Sensational Journey with Heineken

An old Chinese proverb, one of my favourites, says that, "A thousand mile journey begins with one step."

Recently, the world received part deux to this ancient wisdom... "A five thousand kilometers epic adventure starts with a bottle of Heineken."
As every saying has a story, this is the tale of how one guy made a 5,187km journey from Inner Mongolia to Bangkok with no money, no map, and it seems very little clothes, using only bottles of Heineken to pay for all expenses.

Can he make it to his destination? Will premium lager be the new wager on the road? Read on to find out...



The guy in question is model, actor, writer, director, and the one who puts the colour of Hulk in me, Justin Bratton. Based in Bangkok, Justin's mission was to make his way back home to attend Heineken's Sensation Thailand party. The catch was that he can only barter trade throughout his trip with bottles of Heineken in exchange for transportation, clothing and other creature comforts.

And check out his abs! Proves that carrying a backpack full of beers is a smashing six-pac workout!



Watching the trailer makes me thirsty and itching for an unorthodox travel experience like that. Justin's journey is recollected in a 4-part videologue that traces his encounters with a fearsome Inner Mongolian wrestler, navigating the crazy streets of Shanghai on a fruity tricycle, boat hopping across the scenic Yen River in Vietnam, and finally playing Ken doll for a perfect outfit to the Sensation Thailand party. Truly, this is an adventure like no other!

Click on the links to join Justin on his incredibly exotic way to travel :

Part 1 : Wrestling Mongolia
Part 2 : Going bananas in Shanghai
Part 3 : Hopping across Vietnam
Part 4 : Sensation Thailand!

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Taiwan (Yunlin) - Where Romance Blossoms : Feng Hua Oriental Luxury Villa Motel

Date of Stay : 18 Aug 2012

Norman Bates would be so jealous. For over 50 years since the release of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, the movie has seeded a shady reputation of these wayward accomodation off the highways. Motels are places where a cheap date brings you to, a hideout for druggies and fugitives, a breeding ground of criminal activities, terror, and a haven for illicit love affairs.

That opinion of motels may be flawed and untrue. Afterall, I've never stayed in one and all I know about motels come from American movies and creamed by Bates Motel. But that's just about to change with Feng Hua Oriental Luxury Villa Motel (风华汽车旅馆).

No, this is not a disco club but the colourful neon visage of Feng Hua Villa Motel at night. Looks like it's going to be a party staying here!



Drive through reception that leads to garages.

Each garage is linked directly to a room upstairs.

This is the garage that leads to my room. Doesn't matter if one doesn't drive, you can still book a room to stay.

 

This is my room! OMG! It's so gorgeous, I had to pick up my jaw from the floor.

Each room has a different decor. The Grand Suite even has an pavilion looking out to a pool! I don't think 'room' adequately describes what Feng Hua Villa Motel has. They are more like micro gardens or parks. Check out photos of the various room-types here.

 

It's like a dream. The toilet is separated from the room by a huge swivel door. For some fun, I set the camera on long exposure and took this shot. The result was rather interesting with the door's pattern forming a veil over the bathroom.

This has got to be the BEST in-room toilet I've ever seen so far in all my travels! Love the touch of oriental elements that brings to live a certain old-world charm.

Again, the toilet design is different for each room and comes with a full set of toiletries and some other additional items not usually offered at hotels (toothbrush and paste, shampoo, conditioner, cleansing gel, bath foam, facial cleanser, comb, mouthwash, loofa, personal hygiene kit, etc). Hairdryer is also available.

Star feature of the bathroom... indoor jacuzzi! There's even an overhead rain shower. Cool! Or should I say... HOT!!

My first time enjoying a relaxing jacuzzi session in the room while watching TV. There are a lot of channels available, the water is hot and the jets delivering a strong massage. Imagine soaking here with a love one over champagne, chocolate and strawberries...

Entrance of Feng Hua Villa Motel by day.

 

The motel has about 40 rooms and I was told it is very popular so do book early if you're planning a stay here.

 

This is the garage-room I stayed in - 203.

 

Adult toys dispensers are available inside each garage. There is no lack of ways to spice and shake things up in the bedroom. Heh heh.

 

 

This compact cafeteria serves up breakfast and meals at Feng Hua Villa Motel.

 

 

An assortment of jams, spreads and fillings for toast that included melted chocolate. Cocoa fans would get a high from it.

 

 

My favourite items were the steamed tender ocra and savoury pancake roll.

 

Boon Ho (left), Sharmaine (left, back), Haruka (right, back) and Yuca (right) were equally thrilled and impressed with their rooms and stay at the motel.

 

Away from shopping centres and touristy distractions, the best thing to do is to spend a restive vacation in the beautiful and huge rooms where the entertainment is each other.

 

The bird is missing its bee. The motel rooms are built to be shared and enjoyed with a partner or family. Singles may under-ultilise the mood that this 5-star motel has painstakingly created.

 

The lair of Eros where romance comes to blossom.

I'm glad my virgin experience of a motel stay had been so wonderful. But that would be a problem as I don't think any other motel I might encounter in future travels could measure up. Such luxury motels are an attraction in Taiwan and Feng Hua Oriental Luxury Villa Motel, I was told, is the best one around. I wouldn't doubt that although I haven't stayed in other motels.

 

As you saw from the photos, the motel is obviously designed with romance in mind but I'd seen families in its patronage during my stay. Perhaps the family will get some newborns after that. LOL. 

