Sunday, 26 June 2016

travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part IV

{Lone Ranger Finding His Loving Wife}


......continued from part III

Sometimes we never know how far we can go, we never try, we never know. Ya, I mean trying for new thing that is uncertain, strange but always in the basis of good, decent and safe.
Before I decided to go on for this travel, some people was told and they said that I was crazy. Ya, it's true. How crazy I was to travel alone, how crazy I was to cross countrie..s  without any flight, how crazy I was to dream that I am able to travel 2000km away from home to a totally strange & new places where people are communicate in different languages & having different cultures. My old man even told me that "What ? Cambodia ? People are not wearing pants .." there you are... Many new thing are happening & new technology invented in world because of the folks of crazy people, agree ?
And the crazy Lone Ranger lying without pants
While the clock (and ya, don't watch hand watches. I mean phone's clock which would automatically changing according to countries of your current position) shown it was 2:09am, the Thailand train 36 had started since 7pm (Thailand time) just now...I checked on GPS, and it shown that I had half-pass the Thai - land. My phone also automatically changed to Thais mobile-line : [TRUE], as shown in the picture above. Remember not to switch on to 3G, unless you are prepared to pay more for phone bill.

While I was having lots of thoughts of my career, my family thousand miles away, my future plans & my current excitement, although hard to fall asleep with an exciting heart, but slowly .. and slowly.. try to keep eyes-shut..

The sun rising earlier at around 6am in Thai-land (Malaysia was 7am then). 
Different greenish view

Thailand paddy field @ 6am
Thailand is producing more rice than Malaysia. True ? Eventually, Thailand paddy field is larger than Malaysia.

My breakfast was served properly to me at about 7am. Not free la, I paid around 100 Thai baht (or less, I really forgot, morning memory not good).
Thai rice porridge (veges only)
While I was tasting the hot rice porridge, I caught my time to take photos with my Olympus digital camera, through train's window (luckily the window besides my seat was clear, I just don't know why and I try not to say this "why some country train window can't be made clear for better view for the sake of tourists ??" )...
Thailand @ 7:13am

Thailand @ 7:49am

Thailand @ 9:13am
 At about 10am, the train is very near to Bangkok then. Hoho! coming...ya ... coming ....
Salaya Railway Station @ 10:18am

Google Map - Salaya Railway Station
Salaya Railway Station @ 10:19am

Thailand officer off the train @ 11:29am
Hoho ! Almost there ... Bangkok...I'm coming ......

...to be continued

(back to episode 1) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part I

(current page) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part IV




travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part III

{Lone Ranger Finding His Loving Wife}


...continued from part II


Most of the passengers will hang around the Hat Yai town while waiting for another train transit. Shopping, look-see look-see, different building, different faces (off course, look for Thais pretty faces), different cars (ya, it's still different in plate number, haa), tasting delicious Thais foods, and off course la, not forget the famous Thai massage.

Whilst I just did some short window-shopping (without buying anything) cause my next destination was the biggest city in Thailand - Bangkok. Then filled my stomach with a simple Thai rice noodle in a Thai Chinese lady owns restaurant, and laying my relaxing legs for few hours while had a long but simple chat with a Chinese man. He apparently look like middle 60', and he told that he was having his renovation business in Singapore, but having holiday in Hat Yai with long-staying in budget hotel ?  And he never back to Malaysia since 10 over years ago, odd. For what reason, he refused to reveal. I believe there are some who had travel or work outside Malaysia never intend to back to home country due to many many reasons..s

I did a very very 'simple', 'fast' and bit-of-inconvenience shower in a washroom (it is an actual shower room, not toilet with shit-hole) inside the rail station.

Thailand train - purple colour, purple rain ?


I found it was a totally different with Malaysia train. the seat facing oppositely will be converted to be sleeping berth in the night time.



Fit-fit size Thailand train officer
Oh! There were a dining table which slotted into the wall of train provided, very intelligent and caring. I just don't want to say but still must saying this "Why we can't have this in Malaysia train ? " 
A dining table slotted. Intelligent initiative move

Dinner (rice with veges & fruit) served in Thailand train 36
As there you see it, my dinner was served properly by a gentle Thai train officer. Free ? Hah ! You wish, the dinner was not included in the ticket price, had to extra order @ 200 Thai baht (roughly)

Before writing this blog, I traveled to Langkawi island in June this year. The Malaysia train has taken their initiative to provide the similar facility in electric train, ETS. 

