Recap: Taking BTS to Bangrak District

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

I wanted to have dinner at night but I cannot continue drinking tea in Chinese restaurants or Thai stalls at Silom road. It is not because I am a racist but I am trying to obey religious commandment, hehehe. So, I end up walking a little bit to Chong Nonsi BTS station. 

The reception lady earlier told me that they would lock their entrance door around 21:30. And I checked the time and it still early around 19:45 after I had performed jama' prayer of Maghrib and 'Isya services in my room. 

I could still unlock the door by swiping the card tied together with the keys if I come back late. We need to always be careful. Even in Kuala Lumpur, we can not just walk alone late at night. Better be careful than sorry. Recite some supplications invoking Allah's protection and tawakkal (dependence) on Him, then off we go.....  

From Chong Nonsi BTS Station, the road is heading to Bangrak district. I can not recall the road name nor I jot it down in my notes.

Cars coming from Surawong road.....

This is how the BTS station looks like... They say "Bee Tee Ehtt" in their slang the same like Northern Malaysian style when saying something ended with the letter "s". Just like in KL people are using public transportation too but it still jammed with cars down there, haha.

To go to Bangrak district, we need to wait at National Stadium side. I had wrongly wait at the other side and I asked the station guard there few times to conform with my ugly broken Thai, ahaha. The guard was quite polite as he thought I am from rural Thailand... Kita cakap bahasa Siam kampung saja, lol.

This is the area of Ban Ou Mosque in Bangrak district. I snapped the picture while rain was pouring down. The mosque is just after the market at the right side. In front of the mosque are random houses, also Chinese community houses could be seen there.

When I arrived at the BTS station near Bangrak district, I saw a Muslim girl wearing hijab there. I tried to greet her and asking her the direction to Ban Ou Mosque. The map and explanation which I jot down in my notes look like confusing. I could see a Chinese temple at the alley but I didn't know that deep down the alley is a mosque. 

The girl is quite helpful and she told me the direction to the mosque. I just cannot continue speaking in Thai with the girl because it would end up like a kutu (thug) talking to a girl and she is quite polite. I speak Thai in its rough form, hehehe. I guess not only her but most people there talking in polite manner and I do not know where exactly the specific place to use that frustrating "khraap". It seems like in every sentence we say, we must say khraap or kaah for female and I found that it is so not natural. Besides, their tone of accent is quite different and weird too.

There is also a shopping center like Macy at the left side of the motorcycles from front view....

I could hear the bang or adhan which is the calling of prayer for 'Isha' when I reached the mosque. I had already performed the jama' but I just joined the congregation again. Feeling so relieved to find our community there although we are of different countries. There were few Tabligh guys in the mosque and I guess they are not local but might be from Bangladesh based from their appearance. After the prayer, I approached the janitor of the mosque and telling him that I am not a local. I come to find some halal food and seeking the assistance of community to show me the place. 

Khao Mok Kai. It is served with Nam Tom Kai, the Chicken Stock Soup and some sweet chillies dipping which I have no idea on what they call that thing.

Then he walked with me to the food court just close to the market and ordering me a plate of khao mok kai which is a kind of rice with chicken hidden inside the rice. It seems a bit like Biryani but made by Thai Muslim. Then I had a conversation with the stall owner in broken Thai. He seems like trying to invite me to his house in Yaowa but I just politely turned his invitation down because I had already have a room in Silom and I feel it would be a burden for him.

However, I had to return to the mosque and luckily they did not lock the gate. I had forgotten my notes in the prayer hall. It is very important for me because I jot down everything in the notes and I also have some guides in the notes. I returned before 21:30 anyway and managed to buy some mineral water from 7E. Their 7E have no gardenia bread and only serves noodle and rice just like in Japan they serve sushi, udon, and those stuffs.  

Interestingly that I noticed most of the people there love to eat varieties of salad but rarely eat rice at night. They just take side dishes and not rice. They also have foot massages everywhere for 25 bhat (RM 2.48) per hour. I did not try it anyway. Hope that I could try it out in the next visit, hehe.

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!

continue...

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...