 

Two thumbs up for this interesting lodging that's full of character!

 

Address : No. 20-15, Pinghe Road, Huwei Zhen, Yunlin County

 

Tel : 05-6366666, Fax : 05-6366667

 

Email : windvilla@gmail.com

 

Website : www.thewind.com.tw

 

Related Post : Orient Villa Luxury Motel 

 





Chatuchak Park & Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium

Date of Exploration : 15 Sep 2012

Don't we just love shopping at Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market (a.k.a. Jatuchak Market)? Even the heat of the summer months deterred few from bargain hunting at its confusing maze of eclectic stalls. But what if there is a way to cool off and get away from the crowd and chaos for a while? The good news is, there is!

Upon existing from Mo Chit BTS Station or Chatuchak MRT Station, the weekend market is the only destination for many. But make a small sidestep from these exits and one would discover a vast expanse of green spaces to get lost in.

Chatuchak Park

One of the older parks in Bangkok, Chatuchak Park was completed in 1980 with the Queen Sirikit Park and Wachirabenchatat Park added later to form a massive green lung in the city. The 2 newer parks are separated from Chatuchak Park by a small road (Thanon Kamphaeng Phet 3). See map at the end of this post.

So before getting into the hot and heavy shopping action on this trip, I checked out Chatuchak Park and the Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium located within Wachirabenchatat Park. Apart from capturing some of the seens and sights at these parks, this post also attempts to chart the way to the butterfly garden from Mo Chit BTS Station as there are no signposts pointing out the right directions.

On reaching the bottom of the stairs from Mo Chit BTS Station, turn right and you would've entered one of the gates into Chatuchak Park. You should see one of the exits of Chatuchak MRT Station, and this clock tower. The left leads to Chatuchak Weekend Market while the path on the right leads deeper into the park.

The public park sits on a piece of land that formerly belonged to the State Railway of Thailand. There is a Train Museum within its vicinity so Chatuchak Park is also known as Railway Park (Suan Rot Fai). 'Rot fai' means railway and 'suan' means park in Thai.

The park is landscaped to please and even though it receives quite a high volume of visitor traffic, the park grounds are clean and well maintained.

The park's manmade lagoon doesn't look inviting though and huge catfish lurks in the greyish water. Bought some fish pellets from one of the many park peddlers and teased this monster out for a shot.

Neatly pruned shrubs and floral arrangements decorate the park.

Many locals enjoy a pinic here or just laze by the waterside.

Here's a workout with a view!

After passing a couple of bridges and the gym, we came to this gate that exits to Kamphaeng Phet 3 Road. The entrance to Wachirabenchatat Park is just slightly further up the road across from this gate. If you lose your way to the butterfly garden, just ask the police that patrols the park. They  manage enough English to point you in the right direction.

Wachirabenchatat Park

Previously a golf course, Wachirabenchatat Park is the newest of the 3 parks with refurbishment works starting in 1999.

Top Left : After existing the gate from Chatuchak Park, we walked along the side of the park until we came to a crossing. Top Right : Entrance to Wachirabenchatat Park. There doesn't seem to be any sign that indicates the park's name. We wandered in by chance. Bottom Left : When you reach a split road near the entrance, go right. Bottom Right : Landscaping at the park's entrance looked neglected and unkept.

Bicycles can be rented at about 30bht to cycle around the parks but I have no idea where's the rental station. Next to the drinks stall is a bridge that links to another part of the park.

After crossing the bridge, turn right. Finally saw a sign that I suppose is giving directions about the butterfly garden. Would help if there's English on it.

Thick foliage and lush greenery. It is a totally different world from the frenzy at the weekend market.

After turning right from the white bridge, walk down the road for about 5 minutes and you'll reach the butterfly garden. The park is pretty huge so if you make a wrong turn, it'll be a lot of walking. Look out for guard posts of the park rangers and ask them for directions.

Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium

Finally locating the Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium felt something like a chance encounter because there were no clear and prominent signs to lead us or indicate the various park names. Anyway, ta-da... here we are!

The enclosure looks pretty impressive.

Bangkok Butterfly Garden & Insectarium is open from Tuesday - Sunday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. Entrance is FREE!

Dead insect specimens only form a very small collection at the complex. The main feature is the walk-in enclosure.

A Common Birdwing Butterfly fluttering its wings while feeding.

There are quite a lot of butterflies to see but the species count is not very high.

The key attraction here is the Dead Leaf Butterfly (a.k.a. Orange Oakleaf). Their disguise is impeccable so look closely when you pass by a tree trunk or branch.

The Orange Oakleaf Butterfly seem to favour perching on trees. Apparently the Dead Leaf Butterfly has got 2 forms - dry season and wet season. Dry season ones look well, dry, while the wet ones have darker veins and colourations that make the underside of the butterfly appear moist.

Fruit trays are laid out around the garden for butterflies to feed on and I got to photograph this critter really close. So awesome to see them live instead of pinned to a board.

Butterflies aren't the only flights of fancy in the enclosure.

I didn't expect nature to be so accessible in Bangkok without having to travel to some faraway outskirts or climb up any mountain.

So the next time you are in Chatuchak, on top of shopping for clothes, bags, furnishings and food at the weekend market, shop for your senses amongst the serenity of the nearby parks and meet the winged locals too!