Birthday Weekend

I decided to utilise my second Malaysia Airlines Flypass and spend my birthday weekend by revisiting Chiang Mai. I’d been to Chiang Mai twice before with Mummy and Abah joined the second trip too. 

Friday, 4 July 2025

I left home early and made my way to KLIA. Was a bit surprised to find the gate was at the satellite building. I’d decided to carry my bag on board and not check it in so I’d packed quite lightly (except for the thick books). We took off on time and landed at 11:45. After asking for directions, I walked to Door 1 to catch the bus to the city. I’d booked hotel within walking distance from Tha Phae Gate. It took about ten minutes on foot to Budget Stars Hotel and I checked in and was able to go up to my room after ten minutes. I had to pay a deposit of THB300.

I ventured out in mid-afternoon and walked down to Changklan Road then walked up to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley and had halal beef noodles for late lunch.  Then I walked up to Ton Lam Yai Market but it was closed and deserted at that time of day. It started raining shortly after so I sought shelter outside some shops along Tha Phae Road. Thankfully the rain didn’t last long and soon I was strolling down Changklan Road and browsing the stalls that had already been set up. I stopped by a vegan stall at Pha Ploen Market and bought pomelo salad for dinner before returning to my hotel.

Saturday, 5 July 2025

I ventured out at about 10:00 and walked to Ping River. It didn’t impress me much so I turned and walked up Charoen Prathet Road. I came across a restaurant selling fish soup noodles and after checking out my options, had a bowl of fish noodles as my mid-morning meal.

I walked up to Ton Lam Yai Market and browsed the stalls. I found myself buying some dry snacks. There were some fruit sellers outside the market and I ended up buying a kg of mangosteens. I saw lychees too but buying another kg of fruits would be too heavy for me. I then crossed over to Warorot Market and after circling around the market, I bought some pouches as souvenirs. I returned to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley and had khao soi for lunch. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a jewellery shop and browsed. Oh dear. And I wasn’t planning to shop!

I ventured out in the afternoon in the drizzle (I borrowed the hotel’s umbrella) and walked to Mae Kha Canal. I then walked along the canal up to where it meets Suriyawong Alley. Then I walked up to Wua Lai Walking Street Saturday Market. I didn’t stay long - by now, the street markets had all started to look similar, selling the same boring things (souvenirs, t-shirts, ceramic things, clothes, repeat, repeat, repeat). I walked to Pha Ploen Market and bought some green noodles from the vegan stall, but not before stopping at the jewellery store and buying a baroque pearl necklace. We'll figure out when we’ll wear it later.

Sunday, 6 July 2025

This morning, I ventured to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley. I wanted to have some wanton noodles, alas, I wasn’t in luck. Upon recommendation, I had pa pa soi instead. After that, I walked along Tha Phae Road to Wat Chiang Man. I spent about twenty minutes there before I walked down to Three Kings Monument, which as the name suggests depicts the purported three founding kings of Chiang Mai. I then walked down to Wat Chediluang Varaviharn but I didn’t go in. Instead, I walked down Rachadamnoen Road on my way to Tha Phae Gate.

I literally stopped in my tracks when I spotted Prang Crocodile Leather shop. I found myself going in and I proceeded to spend at least thirty minutes there (and I wasn’t supposed to shop!!!). I found out that crocodile belly skin is the most expensive part of the whole crocodile. I left with a small pouch case (similar to LV key pouch). Aiyaiyaiyai! Oh, I was told there was a Sunday night market along Rachadamnoen Road. Righttttt. If there’s anything that Chiang Mai has an abundance of its massage places and street markets, the occasional tattoo places, Muay Thai places, weed shops.

Against my better judgement, I went out that evening and walked to Rachadamnoen Road to check out the night market. It seemed like the whole of Chiang Mai and their families were there. The same boring junk sold again. The market seemed endless, it went on and on and even at the side streets. I was getting pretty sick of all these commerce by then so I turned around.

I’d intended to walk again to the vegan stall at Pha Ploen Market to get some dinner but came across a halal restaurant at the corner of Pha Thae Road and Kampangdin Road so I decided to have my dinner there instead. After that, I followed Kampangdin Road back to Loi Kroh Road and back to my hotel.

Monday, 7 July 2025

I stayed in to finish a book I borrowed from the hotel lobby. I left at 10:40 and checked out. I got my deposit back and then arranged for a Bolt car (more economical than Grab). It took less than 15 minutes to reach the airport.

I had checked jn online but the airport staff made a big fuss as my online boarding pass didn’t have ‘binti’ in it. I explained that ‘binti’ means ‘daughter of’ and that it is not part of my name. I reasoned that the airline wouldn’t have checked me in if there’s an error but the machine also wouldn’t recognise the bar code on my online boarding pass so I had to get down and get a physical boarding pass. Moan, groan, mumble, grumble! This time, the machine was able to read the bar code. I went through passport control and waited for my flight back. Only remembered that I wanted to sell off my Baht for Dong but there was no exchange offices at the boarding area.

The flight took off on time and we landed back at sunny KLIA at 16:37. Will I return to Chiang Mai or any part of Thailand? At this stage, I much prefer Vietnam and Indonesia, thank you.

My Chinese New Year Weekend

I was contemplating where to spend my Chinese New Year holidays this year and upon checking AA site, was surprised to find Surat Thani listed as a destination again. So I bought a return ticket and then booked Airbnb (which I subsequently changed to a lodging on Booking.com). I decided not to go to any islands as I wasn’t keen to take any boats and besides Surat Thani was already hot enough. My last proper trip to Thailand was during the Malaysia Day weekend back in 2012 but I didn’t feel any hankering to return to Thailand.

Friday, 24 January 2020

I left home just after 08:00 and made my way to KLIA2. I had received email from AA advising travellers to arrive early in view of the potential crowd at the airport and was surprised when the bus from KL Sentral took only 45 minutes to reach KLIA2. I immediately headed to the departure area, went through passport control and security check and walked to my gate. I had enough time to check my devices, went to perform dhuha and musafir prayers and fill up my water bottle. We boarded at and the plane took off at 12:15. The flight took about 90 minutes and we landed at 13:00. We were handed landing forms as we walked into the terminal (really, why couldn’t the Thais let the airline hand out forms during the flight?) and I hurriedly filled up my form before clearing passport control. I then headed outside to the bus area.

We were only allowed to board one of the buses after ten minutes and sat in the bus for 50 minutes. I didn’t see what the problem was. If the schedule was hourly, we didn’t leave at 14:00. Nope, we only left at 14:18. The Caucasian couple sitting in the front row was also getting restless and irritated. I was getting famished. After all, it was close to 15:00 in KL and I hadn’t had lunch. In fact, my last meal was breakfast which I had before 08:00. I went down and fished out a cereal bar from my bag while waiting. After a while, a lady came up the bus and sold us the bus ticket (THB100). The trip to town took 50 minutes and I got down at the last stop and walked to Jae Tom Vegetarian Restaurant for my late lunch. After lunch, I headed to the hotel and checked in. I performed prayers then rested.

