4th day in Bangkok

My 4^th day in BKK was a Saturday. Weekend means shopping – the Weekend Market in Chatuchak/Jatujak!

I woke up at around 7AM and packed my things because I need to check out the guesthouse that morning. I left my 2 bags and headed to MRT.

I was early at around 9AM because most sellers were still preparing their stalls. Men! The place was really big as it passes a couple of train stations. Good thing that I was sort of familiar with the place plus the fact that I was here back in August of last year.

I bought a pair of jeans. Damn! It was a nice find at 299 Baht. The drawback, however, was that it has no fitting room. So basically, the seller had to cover me with his body while fitting it. Good thing I was wearing a boxer brief and the area was not congested with people yet.

I then realized, I’ve got no more money! Literally, I only got 50 Baht. Instead of window shopping, I went to Khao San Road from Chatuchak via MRT and bus #53. Good thing, I still got Philippine peso.

I also recommend Rainbow Money Changer in Khao San Road (aside from SuperRich Money Changer which has a branch in KSR also).

It was my last day so I have to make the most out of it. After changing my Philippine peso to Thai Baht, I indulged myself with every street food I see. Oh my, they the de-li-cio-so!

I also tried the 1-hour foot massage for 220Baht. It was around 3 PM and the spa has an outdoor garden setting but electric fans were everywhere. The spa is not recommended in the afternoon. Night is the best time to go to garden-setting spa because it is really humid in the afternoon.

The massage was awesome. The masseuse was very good so I gave her 50Baht as a tip. I hope she forgive me because I apply the rule of 5-10% of the availed service tip. Anyways, it should have been 20Baht only. :-))

My flight will still be at midnight so I went to Silom area again. As I stroll, a masseur handed me a flyer saying Thai + Oil massage for 450Baht (2 hours). Wow. It was very tempting. I was killing time and still got few bucks in my pocket so I tried their services.

I was really surprised with the service but with the 300Baht tip I gave him, it appears he was very glad to receive one. No questions.

I rushed back to my guesthouse using MRT, then went to Petchaburi station, walked towards Makkasan station, purchased a 35Baht train fare to Airport, and shalah!!!

I emptied my pocket with my remaining Thai Bahts in 7-11 convenience store and bought something to eat plus the recommended Glico Pretz Larb flavor (as I tasted it, nothing was extraordinary about it). :-))

I strolled around the airport as I wait for the flight.

Men! I must say that the check-in Thai officers for Cebu Pac were very slow! An hour before the departure time, we were still on line! I noticed that most of the passengers were farangs (mostly Americans with their accents). No wonder because the airplane is to arrive in Clark.

We arrived at around 4AM.

Recommended route: Ride a jeepney (with A/C) which was waiting outside the airport (where taxis are parked) worth Php50 towards Dau bus terminal, then ride a bus going to Manila. I even rode a non-AC bus because I was kinda cold at that time. Fare was Php106.

At 7AM, I arrived at my apartment. Awesomeness.

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Things that I learned with my first solo backpacking? Oh men! I read so many blogs regarding solo backpacking and all. Nakakainggit. They are traveling alone. I am to assume na wala silang lovelife parang ako lang. Imagine mo, you went in another country just by yourself, your research and lots of fortitude.

Sa totoo lang, marami akong di magagawa kapag kasama ko yung supposedly na mga kasama ko. They backed out because of money problem. Basically wala silang panggastos.

I like to travel. If I need to spend to experience something, I won’t mind. The first time I went to BKK, andami kong libre sa mga kasama ko. I am not ranting about it pero I’d like to spend my own hard earned money. Kung sila, di marunong mag-ipon, ako, super marunong. I was raised that way.

Marami akong nagastos dahil sa spa, “experiences”, food, travel etc. Pero feeling ko, pareho lang magagastos ko when I am with my supposedly companions.

After the experience, di ko alam pero I felt some humility that sinked in me. Parang sinapian ata ako ng mga monk sa mga pinuntahan ko. I felt good about traveling BKK alone. It was something that most people I know will not do.

Me being somehow introvert was wholly taken away from me. I used not to know how to make a conversation especially when I was young but I guess wisdom comes with age. In Thailand though, don’t expect to make long conversation with Thais because they will just nod and nod at you. Honestly, Filipinos are really very good in English if you are to compare us with Thais. Kahit “English-carabao” pa yan, a foreigner would understand it.

3rd day in Bangkok

This was supposedly my Kanchanaburi tour day. After my skin-tanning in Ayutthaya, I deleted this trip from my itinerary, plus the fact that the train leaving BKK is in Thonburi station which is not a very accessible. I went to Khao San road area via bus instead!

From Hua Lampong, I rode Bus No. 53 which will pass Chinatown, Wat Po, and Grand Palace. It was a less than hour bus ride and it has no AC.

