Banana Pancake Trail Day 5 : Bangkok, The Heartbeat of Thailand Part II

On February 23, 2015March 7, 2015 By opfarhanIn ASEANLeave a comment

12/10/2014

For today, we decided to roam around area in central Bangkok. The first place that we went was Siam Center by BTS. Basically its a huge shopping complex with everything in it. We had our lunch there and then we walk our way to BTS again and stop at the very next station which is National Stadium. Actually, there’s a lot of interesting places around Siam Center and National Stadium and all are within walking distance. You can figure it out through the maps that is put at the train station.

We made our way to Jim Thompson House museum from the BTS train station by walking. The Jim Thompson House is the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. Thompson’s achievements during his 25 year stay in the Kingdom of Thailand have won him much fame as the “Legendary American of Thailand”. He is actually a former US Army officer who had his working stints in Thailand and then fall in love with the culture. So once he retire from the service, he decide to come back to Thailand. The entrance fee for this is 50baht for student price and 100baht for normal visitors. We were provided with a tour guide who is proficient in English to explain us about every details about the place. The architecture of the buildings is pretty much the same like Malay house in Malaysia, which reminds me of my own house in village before it was renovated.

After that, we walked about 500 metres and reached the Bangkok Art & Gallery Center. There was no entrance fee to enter this place. This gallery is huge and the way they decorate it is very stylish. This is the rendezvous of art industry in Thailand, be it painter, film-maker, comic artist etc. It has 7 floors and we actually went to every floor! haha. The coffee house here is pretty cool.

After we done exploring the art world at the gallery, we moved to our next stop which is the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. This market is must-visit place for everyone who put their foot in this city. We reach there by BTS, which stops at Mo Chit station. From there we walked about 100 metres before we reach the market. U can find almost everything here. If U can haggle, please do so. But what I can see is the hawker here does not tolerate much, as the initial price quoted is already low. The size of the market is super duper freaking huge. For muslims, do not worry much about the food as there were a lot of muslims hawker here. I bought a couple of shirts and fridge magnet here. I even tried the fried grasshoppers for the first time ! A few interesting facts I encounter is at everyday at 6pm , the national song will be aired and everyone is obliged to stand still as a sign of respect, regardless of whatever you are doing at that time. A great way to foster patriotism indeed.

Banana Pancake Trail Day 4 : Bangkok, the heartbeat of Thailand

On February 23, 2015March 7, 2015 By opfarhanIn ASEANLeave a comment

11 OCTOBER 2014 : We had our breakfast at the hotel around 9.30am as it was included as part of the package( a very good bargain isnt?). After that , we started our journey for the day by taking taxi from the hotel to the Grand Palace. It cost us around 70baht divided by 3. Thats the perks of travelling with group as you can spread the cost among your group members. But if you are solo traveller, it is advisable to use the MRT. After roaming around that area, we decided to take a boat package to tour around Menam Chao Phraya river. The initial price was 1000 baht for 3 person, but we managed to haggle and reduced it to 800 baht. We did not enter the Grand Palace as the entrance fee was too expensive (20USD), hence we decided to spend the day with the boat. We boarded the boat and we cruised the Menam Chao Phraya river with 2 other traveller from Vietnam. Actually they are not Viatnamese but they are expatriates from USA and France whom are having teaching stint in Hanoi. They are very friendly and I actually amazed by their willingness to fly across the world to teach people from 3rd world country. Among the activities that we did during the trip was feeding the fish ( I tell u, the fishes were damn huge), floating market and end the trip at the Temple of the Dawn, Wat Arun. The prices of the fish at the floating market was super cheap and we had our lunch there. I guess it is because the fish was too much and easy to get, hence the price. It was 3 times cheaper than the price of fish in Malaysia. The taste of the fish was fabulous and it was very fresh. At Wat Arun, we chilled out for 3 hours enjoying the view of Bangkok from the the top of the temple.

The Floating market. See the abundance of fish ?

