Recap: Return Home

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

continue...

On 27th I guess my pocket is going to be broke if I stay longer. I had activated the account but my account would be insufficient while I have no one in the city. So, I decided to withdraw some 3000 bhat (RM300) at Thai CIMB and decided to board a flight to return home as it is more fast. Since I didn't stay for another booked night at the room. The receptionist lady had returned me some 25% of my money. Good, I could try some food out there if I am fortunate to find some halal stalls.

First I walked along Silom road first and finding some breakfast. I could see two Muslim stalls in the morning. So, I approached them and bought a round bread with butter spread and sugar sprinkled in it baked on a charcoal stove for 10 bhat (RM 1). And then I get some cold coffee from a stall ran by two Muslim girls for 18 bhat (RM 1.80). 

I could see some Buddhist ladies offering necessities for the monks who stand along the road and ladies listening to prayers in Bali after made their offerings. I just put some donation at the beggars along the road and also buying a pack of rice from stalls to be given to the monks. I do not offer it as a believer anymore, but as a sign that Allah mercy is boundless. His mercy does not bound only to Muslim but to all of His creatures. His unworthy slaves and servants must also propagate mercy, peace and love amongst fellow slaves.

Chong Nonsi BTS Station in day light. 

Morning activity in Silom road.

Stalls along Silom road.

Near Chong Nonsi area.

To Airport Rail Link heading for airport, haha.

An Asura replica in Suvarnabhumi airport.

Vishnu Kurmavatara churning milk sea which is an incarnation of Vishnu in the 10 incarnations from Thai Brahmanical narration depicted just after the customs check.

Going to the departure to board the flight for Penang.

Gate where I board the flight.

I took BTS line at Chong Nonsi but before that I thought that I wanted to take the train from Rajathamri but I was lost after crossing Henry Dunant. So, I walked again some kilometers back to Chong Nonsi line and from there straight to Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi airport. 

After arriving at Suvarnabhumi I bought a ticket at Thai Airasia counter after a short waiting and instantly paying around RM375. Just can't wait longer in the city or I have to beg beside the road to return. It would be different if I work or live there.

Then at 15:15, I board the flight and around an hour and 45 minutes arrived at Penang International Airport. Thank You Allah for this safe journey. I arrived at my hostel around 19:00 after an hour in the bus because there was so many cars on the road. Then I prayed at Sungai Dua USM mosque and thanking Allah again.

Thank You Allah through this short travel, I had learned a lot. Although I didn't get to cover many places, many mosques, or any interesting area but just wandering around Silom road but I had learned new things. I learned on how Thais feeling confident with themselves and they do not shy although they don't speak English. They keep talking in their national language and forcing foreigners to learn their isolated language. I was forced to speak in a language that I had left unspoken for about 10 years while in the city.

I saw many different cuisines although most of them are non-halal as the cooks are non-Muslims. I had tried public transportation in Thailand. Those rail lines are quite a headache for me even when I am in KL, but very interesting. I also get a new spirit after such a boring time at home and at hostel. At least I had done something meaningful for myself and I engrave this memory in this site to be revised again by myself if I have other opportunities to visit the city again, insya'Allah :)

Fin....

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa ahlihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. Our Lord please be in contact with prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family and his companions and everyone. Sealed with prayers for peace, love, and mercy on everyone, amin!   

Recap: Surveying Areas

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

continue...

Still in the same day, 26th of July 2011. I loaded the stuffs in my room after checking in and trying to survey as much areas as I can.

A monument, I don't know what monument is this. I thought that it is Democracy Monument. Lazy to cross the road with lots of cars.

Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University.

Faculty of Medicine Office, Chulalongkorn University.

A hostel for medicine students in Chulalongkorn Faculty of Medicine campus.

Phaya Thai Road.

Rajathamri Sukhumvit Line Station. From here I went to area closer to Khaosan Road.

Along the road at Rajathamri Sukhimvit Line (BTS) Station.

I guess that I had covered quite a huge area for a person who walk and using public transportation in few hours before Maghrib... 

