Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk 2006

Day 4
Time to see the Royal Flora expo. Woke up in the morning to see the overcast sky. Bummer. I've already bought the ticket in advance (it's double the price if u buy at the expo site) so didn't want to change my plans. The guesthouse staff told me these words that immediately brightened my day: "Maybe it's good luck!". That was so Thai and brought back memories 2 years ago when I 1st heard those words. And it was so true. It was good luck because I got to walk around the gardens comfortably without getting cooked by the sun. Well, at least for 2 hrs, then the sun came out and it was hot! Lucky me.

There were many ways to go to the expo, other than taxi:
1. By red songthaew (20B). Can get 1 from the Central Airport Plaza, I think.
2. By calling a private transport. Saw a number at some hotel with the flyer.
3. Public Bus #13 & 11. Both will pass by the Black Canyon Cafe at Thapae Gate.

I chose the 3rd as I wanted to try out the public bus system. It was quite new, probably only a few months old. The most popular transport in CM is still the songthaew. But I enjoyed the bus. It had air-con, and u can have a good view of the street. It's hard to see anything when inside a songthaew. Though you'll spend a longer time on the bus as it goes on its long and winding route around CM.

Finally reached the expo site and boy was I impressed. Very grand and you're welcomed along the road leading up to the site by big banners on the lamp posts. Feels like you're going into a big theme park like Disneyland.

The place is HUGE. Toured the entire grounds on foot, starting at 11am and finished at about 5pm. It was really tiring, and I skipped quite a number of areas. U can take a tram ride, but I didn't have time for that. Anyway, you'll have to get off the tram anyway if u want to see the gardens.

Here's a quick review of the zones:
1. Corporate Garden.
My 1st stop. Lots of greenery, ponds, waterfalls, flowers in these gardens. All beautifully done up.

2. Orchid Pavilion
Lots of them! Small ones, big ones, even smelly ones! Orchid landscaping too!

3. International Garden
Honestly, I was a little disappointed. Lots of concrete in most of these gardens. Belgium was unique. Japan was my fav.

4. Royal Pavilion
The pavilion was beautiful. Loved the architecture. And u can see nearly the entire expo site from here. Give a miss to the food hall next to the pavilion though. Operated by THAI (Airways). I felt like I was eating airline food at restaurant prices. It IS a good idea to bring your own food and picnic. Lots of nice scenic spots for u to picnic.

5. Thai Tropical Garden (final stop)
My favs were the air-con greenhouses. Cooling, and lots of flowers too!

My back was killing me by this time. Hopped onto a red songthaew going to the Central Airport Plaza as I didn't want to look for the public bus. Good thing they've excellent massage in CM.

PS: Hmmm... some problems with Blogger this weekend. Can't post my photos! I'll upload them once the problem is fixed.