bangkok - my favourite shopping items

my favourite MUST BUY stuff in bangkok

most items can be purchased in BIG C

prayer fruits for my buddha

agar agar coconut about $2  in singapore about $3.50

pamelo skin

my favourite instant knorr porridge 40baht (sin$1.60) for 3 pack in singapore selling $1

available in cup type or package 

now you can have your own DIY tom yuan soup
about 40 baht per pack

instant kway teow very nice 

fruits paste

uv powder,  aroma powder (great for relax and sleep)

siang pure palm - very good and cheap small bottle only $1.20 compared in Singapore tiger balm $3.50

travel tiger balm , cheapest in the world 40 cents

Singapore selling $1.30

coconut ice cream can be found in chatuchak market

my favourite taxi driver 500baht to airport or whole day booking at 1500 baht

foot massage 200baht for 30mins 

Singaporean - visa needed to visit following countries

for updated list,  please visit:
http://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/consular_information/for_singapore_citizens/visa_information.html


Angola - Singapore passport holders need to provide a letter requesting the issuance of visa, detailing the purpose of the trip and the length of stay and an International Vaccination Certificate, showing the holder's data and page with vaccination against yellow fever.Proof of means of subsistence (equivalent to US$200 per day of stay) is also required. Otherwise, tourists will have to provide a formal declaration of obligation from the inviting person or organisation.

Australia - A popular destination for Singaporeans, all travellers to the country need to apply an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), which is equivalent to a visa.No stamp or label is required. The ETA is linked to your passport and accessible by airlines, travel agents and Australian border agencies. The ETA allows the holder to enter the country as many times as required within 12 months from date of issue, of up to three months per visit.

Belarus A visa application must be submitted no fewer than three business days before a traveller's date of arrival to this landlocked Eastern European country. It is then issued on arrival at Minsk International Airport. Seventeen countries - with varying periods of stay - enjoy visa-free entry.

Bhutan The world's most reclusive country, nestled in the Himalayas, grants unfettered access only to visitors from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Singaporeans require a valid visa and must also book their holiday through a Bhutanese tour operator, who will make the necessary arrangements.

India Only citizens from Bhutan, the Maldives and Nepal are exempted from visa requirements. Those travelling to India on holiday must obtain an e-Tourist Visa (introduced last year), which is valid for 30 days. An application must be made at least four days before the date of arrival.

Marshall Islands The island country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, which has a population of over 60,000 spread out over more than 1,000 islands, is open only to the US and two other island nations - Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. Besides the usual supporting documents, an applicant's letter stating the purpose and duration of visit, a police record and a health clearance (both dated within the last three months) certifying that a person is free from HIV and Aids are required.

Myanmar Citizens from six South-east Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) have visa-free access up to 14 days. Singaporeans will need a visa for travel to the country. An eVisa system solely for tourism was launched last September. Singaporeans with a visa are allowed a 28-day stay but arrival must be via the airports in Mandalay, Naypyitaw or Yangon.

NigeriaThe guidelines for visa application for travellers from Singapore include providing a letter of invitation from a company or hotel booking confirmation which indicating the NRIC or FIN number, name and designation of the signatory.Tourists will also have to present a copy of a recent bank statement showing a minimum credit balance of S$70 per day of stay.

PakistanOnly Singaporeans or foreigners holding a Singapore Dependent pass are allowed to apply for a visa. Travel agents are not allowed to apply it on behalf of the travellers.Pakistani hosts or sponsors will have to provide an invitation letter with their full address, signatures and copy of their Pakistani ID or passport.

Papua New GuineaSingapore citizens are among those who are able to get a single-entry tourist or business visa upon arrival.List of countries that are allowed visa on arrival to PNG here.

 Paraguay & Venezuela Both South American countries have strict visa policies. Venezuela, for instance, requires visitors to present proof that they have enough money to last during their stay, and documents are also needed to show the traveller's next destination. As there is no Paraguayan embassy in Singapore, those wishing to visit the country will need to contact the nearest embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, for more information on how to apply for one.

Russia Singaporeans going to Russia for a holiday will have to purchase a tourist voucher, also known as Russian tourist invitation. The formal document is needed before applying for a tourist visa.However, travellers on a specialised tour to address business issues with local partners, or going for medical consultation and medical examination will have to apply for a specific tourism visa instead.

Saudi Arabia If you are not a citizen of a country belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE), you need a visa. The country is a popular destination for Singaporean Muslim pilgrims, who must register and apply for a separate visa through the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) when performing the annual Haj to Mecca. A new visa centre at Anson Road was set up last year to expedite the application process. Singapore's official Haj quota is 680. - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/singaporeans-need-visa-visit-these-countries-20150625#sthash.sboZvASc.dpuf

Bangkok - lying in coffin for reborn and luck

"NON NAI LONG SOP" means sleeping in a coffin
This temple, Wat Prommanee, 66 miles northeast of Bangkok, has offered its unusual daily resurrection service for more than three years, and its clientele keeps growing, 

Thais believe that daily resurrection washes away bad luck and helps to prolong their lives. It also gives them positive thoughts, so that a lot of these people come back again to Wat Prommanee Temple to rebirth themselves over and over again.

