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2001

Bangkok

Jeremy Koh
2005-11-03 20:13:42

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many food stalls just outside the train station. It was relatively inexpensive. We set off after dinner.

Day 4- Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok at around 7am and we set off towards Thanon Khao San. After enquiring at a few guesthouses, we settled for Chart Guesthouse which costs 300B per day for a double room with attached bathrooms but without air-con and hot water heaters. We decided to rest a while before exploring Bangkok. After our rest, we decided to head for Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), a famous landmark of Bangkok. Besides i've just seen it featured a couple of days before on the Amazing Race. However, there was a guy who 'advised' us to take a tuk-tuk for 30B which would take us around the various Wats in Bangkok and finally drop us off at the pier where we'll take a ferry trip across the Chao Phraya River to the Temple of Dawn. Of course there was a catch. The catch was, we had to go down to this Gem Export Centre, Ploy Siam, where our driver would get his free gasoline coupon. However, since the price was so low, we decided to go along with it.

We were brought on a tour of various Wats which i've forgotten the name of and finally to Ploy Siam. From what we were told, it's supposed to work like this. We buy a set of jewelry and sell it back home for a higher price. It's supposed to be set up by the Thai government to encourage more visitors to Thailand as the difference in buying and selling price is supposed to pay for our trip here. And since we've made money, we are supposed to spread it to our friends by word-of-mouth and they will come to Thailand to make use of this 'wonderful' opportunity. However, a simple set of earrings already cost US$500. I was doubtful about the price it could fetch back home. Thus i would classify this under 'At Your Own Risk' if you do decide to try making a quick buck out of this.

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