Day 2

I think I make a mistake on setting the international roaming service from my phone. It doesn’t work at all in Bangkok. So I use Irma’s phone to text my boyfriend and have him texted my Mom about my arrival  here in Bangkok.

While Catri and I getting ready for the trip, Irma and Alis going down to the restaurant in the lobby floor to have breakfast. Since it is only for two persons, we take turn so Catri and I will have breakfast tomorrow.

15 minutes later, they come back and we start our second day trip in Bangkok. Fufufuuu…

 

 

The amazing thing about Bangkok is its integrated public transportation. A few years ago, I heard that traffic condition in Bangkok is much worse than in Jakarta. But now, Bangkok is very much steps ahead of Jakarta in public transportation. Ironic, we can’t stop imagining the time when Jakarta will have this kind of integrated system of transportation.

Oh! One of our goals while traveling here is trying out every transportation mode in Bangkok, such as Airport Rail Link Train, Subway Train, BTS Sky Train, bus, tuktuk, taxi and boat. Yesterday, we’ve tried Airport Rail Link Train and Subway Train, so today, as a start-off, we use Bangkok Mass Transit System or commonly known as the BTS Skytrain to go to our next destination. It is also an elevated rapid transit system (like Airport Rail Link) which serves Bangkok metropolitan route.

Yesterday, we also found out that Sukhumvit 11 Road is much closer to Nana Station than Sukhumvit Station. So, Nana Station will be our start-off point everyday.

Our next destination: Grand Palace

From Nana Station, we have to go to Chao Phraya Station then taking a boat across Chao Phraya River to Grand Palace.

We pay about 100 Baht for 4 tickets. Yesterday in subway station, each of us got a token to pass the gate, while now here in BTS Station we get a small card to get through it. Pay attention to the ticket price, because later at the other station (I don’t remember where) we can’t pass through the gate. We pay less than it costs to our destination because we didn’t expect to take 2 routes. The ticket filled automatically only with some amounts of Baht we choose at ticket machine.

Arriving in Chao Phraya Station, we walk to a small port near BTS Station, pay for boat tickets and find ourselves a seat in a boat heading to Grand Palace.

The Chao Phraya River is brown-colored, just like every river in Indonesia, but it’s pretty clean, neat and some buildings (like French Embassy and Shangrila Hotel) making the river its front yard.

The tour guide in the front side of the boat explaining some facts about Chao Phraya River or building s around the river. I can’t hear him properly because we sit at the back side so I make myself busy with taking some photos.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

The boat stops in Maharadja Port. From this port, we walk for about 300 meters and here it is,

The Grand Palace!

Very crowded today, I bet because it’s weekend.

This place is amazing! I’m wondering why our Borobudur Temple doesn’t get this much attention as Grand Palace. We’re being left behind (again) by Thailand in tourism.

The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it consists of not only the royal residence and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It covers an area of 218.000 square meters and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 meters in length. (Source: Guide to Grand Palace)

I guess for this second day trip, I’ll let the pictures speak for itself.

 

 

 

Next destination is Wat Pho which is located in a walking distance from Grand Palace. I think I have ever seen this lying Buddha statue before when it hasn’t covered by temple yet. Am I imagining things?

Wat Pho is done explored.

Now it’s time for National Museum of Thailand. We’re taking tuktuk there and pay 120 Baht.

We’re going back to Wat Pho by tuktuk again to take a bus to Chatuchak Market. And we find out that it only costs half of the first tuktuk price (60 Baht) to get to Wat Pho again!!

 

 

The bus is bright colored. We take the yellow one to Chatuchak Market. It is new and very clean, but the driver drives the bus crazily like Kopaja driver in Jakarta.

I’m sleepy but I’m feeling insecure.

 

 

So I look around the view outside and find some building’s gate covered by plastic. So this downtown area is flooded, too.

Chatuchak Market is a weekly market selling all kind of things, mostly souvenirs, and foods with a cheap price. It is is located quite far from Wat Pho, about 1 hour by bus. After having so much walk around Grand Palace and Wat Pho, we can’t stand to close our eyes for a bit..

.. and awakened in a right time!

Some passengers walk closer to the bus door while bus slows down. So Irma asked one old man,

“Chatuchak Market?”

He nods and says “Chatuchak.”

We’re getting off from our seat and walk out from the bus happily. Thank God we wake up and arrive here safely.

First, we walk around to find some foods for lunch. The food stalls pretty much like Pedagang Kaki Lima in Indonesia. We decided to eat in one of food stall, and ask,

“No pork?”

“No, this is pork.” and she kicked us out from there.

So we search for another secure food for us to eat.

After a while, we find a food stall with an English menu, so we sit there and read the menu further.