I ventured out again at 17:30 local time and walked to Surat Thani Central Mosque before walking towards Ta Pi River. I walked along the river until I reached some food stalls. There were three Muslim stalls, one of them selling food, one selling drinks and the other selling roti and gravy. I continued walking until I reached the other side of the Ta Pi bridge before turning back. While I passed a halal restaurant, I decided to return to the stall by the river. I ordered dinner and it turned out to be noodles. I waited a long thirty minutes for the noodles and was disappointed that it tasted only average.

After dinner, I walked to the night market. There were not that many people at the market. I found a halal stall, one stall selling fried fish balls and another stall selling steamed fish. I decided I would purchase my dinner the following evening at the night market.

On my walk back to my lodging, I decided to walk to Sahathai, a shopping complex just up the road. Google Maps shows that the operating hours are 09:00 to 21:30 so I was surprised to find it almost deserted when I arrived just before 21:00. It turned out that the shopping complex actually closes at 21:00 daily so I hurriedly went to the large supermarket and bought two bottles of water.

I was back in my room by 21:30. I had a shower, laundered my clothes, performed prayers and hit the sack.

Saturday, 25 January 2020

I woke up for morning prayers and didn’t sleep thereafter. I went down for breakfast at 09:20. There were some coffee/tea/chocolate drink, bananas, bread, margarine and jam for guests to help themselves with. After breakfast, I went for a walk to the river and then went for a massage, stopping en route at Phantip Travel office to enquire the bus stop for the bus back to the airport. I then discovered that I had spilled some water in my Speedy bag and debated if I should return to my room to dry it out. I decided against it, reasoning that it was hot enough for the bag to dry without having to return to the hotel. I had a satisfying hour-long massage before heading to Jae Tom Vegetarian Restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, I walked to Sarathai Shopping Complex to browse. I returned to the hotel about an hour later and rested.

I went out after evening prayers and walked to the night market. There were a lot more people there tonight. I went to the halal stall and ordered fried rice. One of the two women manning the stall spoke good English. I had my dinner there then queued to buy fried fish balls. I also went to the stall selling pad thai and when I was told they didn’t have any meat and only eggs, I ordered one to go.

I returned to my room and had a shower. Then I rested and must have dozed off because I woke up again, it was after 1 a.m.

Sunday, 26 January 2020

I woke up for morning prayers then showered. After performing dhuha prayers, I finished packing and went down for breakfast. I checked out and left at 09:42 and walked to the bus stop (just outside Phantip Travel) for the bus to the airport. I boarded the bus and paid THB100 for my fare.

The bus left at 10:01 and after 20 minutes, stopped to pick up another passenger. We were the only passengers on the bus. We reached the airport at 10:45. I went up to the departure level and sat down to wait.

I only realised just as I was about to go for security check that my boarding pass stated 27 January 2020. What the h_?! I had actually bought the ticket for a return trip on 27 January when I had wanted to spend only two nights in Surat Thani. I quickly got connected to WiFi and tried buying a one-way ticket but as it was too close to departure, I could not buy it online and had to approach the counter. While it was more economical to just take the bus back to town and find accommodation for that night, I was already at the airport and just wanted to leave. I couldn’t stand the idea of having lunch and dinner at the same places. So I handed over my card and watched as the AirAsia counter lady swiped my card for the last-minute one-way ticket back home. Yup, there have been instances when I feel like kicking myself and that was one of them. Me and my ditsiness! I had to go to the baggage drop off counter to get my boarding pass but as it turned out my ticket was for a hot seat, there was no charge for checking in at the airport.

I then cleared security check and passport control.

I was disappointed with the boarding area. There was no prayer room and I was hoping to perform prayers before my flight so that I didn’t have to do it when I land. The plane from KL landed and we were called to board shortly after.

We landed at KLIA2 just before 16:00. I had to go through passport control before I sighted a prayer room. I then had to wait a while for a bus back to KL Sentral. I reached home at 18:30, had unpacked by 18:45 and was out watering my poor plants at 19:00.

So that was how I spent my Chinese New Year. This was the first time in a while that I didn’t go anywhere far and take a long break away.

Malaysia Day 2012 Weekend

I’m a planner and I try to plan way in advance. Being kiasu, I make it a point to find out the following year’s public holidays and try to plan early. For instance, I purchased ticket for my trip to Europe this year back in August 2011 (although I only finalised the places to visit in February/March this year) to avail of the online offer. This Malaysia Day weekend trip was planned in end-January 2012.

Friday, 14 September 2012
 
I left office and made my way to KLIA. Arrived 10 minutes past 8 pm and the check-in queue was already long. Y, my old room-mate, was already there. We had agreed not to check in our bags as we would be landing after 11 pm local time and the last airport train to the city was at 2351.

It was our first time flying Royal Jordanian and the flight was full with students who came back for Eid/summer holidays and now returning to Jordan for their new semester. In fact, the lady at our check-in counter said the flight was overbooked.

We landed at a wet Suvarnabhumi Airport at 2330 and I rushed out and trekked the distance to the immigration. I had promised Yin I would wait for her there but I needn’t worry as the queues were short. But she took her time and when she arrived, she told me she had yet to fill up her landing card.

We hurried to the Basement level of the terminal building to catch the train and made it with seconds to spare. Phew! We rode the train to Phaya Thai, the last station. Journey took only 25 minutes and cost THB45. The rain had stopped when we arrived and we took a cab to our hotel, not before bargaining the fare. Honestly, why can’t they just use the metre?? We finally found our hotel, tucked in a small soi and checked in.

Saturday, 15 September 2012
 
We both slept late last night, to be precise we only went to be after 1 am this morning. Woke after 5 am to perform morning prayers and tried to sleep again. I finally got up at 8, finally admitting defeat to my plan on catching up on sleep.

We left after breakfast and walked over to Petchaburi Road via Pratunam Market. We crossed over to Diamond Hotel and waited for bus no. 113 to take us to Hua Lamphong train station. The journey took 20 minutes (I timed, but of course) and cost only THB8 as the bus was not air-conditioned. We bought an express train ticket to Ayutthaya for THB245 each, leaving at 1005 and scheduled to arrive at 1124.

The train arrived and I was surprised to see there were only four cars, two for third class (ticket for third class was THB20!) and two for second class. We reached Ayutthaya after eight stops and went to the ticket office to buy ticket for our return trip, only to be told the counter would sell tickets 20 minutes before departure. So we walked out of the station and ignored the tuk tuk drivers who accosted us and walked to Riverside Hotel to ask for directions. The concierge suggested, in halting English, for us to ride a tuk tuk and said it would only cost us THB20 per hour. ‘Twenty Baht?’ we asked several times for confirmation until he finally wrote it down. It turned out it was THB200 per hour. Thai speak very limited English in general (you’d have thought with the number of foreign tourists the country attracts, they’d at least brush up on their English but no). He also told us the historic city of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is some 5 km away. We agreed to his suggestion. Well, you could ride a bike and cycle around – provided you know the direction (hardly any from what I saw) – but we both sucked at cycling.