The conductor of the bus signaled me to get off the bus already. I asked some Thais where Khao San road is but no luck. I already said “Kho-san, Kho-sah, Kaw-san” but still, they can’t understand. I then saw two half-naked farangs (one black and one black) sitting in the park. As I come close, I saw their big traveling bags. It appears they were resting after searching for a place to stay.

“Do you guys know where Khao San Road is?” using my very nice accent. And they answered. Alleluia!

They are definitely not Americans with their accent and not so perfect English. They are not familiar with the place yet but they already came from Khao San and they did give the direction they took getting into the park where they were sitting.

I walked several meters and there you go, a road full of farangs! Khao San road should be very near. With few more questioning, I arrived the popular Khao San Road – the backpacker’s haven.

I arrived at around 9AM and vendors were preparing their stalls. I took my breakfast at McDonalds and tour around after.

So that was Khao San Road. It’s a street full of guesthouses, restos, travel shops, massage spas, hotels, internet shops and food carts. Apparently, everything you need is in Khao San.

Well, Khao San has its long “extension” at another road. You really won’t get lost.

Next time, I will check-in in this area. I even saw some guesthouses offering 100-150Baht per night stay. I wonder how it looks like. But hey, you are in another country. Experience is a must!

Everytime I see seemingly delicious street food, I can’t help myself but try it. Sometimes, I won’t even bother ask the seller what it was because I’ll just get bizarre names. I also bought some packed teas like chrysanthemum, mulberry, green tea, and the like.

I rode the same bus at the Bus stop I alighted. I arrived at Hua Lampong after 20 minutes. I went to my guesthouse, took a shower and went to the same cool place as of yesterday.

2nd Day in Bangkok

Next destination was Ayuttahaya via the Hua Lampong railway station. It is a very popular tourist destination. Trains are almost leaving hourly. I took the earliest train at 6:40AM. At around 8:30AM, I was very hungry and the train was still moving. At 8:40, we reached Ayuttahaya station.

I was expecting Tuk tuk drivers to approach me to offer their services in touring me around but almost none approached me. Even the farangs were not approached. My plan was to ride a bike and have a do-it-yourself tour. I crossed the street and saw some bikes! Charan! Bikes are being rented for 40Baht (withour gear) or 50Baht (with gear). I even honestly didn’t know what gear means which I think is the speed controller for the bike. Map was provided. You just have to follow the trails.

Man! Riding a moving bike was very awkward at first! It’s been years since I rode a “moving” bike. I am so used with the stationary bikes in the gym. After few minutes, I got used to it. I stopped over in 7-11 to grab something to eat and bought a bottle of water.

Another that puzzled me was the road orientation – driver on the right side of the vehicle and left side of the road. Total opposite in the Philippines. Yaiks!

1^st stop was Wat Yai Chai Mongkol with entrance fee of 20Baht. Here, you can see tons of Buddha covered with scarfs.

2^nd stop was Ancient Royal Palace with entrance fee of 20Baht. Nothing much you can see here but Buddha, Buddha, Buddha covered with gold.

3^rd stop was Wat Mahathat with entrance fee of 50Baht. You can see tons of headless and burned Buddhas and the popular Buddha’s head wrapped by the tree’s roots. There were interesting stories behind why the Buddhas head was wrapped by Bodhi (Banyan) tree.

There were plenty of temples and sites to visit but I opted to end the trip. My main reason of ending the tour was me getting dark-tanned. Remember that I was biking under the glaring sun. Sweat all over my body!

I went back to the store where I rented the bike, ate Pad Thai (Ayutthaya style), and waited for the delayed train back to BKK.

I arrived at Hua Lampong Railway station at around 3:30PM, went back to my guesthouse to take a shower and went to a “very cool place” to relax until 8PM. After that, I visited Silom night market and bought some shirts and pair of pants.

If I were with my friends, we would probably head to Silom Soi to party. As for that time, I was alone and so opted to sleep and rest.

1st day in Bangkok.

I arrived at around 7:30AM in Baan Hua Lampong.

Baan Hua Lampong is a recommended guesthouse if you need to catch an early train going outside of Bangkok. Hua Lampong Railway Station (Hua Lampong Leyl-wey Is-tey-sho) is just a stone away from MRT and the guesthouse. There are also several guesthouses within the area: Your Place Guesthouse (across Baan Hua Lampong), Cozy Bangkok Place and The Train Inn. I chose Baan Hua Lampong because of good ratings and feedback and free left baggage after you check out. I’m not really sure of the other guesthouses if they offer the same service

“Baan” means home or house. It was a traditional house with wooden floors. I’d say it’s a cozy place for my standards. 290 Baht a night is very economical already when traveling alone. I almost researched every place I will be going so I don’t have to ask the receptionist for instructions anymore. The place is managed by Tommy Wu, a seemingly nice guy who speaks good English.

