Recap: In Bangkok, I had no idea about it at all!!!

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

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Before we could see proper Bangkok, we could also see uneven underdevelopment and development around Dusit area. I read about Dusit too while doing some research and planning the trip, but I don't know how to return to the area after I reached Bangkok Hualampong station. 

In simple word, pembangunan tak sekata at suburban area... Houses like setinggan along the railway and the roof of people's houses even scrapped the train's window, lol! The train stopped at few minor stations too and there are people selling food like fruits, coffee, and kueh coming in and out the train. Out of the window, I saw people sleeping, having meals, and sitting on newspaper spread over the floor along the rail way side. I saw a monk having his meal on a newspaper under trees too, funny... ahaha.

It reaches Hualampong Station in Bangkok around 12:00 mid day. I just proceed to the information counter and getting the map for the city because I was totally clueless. It is my first time there anyway. And I have to pay 50 bhat for the map. Then I just said to the lady at the counter, "fiuhhhhh, thamrai pud thai nyuung maaaq neee ur." (I can't really speak proper Thai, so difficult!). She just chuckled at my face. 

A canal not far from Hualampong Station.

The couple from Mauritius had approached a travel agent at the station, but I avoided them because I am on tight budget and, alone... I think for a moment and begin to realize that I need to perform Dzuhr prayer so I went up at the left side of the information counter. They have a musalla up there for Muslim and there I met few Muslims waiting for Dzuhr. I didn't notice that there is an automatic clock showing the prayer times. So I asked an uncle in Malay but he thought that I am a Thai so I just talk to him in Thai. 

I felt quite weird because we are from neighboring states, where they perhaps come from Pattani, Yalor (Yala), Naro, or Senggoro (Songkhla) who supposedly to talk in Tani Malay. I regret I didn't take the picture at the musalla, it looks classic with Jawi Malay written in Thai sounding Malay with alphabet ha at a vowels. Then we performed Dzuhr prayer jama' with 'Asr because everyone are in travel. Jama' is a simplified prayer where we combine two prayer times into one. There is a specific topic about this.

Streets sign, and I was actually at China Town area while snapping this.

After the prayer, I began to walk out of the station and thinking on the next step. What should I do in a city I had never been before and it is a foreign city. I have no slightest idea about the city. Should I also change my SIM card by buying a new pack for Thai number? But I am not sure how many days I would be there and my budget is quite limited. It would be different if I work or live there. I just bought some water from a convenient store which costs me around 10 bhat. They also have grilled pork in the convenient store. Never thought that it would be sold... openly but that is Thailand, haha.

 Wat Traimitr, Yaowarat. Non Thai have to pay entrance fee to enter the temple maintenance but it is free for locals.

Then I walked and looking around Hualampong Station. I could see Yaowarat which is their China Town. I saw Wat Traimitr and walked in because I didn't know what to do. Then I walked out after noticing that they demanded non-Thai to pay the entrance fee when looking around the temple complex. I didn't intend to look around the temple complex or any places yet since I didn't have any accommodation. The first thing that I should do is to get some rice because I was so hungry and I ate just scarcely after buying those expansive loaves of bread in Padang Besar.     

Wat Traimitr temple complex from a chinese hardware shop.

Then I made up my mind to return to Hualampong station but I don't want to take the bus because I don't know the roads or areas in Bangkok yet. It would be dangerous if we don't know where we are about to bound and not all of the people are well-versed with the city because we are also like that here, ha ha ha. I decided to take Metro Rail Transit Authority and I choose to go to Silom after I checked my notebook and that is the only area that I had read about before which fit the destination stated at the computer. Silom is the area where red shirts protesting for Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra to be returned to Prime Minister's seat.

 On my way to MRT station.

They have security check where people have to go through scanner and also checking the bag and I am giving full cooperation to this because I know that it is for people's benefit. It is a bit fussy but I think that is good to ensure the security and tourists would feel safe.  But the guard refused to check my bag as I approached him trying to open up my own bag for him to check.

The guards who checked my bag or people in the underground train station are quite friendly and they treated me nicely. So, please don't worry if our brothers and sisters wanted to visit the city. I paid 30 bhat for Silom road in the machine and it gave me a coin to be touched at the gate. 

to be continued...