Bangkok view From Temple of the Dawn, Wat Pho

After that, we proceed to the The Reclining Buddha complex by taxi. The entrance fee is 100Baht. The complex was very huge, consists of several temple and thousands of sitting buddha monuments. I even stay in their prayer hall and listen to monk’s recitation for about 15 minutes. The architectures were marvellous and wonderful. They use tiles and marbles as their main substance to built the place. There was heavy downpour while we are in. Luckily at that time we already finished touring the whole complex and we did bring disposable rainjacket with us.

20141011_165423 — The complex. this was right before the rain

Then, we went to the famous Khao San Road , which is known as the place for backpackers around the world to stay in Bangkok. The street was indeed lively, just like Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, except that it is more happening. We had our dinner there by buying fried mee at the stall. If you are a backpacker that like to have collector’s item, this is the place. I bought some flag patches to be patch at my backpack, resembling the country that i have been before. In Khao San road, they even have services for faking passport and license ! Make sure you haggle everytime you want to buy something here. After that, we took Tuk2 to Ratchanewi train station. On our way there, the driver even offered us to watch shows (U know what I mean). We decline the offer. I believe it was a test of faith. Hahaha. Bangkok is no place for the weak-hearted.

Khao San road. No more pictures allowed . hehe

Banana Pancake Trail : Day 3, crossing the overland border

On December 20, 2014March 7, 2015 By opfarhanIn ASEAN, Perjalanan HidupLeave a comment

10 October 2014 :

We woke up at around 6.30am and packed our stuff for the trip to Bangkok. The bus company’s tuk2 that we booked 2 days before came to pick us at hotel at 7.45am and brought us to the company’s office. We embarked on our journey at 8.00am. As i stated before in my previous post, there are couple of reason why I chose this company. Firstly, the feedback from the previous customers of this company was very good. Eventhough it’s a little bit expensive, but there is assurance you will not suffer throughout the journey or encounter any mishaps. I dont want to take risk because once we reach the the border of cambodia and Thailand, anything can happen. Then, the seat is comfortable and they provided us with morning snacks and lunch. I came across reviews about other companies that provided the same service to Bangkok albeit with lower prices, and the feedback was very bad. They had to compress themselves in a bus of 60 people for 4 hours journey to the border and once u pass through the border , u had to scuffle for minivan. Hence, I chose Nattakan bus company which provided the hassle-free service.

The bus reached the border at 11.30am. The whole process at the immigration took us about 45 minutes and everything was going smooth as planned. We saw some problems faced by those who used other bus and there shoutings in which we cant understand. The bus conductor patiently waited for us at the other side of the border before guiding us back to the bus and continued our journey to Bangkok. One interesting sight was school children passing through the border everyday,in which they are cambodians who are schooled in Thailand. They literally going abroad everyday !

20141010_110009 — crossing the border with the kids !

We arrived at Bangkok Mo Chit bus station at 4.30pm. Initially we plan to take taxi to the nearest MRT station but the price was expensive so we took Tuk2 instead. From the MRT Mo Chit station, we shoot straight to Hualampong Central Train station to buy our ticket to Surat Thani next Monday. This is where people come to take trains to all other cities in Thailand. When we first arrived there, the person in charged at the information counter recommended us to take package to Krabi as it would be easier. She brought us to the travel agent office to book the packages. However, after much consideration, we concluded that the package price was too pricey (1000 baht , inclusive of 2nd class train ticket and bus from Surat Thani to Krabi). Luckily we did our research prior the journey and we decided to gamble and will just take any bus at the Surat Thani train station and hop into any bus once we reach there later. The fare for 2nd class fan ticket to Surat Thani cost us around 500 baht.

From Mo Chit Bus station to Mrt. Its quite dusty

We had our dinner at a foodstall besides the Hualamphong Railway Station. I bump into a local who actually can speak Malay and he showed us the halal food stall. It is important for travellers to ask questions to locals because u would not know what kind of assistance u can get unless u open your mouth. Once we finished our dinner, we departed to On Nut MRT station via the Sukhumvit Interchange MRT Station. From On Nut, we took taxi to our hotel that I already booked. Initially, we came to the wrong hotel and I alreay worried that we might not be able to reach the hotel as the time already 10pm. Luckily we still managed to find the hotel after roaming around the area. The location of the hotel was quite isolated. Maybe that’s the reason why the price is cheap. We only paid RM66 per night(I booked online through Agoda) for a King size bedroom plus breakfast. So we only paid RM22 per person per night !

