From the roof top bar of the hotel I’m staying in, I gazed into the glittering megalopolis that is Bangkok. My eyes swept the skyline from left to right, taking in the sultry view of this moonlit city, wondering what the coming days held for me. I was exhilarated. Bangkok has always been an exciting city and I knew I had barely scratched its surface during the few times I’ve visited.

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I watched from the roof balcony of Baan Luang Rajamaitri Historic Inn as rain softly pelted the murky waters of the Chanthaburi River below. I was planning on a quick nap before exploring the narrow streets of this riverside town but sleep has abandoned me after having a quick glimpse of the area. It excited me. In my mind’s eye, I was seeing a quainter version of Penang’s Georgetown or perhaps Melaka’s Jonker Walk in Malaysia, sans the throngs of tourists and shops.

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TYPICAL ARCHITECTURE AT CHANTHABOON’S OLD TOWN

Dusk was almost upon Chanthaboon, a century-old riverside town in the district of Chanthaburi, when I finally decided to go out. It was still slightly drizzling but I wanted to see it before evening fully descends. I leisurely walked from our hotel, tracing the kilometer-long, twelve-foot wide Sukhaphiban Road, dodging incoming motorbikes and cars that take up almost the whole width of the street.

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I was jolted wide awake as our van suddenly stopped on a narrow street beset by old two-story wooden houses. It was already late in the afternoon and we were told to alight. Right here? I asked, still trying to make sense of this less-than-ten-foot wide road with local vendors hawking thick noodles right by its crumbling colonial-style covered porch. Are we gonna sleep at the home of this old lady by the frying pan?

WHAT TO SEE IN CHANTHABURI WHAT’S INSIDE? • KUNG KRABAEN BAY ROYAL DEVELOPMENT STUDY CENTRE • NANG PHAYA HILL SCENIC POINT • J PEN YENTAFO RESTAURANT • BAN SAMET NGAM CHANTHABOON MAT HANDICRAFT CENTER • BAAN LUANG RAJAMAITRI HISTORIC INN

KUNG KRABAEN BAY ROYAL DEVELOPMENT STUDY CENTRE

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ADDRESS: KHLONG KHUT, THA MAI DISTRICT, CHANTHABURI | CONTACT NO: +66-3936-9216-8 | GPS MAP: 12.582604, 101.890578

A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO BE OUT AT SEA IN CHANTHABURI

We started out for Chanthaburi—a province 245 kilometers away from Bangkok (about 4 hours by bus)—from Rayong quite early. I didn’t even know we already crossed the border until we alighted at the Kung Krabaen Bay Royal Development Study Centre. And I wouldn’t even know we were already in Chanthaburi until I set the location for my Instagram (follow please, lol), it was that close to where we were staying at Rayong.

It was almost nightfall but the sun was nowhere to be found. We slowly chugged along the placid waters of Prasae River aboard a rua pra mong, a traditional Thai fishing vessel quite common at this town know for fishing and ship-building. I went to the prow, a can of Chang beer in tow, looking for the great ball of fire on the horizon, but all I saw were thick mangrove forests accenting the edge of the river and the twilit sky.

WHAT TO DO IN PRASAE, RAYONG WHAT’S INSIDE? • TAMNANPAR RESTAURANT • SONGSALUENG NATURAL AGRICULTURAL CENTRE • TUNG PRONG THONG RAYONG MANGROVES • PRASAE 500 YEAR-OLD IRON WOOD TREE • PRASAE RIVER BRIDGE • HTMS PRASAE MEMORIAL • BAAN CHAN SAMUT HOMESTAY • PRASAE SUNSET CRUISE DINNER • PRASAE RIVER VILLAGE • KHANOM CHIN PA-NA

RAYONG HAS A VERY PROVINCIAL FEEL

Our day started out from the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. The TBEX Asia conference has just ended and we’ve just checked out of Siam@Siam, our home for the last three days in the city. Choosing the Rayong-Chanthaburi trip for the Post-BEX tours, we boarded our van, said our goodbyes to fellow TBEXers who’re doing other tours, and were soon zipping through the highway en route to Rayong Province.

After Spain, Canada, Ireland, and Mexico, the much anticipated event for travel bloggers around the globe has finally arrived in Asia. Thailand was slated to be the gracious host for the event, quite fitting since most globetrotters generally fly in to Thailand to start off their Asian adventures.

TBEX ASIA 2015 AT THE QUEEN SIRIKIT CONVENTION CENTER IN BANGKOK

THANK YOU TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND FOR INVITING ME!

TBEX has been around since 2012. This is not your usual boring event though, it doesn’t start and end with talks and conferences, in fact, if you attend one, the admission price is also inclusive of travel tours before and after the TBEX event itself.

MASSIVE WOOD SCULPTURE AT THE QUEEN SIRIKIT CENTER

Loads of Pre-BEX and Post-BEX tours are available for participants; one simply has to log in at Blogger Bridge, sign up for tours, and you’re good to go. They have everything from walking, food, cultural, adventure, and even bar tours! And it’s not just in Bangkok too, but all over Thailand! I personally picked the Pad Thai Route tour which drove us all the way to the quiet and relatively undiscovered area of Rayong and Chanthaburi Provinces.

 

I will write an extensive article about those two provinces, they certainly deserve it.

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LOCALS SHOWING OFF THEIR HANDICRAFTS DURING TBEX ASIA

TBEX DELEGATES CAN EVEN JOIN IN THE FUN!

The main TBEX event was held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center and was set on three plenary halls and four meeting rooms. Along the lobby, works by local artisans were on display, showcasing Thailand’s diverse culture. It was attended by more than six hundred travel bloggers around the world and has more than thirty conferences and workshops spread over three days. Every talk looks interesting but you only get to choose a few since six of them happens simultaneously.

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TBEX ASIA PRESS CONFERENCE

SPEED NETWORKING, WHERE BLOGGERS CONNECT WITH BRANDS

DON GEORGE’S INSPIRING TALK

While there are a lot of programs about monetizing our blogs, the talks that impressed me the most were not about money, but about the soul of what we really are doing. The ones by renowned Lonely Planet travel editor Don George (The Art & Heart of Storytelling) and Legal Nomads’ Jodi Ettenberg (Storytellers) were really, really, really inspiring.

TBEX ASIA 2015 OPENING PARTY

THAI FOOD BEING SERVED AT THE OPENING PARTY

WALKING AT BENJAKITI PARK DURING TBEX BREAKS

And after all the talks, there is course a party. Besides being on the road, nothing gets a traveler excited that having glasses of beer with fellow jetsetters. The opening party was at the outdoor café of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center where overflowing beer complete with local Thai food was set. There were also cultural performances and we even got to float our own Loi Krathong at the nearby Benjakiti Park’s lagoon.

ASIATIQUE THE RIVERFRONT IN BANGKOK

The farewell party was held at Asiatique the Riverfront where we witnessed a stunning show by Muay Thai Live and soon after, local bands and fireworks by the Chao Phraya River; a very memorable way to end TBEX’s first time in Asia.

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ENDING TBEX ASIA WITH A BANG!

I learned so much, met so many friends and new contacts at TBEX that I wouldn’t hesitate attending the next one which is gonna be held in the Philippines, no less! The Travel Blog Exchange is indeed the future of travel media.

Now, let’s explore Thailand!

 

~ THIS TRIP IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND

 

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