The Bangkok Boomerang

Hello Again!

I haven't posted on here for a long time now and it's not for any particular reason either. I couldn't say I have been really busy, because I haven't.  I would like to say I was traveling and having the time of my life and seeing the most amazing sights, I have just been going to university and to my new job. I am due to finish university June 2013 and am already planning my trip!

Bangkok Boomerang Map

A website I usually look at to make myself travel depressed  is STA Travel. They have a wide range of flights, round the world trips, tours, volunteering experiences, hotels, destination ideas and useful travel tips and guidance. I always seem to end up looking at the costs of flights etc dreaming on...

A ROUND THE WORLD TRIP which recently caught my eye is the Bangkok Boomerang stopping at...

LONDON > DUBAI > BANGKOK > SYDNEY > CHRISTCHURCH overland to AUCKLAND > MELBOURNE > KUALA LUMPUR > DUBAI > LONDON

Check It Out Here!

This round the world trip costs £1,199 (For Students & Under26/ 26+ £1,269). From past experience and some knowledge of the basis of flights to that area of the world I would say that is a really good deal and extremely attractive. For example, a flight to Bangkok, Thailand alone would cost around the £650-800+ mark and Australia even more. I am planning on doing this trip next year after I have finished my university degree course and go out into the big world of adult life. I know that some of you may think that I am avoiding going to work and earning some money; however this may be the only time we ever get to do this and take full advantage of our youthful fitness (Somewhat mine is limited, I will get fitter by then). I am already working and saving for this, it makes me excited every time I think about going to these places! Last year on the UH Media Thailand Summer School, I spent 4 weeks in Bangkok. It's such a fantastic city and I really would love to visit again, which I think attracted me a lot to this particular trip but to stop off to a favorite city of mine along a once in a life time trip.

 I'll try to update more. I am always looking at places to go so I should be adding in more exciting destinations for you to have a look at! Be back soon!

Taj Mahal ताज महल تاج

The TAJ MAHAL, located in Agra in India - is one of the man made wonders of the world and one of the places I really want to go! It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his third wife. 

I hope to do my university study abroad in August 2012 in Thailand and I hope to travel to India while I am over that part of the world.

Tomas has visited 7% of the countries in the world!

Tomas has traveled to: Antigua And Barbuda, Austria, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City, USA States: California, Florida, Nevada, New York

Create Your Own Travel Map:

http://www.travbuddy.com/world-travel-map

The World's Longest Place Name

The capital of Thailand is unofficially named Bangkok. 

The full ceremonial name of the city given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, and later edited by King Mongkut, is:

 Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

It translates to:

"The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma".

The full name of Bangkok is written in front of Bangkok administrative building

Summer School At Chulalongkorn University July 2011

Summer School At Chulalongkorn University July 2011

SawadeeKup.
Phom chu Tom. 

  (Piece from my final project I submitted to the university)

I applied to the UH-Chula Media Summer School in late February of 2011. I applied, as I wanted to learn more about Thailand, living and learning in Thailand, Thai culture, language and having the opportunity to meet new friends out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to see if I could do this. The summer programme has lasted four weeks now and I can honestly say it has been one of the best times of my life, if not the best! I have met the best of people and have enjoyed spending my time with everyone. The Chulalongkorn University is a prestigious university and you can recognise this from their standards, expectations, and culture and through the Chula students. My time on the summer school has been a rollercoaster, there have been highs and lows, but the low’s aren’t of any concern to this.  The programme took place within the Communication Arts Faculty at the university within the International Programs department. 

Studying abroad is a big risk to take. Many students don’t know whether or not they should go. Would they enjoy it? Would they fit in? I am one of the lucky ones. I have experience studying abroad, meeting new people and going into a different environment and new country to do exactly that. I have experienced it first hand and at this stage I feel that I want to study abroad, it has helped me confirm and build my courage. I have learnt study abroad and/or a summer school is worth the time, money and effort required. I have learnt that I am more confident than I first thought; I am not as shy as I thought and I can do this on my own. I’ve learnt how to adapt my personality and embrace opportunities to do things that I normally wouldn’t enjoy or hesitate to do, such as drama classes and performances.

Additionally, we have had a variety of activities, classes and trips to get a real insight into the Thai culture, while living and studying in Thailand. Learning about music, dance, theatre, advertising, journalism, film, history, language, literature and art. Trips have included a visit to Ogilvy, The Bangkok Post and Kantana Movie Town. We also ventured out of Bangkok, to Ayutthaya, the old capital, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi. The weekends we have spent away have all been a world of excitement, however, the weekend in Kanchanaburi stands out the most for me. The weekend consisted of elephants, the Death Railway, The Bridge Over River Kwai, both part of the World War II history, water sports, waterfalls and boats. We were lucky enough to stay in a beautiful resort, Rayaburi Resort, with stunning views of the lake and mountain’s surrounding.

