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: 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...