The receptionist in this hotel were very friendly and their hospitality was great. I overheard them speaking Kelantanese on the phone so I decided to have a conversation with them as I know the basic Kelantenese. From there, I was told that the owner and workers of this hotel were from Pattani and most of them were muslim. So all the foods they served were halal foods. Its really a big relief for me. I dont have to worry much about food in this hotel. Their room was very comfortable and I believed i had struck a bargain by choosing this hotel.

BANANA PANCAKE TRAIL : DAY 2, THE MAGNIFICENT ANGKOR WAT

On December 13, 2014February 23, 2015 By opfarhanIn ASEAN, Perjalanan HidupLeave a comment

9 OCTOBER 2014

We begin our journey to Angkor Wat complex at 8am , intending to complete the Small circuit. There are 2 types of circuit. The Small Circuit takes in several of the major temples around the area while Grand Circuit is an extension on the little circuit but covering more temples and places and is highly recommended for anyone spending three or more days in the complex. As we only stay in Siem Reap for 2 full days, we chose the small circuit.

This is where the Tuktuk fill in their petrol. Easy right ?

Our mode of transport was tuktuk. After lengthy negotiations the night before, the tuktuk driver agree to bring us around small circuit for USD15 plus the sunset view. If u have only one day, its better to take tuktuk rather than renting the bicycle, as the place was huge! it will drag your time trust me. But if u have the three days pass, then go for bicycle. It only cost u 1USD per day. The distance from central Siem Reap to Angkor Wat complex entrance is about 8km. The fee for one day pass is 20USD.

Our first stop was the Angkor Wat temple. This is the main temple of the Angkor Wat complex. Angkor Wat literally means “City of Temple“. It is a Hindu temple built by King Suryavarman. We hired a licensed tour guide to guide us and explain about this marvellous architecture. We pay 10USD for that services. It is highly recommended to do so because it would be a great waste if u just come there to take pictures and not knowing the treasure behind the construction of this temple, For me, the essence of travelling is to know other cultures and history and not just sightseeing. Try to haggle the price because there are tour guides who tried to charged USD15 per head ! in that case, just let it go, and find other tour guide. But dont haggle too much too. Be reasonable.

The entrance to Angkor Wat. We have to cross the river that symbolizes as world and the complex that is symbolizes as sky kingdom

The Angkor Wat temple is very huge and it takes us 2 1/2 hours to fully explore that temple. It has three main part and the last part u reach will be the “heaven” part. As we stroll around the temple , the tour guide explained us about the unique history of Angkor empire and the meaning of the symbol inside the temple. One interesting fact, the Ayutthaya city in Thailand use to be under the kingdom, and the people associate themselves as khmer people.

View from heaven, as the tour guide told us

After Angkor Wat Temple, we had our lunch in one of the restaurant along the journey. The price is quite expensive though and i suggest those who want to have lunch to pack their own. Then we progress to the next temple in the small circuit. For every temple , there will be people selling stuff and dont say anything to them unless u want to buy anything, or else they will wait u to finish and force u to buy something. In one of the temples that we visit, there are people who performing traditional khmer music and most of them are the victims of Pol Pot regime. The music was nice and I decided to give some token as appreciation. One more thing, I regretted that I did not buy some of their drawings. It was cheap and beautiful. U can scroll it and put it into your backpack.

The last temple we visit for the day is the Angkor Thom complex. It comprises of several temples, the famous one is the Bayon Temple. Built in the latter part of the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII, Bayon is one of the most widely recognised temples in Siem Reap because of the giant stone faces that adorn the towers of Bayon. There are 54 towers of four faces each, totalling 216 faces. However before we reach there, suddenly there was super heavy rain and we had to take cover in a small hut with Buddha statue and people praying. I feel very awkward at that time with my wet clothes. haha. The rain lasted for about 45 minutes and after that me and my colleague continue to explore the complex. Due to the rain, we missed our sunset as the entrance to the sunset view spot is only open untill 5.30pm. We reach our hostel at 6.30pm.