Recap: In the Way to Hualampong Station

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

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I personally think that it is always good to follow sunnah (but betel leaves is not mentioned anywhere in hadiths nor Quran at least till what I am reading right now). However we must also trying to adapt with the situation. We are out of our boundary so it is better to be careful in our attitude and it's worth to comply within local customs or being polite. The samseng Thai attendant (not uncle Sumant) had asked the ticket again from the Tabligh guy and the Tabligh showing it with sign language that his ticket had already been checked. 

Then the attendant asked me what was that guy saying. I just said, I don't know him and I don't understand what he is saying. He's not my country man. That guy then asked the Tabligh guy to give 100 bhat (RM10) to him or he would report him to the police. Then the guy refused and showed him the ticket. The samseng attendant showed his wai (sembah) and left to another coach. I guess, he might be teasing the Tabligh guy. Maybe dia menyampah ke tengok orang tu macam berlagak, jeling-jeling orang. I felt annoyed too with that Bangladeshi guy's sharp glance.

Around 20:15 Thai time, we arrived at Hadyaai Junction and the Tabligh guy went down at this point. At 20:27, uncle Sumant wearing his white uniform began to help passengers opening up the bed. My bed was the lower bed beside Thai old lady.

I decided to sleep earlier because nothing to see in the dark. I had informed mum about the trip when we stopped at Perlis but she didn't believe me, hehehee. However, when she heard that I am telling her in serious tone only she believes me. Just want to get her blessing and want her to know where I am so it would be easy for them to track me if I have problem in Thailand. 

I just heard a news about a guy who was a Malaysian student in Japan found dead in Pattaya after stopping for a while in Bangkok. I checked the news at Suvarnabhumi airport free internet facility and suddenly I felt creepy because that guy was found dead a week before I went up to Bangkok. Pattaya is not a good place, avoid the area if possible and don't show that we are not local when we are in Thailand. 

Spaniard girl, Celia who was my classmate went there for Pattaya to see pingpong played by ladies' private part. Malu nak sebut benda ni lah but that is among the ways on how they attract tourists to the area. We would spontaneously call it as lo'laq (indecent) if we hear this. Many foreigners were found dead there too before our compatriot who was the student in a Japan university was found dead there.

Thailand have many other decent places to visit so just visit good areas there. Always establish good relation with people around and don't take taxis or bus when you are alone. I prefer to walk in a crowded area when I am alone. I would like to express my condolence to his family and friends, and prayer for the soul of the victim, Mr. Muhammad Syafiq Abu Rani who was found dead in Pattaya. He is just the same age like me. May Allah bless his soul, and clears his matter in the world and hereafter.

Back to the train, around 4:00 in the morning of 26th, I woke up and performed Fajr prayer on my bed. Just performing in seating posture and they have curtain so nobody can see my ritual, quite a relieve. Then I saw sun rises from the window, and we another few hours to reach Bangkok. 

It would be so boring if we don't talk with anyone so I decided to walk around the coach with other passengers. I talked with a couple from Mauritius but the husband is a French. They also thought that I am a Thai and asking me to translate something to a lady selling the food in the train because they had some misunderstanding regarding food ordering. Then, they gave me some tips to access Laos, but I am not intending to go further North East yet. Maybe after I visit Bangkok and Southern Thai provinces several times that I would try to visit other neighboring Indo-Chinese countries. 

I carefully ate some breads and canned drink which cost me RM5!!! Bought them at Padang Besar passport control center. The guy who sold the stuffs is a local Perlisian. Very 'expensive' for breads that we always buy in groceries. I guess that, it is not even an airport! Sampai hati noh angpa kapak orang sniri!!! Roti nam kupang ja jadi seringgit, apa punya meniaga la nih dok kapak pala orang??????!!!!  

to be continued...

Recap: Backache and Boredom in Train

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

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In the beginning I thought that we would right away have a bed, but I was wrong. We have to sit first because the train schedule is crossing the schedule of domestic passengers who travel from Bukit Mertajam, Kuala Muda, and Arau stations to Hadyaai Junction. I sat at the seat number 36 in coach no.10, just beside a Thai national auntie.