Advice to potential students thinking about a summer school or study abroad opportunity, DO IT! It’s one of the best time’s of your life, it will enhance your knowledge of the world and yourself, learning in a different way which might suit you better from what you are use to, meeting new international friends and a valuable life experience.

The summer school or study abroad at Chulalongkorn is an excellent idea and a great university to choose, it’s something you will not regret. I’ll be honest; when I found out I had got a place, I was nervous and was considering pulling out.  Now I am so glad I saw the better side and overcame my low confidence and came here and built it up and Chula helped me do this. 

Why pick Chula? It has a great international programs team within the Communication Arts Faculty who all work really hard to make your stay as enjoyable as they can, and that they have. The students are all really friendly and will go out of their way to help you, the campus is well kept and you always feel welcome. The summer school at Chula is a must and I can guarantee you will have a fantastic time. 

A note of appreciation, I would like to thank all the ajarn’s at Chulalongkorn I have worked and spent my time with who have all made the stay enjoyable and very memorable and given us an insight into Thailand and giving us the opportunity to study abroad when some may no longer be able to. Additionally, a thank you to the staff at Hertfordshire who have made the trip possible, arranged and come along and enjoyed the times with us. I am truly grateful to you all.

Kop Khun Kup.

Island's of Paradise

As well as the attraction of the bustling cities of Asia, America and Europe for me, the islands of paradise around the world also very appealing..and I am sure a lot of you too! Laying there, on the white sandy beach, crystal clear water and the sun, what could be better? The best place I have been for that is Jolly Harbor in Antigua, Caribbean - it's simply stunning!

Jolly Harbor, Antigua, Caribbean

I came across a website earlier which had an article titled "Superman's View of Island Paradises: 37 Amazing Aerial Pics" - "Have you ever wanted to retreat from the daily grind to an island paradise?" 

Images include locations from the Maldives, Seychelles, Fiji, Thailand plus many more exotic locations. 

Here are some of my favorite aerial shots;

Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Palau Islands, Philippines 

Republic of Fiji Islands

See the rest of the aerial shots and read the article here.

Twitter: @tomas_a

Researching Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand

I have just been researching a province and city in Thailand named Kanchanaburi where on the summer school we will be going to for a two day visit. The city lies on the River Kwai where the Bridge of Kwai was built, destroyed and built again after World War II for a link into Burma (Mynamar) - which is interesting as I didn't realise World War II was also affecting parts of Asia...unless I am just being naive or it has nothing to do with World War II in Europe?  

Bridge of Kwai

 The main attraction here is the Bridge of Kwai of course and I am sure it will be all interesting and things like that...what I am most excited about is seeing and interacting with the elephants again! I went elephant trekking for the day when I was in Phuket 2010. However here we get to experience be closer to them, bathing with the elephants in the river and feeding with the elephants! I have seen some of my friends photos who have done this and it looks fantastic! I seriously can't wait to do this!

 Also as a little present...its advertised I can bring back a photo frame made from elephant dung...I'll think about that one! 

 

Washing the elephants in Thailand

I thought this was quite funny after searching 'Elephant trekking Thailand'

Twitter: @tomas_a

UH Media Summer School 2011

This July I will be traveling to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. I was lucky enough to get onto a 4 week media summer school with my university who is partnered with the 'royal' university of Thailand, Chulalongkorn University. 

 The beautiful Chulalongkorn University Campus.

"The UH-Chula Media Summer School will give an insight into various aspects of communication media in Thailand and in south east Asia generally. It will cover Thai art, music, theatre and dance, as well as journalism, film and advertising. It will also introduce Thai history, culture and language. The Summer School will offer study visits to an advertising agency, a television production and post production studio, and a newspaper publisher, and field trips to Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, and Kanchanaburi, a scenic province, know for ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’."

We had a pre-departure meeting at the end of May and everyone seems really nice and we are all so excited! 4 weeks in Bangkok, living in a new place, meeting Thai students, learning the language and just doing something different. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Lucky enough, we are staying in a 3star hotel and in Thailand 3 star is like our 4 star in the UK. Plus, it has an outside pool which is rare for a central hotel in Bangkok! Seriously cannot wait to go! So many things to do and see when we get there! New experiences like the floating markets!

Floating Market in Bangkok

Twitter: @tomas_a

Just Some Photos:

  MSC Fantasia 

Valetta, Malta 

Mediterranean Cruise April 2011

Great Wall of China

Beijing, China

August 2010

Elephant Trekking

Phang Nga, Thailand

August 2010