NOTE: Currently, the ETS or Malaysia train has no more direct cross-border to Hat Yai. Tourists have to get down either in Butterworth or Padang Besar, then take the Thailand train 36 north-up to Bangkok.

Right after I finished my dinner, the gentle officer started their 'transformer' show to convert passenger seat to be sleeping berth. 




My ticketed was for the lower berth, which I believe will have more turning space and greater view while morning then.
And I like that the blanket was clean and covered properly inside a laundry bag. 
Clean blanket inside laundry bag 
There you see it. Thais are really giving their 'heart' to provide their 'care' & concern to tourists, which is highly recommended to be learned by other countries' tourism industry.

......to be continued

(back to episode 1) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part I

(current page) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part III

(clicktravel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part IV



travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part II

{Lone Ranger Finding His Loving Wife}


...continued from part I


After around 10 hours 'trapped' inside the Malaysian train, finally I reached Malaysia checkpoint to get ready to cross border to a totally strange country (to me). A lot of my knowings, expecially my senior laughed at me that I being a fool to waste so much of time in transport, "why not taking flight straight ?" there you are, I felt shame to told anyone that I am acrophobia. I was a right-hand-man of a notorious 'heavenly-top' syndicate at my young age. Then I got 'learned' (得到教训,觉悟) and whitened-up and blessed that I was able to change to become what I am today. Then it would make everyone think that I must be brave enough to climb high and fly high, ya?

Anyway, I'm still must saying that the experience of 10 hours inside a train was 'ok' and not as bad as 20 over years ago when I was riding on a night train too to travel down to Johor Bharu for UTM intake interview. I failed on that interview due to my poor Malay language conversation. I still presume that my Form 5 SPM result was justified and qualify for enroll into the course I chosen then (if not, 'they' not even give a kick on me), but my damned poor conversation failed me. Haha! Maybe I am a Inspector with qualified university degree now, who knows ? Maybe I am a damned 'corrupted' cop too, who knows ? right ? So, sometimes I just felt that "if one day we fall down from a horse, that might be a good thing too" . It was the first 'T-junction' in my life which change my life and lead to who I am today.

Ok, let's get back to the story of traveling before going too far out.

After I was 'blessed' by the first Thailand chop onto my passport, then I just follow the queue to lay all my bags onto a conveyor for Thailand custom check. I carried a black backpack, an army waist-pocket and a hand-carry blue colour sport bag. Everything ok except the blue colour sport bag, they asked me to open up and take out everything inside. After they found nothing 'dangerous', then they smile and I said "Korb-kun-Krup' (thank-you) and allowed me to proceed on. 

We wait for approx. 30 minutes, then we get on the same Malaysia train and continue north-up into Thai-land. It was totally different view flew into eyesight..more greenish.. more breeze.. air breathe was cleaner? (haha! just psychological felt that "other country is better") . 

After that very fast 20 minutes, the train finally stopped in rail station at Hat Yai junction.


That was my first touch on Thai-land. Standing there inside the rail station. Wow ! Wonderful !

Then I scratched out my 'things-to-do' checklist, and ya [buy a train ticket to Bangkok]. Alright! After 'chow-tut' enjoying the moment of strange faces, strange building, I look for the counter selling Bangkok's train ticket. The ticket was only available to be sold inside an office room before walking pass the [EXIT] line from railway, it was just a few steps right after I get down from train.

The price, a bit shocked! 945 ? but in Thai-baht (equivalent ~RM116, year 2015 Rawang money-changer's rate @0.123). Train 36 is an international cross-border train from Butterworth to Bangkok with cozy sleeping berth and restaurant serving dinner and breakfast. 

  
While talking about breakfast..so after I bought the ticket, I quickly rushed out from the station to find a food-stall.
Hat Yai Junction Rail Station
Just a few hundreds meters walks, I stepped inside a look 'ok' restaurant. I filled my stomach with a simple Thai rice noodle soup...and rest my legs laying there to wait for the next train, the Thailand train 36, to depart in another 5 hours.


Thai Noodle Soup - taste - Goood
While waiting for the next train, tourists may do their shopping around this town, Hat Yai, which is so famous with her reputation for being a shopping destination for both Thais and foreigners. There are numbers of department stores, shopping malls and markets throughout the city. Their main products are imported processed food, cosmetics, fabrics, gadgets and electrical appliances, and not forget the 'well-known' Thai-massage.