Didn't talk much with her due to differences in our dialects. I can understand her but she is having hard time to understand our regional Thai because each region and area have their own words and differ greatly to each other. 

We have Malay words and sometimes Persian words mixed in our Thai while their Thai is standard Thai according to their national system. I would look like a five years old Thai kid trying to talk to adults when trying to talk with the auntie, haha. Few long hours sitting in the train I began to feel bored and my back ache. I need to walk sometimes and stand to release the tense at certain parts.

 This is my bed, prepared by uncle Sumant who was the train attendant. Quite dark and the train is moving, can't properly snap it.

At Bukit Mertajam, the train stopped for a moment for other domestic passengers. A girl with tudung labuh and maroon baju kurung sat in front of me. Later she talked at the phone, I guess she talked with her brother who lived in Kuala Lumpur. Her face looks like a Tabligh brother in our Tekun hostel who's known as Naufal and coincidentally she is heading to Arau station in Perlis, no kidding mannn!!!! 

That Tabligh kid is also from Perlis, particularly from Beseri. I could still remember when I asked that guy in the car just after we returned from Tabligh activity in their mosque in Georgetown. Jangan-jangan adik dia tak or might be related to that guy? Perlis bukan besar sangat. Just lazy to talk with anyone. Further, what I have to do with those Tabligh guys??? They are not here anymore, hahaha. 

I just take a look at the window relaxing my mind, trying to make myself happy. The train stopped again at Kuala Muda station in Sungai Petani. It's my hometown where I was born anyway. Then at Arau, most of domestic passengers went down. And the train proceed to Padang Besar for passport control center for crossing border passengers.  

 Passengers preparing to sleep, and it's quite shaky in the train so we can see that it's blurry ahahaha.

Oh yeah, there was also a Tabligh guy who is heading for Haadyai. Perhaps to their center for their activities, but he seems quite pompous, looking at me and the Buddhist auntie in front of me like trash. I didn't wear anything that shows my religion or faith and I speak in Thai while in train with attendants because they don't speak neither English nor Malay so perhaps he thought that I am a non-Muslim too. And he is so out of attitude chewing sirih (betel leaves), messing the floor with his chewed betel leaves. 

He didn't show any respect to the auntie in front of him too with his feet showing to the elder because I know how Thai Buddhists are. Most of them are very polite although differently to Muslim Malays. Pointing our feet or fore finger to elders and person upper to our level is considered as biadab (barbaric). I was like so surprised to see this because I was told differently about Tabligh and manners though I am not the member of the movement. Perhaps, with my background as south east asian whom are familiar with polite customs compared to those from south asian, i might not be suitable to mingle around with them.

 Hualampong Station, they had a book fair there and all books are written in Thai.

After we stopped by at Arau Station, the train further moves to Padang Besar. I can see Arau Mosque, al-Madrasah al-'Alawiyyah ad-Diniyyah which was my school when I was 13. I saw boys playing soccer at the field and green paddy fields. Houses of village folks. It reminds me of my naughty times and later my mum had to transfer me to Selangor when she heard something 'weird' happened to me, hahaha. My maternal grandparents lived in Arau and now we already lost them :'(

Quite modern station, well it is a capital train station just like KL Central in our Kuala Lumpur but might not be the same like KL Central. They have King's picture up there and ticket counters for domestic and international trips. Most are written in Thai so if you are not sure, just ask the information counter. They can help us with some English but be prepared if they can't differentiate Thais and non-Thais because South East Asians in average just look the same, hahaha.

Then the train stopped for maintenance before it reaches Padang Besar. I heard the call of prayer for maghrib and my heart feels so guilty because I can't properly pray in the train. No musalla or space for prayer in Thai coach. I just took the ablution, sat at my seat, closed my eyes and prayed while sitting. The Tabligh guy saw my mouth chanting holy verses in whispering voice. 

Perhaps he can recognize now that I am a Muslim. So, he tried to talk to me but I just kept my silence after the prayer because I was mentally reciting ma'athurat invoking Allah 'Azza wa Jalla protection for everyone in the coaches safety no matter Muslim or non-Muslim.  