I find that this food stall serves pork also and I already have a disgusting imagination about the food there. I think the smells is weird so I decided not to eat.

“You’re not eating, Mi?”

“Nope, I don’t wanna. You guys go ahead.”

“But you didn’t have breakfast this morning.”

“It’s ok.”

“How about you, Cat, Lis?” Irma asks doubtfully.

“I think it’s ok for me. I’ll have beef noodles.” Catri replies.

“Me, too.” says Alis.

Food is one of our main problem for us Muslims when traveling in Thailand. There is no guarantee that it’s halal, even for food with chicken. So search carefully and decide the safest food to eat. There’s so much street food in Sukhumvit 11 Road, but we’re too afraid to try cause it all seems suspicious.

While we’re eating, suddenly 2 man come closer and ask,

“…Muslims…?” not hearing properly because we’re busy talking and we’re too surprised of meeting another Muslims here, so we reply at the same time,

“Yes! Yes!”

Then he talks to his colleagues and says,

“Ok, it’s Muslims food.”

Realizing what he asked before, we reply again at the same time,

“Nooo!! Nooo!! We are not sure!!”

He stands still and staring at us,

“Then what are you eating?”

“We eat beef noodles.”

“But this is not Muslims food?” he repeats his question.

“Yeah, we are not sure..”

Then he talks again to his colleagues,

“Oooh, mereka juga ngga yakin.”

Four of us froze.

 

 

“Lho? Indonesia?!”

“Lho? Kalian juga? Saya kira Malaysia.”

I bet it’s because of my jilbab style.

“Trus kenapa kalian makan disini?”

Irma replies at once,

“Abis udah muter2 daritadi ga ketemu2, laper, ya udah makan deh”

“Ooh, saya sih takut sapinya dicekek, hehe.. Di sisi belakang sana tadi saya nemu yang jualan kebab.”

“Oh gitu yah.”

“Ya udah saya muter lagi yah.”

“Oke.”

After he passes by,

“Ma, lo ko jawabnya gitu sih, kesannya iman kita lemah banget. Capek trus makan yang ada deh.”

“Iya ya? Hihihiiii…”

We’re laughing hard again.

 

 

Let the hunting begins!

This Chatuchak Market is so interesting! So much like street market in Tanah Lot, Bali, but in a bigger area. And so much cute souvenirs from Thailand. I spend almost 2000 Baht total for souvenirs only. I get some t-shirts, key chains and purses. Keep wanting more and more…

We go back to the hotel using BTS Sky Train. Thank God we don’t have to experience that full of horror-bus trip again.

It is a pretty long way trip to Nana Station, about 45 minutes.

We stopped by at 7-11 to buy some instant foods. I need to have lunch though it’s past afternoon already.

We unpack our shopping plastics and feel satisfied but then realize that maybe we haven’t buy enough for everyone.

At night, we decided to visit Terminal 21 Mall and have dinner there.

Terminal 21 is a theme-mall which can be accessed through Asok BTS Station. It adapts the concept of airport and each level (also each shop in each level) represents a different place/country, from Caribbean, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, and Bangkok.

We have dinner at Yoshinoya and I choose a beef bowl set. I get a different food combination than the one I usually had in Yoshinoya Jakarta. The ocha is too strong, too.

Indonesian foods and foods in Indonesia really are the best for me.

Now that I find it the hard way.

 

 

On the way back to Asok Station, I see some girls taking pictures in turn while laughing. I recall that I see one of them inside mall before. She is one pretty girls, with perfect tanned brown skin and great shape of body. But when she answers the phone, I was surprised by her super bass-voice! She’s a GUY!

Then I remembered another things:

1. In BTS Train from Chatuchak Market, a guy wearing hot pants (showing off his hairy legs everywhere) sits beside me and when an old woman came in, he gave his seats away for her. Gentleman yet flamboyant. Not a common view for me.
2. Still in BTS Train from Chatuchak Market, a career woman was wearing blazer, skirt, stockings and heels. I had just thinking “So this is a career woman in Bangkok. Pretty much the same like career woman in Jakarta…” except after that I realized that his face is so GUY!
3. Just then inside mall, I saw a young and fat boy with bald head wearing hot pants running flamboyantly.

From what I read in naked-traveler.com, the concept of this other gender in Thailand is already known and accepted by public. The country is not ashamed to admit that there is another tourism in Thailand, that is transsexuals. Restaurants serve food with 3 prices, for boy, girl and ladyboy. Even in some elementary schools, there are already 3 kinds of toilets, yes, for boy, girl and ladyboy.

It reminds me of the young boy I saw at Terminal 21. even at such a young age, he already acknowledge himself as a flamboyant boy.

Wow! Really! Different country tells different stories. I love traveling, it’s a fun way of learning.

 

 

That is all for the second day.