For the night activities, we explore the Pub Street and had our dinner at stalls along the street. I prefer to eat there as I can see they way they prepare the food and ensure it is halal. Besides that, the taste is nice and the price is cheap. The juice stall is highly recommended as it is fresh and tasty.

Banana Pancake Trail : Pre-Departure and Day 1

On December 1, 2014March 7, 2015 By opfarhanIn ASEAN, Perjalanan HidupLeave a comment

Here it is. Banana pancake trail. I have been craving to do this route for a year. The initial plan was to start from Vientianne , Laos going through Hanoi (for their awesome Halong Bay) , Saigon and Phnom Penh, but I had to scrap it out due to to my other travel partners who had time and budget constraints. Some might say, just go for solo travel, but as this is my graduation trip, i decided to sacrifice that because I want to make this trip memorable with my close friends. Solo Travelling can wait later. So for those whom never heard of this route , you can check it here . 7-8 October 2014

I departed from my hometown bus station(Teluk Intan) to KL at 6.25pm and reach the Puduraya Bus Station at 9.30pm. As expected , my journey was quite rough as the bus company ,SPT , does not use the highway route and I was sitting at the back. After trying to contact my friends and checking out the hostel rate in KL, I decided to stay at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS). It seems that everyone was unavailable. To make things worse, the surau at TBS was locked and the hotel rate at TBS was a rip-off at RM15 per hour. As i roam inside TBS, a stranger whom I bet in the same condition as mine ask me to follow him to smoking room to sleep. I initially quite hesitated but after exploring the whole tbs, i decided to go there and joined him. To my surprises, we are not the only people who are stranded as it looks like people are everywhere sleeping at chairs and foodcourt.

I woke up at at 5.40am and perform my subuh prayer. Due to expensive price of food in KLIA , i decided to chill out at TBS and had my breakfast there. At 10am, i departed to KLIA2 by shuttle bus which cost only RM9 , which is way cheaper than KLIA transit which charges u at RM26. The journey takes about 45 mins. After that, I met my travel buddies a.k.a SRC mates , Cham and Dhanesh at KLIA2. I did my currency exchange at Maybank as the rate was better compared to CIMB and Bank Islam.

We departed to Siem Reap with AirAsia AK540 at 1.30pm. Guess what, my fares only cost me RM70. I made friends with a guy named Simon from Australia which sits beside me. We chat about our own journey. Apparently, he and his GF are having vacation for 3 months. Yes, for 3 Months. I really admire their boldness when they want to do something. He just quit his job for the trip. We arrived at Siem reap Airport around 2.30pm local time. The journey actually takes about 2 hours. After that, we went to our hostel that I had booked before through Agoda by using the Tuk-tuk that was provided by the hostel for free. The Hostel was about 5km from the airport. When we arrived there, the hostel lady was already there to greet us. The hostel location was perfect, as everything is within walking distance. We book triple room for 2 nights for RM 90. So roughly its around RM15 per person for each night. Totally worth it as the hospitality was good and the room was comfortable(by backpackers standard).

The TukTuk that pick up us at the airport

We had our dinner at local restaurant in pubstreet. Bear in mind, everything here is in USD. So make sure U bring enough USD if u plan to travel to cambodia. This is due to their very weak currency. There is KFC too in pubstreet. We book our bus to Bangkok that day to ensure that we did not miss out the tickets. It cost us USD28. yes I know might be quite expensive but the bus company that I chose is the best for Bangkok trip. I did my research and Nattakan services are good and hassle free. U can get bus ticket as cheap as USD15 , buttttt, u going to endure a tough time. They would only send u to the border and u need to take van from the border to Bangkok. U can checkout from travel websites such as TripAdvisor for more details. I had the Banana Pancakes ! The taste was quite good. Its like a combination of roti canai and waffle. The road was dusty and it is advisable for traveller to bring face mask. We enjoyed the Phare circus performance at night as it was rated 5 star in Trip Advisor. It is quite expensive though at USD 15 for one hour show.