The Thai immigration officer in Padang Besar passport control were quite firm compared to those in Sadao at Kwan Mai Dam (Bukit Kayu Hitam). No need to slip RM1 into our passport and we have to fill the embarkation form on our own. The Bangladeshi Tabligh guy approached me and introducing himself as a Tabligh member. Urrrr, I already noticed that since he was at his seat chewing betel leaves at Bukit Mertajam. Bangladeshi attire, with white Indian skull cap, betel leaves in the vessel made of shining metal, and bushy beard. He can't speak in Thai, Malay, nor English. Well, it's ok but he keeps approaching me. I am afraid that he might causing me trouble with his image and his destination is Southern Thai. A samseng Thai attendant with amulet at his neck in the train had already marked him up and that Tabligh guy seems quite insolent too.  

I just helped him to fill up his form as a Muslim brother but it does not mean I agree with his attitude toward the old Thai lady in front of him and his sharp glance to me, tengok orang atas bawah. Maybe he thought that the lady is a non-Muslim so why must he be respectful to non-Muslim but this kind of attitude had made me gone astray when I was a 13 years old kid. I guess the readers who stumbled here could understand what I am trying to say.

to be continued...

Alhamdulillah... Rao Klab Ban Leaw!

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Just safely return from the City of Angel or Khrungthep Mahanakorn which is how Bangkok is called by Thais. It is a busy city and I thought that I could just finish visiting the city in only a day like Georgetown but I was wrong. It is a big city just like Kuala Lumpur and perhaps twice larger than Kuala Lumpur but with new features since three years ago like the Airport Rail Link, MRT (underground line), and Sukhumvit Line (BTS). Even I had several times planning visits in Georgetown and it was not like I had been there once and covered everything.

I took the flight to return instead of taking the land route since it will take me long and first Ramadan would be best spent in our place with proper worships and praises. I planned to be there until 28th or 29th but it turns out to be only a night spending and surveying the city. I just memorized see yaek (intersection), taang yaek (junction), thanon (road) and soi (branch of road) so that I could plan another visit to Bangkok without any problem like my first time in the city. 

It's quite a tiring journey by train but they have bed prepared for the passengers to Bangkok. I felt like I was in Japan in South East Asia when in Bangkok. Need to polish up my central Thai dialect. They have lesson for charity in temples even in Malaysia but I had repent my sin so I would try to avoid that boundary if I have the ability to do so, but rather finding other alternatives. Maybe next time I would try to apply job in Bangkok if it is difficult to find it here. This problem is everywhere. When I read a local forum about jobless graduates, I felt like I wanted to burst out in tear again. 

Again, people are generalizing jobless university graduates as lazy to find job or afraid of trying new things, choosy, and what not with negativity. Not all are like that. If it is as easy as people always talk. We won't even hear any fuss about this because not all of graduates are blessed with skills or studying in fields that involve them into skills. It happens everywhere, not only in Malaysia. 

What will happen to those in art streams? Humanities or Social Science? Being activists? Businessmen? Sales person? Why would a university providing these fields if these fields are useless? It would be better if students at the school being told earlier to cease studying if they have no ability to study or have no skills cakap Melayunya takda ketokohan begitu. Better start to work early in the factory as operators or being farmers, isn't it? It saves money and times a lot. And we do not have to import foreigners to do all of those low class jobs. Well, I don't want to blame anyone. It is of no use because this world is the world with evil. Let us just hope Allah bless us with His blessings. His sustenance is wide.

I have to have my meals together with non-Muslims in their restaurants because my staying area have no Muslims living around and I am out of budget. Even tried to restrict myself and not violating the commandments but we are only ordinary human-being with flesh. 

I just walked around and avoiding taking any taxi, motorcycle, tuk tuk or songtaew. Afraid that they will sense my southern Thai dialect and noticing that I am not a local Bangkokian or even a Thai. Most of them thought that I am a Thai and not even a Muslim because those local Muslims in Bangrak district looked at me with suspicious look when I walked inside their mosque. Managed to find the mosque last night when I slowly walked and asked a Muslim girl waiting for a BTS in Wongwian Yai way. May Allah forgives me my sins for the violation of commandments.

Allah bless prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companions, and his family. Allah bless everyone, insyaAllah.