Diary - Thailand Side Diary

In Chiang Mai, I felt the loneness I never felt before. This feeling was again felt when I was on my way to Phi-Phi. This journey makes my understand how much important my family and friend to me and I really appreciates their presence around me. 

For the journey, I become more and more appreciates and values my family members and friend. And I must understand that the more I appreciate them the more I expect from them and this more will course me even easier to hurt or being hurt by them. While, I still believe that the true friend is not the one shown in front of you but is the one who stand behind you. And family will also be there for you no matter what. Along the journey, I keep thinking how wonderful God is by given all sorts of colour and people around me and all the earth. 

This is indeed the greatest gift for me to have this chance to make my dream come true.  With this loneliness I found more colours in my life. Now I understand why some people said that by going a tour or trip by yourself, you can learn more about yourself that you don't even know you knew it at all at the first place.

In Kanachaburi, I have this question in mind, why western likes to backpack? Along the journey, I saw only western, no matter English, American, Spain, France etc and where is all the Asian? I managed to see some Korean and Japanese in Bangkok and Phuket and that is. I realized that Asian like Malaysian, Singaporean, Taiwanese etc likes to join a tour guide or tour company rather than backpacking by themselves. I know that most of my friend will take such tour company and not self tour or backpacking. 

I understand one person cannot represent the whole group of people. The Asian, not all but majority likes to engaged tour company because in their mind, travelling is meant for relax and worry-free. So if you ask this majority Asian to do self tour or backpack, they will not do it because its time consuming, a lot of planning (not that they don't have enough planning in their work), many arrangement to be fixed before the actual journey start and many more to be settle. 

So the easier way is to engage a tour company, and no harm of course and I do agreed with this majority of people. But I think the weirdo is only people like me that like to burden our self with all the preparation just to enjoy our trip differently. What I called to enjoy not the trip but the preparation for the trip as well.

In boarder of Malaysia, what will be my next trip beside of self tour to Taiwan? My next backpack journey would be when? There are few places that I wanted to go for at least for within these 3 years until 2014 or 2015. First is Phimai, located in east north of Thailand, a city older than Angkor Wat. 

Backpack journey would be south-east Asia of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I hope can organize a trip to Korea on 2012 as promised with my friend when I was in my last in my law degree. Of course some local destinations like Lang Tengah Island and Sabah.  Also, trip to Macau-Hong Kong, maybe a 6 days tour to these two special region states of China. 

Well, to make all this come true, I need to earn more income and need a fit physical body to do all this tasks. Pray to God and may all this come true in future. 

Diary - Thailand Day 14

Day 14 – 6^th July 2010

Krabi s a town of rock climbing and mangrove tree. The famous rock climbing is located in Ao Nong, but I not good in active sport so I just head to town area. Nothing much as well in the town. I think after all the journey from Chiang Mai to Phuket and Phi-Phi, there is none that can attract my attention anymore. So, I head to Hat Yai, the major city in southern of Thailand. I arrived at the place around 4pm and managed to visit places in the town, near to the bus station. I just need to buy some more snack for my office and family. Because the stock I brought in Krabi were not enough.

Hat Yai has a lot of muslim and Chinese that can speak Malay language and Chinese, but mainly Hokkien dialect.  There are many Chinese style temples (like Penang’s temples as well) and now I know why many Malaysian like to visit Hat Yai every year, for the food, snacks, shop and some for the “service” here (mainly is for guys). I take the 800pm bus to the boarder and back to Malaysia.

I reached the Malaysian boarder around 10pm and Kuala Lumpur around 5am in the morning. I love Malaysia and sure miss Thailand.

Diary - Thailand Day 13

Day 13 – 5^th July 2010

The van came and picks me up for the boat ride to Ko Phi Phi. I felt alone while during the boat ride because everyone seem to have their friend or partner with them. And I left alone and I think I would be cherry if there is a friend or few friends with me. Well, I wanted to do this myself. The ferry provides free coffee and muffins during the ride.

The Viking Resort was waiting for me at the Phi Phi pier and transfer me to their resort. At instance I become very happy because the resort was what I imagine it would be. All the greenery with all the beaches and almost crystal clear beaches. The resort has its own private beaches (well 2 beaches) and because it was low peak season, so I have the beach all by myself, well sharing with 1 or 2 other unknow human passed by. Because over spend in Phuket, I was short in cash and in need of some once reached Krabi the next day.