...... to be continued

(back to episode 1) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part I

(current page) travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part II

(clicktravel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part III



Wednesday, 22 June 2016

travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part I

{Lone Ranger Finding His Loving Wife}


This was my adventure & romantic traveling to 2 countries, Thailand & Cambodia in September, 2015.

I am a acrophobia (fear of heights) & airplane-phobia (fear of flights) person. So, I started my journey alone without any aeroplane flight; it was all by trains & lot of walks.

My journey started from riding on a Malaysia train from Sungai Buloh KTM train station, then changed riding on a Thailand train from Hat Yai junction rail station heading north up to Hua Lamphong rail station at Bangkok. After spent an overnight there, ride on another train from Hua Lamphong heading east to Cambodia border. Then, taken a private taxi heading towards my destination at Siem Reap. After succeed my "task" in Siem Reap (what task is it? to be revealed later in this blog), then back to prayer & short tour in Bangkok. Finally, back home to Malaysia via Hat Yai. The whole trip taken about 15 days with my style of slow-walk, light & easy way.

So, let's start ...


I ride on an overnight train from Sungai Buloh.
This is a medium-size agriculture-transform-industrial township in Selangor state of Malaysia. The train started at nighttime from Kuala Lumpur heading north to Hat Yai. Tourists have to book the ticket 1 month earlier as it was always sold-out. I booked online @ KTMB E-Ticket on the price of RM56 with mattress lay-on steel bar for overnight sleep.
Inside a Malaysia train

So, there you see it, I packed all the necessity, drinking water (a must), thermos with hot water, easy-dry & light clothes, negligee, recyle-water-proof-fold-bag (that pink colour folded & slotted in my backpack), a fold-able walking stick (for self-defense purpose, some tourists will include multi-purpose-switchblade, 多用途小折刀; but I won't due to some custom officer might make trouble of that)., and I won't carry a slippers due to my bag is too small and I don't want to hang it out-expose on my backpack. So, basically there all stuff that suck inside my small backpack. And ya, don't forget to bring along vitamins and common (better be doctor-prescribed) medicines, Paracetamol, Echinacea+Garlic supplement in tablet form (good for my sore-throat and cold 感冒) or others ..

Tell you what, this is the first time I north-up into Thailand, a country mostly amused and abused 被污辱 as a 'shooting chicken farm' by my buddies since the day I know-how to 'shoot'. I just can't wait to explore it. How excited I was while the train keep north-ing up (? stim-up).

Malaysia train station nightime view

After 7/8 hours, the morning-sun rising, most of the greenish & paddy field view full into eyesight from the window of train.




Greenish view @ northern Malaysia

Then, the train reached at Arau (tourist may transit to Langkawi island from this station via ferry @ Kuala Perlis). This station has became my favorite since I start travel to Langkawi by train & ferry. I travel to that romantic island once/twice every year since 2008. Maybe one day I will write about it.

Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

With the excited heart boiling up, the train finally stopped at Padang Besar in Malaysia-Thailand border. All passengers must get-off the train with all belongings for immigration & custom-check.

Why look so serious ? Custom officer ? I don't know

While queuing up for chop-passport, a duty-free shop is resided right besides the queue. Smart dude. Found it strange with a duty-free shop here inside a train station. The price is just fair, I believe the Thailand side is cheaper then.
The only 1 duty-free shop @ Malaysia side
After pass-by the duty-free shop, there you are. Pass your passport to a Malaysia Immigration Officer who sit inside a small cube-counter. And smile & 'salam' him before he greet you, then he will reply you a smile.

The Thailand counter is just resided right at the back & besides of this Malaysia cube-counter. And, be smile too with "Sawadeekrup" greet to the Thai officer. He will reply with smile and ask your destination. Simply reply with smile. Then you'll get chop.

Finally, after all these years being waiting to 'fly-out' (but not actual fly). Blessed. I got my first Thailand's chop !!






...... to be continued

(click the links below to continue reading)

travel to Bangkok->Siem Reap from Malaysia by train ..part II

。。part III   ..part IV   ..part V   ..part VI   ..part VII   ..part VIII   ..part IX   ..part X   ..part XI   ..part XII






。。 ..part XXIX   ..part XXX   ..part XXXI (coming soon)

... and a lot more to come ~..~