Our first stop was Wat Mahathat, located at the east of the grand palace (entrance fee was THB50). It is the royal temple and most sacred in Ayutthaya during the glorious time. This monastery was once the residence of the supreme patriarch. We spent half an hour there before heading to the neighbouring wat, Wat Ratchaburana. We paid our THB50 entrance fee and went in. This wat was built by King Boromracha II (Chao Samphraya) for his coronation ceremony. We explored the grounds and I even climbed up. We spent 15 minutes here before leaving.

We then travelled about two km away to Wat Chaiwattanaram, built by King Prasat Thong to commemorate his mother’s hometown and his coronation, and also the victory over the Khmer. It was built in the Khmer architectural style which I thought is strange: why build it in the style of your enemy? No entrance fee was imposed here, probably because the wat was cordoned off. Nevertheless, of the three wats we had been so far, this wat was the most ‘complete’ as the earlier two we visited were seriously damaged by fire. We spent less than 15 minutes here.

Our last stop was Wat Lokayasutha in the west with the reclining Buddha. We declined the flowers on sale and left less than 10 minutes later.

Our tuk tuk driver then drove us back to the hotel and when we asked where we could have halal lunch, he agreed to take us to a halal restaurant but insisting we be done within 20 minutes (his 2-hour time with us was ticking away). So we had a somewhat hurried lunch. I had duck noodles.

He dropped us back at the train station and we paid and thanked him and parted ways. Then we went in and sat down to wait.

The ticket counter finally opened at 5 to 3; turned out the train time was rescheduled to 1515 (instead of 1530). Our ticket back to Bangkok cost THB125. Strange, we thought but didn’t question further. We were assigned seats next to other strangers though but at least the passengers who boarded before us didn’t sit at our seats.

We reached Bangkok at 5 pm and only realised it had rained earlier when we saw the wet roads. We asked for directions and crossed over to Bangkok Bank to wait for bus no. 73 back to Pratunam. It started raining as we reached Pratunam and we walked back to the hotel in the increasingly heavy rain.

We ventured out at 7 pm to look for dinner. Alas, the nearby malls and food courts were starting to close for the day so we returned to our room and had instant noodles instead. I was geared up to watch the Arsenal-Southampton match; alas, it was not shown live and had to depend on live feed instead. 65 channels (OK, maybe about 60 stations; the other 5 showed blank screen) and not a single one showed my match?! Two channels showed the ManUre match: a cable station and a local station. Outrageous!!! So I missed all the goals and could only watch a repeat of them on Arsenal Player.

Sunday, 16 September 2012
 
Today was a day for shopping. We left after breakfast at around 0930 local time and went to Shibuya 19, a wholesale mall nearby. Most shops were only just opening and what little I saw didn’t really catch my fancy. Then we crossed over to Platinum Fashion Mall. There were more people here but despite the five levels of shops, I wasn’t much tempted. We met again and went over to CentralWorld. I lost track of time and went to our agreed meeting place an hour earlier, reasoning it couldn’t have just been an hour since we parted ways (for I had already gone all the way out to the ‘sky walk’ and to President Tower Arcade. All that in an hour? Surely not but it seemed to be the case). After waiting 15 minutes for Y, texting her and trying to call her (no connection), I went to find the Arsenal store. But it was there no more. All the directories I looked at still had Arsenal store listed at E304 so I was not amused when I found Giordano in its place instead. FFS. That really put me in a bad mood and I lost my desire to shop. I was also looking for a pair of red Converse so I tried to console myself by looking for it. Only there was no Converse store in the whole CentralWorld but I finally managed to find some Converse shoes in Sports store (and also at Zen). I had set my eyes on Chuck Taylor All Star but saw Star Player EV and was in a dilemma. The former cost THB1050 and the latter cost a marginal THB50 more or THB1100.

I went to met Y and we then went to find lunch. There’s no food court in CentralWorld so we walked out and walked over to Siam Paragon. Not satisfied with the choices, we went to Siam Discovery (‘We don’t have food court, only restaurants,’ the girl at the info counter informed) before crossing over to MBK diagonally across the intersection.

It started drizzling as we walked to Siam Paragon and still pissing rain when we left MBK. We returned to Siam Discovery and to the newly opened Converse store there. Y helped me made up my mind and so I left with a pair of red Converse Star Player EV. Mission finally accomplished.

We returned to CentralWorld for another hour plus before leaving at 7. Dinner was had in the room.

I had set out to buy this pair

But bought this pair instead. No regrets though. My sixth pair of Converse ☺

Monday, 17 September 2012
 
Our last morning. Y left early as she wanted to go for a massage. I wasn’t too impressed with the options: aromatherapy or Thai massage. No hot stone massage or other variety of massage? OK then. I left after breakfast and went to explore the back area but increasingly got put off with the traffic so I left and walked to Gaysorn. OK, I can confirm that although Converse cost less there, Marks & Spencer, Chanel and Louis Vuitton cost so much more. I crossed over to CentralWorld (back there again!) but left after 40 minutes empty-handed.

Back to the hotel and completed my packing. Y returned shortly after with some food stuff. We performed prayers and rested before checking out at 1245 (we had earlier requested to check out at 1 today). Took a can to Ratchaprapop station (again, had to bargain the fare down to THB80) to catch the train back to the airport. We were caught in a bad crawl – seriously, it would have taken less time to just walk! – and missed the train by 3 minutes.

The check-in queue was long and this time, the flight was co-shared with MAS. I went to find retail therapy and only rushed to the gate at 4. We took off after 1615 and landed at KLIA at 1930.