I just lay down under the tree beside the beach the whole afternoon until evening. It was very relaxing and I need to do it again some time in future (I still miss that feeling now). The bed also very comfortable and just like my own bed and I fall to sleep from 9pm till 9am next morning. Wah.

Diary - Thailand Day 12

Day 12 – 4^th July 2010

Wake up in the morning, breakfast and head to Kata beach, which just 4 minutes walk from my hotel. I have my sun bathing for few hours and become red-dish whole body but not the face. I cant stand the sun any more, so go back to hotel, shower and take bus to town area. I met another tourist from Spain and both of us engaged local taxi tour guide with 1000baht touring some places in Phuket. The Big Buddha was the highlight as we managed to watch the view of whole phuket island and also the sunset view. But the place is just half complete because short of funding. And also some other places like bird nest making, chestnut making,   jewels etc. it was very “tourist” tour and I don't like this and it cost 500baht.

Diary - Thailand Day 11

Day 11 – 3^rd July 2010

Today is the last day with my friend before I go sole on my trip. We wake up early morning for Chatchuchak Market, the biggest market in Bangkok and some said in South East Asia or Asia. The local would call it JJ market. The things selling here are very cheap and from all sort of thing, from kitchen, clothes, outfit, plants, pets, books, foods, massage, fortune telling and many more. I think I will need at least 2 days full in this market. And for sure I will come to this market again in future.

We pack our thing and head to airport. My friends are taking flight back to Kuala Lumpur and I am taking flight also but to Phuket Island. Arrived in Phuket, I take the bus to phuket town because if by taxi, it will cost 800baht per way, but with bus only 85baht, of course time consume. Since bus service stop at 5pm, I have to take motorbike ride to my hotel, cost 300baht for journey 30 minutes. 

At night, I just walk around Patong road and Kata road for dinner. Patong road and its beach is like red-light-district in Phuket. At the night, I feel hot and might be fever, and so take some medicine and rest.

Diary - Thailand Day 10

Day 10 – 2^nd July 2010

We are going to Damoen Saduak Floating Market, located 2 hours from Bangkok also. There are few floating markets near Bangkok but mainly are small scale markets. We take the southern bus line to the market but in fact there are minivan services to the market in Victory Monument. The boat cost us 350baht each for 1 hour tour in the floating market. 

Our boat has roof compare with some other where they have to wear rain cloth. It was in deem a special experiences shopping inside a boat and eating inside a moving boat.

After that, we going back to Bangkok via minivan at the market and the journey was only 2 hours. The jacket we booked yesterday has arrived and it just fit and nice. That night, we going to Siam Paragon (like our Time Square) to meet with Pap and his friend, Dex. The dinner was recommended by them and the food was far better than that Mango Tree. The restaurant called Ban Khun Mae (or in thai means mother’s home).  

After that, we wanted to go to Siroco Skybar but we aware only certain outfit is allow to enter the tower. So, only ping is allow to go inside and since only him, so all of us abroad this plan and go someway else. We head to some tourist market where they have big screen showing the match between Brazil and Spain and Brazil lost the game. 

Diary - Thailand Day 9

Day 9 – 1^st July 2010

Early morning, we take minivan to Ayuthaya, located outside of Bangkok and the journey is around 90 minutes away. We engaged local tuk-tuk for 100baht per hour and it was a temple-visit-tour. The famous was the Buddha’s head inside the tree trunk. The story goes back to war time in Thailand where some people has destroyed the statue and left the head on the tree. 

As the tree grows bigger, it consumed the head statue in between its trunk.  We have KFC for lunch and take the same minivan back to Bangkok. We drop at China town, whole sale market and temples. There was one desert that my friend cant take off her mind, ice peanut desert with syrup thingy, nice.

At the evening, we go to Khao San road, mainly designated for foreign tourists and a lot Korean restaurant as well there.  If you don't mind the condition of the road side, the food at road side quite delicious and cheaper, and it is more local. Khao San is similar with our Jalan Bukit Bintang Changkat and nothing special but worth visiting of course.