I am guessing that the broken tiles / rocks were remnants from the temple that was destroyed during the war.

The third statue was supposed to be a golden one and there were just too many golden Buddha statues for me to identify. To be frank, I am casting my best on this gold-leave plastered statue. 

Loving Google translate - this was supposed to have water to bath the Buddha statues. A bit strange though since the message was printed on cardboard material which will disintegrate with water. Maybe Google Translate is wrong?

This should be Kuman Thong, which is not part of Buddhist practices but accepted in Thailand. It's common to see sweets and soft drinks as offerings but I am surprised to see army uniforms. 

Niches again; at least this time, it addressed my question on the stability of the wall. Maybe when I am dead, I should have my ashes stored in the niche here. On second thoughts, I think scattered in the sea would be better. 

Quite a number of stray dogs in the vicinity even though they were likely fed up the temple or the street vendors. Cute they might be but I am always alert whenever I see stray dogs. Not that I am afraid of them.

It's because they often poo anywhere and everywhere and I sure don't wish to dirty my shoes! Just some advice, do avoid those sandy patches as the sand were used to cover the dog poo! 

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Address
38 ถนน ปากน้ำกระโจมทอง Bang Phrom, 
Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170, Thailand

Map
As above. 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Freshfields Hotel (清新溫泉飯店) - A Five-Star Establishment with Onsen @ Taichung in Taiwan

The good thing about tour packages is that you often have a gauge on the quality of the hotels. For our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers, I am aware that hotels would be minimum 4-star. 

And for Day Two of our tour, our assigned hotel was Freshfields Hotel on the outskirts of Taichung; an area I wouldn't consider for free and easy as I always prefer to stay at commercial / touristy districts with many people and shops. 

Nevertheless, I was still happy as Freshfields Hotel is the only five-star onsen hotel in Taichung! I had an enjoyable onsen experience back in Hokkaido and can't wait to soak in hot spring water right here in Taiwan!

A soak in the hot spring aside; do you know you can get also get a great view of Taichung city from a viewing platform belonging to the hotel?!

Secured our room cards.
Block B, Room 703.

This device caught my attention. It looked like some kind of umbrella but its location in a hotel lobby would have been strange for a brolly. Ignorant me, coming from a country that is year-round summer, didn't know it was actually a heater used during winter!

Look at the ring of mesmerizing blue flames.

Room
Stepping in, we were greeted with a wardrobe that had a double opening leading to the bathroom! I thought it was ingenious as it allowed for separate access should one is showering, and another needs to wash the toilet. 

The beds first; two double beds! And I kid you not, the mattress was comfortable and I must say it was a very deep sleep I had that night. Wait, maybe the onsen played a part too.

Mini-fridge and electric kettle counter. 

Long table next to the floor to ceiling window at night, and the amazing view the next morning! Should I have more time in the hotel, I would have brewed a hot cup of tea in the morning and relaxed by the window. 

Small television and the hidden door to the bathroom. Frankly, this wasn't as hidden as the one inside the wardrobe! p.s. no idea what the chairs below the television are for. 

Vanity area and the provided amenities. I actually don't use any of them although I would, unashamedly, bring back shower caps and toothbrush kits!

Oh my gosh; a Japanese style toilet bowl! How I wish I could install one in my HDB flat but I heard there were issues on electrical safety given that my toilet can't have the wet-dry segregation. 

Wash-up section - for privacy, there's a door. 

Said to be a marble bathtub, it felt more like a tiled bathtub. Whatever the case, this was one large tub where hot spring water would be piped in for that therapeutic soak.

There's even a shower area but it's more than just the rainfall shower! See the different knobs on the center-left "pillar"? That allows strong jets of water to hit your back and it's so shiok, like water massage! 

Remember to draw the curtain looking into the bedroom! 

Again, the view while having a soak. What would have been better? If the bathtub were to be placed outdoor and you get the chilly wind while having your body immerse in the hot spring water! 

Gymnasium
Decent setup but I was overwhelmed with happiness since I didn't manage to exercise on Day One and couldn't wait to have a few kilometers jog on the treadmill.

Hot Spring
Just a note that I was the last patron and I made sure no one was around before whipping out my phone to take photographs. There's an outdoor hot spring for both males and females, but as there are still people; I didn't take any photo.

As the name mentioned, the area beyond the door would be the nudist area for men, which was to be assumed as the indoor hot spring. 

Three tubs of various temperatures were in the enclosed area. One was at a comfortable 38.4 degrees celcius and another one was a burning 42.7 degrees celcius! Those adventurous can also alternate between the hot tubs and the cold tub which was only 8.7 degrees celcius! 

Steam room and sauna; never get why people like them.

Happy and refreshed after the hot spring! As I was staying at Freshfields Hotel for only one night, I am afraid I didn't manage to check out the rest of their facilities, including their outdoor swimming pool! 

Breakfast
For tour packages, breakfasts would always be provided as part of the hotel stays and it's no exception at Freshfields Hotel. Good news for my dad who loves having a heavy breakfast whereas his son, aka me, would skip breakfast in Singapore. 

Quite a spread and I couldn't resist taking a bowl of miso soup and some fruits, plus jelly. Stingy me would also feel it's a waste to skip breakfast when it's already provided, although it's common to see me indulging in fruits. Kon was quite shocked to see having so many bananas when we were in Hanoi

Photos of dad, before and after breakfast.
Kidding, taken just seconds apart. 

Outdoor Garden
According to the placemat at the breakfast restaurant, there was an outdoor garden. Even though excited and keen to explore, the fact that we didn't have much time weighed heavily in our heart.

We managed to walk just a bit but the area we visited didn't seem like the ones indicated on the placemat. It was still a nice, albeit, rushed stroll though as the cool air was amazingly crisp and fresh.

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Address
No. 2, Wenquan Rd, Wuri District, 
Taichung City, Taiwan 

Map
As above. 

Website