As fun as I find Bangkok, it will be some time before I return, I think.

~~~~~~~~

Giroud returned to Montpellier as the Gunners visited the ground for their opening Champions League group match. Diaby collected the fastest yellow card ever issued and the captain’s clumsy challenge on Belhanda but Prinz Poldi restored parity shortly after from a Giroud pass. Gorgeous was also involved in the second goal when he passed the ball to Jenkinson who in turn fed Gervinho. This was our second match of seven in 21 days (after no football due to stupid international matches, we will now have a lot of football before the next meaningless international break) and while we worked hard, counter-attacked intelligently and finished decisively, it was not a classic Arsenal performance.

The Cats In The Heat

I must confess I’ve only just realised what great photo subjects cats make. They act naturally and are usually very confident in their own skin (even in the intense summer heat!). Here are some photos of cats that I’ve managed to capture on some of my trips. Enjoy!

A furry Thai cat - but not a Siamese, mind you. Krabi, March 2009 (most cats we saw in Krabi were very furry btw)
A Cypriot cat. Larnaca, Cyprus, May 2009 Merry Marrakesh cats. Medina of Marrakesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, May 2010 Hotel resident cat. Casablanca, May 2010
Sporting kitty, posing for me! Casablanca, May 2010 Looking out at The Hassan II Mosque. the largest mosque in Morocco and the seventh largest in the world. Casablanca, May 2010 Indian cat, Jama Mosque, New Delhi, January 2011 Alley cats, Tunis medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. May 2011 More alley cats, Tunis medina. Tunis, Tunisia, May 2011 ‘Frankly, I don’t give a meow!’ Tunis medina, Tunisia, May 2011 Cat in Sousse medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sousse, Tunisia, May 2011Sleeping on the job, Mostar. Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 2011

Cats at the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kotor, Montenegro, May 2011

Another one caught sleeping on the job! Miri market, Miri, Sarawak. July 2011

The real cat in the cat city, Kuching, August 2011

Ginger cat at Maninjau village. Lake Maninjau, Sumatera, January 2012

Zoom up of a kitten at St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Hill, Melaka. February 2012

Another cat at St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Hill, Melaka. February 2012

Cats near A Famosa, Melaka, February 2012

Black cat, Melaka, February 2012

Terrified cat on a motorbike in a small village, Melaka, February 2012

I’ll definitely be taking more cat pictures after this!

North Of The Border

This trip had been planned since last year; I had even bought the return train tickets for a trip in November 2010. However, I cancelled my plan following Mummy’s departure. The flood at the northern states which led to KTMB cancelling its train services turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I got a refund for my ticket.

Despite having earmarked last weekend as the dates for my visit, I procrastinated long enough and when I finally went to buy my ticket, I could only get an upper berth for my outbound trip – and only up to Padang Besar (don’t ask. I did ask but couldn’t understand the answer - especially when I managed to buy ticket for a lower berth for my return trip all the way to KL. I was also told I could only buy the ticket from Padang Besar 24 hours before the trip). The berth ticket to Padang Besar cost RM50, while the berth ticket for the return trip cost RM60.

So last Friday evening, I joined the crowd at KL Sentral before making my way to the platform (I had earlier in the day bought my ticket from Padang Besar to my final destination for RM13). The ETD was 2120; however, we only started our journey about ten minutes later. Unfortunately, I was unlucky enough to have to share my coach with a group of extended family/relatives/friends who acted like they owned the whole darn coach, talking loudly among themselves, cracking jokes, passing food around… I tried to read but it was hard to concentrate in such a racket. Finally, I tried to sleep as I was feeling knackered. I managed to sleep somehow although I woke up every now and then. The noisy passengers finally went to sleep too and though I was relieved of their chatter, I had another noise to put up with: their symphony of snores. Being surrounded by a symphony of snores was simply neither smashing nor splendid.

I was up by 5 and went to use the bathroom (not too bad for a train and a Malaysian one at that ;p) as I wanted to beat the crowd.
Performed prayers then tried to sleep again, only to be woken up by, you guess it, the noisy passengers talking excitedly on the top of their lungs. Fortunately they all went off at Arau and I had the whole coach all to myself (yes, I was that outnumbered). Peace at last!

We pulled up at Padang Besar at 7.30 am. Actually I didn’t know we had reached Padang Besar as there was no announcement and my view out of the window was obscured by work barriers. I only knew when I saw one KTMB staff walking towards my coach and realised this
must be my stop then. I hopped off and in my confused state somehow found the entrance to the passport control (to be honest, I was actually looking for the dining room. Heh!) so I joined the queue. First, we went through the Malaysian immigration then we walked around the corner for the Thai control. Very easy that way and nowhere as chaotic as at Woodlands. After that, I went up to check out the food on offer (limited food but I managed) before making my way back to the platform.

The ticket said the departure time from Padang Besar was 0935 but 0935 came and went and no train was in sight (our earlier train had pulled away). Finally the train came at 1015 and we boarded it. This time, I joined a coach with seats. We moved at a leisurely pace and
pulled up at Hat Yai Junction railway station at 1015 local time (Thailand is an hour behind).

The Saturday morning bustle in a border town greeted me on my way into town. There were many gold shops along the road as you exit the railway station. Sighting Robinsons, I stopped to check it out. I spent some time there before walking on. There aren’t many buildings that attracted me (Thailand is one of the few countries which didn’t succumb to any colonial rule and as such doesn’t have any colonial building or colonial-influenced architecture). It was threatening to rain so every time I felt raindrops, I ducked into a shopping complex. If you want to shop, you should check out Central and Lee Garden Plaza (opposite each other). I wanted to find some products at the Boots pharmacy (there’s a small Boots outlet in Central and a slightly larger store in Lee Garden Plaza). My early lunch was earlier had at Maliam Restaurant along the main road leading from the railway station and I must say, the noodles I had were not much to speak of.

After the brief retail therapy, I walked to the Clock Tower to get a bus to Songkhla. I had earlier booked a hotel in Hat Yai but having read the reviews, became reluctant to actually spend a night there. I read of the poor conditions of hotel rooms, the noise, hustle and bustle and the general fact that the town is usually over-run by Malaysians especially over the weekends did it for me. I finally booked a hotel in Songkhla.

I had read that I was supposed to take the green bus 1871 to Songkhla and was surprised to find the white mini-vans at the Clock Tower (though one had the number 1871 on it and one chap confirmed it was indeed heading for Songkhla). The fare was THB27 (I read it only cost THB9 so perhaps that’s the fare on the bus, which I suppose I can board from the bus station but oh it was quite a walk away). I had help from my fellow passengers and one Thai Muslim girl offered not only to show me the way but also take me to my hotel on her motor bike ;’) She could speak Malay but in Kelantanese dialect (which I don’t really have a grasp on ;p).

So she took me to Sun City Mansion and helped me check in. Then she helped write down the instruction to the motorbike taxi to take me to the minivan station the next day for my ride back to Hat Yai. She insisted on seeing me to my room and then, when I asked her about some pictures of Songkhla in the hotel, offered to bring me around. And get this, she later told me she was not well. Oh my God. I just couldn’t believe her kind hospitality and generosity and selflessness... I was really touched.