At night I just walked around Silom road and Chong Nonsi Station area buying some water from 7E and return to my room checking the maps again before sleeping early.

to be continued...

Recap: Bound at Silom Road

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

On 26th the day I arrived and wandering around, I bound for Silom by taking MRT. Checked the time, it was around 15:32. Then, walking quite distances here and there to see where to safely load my stuffs and get a place to sleep. Rugi je, kat Bangrak ada Masjid Ban Uu where we may stay for a day or two there after informing mosque administration. 

Just a bit walk from Saladaeng Metro Station.

I walked in Silom Road and branches of the road. Than I sat for a moment in front of a shopping center there and snapping some shoot to avoid forgetting the area that I had came across. After that, I had seen a signboard showing that there is a hostel down the road which is called as Bangkok Downtown Hostel. 

So I quickly go there to check for the price and it's quite cheap although I was disappointed since I could stay in more cheaper room in Khaosan Road while the problem, I wasn't clear about the roads in Bangkok. The room costs me about Bhat 457 per night and I lodged in for two nights because I just want to be safe so terbanglah dalam 914 bhat (RM91.40). Next time maybe we could take a shared room with other travelers as it costs only 30 bhat (RM30) per night. The owner of the hostel is a Thai Chinese and the receptionist is a Thai lady who is quite friendly and speaks little English. 

Along Silom Road with stalls selling food such as fresh sticky rice, moo yang (grilled pork), fruits, cheap clothes, and others.

Signboards that I had stumbled and I decided to get accommodation details from Bangkok Downtown Hostel.

Stairs to fifth floor for budget single room which is slightly pricy to budget shared room.

This is how the room looks like, quite simple and with fan. No aircond. The size of the roam is approximately the size of my room at home but it's longer than mine, lol.

Scenery from above Bangkok Downtown Hostel, the rail is connected to Chong Nonsi station.

Bangkok Downtown Hostel at the row, it's in the middle of a Chinese tea shop which looks like a temple and a drug store.

Thao Thep Brahma or Sanggar Datuk Dewa Brahma at the end of Silom Road where there is a junction for Surasak-Naradhiwast Road. Quite weird because Brahma cult is not really popular in India, but it's shrine can be seen in some places in Thailand. It has four face which representing directions while the other face above representing central part of the direction. I had learned about this deity before.

What I had observed in this road, it seems like it is a commercial center with farangs (caucasians) and others working in the banks and offices there. There are also locals selling food and they are cheap but we can't eat those nice looking and nice smell food without asking them what are they, hehehehe. 

Moo yang (skewer pork) is quite cheap only 8 bhat (80 cents) for a skewer and 5 bhat for a bag of khao niao (sticky rice). There are also random restaurants and stalls serving food but we have to be extra careful with what we consume there.  I can't eat like before anymore because I had made promise and repent to Him.

I didn't stumble at any mosque yet at that time. I had bought a wrapped phadprik fish rice from 7E and I can't remember how much it costs me. And the rice is put together with pork phadprik rice, hope Allah forgives me :'( 

I was like almost passed out and I walked like non-stop due to that I can't stop by at any stall there in the beginning. Still surveying the place at that time. I had the rice beside a cobbler and of course reciting prayers for birkah (blessings) and asking forgiveness before eating the food because I had no choice, wishing that my flesh won't be burned in fire for violation of the promise and covenant. I had also have my meals at several random stalls after that but trying to minimize meat by telling them that I am a follower of ahimsa (non-violence) movement, hahaha.   

to be continued...

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

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

continue...

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: Leaving for Bangkok

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Just took the bus earlier at 10:00 in the morning on 25th of July for the jetty. Then I had some breakfast, rice with sausage and fishball, which costs me about RM3.00. Quite expensive because I just took a kind of lauk which was the mixed sausage and fishball. And had a milked tea. It's not a nice meal anyway but I had wrongly chosen the meal. 

The stall just located near the flying over to cross to the bus station near jetty in a food court. Beside it is a Chinese restaurant serving beef noodle. The makcik is not friendly too. Maybe just my perception.