On weekends as many as 700 people a day pay 180 baht each, a little more than $5, for the ceremony and much more for amulets that are auctioned off by temple acolytes.

“We have only 50 of these, a limited edition, the price is up to you!” they cry. “Twenty baht, 50 baht, did I hear 300 baht? Someone has run into luck.” As the number of visitors has grown, their dip into the supernatural has become more perfunctory; now a monk with a bullhorn herds worshipers through the row of coffins, nine at a time.

they follow the monks’ commands: into the coffin, down on their backs, eyes closed, shroud on, shroud off, up on their feet, quick prayer and scramble out into a new life. The whole process takes a minute and a half. The next group of nine is waiting.

A cardboard sign warns visitors not to stand behind the coffins, where bad karma sucked from the “dying” devotees may still be hovering.

The rebirth ceremony is unusual, but not surprising, said Suwannan Sathta-Anand, an associate professor of philosophy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.


The people who come to be reborn here at Wat Prommanee are seeking help for many of the ailments and aspirations of life.

Jirapat Winarungruang, 37, a lawyer, came one recent day to complete a transformation that he began four years ago when he changed his name from the less auspicious Suthep Wina. His new name includes the suffix rungruang, which means prosperity.

Fifty percent of a person’s destiny is determined by his name, Mr. Jirapat said, and the other 50 percent by his date of birth. When he arose from the coffin, born again, he said, the last vestiges of the old Suthep Wina would be gone.

Woraphot Sriboonyang, 30, an engineer, said he had come with Mr. Jirapat and four other family members to rid himself of bad karma. Within just a few weeks, he said, he had suffered a break-in and a bad car accident. He wanted his run of bad luck to stop at two.

Sangkhom Thani, 37, who sells subsidized food for the government, said he hoped for luck in business and relief for his aching back and knees. “If I lie down in the coffin, it will give me a new lease on life,” he said as he examined an expensive new amulet.

Chalida Muansawang, 33, a hairdresser, brought her 12-year-old daughter, Saksithorn, in the hope that a few moments in a coffin would help cure her hyperactivity.
“I’m excited and a little bit scared,” said the girl, who proceeded bravely through the process with her mother lying next to her in an adjacent coffin.

As the morning’s ceremony ended, a long line had already formed for the afternoon shift. Among the newcomers was the entire 36-man Royal Thai Army soccer team, in bright red jerseys, preparing for a match the next day.

Bangkok Coffin Donation - Wat Hua Lamphong beside San Yan MRT station

there are many coffin donation temples in Bangkok,  the easy to get there temple is at Ruamkatanyu Foundation 泰国义德善堂 chinese temple義德堂 beside Sam Yan MRT station not BTS.   next to the chinese temple is Wat Hua Lamphong thai temple and after coffin donation, you can prayed at Wat Hua Lamphong temple.  you will achieved double merits !!!
Getting There:  ruamkatanyu is open 24 hours
if you are in MBK or pratunam area, we strongly suggest take a taxi instead bts or train about $100 baht ($4 Singapore dollar) less than 30 mins to get there.

you can donate coffins for the burial of the destitute deceased at 500 baht (Singapore $25). This goes towards the payment for the coffin & burial ceremony for those who can't afford the cost of death rites or unclaimed bodies from accidents or illnesses.

Coffin donation is considered a form of merit-making for the Thais. It's an act of compassion even if you are not Buddhist.

You will have 2 slips of paper when you make the donation; the pink one, you stick to the wooden empty coffin & the white slip you burn it at an altar where the deities are. It takes less than 15 minutes to make a donation.

below advice on what to do:

1.  go to the reception and pay 500baht per coffin, the helpful volunteer will help you write the name on the receipt (for family donation write xxx + family),   you write the pink copy which is to be pasted on the coffin (no worry coffin is empty).

2.  paste the pink slip on the coffin,  say some prayer or your request or wishes.  after you pasted the pink slip on the coffin,  collect 20 joss sticks and proceeded to the main temple hall










3.   before you burn the receipt,  said some prayers or your wish or request.   after you burnt the receipt, proceed to put your joss sticks according to the urn number 1 to 7 in the chinese temple

 

4.  congrat,  you have obtained merits and will have better live onward !!!!  now proceed to pray at the wat hua lamphong thai temple for more merits and good luck !!! recommend you do it yearly.