We went to Samila Beach and took some photos there. And of course, there were busloads of Malaysians there too. Next, she took me to Tung Khuan hill but I decided against going up (there were also a lot of Malaysians here). We stayed for a little while looking at the monkeys and as we set to leave, one of them actually grabbed my leg, prompting a surprise scream for me.

She sent me back to the hotel and headed home.

After freshening up and evening prayers, I went out to find dinner. There were some stalls set up along Thaleluang (Talay Luang) Road where my hotel was and a few Muslim-owned stalls. Again, I had to rely on some locals to help me communicate (this time, from a lady from Narathiwat who also spoke with Kelantanese dialect). Then I strolled along the road before heading back. Already knackered and sleepy, I stayed up to watch a Thai drama. I was glued to it (it lasted for more than an hour I think) despite not understanding the language – all because the hero was good-looking. Ha, predictable me!

I woke up just after midnight (Malaysia time) to catch footie only to discover that not one channel had footie at all. This happened when I was in Bangkok 2.5 years ago; then, no channel was showing the FA Cup matches. Grrrr...! And not to mention, I had initially booked this hotel because it promised me free WiFi but I didn’t enjoy any Internet time at all during my stay. Double grrr...!!! (I have just given my feedback to Agoda and definitely included this in my comment).

On Sunday, I lazed in (not much to see outside anyway. It showered for a while at around 11 and was I glad I stayed indoors) and read my
novel, glancing at the TV every now and then. At any one time, there was always a channel that focussed on the floods in Thailand. Don Muang airport was totally submerged. Left after prayers and asked the hotel staff to help me get a motorbike taxi (I gave the paper with my new friend’s instruction). The ride lasted only a few minutes and cost me THB50 so you can bet I wasn’t pleased with that at all. The minivan fare back to Hat Yai was THB30 (my new friend had already told me of the different rates: THB27 from Hat Yai to Songkhla but THB30 from Songkhla to Hat Yai).

We reached the Clock Tower at 1.30 pm and I walked to Odean Shopping Centre before making another repeat visit to Central. Then I went to have lunch. It started raining as I left the restaurant so I sought shelter at Robinsons before making my way to the railway station. I was lucky that the rain showers I experienced over the weekend were brief.

I boarded the train (I was surprised that there were only two coaches heading back to Padang Besar and figured the rest of the coaches were at Padang Besar). Again, luck was not on my side. This time, there were four rowdy, noisy unruly kids sharing space very close to me - and the parents doing hardly anything to control them. Really! It irks me to see people not being bothered about their offspring disturbing others. The kids were running around, after each other, up and down the metal staircase from the upper berth to lower and lower to upper… it was enough to make me simmer. When I drew the curtain, one of them pulled at my curtain and peeked in. Honestly, did he think I found it cute and endearing? No, I found it irritating and annoying and I felt like smacking the kid. It was the closest I felt to murdering someone and had it happen, it would be Murder on the Orient Express, my version of course.

We finally left Hat Yai at 1620 (scheduled at 1600) and reached Padang Besar after 5. we had to go through the same passport control but in the reverse order: the Thai side first before the Malaysian. Then we waited and waited and waited before we could re-board the train together with all the other passengers who joined the train at Padang Besar.

It was a good thing the kids fell asleep almost immediately so we enjoyed some peace at last. Luckily I packed a bit of food too as there was hardly anything at the canteen when I went swaying through a few coaches to find it. I was told that perhaps fried rice would be supplied when we reached Bukit Mertajam which was then two hours away (we’d reach it after 10 pm) and I pondered if I should be eating my dinner that late. In the end, I totally slept through Bukit Mertajam (I heard someone remarked we stopped there for two hours but I was dead to the world so can’t confirm this).

I woke up at 3.30 and fell asleep again until I heard someone said it was close to 6 am. I got up then and went to the bathroom. After performing prayers, I remained in my berth and read my novel. We only arrived at KL Sentral at 7.30 am (scheduled to arrive at 5.30 (?) according to the timetable).

Would I return to Hat Yai? Perhaps. Would I endure another train journey? Perhaps not. Perhaps I’ll take a flight or bus and join the train closer to the border. But it’s an experience I don’t regret for sure. Yes, even the noisy inconsiderate rowdy passengers formed part of the experience of this trip.

P.S. Thanks to my power of prowess and research ability (ahem), I now know that the Thai drama I was glued at on Saturday night is Game Rai Game Rak (Evil Game & Love Game) and that the handsome hero is Barry Nadech Kugimiya ;) - remember that name!

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We drew at home in last Saturday’s match against Fulham (boo hoo) and lost last night’s quarter-final match against Man Shitty. It’d be nice to win or draw but I can’t say I’m too affected by our loss.

Samui Sampler

I had planned to leave the house a little earlier on Friday morning but only managed to do so after 8 am. Took public transportation to Subang Airport for my 10 am flight and reached there a quarter past 9. RI was already waiting and we immediately checked in – not to worry as Firefly closes its counter 30 minutes before departure. I still managed to browse around the shops before walking to the gate – yes, I can shop very quickly. Earmarked something to purchase on my return.

Our take-off was slightly delayed (by 15 minutes perhaps) but we still landed at Koh Samui at 11 am local time (Thailand being an hour behind). We wanted to take the minibus but the service is only provided if there are a minimum of five passengers and as our fellow passengers either had made their own transfer arrangement or were happy to take the cab (I thought the cab fare was too expensive at THB600), we waited patiently for the next flight to arrive; we did contemplate renting a car but as gasoline is so much more expensive than back home, it remained only a possibility. Thankfully for us, the next flight was from Bangkok and it landed only 30 minutes after ours did and this time, there were a lot more passengers opting to take the minibus. After paying for the fare (THB150 each), we made our way to the minibus. Different bus serviced different areas of the island and the further you go, the higher you have to pay for the service of course.

We arrived at our resort at Mae Nam shortly after and immediately checked in. After freshening up, we ventured out and hailed a songthaew to Lamai, changing songthaew in Chaweng, to check out Hin Ta Hin Yai at Lamai Beach (Grandfather Grandmother Rocks). However, we only found the Grandfather Rock and the rocky beach and big boulders didn’t help us to find the other rock.

We returned back to Chaweng and wandered around in the hot and humid late afternoon. A Muslim pancake seller told us there was a halal stall at Laemdin Market ‘about ten minutes away’ so we set off to find dinner. The walk turned out to be closer to 20 minutes but finally we found a stall (unfortunately not so clean but we were too tired from the walk and heat to bother). We then walked back to Chaweng beachfront and after learning that songthaew service for the day had ended, took a cab back to the hotel after bargaining for the fare. As there was no resort transportation to Chaweng that evening (due to maintenance), our fellow guests were partying around the pool instead, blaring out loud music for the whole Mae Nam area to hear.