My room will not be ready yet until 10:30AM so I opted to proceed to Silom area. It was where we used to stay so I’m pretty familiar with the place. SuperRich Money changer has a branch in Sala-daeng BTS which offers good exchange rate for Philippine peso. (Sala-daeng station is within Silom zone)

As a suggestion, you can buy Thai Baht in Czarina Forex with main office in Tower 1 and Exchange Plaza in Ayala Avenue. It’s too much of a hassle for me to pick up the money so I opted to buy Thai Baht in Bangkok.

I reached Silom station via MRT worth 18 Baht, exchanged money and went to an internet station. I returned to Hua Lampong at around 11AM, checked in and took a nap for a couple of hours. I woke at around 2PM, took a shower and went to MBK and Pratunam malls.

MBK is not recommended for male fashion clothes. Platinum is better because you can haggle in most stalls and the mall has many stalls for men’s clothes.

It took me several hours to shop and I had long walks from one place to another.

Sweat, sweat, sweat.

I went back to Hua Lampong via the skytrain and MRT. The trains are really very convenient. Next time, I’ll probably purchase a stored value ticket which is convenient for travelers and tourists. I’m just not familiar how it works so do your research.

Later in the evening, I get myself familiarized with the railway station (train to Ayutthaya) and asked also for some directions from Thais and information officers inside the station. I had my first Pad Thai noodles in one of the stalls outside the railway station. Men, it was delicious! Trust me.

A Nap in Suvarnabhumi Airport

The airplane arrived before midnight (Bangkok time, Manila time ahead of 1 hour). After the passport check, I searched the airport for a possible sleeping place. The best spot I saw that time was the steel chairs at the 2^nd floor far right if you are to exit the airport.

I bought some bread and drinks at Family Mart. Food are cheap!

After eating, I took a nap with my traveling bag as my head rest & embraced my backpack. I woke up at 4:30AM.

Aww. My back and sides ached.

I freshened up myself and searched the area for Airport Express Counter in Level 1. To my surprise, Airport Express Buses are not anymore operational.

Panic, panic, panic.

Plan B was to take the Airport Link. Based from my thorough research, I need to alight at Makkasan station and walk to subway (MRT) at Phetchaburi station going to my destination – Hua Lampong station.

The train however opens at 6PM so it will be an hour wait. As I tour around the basement (Floor for the Airport Link), I saw some farangs (non-Asians) sleeping literally under the walkways. I think that was a good sleeping spot! Next time, I will go straight to that area and find a good corner. Don’t forget to bring a blanket or a shawl to keep you warm. Jacket will just keep your upper body warm.

After few minutes, the airport station opens. Fare to Makkasan station is only 35 Baht as compared to 150 Baht fare from airport to Hua Lampong station using the now defunct airport express buses.

I get off the Makkasan station and followed the signs towards the subway. You can’t get lost unless you can’t read. I was sure I was on the right track because farangs with big bags are also going towards the subway.

Subway and airport link are pretty near as to my standards. It’s just a 5-minute walk and you literally have to cross a railway.

I entered the subway and purchased the ticket which was I think 38 Baht. 73 Baht all-in-all compared to 150 Baht. More than 50% savings! But if you are traveling in a group, you may want to consider riding a taxi or even the public bus.

To my surprise, Thailand has also a Don Bosco School, my high school alma mater.

After 15 minutes, I arrived at Hua Lampong Station, followed the signs and with no sweat, I saw the sign for my home for the next 4 days – Baan Hua Lampong.

Manila to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark)

Travel alone internationally – crossed out from my Bucket List.

So there, after thorough research and lots of willpower, I entered Thailand all by myself. It was really a very nice unforgettable feeling. As they say, we are our experiences. This is definitely just the start. Woot woot!

Pantranco Bus line has a direct route from Manila to Clark airport. Their website is not accurate so better visit or call their office at least a day before your departure. Their website indicates that last trip from their Pasay terminal to the airport is 3PM but thanks to my visit, it was actually 2:30PM!

I opted to buy the ticket on the day itself because I might be late. I arrived at around 2:15PM and bought the ticket. I was flabbergasted to pay Php450 for the bus ticket. It costs that much probably because I was the only passenger. Several passengers were picked up at the back of Megamall also. Next time, I’ll probably try the long route: Manila to Dau Bus Terminal, then ride taxi. It should save me a couple of bucks.

I arrived past 5PM and my flight will still be at 8:45PM. I grabbed something to eat in Ministop. It was a long wait but thanks to my iPod. Next time, I will bring a book.

I checked in early but entered the departure area 45 minutes before the flight. I was surprised to see an acquaintance during the final inspection. It was a quick chat and few minutes after, we’re up, up and away!