Posts Tagged ‘Thailand 2014’
Saturday, April 18th, 2015
Photo of the Day: Remember the horses in love in front of the train station in Hua Hin, Thailand? Here’s the close-up portrait shot of those happy horses.
* This is a different snapshot from the previous one.
The sharp details and shallow field of view of the camera and lens really impressed me in this snapshot of the happy horses just outside the Hua Hin Railway Station in Thailand. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Looking at them really cheered up my day!
Tags:EM1, happy, holiday, horses, Hua Hin, love, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, smiling, statues, statuettes, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Sunday, April 12th, 2015
Photo of the Day: Right at the entrance of the railway station in Hua Hin is a landscape garden decorated with plenty of interesting statues. One of these statuettes were of a pair of toothy horses laughing happily away.
Why do these horse look so happy? Could it be that they’re in lurvvv? Just outside the Hua Hin Railway Station in Thailand. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
These horses just looked so happy!
Tags:EM1, happy, holiday, horses, Hua Hin, love, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, smiling, statues, statuettes, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Saturday, April 11th, 2015
Photo of the Day: After all his passengers had safely alighted from his train, this weary but smart-looking driver alighted and walked down the length of the platform, proudly inspecting his train as he walked.
This smart looking train driver – is he just visiting from Bangkok, or is he homeward bound to his home in Hua Hin? What kind of life story does he have to tell? Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
We were visiting the historic and beautiful train station in Hua Hin when the train from Bangkok arrived.
The passengers promptly unloaded and dissipated quickly from the platform.
I was lingering on the platform, snapping photos when the train driver emerged from his driver’s cabin and began walking down the platform.
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Tags:conductor, driver, EM1, emo, holiday, Hua Hin, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, platform, potd, Thailand, Thailand 2014, train
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, Lens, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, Travel, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Sunday, February 1st, 2015
We were walking around the beautiful railway station in Hua Hin, Thailand when we stumbled upon this happy figurine of a laughing boy, sitting at the entrance to a quaint book cafe.
A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The peaceful cafe was on the other side of the traffic circle in front of the railway station.
The small cafe was simple and peaceful, a welcome refuge from the direct heat of the midday sun.
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Tags:books, boy, cafe, EM1, figurine, holiday, Hua Hin, laughing, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, statue, statuette, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | No Comments »
Sunday, January 4th, 2015
We were walking around our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand and admiring the aesthetic decor all around us, when we came across these wall flower arrangement. Loved it!
Here are some flowers decorating the walls along the walls of the garden. So creative. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Door flower, wall flowers – so much nature and creativity all round.
Tags:EM1, flowers, holiday, hotel, Hua Hin, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, Travel, travel | No Comments »
Saturday, January 3rd, 2015
We were walking around our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand and admiring the aesthetic decor all around us.
Here are some flowers decorating the doors of some of the rooms in the garden. We loved the peacefulness just looking at the flower arrangement. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
It was really therapeutic just walking around and smelling the flowers around us.
Tags:EM1, flowers, holiday, hotel, Hua Hin, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | No Comments »
Sunday, December 28th, 2014
In addition of making overseas calls from your home country, you can also use Skype to call family, friends and colleagues who back in your home country on their landline or mobile – when you are travelling overseas. All you need is Wi-Fi access or mobile broadband on your smartphone, and some Skype credits.
Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.
When I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while waiting at the customs, I logged on to the free Wi-Fi network in the airport and used Skype to call a local sight to make enquiries and make reservations for a day trip to a wildlife rescue centre in Petchaburi.
Free airport Wi-Fi in Thailand
I found out when writing this article that the AOT Wi-Fi network at Suvarnabhumi Airport is provided by True Move and is available at the main internaltional airports in Thailand.
These include the airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport serving Bangkok provides a pretty decent free Wi-Fi to travellers in its terminals – good enough to make VoIP calls using Skype.
First you need to register in the login page for the AOT network in the airport and you get to use the network for free for up to 2 hours a day.
Don’t bother to memorise the complicated userid and password they issue you, the next time you use the network – which is probably when you leave Thailand – you can register as a new user again and use a new set of userid and password.
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Tags:airport, AOT, broadband, Microsoft, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Skype, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move, Wi-Fi
Posted in App, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Microsoft, Network, Office, Skype, Software, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Wi-Fi | 1 Comment »
Sunday, December 14th, 2014
A dual-SIM phone allows you to stay contactable to your regular contacts yet enables you to take advantage of more affordable local data/voice rates to avoid expensive overseas roaming charges – without having to carry two separate mobile phones.
The Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) is one of the increasing number of smartphones that support a dual-SIM capability.
Nowadays, it is increasingly easy to get a local SIM card when one travels overseas for work or leisure.
The local SIM allows you to make/receive calls at affordable local rates and more significantly, to stay connected via mobile broadband – without chalking out a huge bill.
You can read
over here all about the benefits of getting a pre-paid local SIM card whenever you travel overseas.
But most mobile phones allow only one SIM card to be installed – so if you put in the local SIM card, you’ll have to remove your regular SIM card and become uncontactable to those who call you on your regular number, unless you forward those calls to your local number.
Otherwise, you’d carry a second single-SIM card phone, which is a hassle.
Not too long ago …
I remember in the early days of smartphones, people were selling dual-SIM card adaptors the size of regular sized SIM cards that you could place two micro SIM cards in.
You’d have to cut your regular sized SIM card yourself into micro SIM card size and it was a daunting proposition for most people to risk damaging your SIM card in the process.
These adaptors only worked for certain models of mobile phones, and you need to switch off and on the phone to switch between the SIM cards.
Fortunately, smartphones have evolved and nowadays, you have dual-SIM card phones that enable you use both SIM cards at the same time.
I brought along a Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) dual-SIM card phone during my short break to Thailand and it was such a blessing.
There are two micro-SIM card slots so I could keep my regular SIM card in one slot and plug in the prepaid local SIM card that I bought at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the other.
The guy at the True Move counter did all the set up for me.
So after five minutes of queueing and five minutes of installation and payment, I was as connected in Thailand as I was at home back in Singapore.
I could receive roaming calls on my regular number from my friends back in Singapore and other parts of the world, while at the same stay connected on email and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the mobile broadband on the local SIM card.
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Tags:airport, broadband, Lumia, Mi-Fi, Microsoft Devices, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Android, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Devices, Moto, Motorola, Nokia, Phones, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Windows Phone 8 | No Comments »
Saturday, December 13th, 2014
First thing I did when I exited the gates in the Arrival Hall in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was to get myself a pre-paid SIM card that gave me a local number for voice calls and seven days of mobile data broadband at 299 THB.
The truemove shop is one of the first things you come across when you exit the gates at the Arrival Hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Immediately after exiting the gates in the Arrival Hall, you’ll come upon this telco shop that sells pre-paid SIM cards, as well as other mobile plans.
The 7-day prepaid SIM card offered by True Move is one of a few pre-paid mobile plans available in Thailand. This package bundles 7 days of unlimited data, free call credits of 100 THB and incoming call, your own local number, attractive international call rates – all for 299 THB or approximately S$12.
Here’s where you can grab an affordable and convenient pre-paid SIM card that gives you mobile broad band as well as voice calls, and a local number.
I’m here for seven days, so I was delighted to grab the 7-day SIM card that costs 299 THB, or S$12.
You get seven days of free broadband mobile data as well as 100 THB of free call credits, which gives you 100min of local talk time at 1 THB/minute.
The seven days are calendar days and includes the day you bought the card, ending at 2359hrs on the seventh day.
What I found useful was not only the free call credits but having a local number that you can give out for others to contact you via local calls.
My wife can now call me at local rates, through her autoroam.
Otherwise, she would have to make an overseas call just to get me on my Singapore mobile number – you know sometimes we get separated in crowded places, or we deliberately split up to visit different shops etc.
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Tags:airport, Bangkok, broadband, Changi, Hua Hin, Mi-Fi, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Network, Phones, Promotions, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 12th, 2014
It’s the year-end school holidays and the family decided to take an impromptu short break to Thailand for a week.
Welcome to the Land of Smiles. Here the welcoming facade of our hotel in Hua Hin, Thailand.
We’d initially thought about going to Krabi but it looked so crowded in photos on the Web that we decided to choose somewhere that’s more “off the beaten track”.
So we settled on Hua Hin, a popular weekend getaway for the local Thais in Bangkok.
Time for relaxation. Laidback sculpture in the gardens of our hotel in Hua Hin.
It’s a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bangkok and four-plus-hour journey by train or bus.
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Tags:Bangkok, Hua Hin, Microsoft, Moto G, Motorola, Olympus, Skype, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, travel
Posted in Cameras, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lens, Microsoft, MIL, Moto, Motorola, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, Skype, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel, travel, Zuiko | 2 Comments »