After breakfast on Saturday, we decided to walk around Mae Nam to locate a spa centre. As it only opened at 11 am, we went to the beach instead. The beauty about Mae Nam is that the beach is not crowded and you can have a whole stretch of beach all to yourself – fantastic! There was a massage service by the sea too by Wat Po certified masseurs but it was done in the open. We spent close to an hour at the beach before returning to Mae Nam Bamboo Forest Sauna for our foot and body massages. We spent two blissful hours in the cool comfort of the air-conditioned room, such a relief from the hot, hot, sun!

We had sighted a halal road-side restaurant earlier and headed there for lunch. The owners spoke little English though and could not speak Malay either, unlike the stall owner where we had dinner the evening before. After lunch, we decided to take the songthaew to Big C, a hypermarket just before Chaweng. I was happy to see Boots Pharmacy there and spent some time browsing. Unfortunately, RI lost her credit card – it must have dropped off her purse – and that put a damper on our mood. We took the songthaew to Bophut Market where I bought some crabs and RI some sticky rice with mango before returning to the hotel.

We went back to the halal road-side restaurant for dinner and asked the cook to prepare a crab dish for us. I was craving for a crab dish when I recalled the tasty one I had in Krabi just twelve months ago. The evening was a peaceful one in comparison to the one before as our fellow guests availed of the resort transportation to party in Chaweng instead.

I woke up after midnight to watch the Arsenal-West Ham match but alas, it was not shown on TV (the resort provides limited TV channels for viewing to begin with). I had to console myself with irregular updates on BBC News instead. Found out in the morning that 10-man Arsenal survived a TV5 first-half sending off to climb to the summit of the league... ;’) if only for 24 hours.

We checked out at 10 am and hailed a cab to the airport (again, after bargaining the fare. The cabs all displayed ‘Meter Fare’ but the cabbies there hardly ever used the metre!). We checked in and walked along the resort-like area to the departure gate, passing airport shops which were built factory outlet-style. Very charming indeed. Unfortunately the flight was delayed by 30 minutes due to the delay in Subang but fortunately, there was a big huge screen at the departure gate showing the repeat of the Arsenal-West Ham match where I enjoyed the last quarter of an hour of the match. Oh and light refreshment was provided too.

The flight took off at 1150 am and we reached Subang at 1445. I performed prayers first before leaving the airport and reached micasa at 1630, just before the skies opened up and it poured heavy, torrential rain complete with thunders.

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We will meet Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League *gulp* but as Wenger put it, in footie, ‘the next game makes your life.’ I love that my baby is unfazed about it. We hosted West Ham on Saturday – not easy opponents seeing they were fighting for their PL lives and have a good record against us. Denilson (surprise, surprise) scored one after five minutes but there was drama right before half-time when TV5 was shown the red card (our first in 68 games – shows how clean we are). TV5 was the epitome of a professional footballer, leaving the pitch without drama. We somehow found the strength, maintained the discipline and displayed the spirit of champions to focus on the title challenge (Champions League take a back seat for now) to win the match and top the league, even though the current team is far from The Invincibles, and more The Unbelievables or The Improbables. Next game and next focus: Birmingham away which TV5 will miss with the red card (strewth), unfortunately.

On another front, Rambo has started to walk without his crutches ;’). Get well soon, Rambo.

Krabi, Baby

I had planned for this trip since September as this year’s birthday present for good mate, Elle, in return for her and Peach’s birthday present to me last year. Elle’s birthday is in February but we agreed that end-March would be a better date to travel.

Friday, 27 March 2009

While I do plan for my trips way in advance, I don’t however pack well in advance. So I was frantically packing (and also doing laundry) this morning. Was running late and left micasa after 0915. Met up with Elle at KL Sentral and took the SkyBus to LCCT. We arrived just in time to check in. Flight took off on time at 1205 but we landed about 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. Even though we didn’t check in our bags (I’d never packed that light before!), the bus we took from the airport waited for all the other passengers so it was some time before we finally left. The bus passed Krabi town on its way to Ao Phra Nang (more commonly referred to as Ao Nang) and we were dropped off right in front of our hotel some 45 minutes later.

After checking in, we stepped out into the hot afternoon sun to find our late lunch. There is a significant Muslim community in Krabi province (in fact, there is a mosque being built about ten metres from our hotel) so finding halal food was not a problem at all. There are many eateries that will cater to your taste-bud – from restaurants and stalls selling local and international food to mobile hawkers selling fried pad thai and pancakes (with all types of fillings and tops!) and fruit shakes and juices. Trust me, you will not get hungry there.

Our meal was all right (not too great) but enough to re-energise us. We then walked down the street to the beach. There were other tourists getting off their respective boats back from their respective tours; there were tourists tanning themselves (I spied some sunbathing topless!); there were some local people promoting their respective establishment’s spa services; and of course there were those just walking around just as we were doing. We walked leisurely along the Phai Plong beach to the south-end of the Nopparat Thara beach where we hung around watching the daily life before heading back. We didn’t return directly to the hotel but walked further to find some fruit stalls we saw earlier while on the bus (no durians though). By the way, there were so many accommodations on offer along the road and the beachfront that it would be hard to imagine being homeless there. Oh and boy, do they have the cutest, furriest cats there in Ao Nang.

Back at our room, we discussed where to go the next day and having made up our minds, we asked the hotel to help make bookings for us. Dinner was had from one of the sidewalk stalls – this time the pad thai was delicious.

Saturday, 28 March 2009

We had booked a ‘Four Islands tour’ today and we were picked up just before 0900. It was a fine bright morning (contrary to the BBC Weather forecast that predicted it would rain the whole duration we were there) and by 0945, we were already in our speedboat heading out into the Andaman Sea. Our first stop was at Koh Tup (Tup Island) sand banks where the sand banks that form during low tide enable you to walk from one island to another. We stayed until about 1030 when the sand banks started disappearing under the high tide. Our boat then passed Koh Hua Khwan or Chicken Island – so-called because there was this rock formation jutting out that resembles a head of a chicken (though it looked more like a turkey head to me). Next we stopped at a nearby island for snorkelling. I was a bit disappointed as I had expected to see corals and more fish/marine life as when I snorkelled in Tioman and Redang Islands in Malaysia. Oh well...

After 30 minutes or so, we boarded the boat back and went to Koh Poda (Poda Island). We stopped here to relax, have lunch and swim. Elle swam; I didn’t though. Instead I was content to laze on the mat (you need a mat here because of the fallen cones from the trees) until it was time to leave at 1300.

Our final stop was at Hat Tham Phra Nang (Phra Nang Cave Beach). I liked this beach better than the beach at Poda Island because of its fine-grained white sand and crystalline water shadowed at some areas by the tall overhanging magnificent cliffs. There were also some caves and one of it is said to be home of a mythical princess. Local fishermen place carved wooden phalli in the cave as offerings to the princess so that she will provide plenty of fish for them. Hmm, a very interesting and intriguing concept indeed (by the way, did you read about the bloke who painted a phallus on his parents’ mansion? They were not amused of course). The water was pleasant though I was surprised to note how deep it was after only a few feet in (I thought I could wade around). If you’re adventurous enough, you could swim to one end and climbed up to the cliff and jump off into the sea from there. Unfortunately, we could only stay there for 30 minutes.