I arrived at Butterworth Train Station around 11:00 after a relaxing ferry sailing from the island to the mainland for the train station. I wait there for few hours because the train leaving from the station around 14:20 Malaysian time. Didn't take any breakfast but only drinking some water because I was quite afraid to begin the journey alone, buat gila masuk berseorangan ke negara orang, haha. 

Train was not yet there

 Train arrived to take passengers to Bangkok

I regret that I didn't bring any food supply from hostel and I didn't bought any cause I thought that I am on tight expenditure. I changed some more money to Thai Bhat, just in case. It's quite scary because I heard many negative things about Bangkok and Thailand as a whole but if I don't do this, I would only rely on rumors and story above story. It is only close to my state but we don't know anything about their capital.

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.

Departing for Bangkok

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

We would be departing from Butterworth for Bangkok at 14:00 on the 25th of August 2011, Tuesday. Make sure to be at the train station an hour earlier because we have to get ready to board the train 20 minutes before departing time. For everyone's information, especially loners like me, we may choose first class or other two later classes when boarding the train for Bangkok.

The ticket costs me about RM112 because I choose the first class coach with a bed, and it is lower bed. Upper bed is a bit cheaper, which is about RM104. It would take us about a day to reach Bangkok and is expected to reach Hualamphong Station at 12:00, Wednesday. I am still not sure about the transportation to return home and also accommodation while being there because I never think any further what to do when I was so bored. It will just happen. I am still deciding whether I would hop on an express bus for Nakhorn Sri Thammarat and later for Songkhla. And then might be taking a van for the charge of RM30 right away from Hadyaai to USM in Penang.

I'm also still thinking on how to store my cash because I think that it's not good to bring a lot of cash along while traveling. Bitter experience in Kuala Lumpur at Central Market really gives me bad feeling with cash although those thieves didn't hurt me nor taking my money as I only had RM2 in my wallet while other bank notes being kept all over my clothes. I had already activated the overseas usage for CIMB but other cards are not activated yet. Maybe I need to go for Pulau Tikus Maybank to ask them or simply call the bank to get the detail whether they have branches in Thailand and providing overseas with charges or else. And then maybe I need to call for al-Rajhi for debit card and charges if I use it abroad. Regret that I never ask that before I made the card at Kajang branch last time.

I had also got some tips from those who had been to Bangkok and Southern Thailand provinces. Also checked the website about accommodation and transportation fares in Bangkok. It is a big city and never look down at the city although it is in a country less developed than Malaysia. Miss Montawadee from women's development center and Azren helped me a lot too with contacts and details about university and mosques in Bangkok. I highly appreciate their assistance, tips and advices in this matter.

What else? I have to change Riyal into Thai Bhat because it would be lower in rate if changed in Bangkok. Some people said better change it at the bank there or at the money changer at huge hotels. I love the pic of Baitullah printed at the Riyal note. Goodbye bank notes, I'll miss your picture (Kaaba). 

The Riyal was given by my third sister who married her husband in South Thai as a present. It's not the present for me to company her for the koboi marriage due to that I still insist her to do it again in Malaysia, but as a present because I helped her with her assignments while she was very busy with her job back there in Riyadh.

The rest, would be in Lord's wisdom. I wish that I would have a safe journey, new experience, new knowledge about society, new contacts, developing amity among brethren in faith and humanity and learning about other country. Everything depends on Allah and His protection. I'm quite afraid too but I have to be a loner since I am a university student, away from parents and without any friend and companion. So, whatever that I have in my head must also be done without any discussion. I had also kept this in my mind so my focus would never change. 

I think that I'm growing familiar being a loner like this. I don't even care about friends any more since I had always believe that my dearly Friend is always with me, talking to me although my physical ears can't hear Him, my physical eyes can't see Him, nor my physical touch could feel Him. And He is protecting me wherever I am from evil. I will release my tense through this trip with His Protection and Mercy. Also wish that everything goes fine and we have updated view about this life... aminn!

Sealed with prayers for peace, love, and mercy for brothers and sisters in faith, amin!!!