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Published: February 17th 2010
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Tiger Airlines flight TR108 started me off on my journey at 1800hrs on 120110. I was headed for Bangkok, it was chosen as the starting point of my journey because i could get all the lil knick knacks i needed there. I had made a list while i was still in Singapore. My Bangkok pick ups includes: 2 pairs of Jeans, a Swiss Army Knife, Pepper Spray?, charcoal pills, motion sickness pills and a additional SD card. This is not my 1st visit to Bangkok so i knew where to go for my stocking up and how the local transportation system worked. Which meant i know the Taxis from the Airport all went by the meter and that the toll charges along the way was payable by me. I know all these. But i was a lone traveler and it was almost 8pm when i got out of the airport. I probably look like a good way for the driver to end his day because he started driving without turning on his meter and when we were about 400m away from the Airport he said '400baht ok?'. I looked at him through the rear view mirror and almost shouted 'What?!'.. perhaps
it was fear of being left by the road side 400m away from the next available Taxi or fear that he'll turn on his meter but bring me somewhere else instead, i kept my mouth shut and said okay to the ridiculous amount. With a bright smile, he looked back at me through the mirror and cheekily said 'Cheap ya?'. I rolled my eyes, stared out of the window and replied curtly 'No!'
40minutes later i arrived at Samran Place, i checked in and went to my room. It was a simple room. No frills. The lighting was a little dim. I pulled back the curtains to look out of the window and my mind went 'OMG!'. The sight before me was of a dark, under construction building or about to be torn down building. It was pillars around, no walls, bricks and/or rubble lying around. It felt like a scene from a horror show. I did not bother taking a closer look and shut the curtains quickly. Samran Place is suppose to be near Ratchathewi Station, so i headed out with plans to hop on the BTM towards Patong. What's any trip to Bangkok without a trip to Patong?? But it was dark and i was just frightened by the building outside the hotel window... i walked less than 20steps before i turned around and went to the 7-eleven next to Samran Place instead. I grabbed a bag of chips, a small bag of clothing detergent and went back to the hotel for some dinner. Nothing much was on TV and i slept early.
The next day, i woke up for breakfast and headed off to Hua Lum Pong Train Station to get my tickets to Nong Khai for my cross over to Laos. I grabbed a Taxi off the streets and got to Hua Lum Pong quickly and under 30baht. Tickets are easy, i chose a 2000hrs train and a lower sleeper. From there it was off to MBK for me. Yes, what's a trip to Bangkok without some good buys at MBK? MBK is a huge shopping complex with tons of things you can get here. Food, clothing, belts, bags, shoes, printing services, cinema, massages... EVERYTHING! I knew where to get my stuff exactly. Jeans from this shop in the corner at level 2. Swiss Army Knife and Pepper Spray from any shop on the 4th. Medication from Boots. SD Card on the 6th. Yes, this is not my 1st visit to Bangkok. I had lunch at McDees before heading to the internet cafe on level 7 for some research work. When it was almost time to my extended check out at 1800hrs, i headed back to Samran.
I arrived way too early at Hua Lum Pong needless to say so I sat at the Black Canyon in the station for a dinner consisting of a Sausage Danish and a cup if ice cold Americano and played on my DS till it was time to board my train. A couple in front of me was planning their journey. There was another couple on my right who was just looking around waiting for time to pass. I wrote a pretty emotional, silly piece in my notebook while waiting. I just read through it and decided it was inappropriate to publish it. So into the trash bin it goes.
It's time to board the train and i trotted off with my as big as me backpack. When i got to my seat there were 2 german? boys playing cards. One of them said pretty audibly 'ohh no...' which i took as 'oh no, this seat is taken and here she comes. now we cant play cards'. So i thought to myself, 'oh well, the train cant be full..... and i took the seat just behind them. A few minutes later, another boy started walking towards me. 'Oh shit! here comes the owner of this seat'. I was right... he looked at the seat number, smiled at me and said 'oh well!' and took the seat just opposite me. One of the things i told myself that i would do on this trip is to find travel buddies for different legs of my trip. But i guess the boy was tired as he was dozing off soon.
Trouble came when the train conductor? came to pull down the sleepers. The seat i was in indicates i was in the lower sleeper. I know it's not mine but the 2 german boys were still playing cards and i could not go back to my actual seat. So i climb up the narrow metal frame to the upper sleeper thinking that I'll just stay there till the boys are done. Bad move! The boys were up playing cards for a very very long time. I was tired and it was too late for this lil pussy to demand her seat back, so i slept in that upper sleeper, afraid I would roll over and clinging on to the flimsy safety bands the whole night. Lesson learnt? Speak up before it's too late!
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