We returned back to the boat reluctantly for our journey back to the mainland. We reached the hotel at 1430 and after showering, we rested and napped – until dark!

We decided not to book any more tour for the next day but instead explore the town of Krabi on our own. Dinner was had at a halal restaurant (no curried crab though). We then walked down to the beachfront before returning back to the hotel.

Sunday, 29 March 2009

This morning, we went out for a walk along the beach. We sighted a wooden bridge that led to some steps and decided to follow it. Sun, our friendly hotel staff, had earlier told us that there was a hotel on the side of the cliff facing our hotel and that it was not very easily accessible. Due to its location, this hotel also had a private beach. And true enough, after huffing and puffing (I’m so unfit), we reached the Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas. We walked along the ‘jetty’ and sat there for a while before heading back the same way we came. We also stopped for some pancakes and fruit shakes on our way back (banana and peanut butter pancake for me, coconut and chocolate pancake for Elle). Yummy!!!

We only left for town at almost 1 pm. The ‘bus’ (more like a song thaew) ride took about 40-45 minutes and cost THB50 until 6 pm after which it would cost THB60. Alas, Krabi town was a dead town on Sundays. We walked to the Khong Kha Pier and took a long-tail boat upriver along the mangrove forest to Khao Khanab Nam Cave. This cave is apparently regarded as the symbol of Krabi (don’t ask why). We climbed up the wooden staircase into a cave of stalactites and stalagmites. We also sighted some bats. Unfortunately, it had started to rain very heavily by then (so BBC Weather was right after all for today) so we were quite wet by the time we returned to the boat.

Next, the boat took us to a fisherman village at Koh Klang. It had stopped raining by the time we got there and we were given some demonstrations on how the locals use floating baskets to farm their fish. There were also two tortoiseshell turtles there. It started raining again just as the demonstrations ended so we sat out the rain in the fisherman’s hut before getting back on the boat.

We walked around the shops before sitting down for some beef noodle and the ‘fish paste’ (otak-otak) dishes that we had bought earlier (spicy!). Then we walked to the food market (the dominant traders here were Muslims) before we found a centre where we had our Thai and foot massages respectively. We then checked out the Night Market (the night market started at 5 and lasted until 10 pm) before boarding the bus back to Ao Nang.

We browsed at the shops first before dinner. I was happy to discover that the Nike store had the Fàbregas t-shirt I was eyeing at a higher price (there are things that are cheaper in KL after all!). After browsing at the shops, we browsed the restaurants for our dinner before we finally managed to locate one that sold curried crab. Yum yum!!!

Monday, 30 March 2009

As it was not a Manic Monday, we slept in and only woke up at almost 8. Oh and did I have lovely dreams. I dreamt of Clichy who was contemplating a move to Chelshit (not that lovely) and then I also dreamt of Cesc. Yes, CESC himself. I think this is the second time I’ve dreamt of him. I can’t wait to see him again this weekend after all these months.

There was some water shortage but it was restored quickly. After breakfast, we walked to get our last order of pancake and fruit shake. We hurried back to the hotel to check out and it was barely five minutes before the airport bus arrived to bring us to the airport.

We landed at LCCT at 3 pm. I told Elle I am beginning to like the idea of not checking in my luggage on my future trips as it takes so darn long to wait for your luggage (once I managed to buy instant noodles - and ate them all up and I ate them slowly too as I don’t like to eat piping hot food, called up my parents and visited the washroom twice before the bags even started making their appearance on the conveyor belt). We just about managed to board our respective 1530 buses back to our destinations.

Until our next escapade then!

Bangkok Dangerous

Starring: Yours truly and the good (hardly dangerous) people of Bangkok
Duration: 6-9 March 2009

The story was I had been to Phuket and Chiang Mai twice and felt Bangkok warranted a second visit. So I availed of the online offer and bought the ticket to Bangkok in end-October 2008 (and had I not dithered and bought it a week earlier, it would have cost me RM100 less. Dang! That’s opportunity cost for me!).

Took half-day leave on Friday and went to KLIA from the office. For some reason, I thought the flight would depart at 1530 and so I was surprised when I realised just before checking in that the flight was at 1515 after all. Ditsy! Well, so long as I could still check in and didn’t miss the flight... (note to self: check and confirm the departure time before leaving for the airport in future).

We landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1620 local time and joined the queue of at least two flights which arrived ahead of us at the immigration. After collecting my bag, I made my way down to Level 1 to catch the free shuttle for the Transport Centre. At the Transport Centre, I hopped onto an awaiting bus (number 551) to Victory Monument (for THB35, you can also take public buses from the Transport Centre to Minburi, Happy Land, On Nut BTS station, Samut Prakan, Don Muang Airport and Rangsit) but I chose Victory Monument as it was the nearest to my hotel – not to mention the only landmark I was familiar with. Alternatively, you can take the Airport Express (AE) buses to Silom, Khao San Road, Sukhumvit or Victory Monument for THB150.

Unfortunately, we hit the infamous Bangkok evening traffic jam and the journey stretched even longer.

From Victory Monument, I made my way to my hotel (thanks to my mate who helped booked it for me) at Rajparop Road (soi Petchaburi 19). I wasn’t too thrilled though when I discovered that I had to go through Pratunam Market to reach the hotel.

After checking in and catching my breath, I went out to Ratchadamri Road. I walked past Isetan (saving it for another day) to Central World. To my delight, the Arsenal store was having a clearance sale and I took advantage of the sale, but of course. I returned to the hotel after 10 pm. There were still a lot of vehicles on the road, you’d think it was 10 am instead.

I went to bed pretty late that night, plotting my route for the next day.

Saturday, 7 March 2009

Despite the late night before, I was already up at 5 something. Strewth. After breakfast at the Sky Lounge (so called because it’s at the 43rd floor, i.e., the top-most floor of the hotel), I went to check out the Pratunam morning market but I was too late (at 9 am!) as the stall owners were already packing up their goods. Pratunam Market sells mainly clothes by the way so no big loss really. I fought my way through the crowd – and a crazy crowd it was too with some people pushing their trolleys, some carrying their bundles of clothes, some just stood gawking around and holding up the human traffic trying to move in the narrow soi – and walked to Ratchadamri Road. The plan was to walk to Chit Lom BTS station and take the Skytrain to Jatujak Weekend Market. I had earlier mulled about going to the floating market but wasn’t too keen when I found it was some 80 km away.

It was in front of Central World where I saw a sign for the Airport Express bus to the airport (costing THB100 from that stop). Good, I thought, I could take this bus back to the airport on Monday. There was a tourist information kiosk right next to the airport bus stop but it was still closed. I was looking around for opening time when a friendly man approached me and asked if I needed help and I was a bit surprised to find myself asking about the floating market. He told me bus no. 79 which passes Central World goes to the floating market, it would cost THB20 and the journey would take 40 minutes. I asked whether it was the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and he replied that it would take at least two hours to get there. Forget it, I wasn’t keen to spend two hours travelling to and another two hours coming back so I decided to check out the floating market that he suggested instead.

And what do you know, along came the bus almost immediately - just like in the movies - and I found myself running to catch it (the fare actually cost a mere THB18). There went my plans for the day but hey I could still carry them out the next day. We travelled or rather inched our way through the Bangkok crawl before eventually crossing Chao Phraya and finally arriving at the Taling Chan district. The bus conductor very kindly showed us the way to the floating market. There were a lot of stalls lining up the street selling plants on one side and food on the other all the way to the Khlong Chakpra where the floating market was. The main attraction here was the floating restaurant. There were a number of boats moored along the platform with vendors selling a variety of dishes. I walked the length of the restaurants and then around the area before spotting a tourist centre selling tickets to other floating markets. I wasn’t too keen at first to join the tour when I heard it would take three hours but decided heck, I had come all the way there, I might as well stay and experience it. The ticket cost THB99, a real bargain for a three-hour trip.

Our boat left at 11. We passed houses, numerous wats, orchards and even children swimming in the khlong (the canal didn’t look all that clean or fit for a dip if you ask me).

After some time, we docked at Khlong Latmayom Floating Market. The local people own this market and the market offered fresh produce and local food. There was also a puppet show in session when we were there. We stopped there for half an hour before continuing on our journey.

Our next stop was at Wat Saphan Floating Market, named after a wat which was on the bank of Bang Noi Canal. As before, we stopped there for half an hour. Then we continued on and stopped (but didn’t get down) at Wat Pak Nam Fang Toi where we participated in a fish-feeding activity. The wat sells buns for tourists to buy to feed the fish and the proceeds go towards the upkeep and maintenance of the wat. And boy, were there a lot of fish in the khlong (all big and fat too! I think in Malaysia, they would have been fished out!).

Our last stop was at a canal-side stall selling a local delicacy – glutinous rice in bamboo (and no, it’s not our version of lemang. This one looked like a sweet version – for dessert). We reached Taling Chan Floating Market at 1445.

I caught the bus back to Bangkok and alighted at Siam. Then I crossed to the other side and took another bus (thanks to the very helpful bus conductor) to Hua Lamphong train station where I bought a train ticket to Sam Sen station about four miles away for a mere THB2 – and when I mentioned train here, I meant a commuter train, not a metro or Skytrain. See, I wanted to go to Gems Gallery there and after studying and scrutinising the map, I felt I could take a train to get there (sure I could take a cab but it might cost me THB100 if not more). I found the store alright but fortunately or unfortunately, it didn’t have what I was looking for. And so I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – a jade bangle with clasp. I have a jade bangle but I want to buy one with a clasp - for easy removal. So I made my way back to Bangkok.

From the train station, I took another bus (the people at the info counter were really knowledgeable!) to Ratchathewi Road. This time, the bus was not air-conditioned and looked more dilapidated.

From Ratchathewi station, I walked to the nearby Phetchaburi Road (soi 7) in search of Masjid Darun Aman. Dinner was had at Mak Yah Restaurant (a Muslim resto). The deco and ambience of the restaurant was nice but I couldn’t say the same for my order.

Then I walked to Isetan and Central World. I returned to the hotel at almost 10 pm – 13 hours after I left! And I felt pleased with myself today – for being able to navigate in Bangkok and riding public buses all by myself! Couldn’t wait to bathe the dust of Bangkok off me; I couldn’t remember it being that polluted on my first visit.

Sunday, 8 March 2009
I ventured out to the Pratunam Market before breakfast this morning but unlike the day before, the market was still bustling when I left after 9. Took the Skytrain to Mo Chit and walked to Jatujak Weekend Market. It was a hot, bright, sunny mid-morning and it must be 38C in the market. After a while, all the stalls started to look similar. As much as I tried finding the stores where I made my purchases from during my last visit, I just couldn’t. I left empty-handed after slightly more than an hour – it was just too hot to shop, man. Still only the first weekend in March and already so hot. I wonder how it must be like in May or June? Or maybe I should just stick to air-conditioned malls.

Took the train to Saphon Taksin and walked the short distance to Central Pier. You can take a river boat from here to visit attractions along the river such as The Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, etc. After thinking it over, I changed my mind about taking the boat to Wat Pho for a massage (the temple is the birthplace of traditional Thai massage) and decided to go to Health Land instead.

The last time I was there, the Thai traditional massage was fully booked out but I was in luck this time. Thai massage uses both palms and thumbs (and legs and feet etc) to concentrate on pressure points. The massage includes stretching on the customer’s part and oh my God, I thought I was going to die (of pain, of ecstasy) when the masseuse ‘massaged’ my body. Both my shoulders hurt like anything and I had flashes in my mind: ‘Tourist died after receiving Thai massage.’ I wonder if anyone had actually ever died but hey there’s a first time for everything and I could be the first casualty.

I left the centre two hours later, my lower body parts screaming and aching and limped back to the station. Took the train to Sala Daeng station and walked the Patpong area (it was actually mild during the day) to Jim Thompson factory outlet store. I didn’t find anything that caught my fancy though and left, yes you guess it, empty-handed.

Still determined to shop, I took the Skytrain to MBK then walked over to Siam Discovery Centre. Had my late lunch at Siam Centre (next door to Siam Discovery Centre). There were some Muslim and seafood stalls at the food court there, hurray. Then I walked to the posh Siam Paragon next door. Tod’s was having a sale but although the goods were priced lower than in KL, the discount was less so the goods actually cost more after discount. Left Siam Paragon empty-handed.

Took the Skytrain (I bought a day pass so might as well) to Chit Lom and went to Gaysorn Shopping Centre before crossing over to Central World. Finally bought some souvenirs at Isetan and NaRaYa. I hung out at the Arsenal store for a while before returning to the hotel.

No FA Cup match shown (boo hoo) and I watched Stardust instead on HBOM (for the fourth time? Or fifth?). Love that movie.

Monday, 9 March 2009

All good things come to an end and today was my last morning in Bangkok. After breakfast and checking out, I rushed to Central World to catch the Airport Express bus back to the airport. I was the only passenger in there. The journey took only 40 minutes this time but on the other side of the road, boy, was the infamous Bangkok jam.

We were served the same food as on our outbound trip (satay and fried rice, some funny pudding and Ferrero Rocher) but at least the fried rice and pudding tasted better this time.

I was already in the bus heading back to micasa only an hour after arriving at KLIA.

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Arsenal exacted revenge on Burnley in the FA Cup on Sunday. Three nil to the Arsenal, thanks to goals from Vela, skipper of the day Eduardo with his wonderful superb beach flick (he made it look so effortlessly easy!) and with his left foot that was so horrifically injured only last year too, and from-jeers-to-cheers Eboue. Thanks to SK for texting me the results. Read about the match here, here, here and here.

Burn, baby, burn!

And here are some pictures of Captain Cesc in training.