3 August 2018, Friday
After spending two nights in Siem Reap, it was time to move off yet again to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. This would be the 18th country of my trip. Bangkok is of course, a city that all Singaporeans are very familiar with. It is a popular destination for a short getaway, luring us with its cheap massages, great food and even greater shopping.
At 6:30am, I crawled out of my bed to look for breakfast at my hostel. However, the restaurant kitchen wasn’t fully open yet so I only managed to get a latte (US2.75/S$3.93) and not a proper meal. Thankfully, I had bought some pastries from Blue Pumpkin last night to stand by. Otherwise, I would be grumpy early in the morning without food in my stomach.
I checked out of my room and waited for the shuttle bus to come pick me up from my Lub d hostel. As I sat down and waited, I noticed there was another guy who also seemed to be waiting for the shuttle bus. My suspicions were confirmed when the bus arrived at 7:15am and both of us hopped on for the ride to the Giant Ibis main terminal.
This was my third time taking a Giant Ibis bus, and this was by far, the best bus among the three. It not only had very generous legroom but the seat even came with a retractable board to support the lower leg, allowing you to recline backwards to a large degree and stretch out your legs.
There was no power socket by the seat but there was a USB charging port, which was good enough. There were also complimentary snacks – a can of Nescafe Latte coffee and two small pastries. Lastly, they also issued luggage tags for my big backpack that I deposited in the storage trunk below. I paid US$33 (S$46.25) for the bus ticket. Good value all around.
The distance from Siem Reap to Bangkok is about 400 kilometres and the journey would take about seven hours. We departed at 7:48am and started our journey to the west. At 9:08am, we stopped for a short toilet break, before reaching the Cambodian border city of Poipet at 10:40am.
Here, the bus attendant collected our passports and cleared immigration for us. They also had someone to unload and take out all the big suitcases/luggage onto a trolley, to be sent for Customs clearance. We just remained on the bus and waited. After a while, the attendant returned with our stamped passports.
At 11:05am, all of us alighted from the bus with our hand carry luggage and followed our attendant as we crossed the border on foot. It was good that he led the way because it could be quite confusing if we were to do it on our own. We wouldn’t know where to go. It took a long time to clear immigration on the Thai side but at least the building was air-conditioned and there was a proper queue system so it was not chaotic.
Finally, we cleared immigration at 12:15pm. We returned to our bus and the attendant handed out lunch boxes (fried rice) and a bottle of water to everyone. We would be having our lunch on the go as there was no time to stop for a meal break. Our big suitcases/luggage had also been safely brought back to the bus. At 12:35pm, we moved off from the Thai border and continued our journey to Bangkok. We had a 15-minute toilet break in between at 2:21pm.
As we approached the Bangkok city centre, we encountered a terrible traffic jam on the Sirat Expressway. We crawled along agonisingly slowly. It was so close and yet so far. After the chaotic traffic situations in Vietnam and Cambodia, the proper roads and highways in Thailand felt familiar, somewhat like home.
As I looked out of my window at the cars on the road, I realised that they were driving in the same direction as the cars in Singapore, i.e. right-hand drive. However, the bus we were on was left-hand drive because it came from Cambodia. I imagine it must be quite confusing for the bus driver to drive a left-hand drive vehicle here in Bangkok, the opposite of everyone else.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at the drop-off point somewhere near Khao San at 5:15pm. The entire journey had taken 9½ hours instead of the expected seven hours. If I have learnt anything at all from my travels in Asia, it is that bus journeys are notoriously unreliable and you should always add two hours to the expected travelling time. And make sure you have sufficient food and drinks on board so you don’t go hungry!
(There is no time difference between Siem Reap and Bangkok)
(Exchange rate: 100 Thai Baht = S$4.00)
After alighting from the bus, I was eager to reach my accommodation as soon as possible. I wanted to take a taxi, so I decided to approach my Lub d hostel mate to ask if he would like to share a taxi, since he was also travelling alone. After checking the addresses, we found out that our accommodations were located quite close together, so we agreed to share a taxi. I eventually paid 200 Baht (S$8.00) for the ride, after splitting the cost. We exchanged contacts and said we’d try to meet up again tomorrow.
For my accommodation in Bangkok, I booked a hostel called Bed One Block Hostel (click here), located at 486/125 Payathai Road, Thanon Phetchaburi, Ratchathewi. My two-night stay at an 8-bed dorm room cost 738 Baht (S$29.52). The bed came with a privacy curtain (always appreciated) and there were large metal storage lockers in the room. I also liked the hostel for its clean look and aesthetically pleasing colour scheme of white and grey with wooden furnishings.
After I was done with checking in and settling down my stuff, it was already close to 6:30pm. The first thing I needed to do was to buy a local SIM card. I asked the hostel staff and they said I could buy one at the 7-Eleven store nearby. I bought the Thailand Tourist SIM from TrueMove, which cost 299 Baht (S$12.00) and it came with unlimited mobile data valid for eight days. Actually, I just needed it for three days but there was no other cheaper option, so this one would do.
With the most important business settled, I could now attend to my growling stomach. I was famished after being stuck in the traffic jam for so long. I decided to eat at the nearest streetside stall I could find. I ordered a bottle of Coca-Cola (15 Baht/S$0.60) and a plate of Basil chicken rice (50 Baht/S$2).
As I sat there and consumed my food, I thought about my first backpacking trip to Asia six years ago, in 2012. Back then, I was very cautious about trying out street food because I was afraid of getting food poisoning. Contrast that to now, when street food is the first thing I look for. The saying is almost always true: if there are locals eating there, it means the food must be good. Of course, you still have to exercise some common sense and choose the street vendors that are not obviously unhygienic. If you see lots of houseflies, rats or cockroaches scurrying around, be sure to give the stall a wide berth. That is not a risk worth taking.
After finishing my dinner at 7:00pm, I walked for less than 10 minutes and reached MBK Center, one of Bangkok’s most famous malls. I went in for a short look, before adjourning to the other malls – Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon and Central World. All these malls are located within walking distance from one another along Rama I Road, near Siam BTS station. Bangkok is known to be a shopping haven but I prefer shopping at the street markets, so I was saving my money for tomorrow instead.
At 9:35pm, I decided to visit Patpong Market, one of the most popular night markets in Bangkok. There are several other night markets but I was tired from the travelling and didn’t want to venture too far out. The single trip ticket on the BTS Skytrain cost 23 Baht (S$0.92). I took the Silom Line from Siam station and alighted at Sala Daeng, two stops away.
Patpong Market is not very big and the goods sold there were not very enticing. One thing you should know about Patpong Market is that it is located in Silom, a notorious red-light district that is home to many go-go bars and live entertainment outlets. As you walk along the streets, it is not uncommon to be approached by touts asking you to watch the infamous Ping-Pong show. Just know that it is not a sports game using conventional table tennis equipment.
My real interest in visiting Patpong Market was not the shopping or the entertainment but the food. At the end of the market, I found a few food stalls by the roadside. I walked past a lady grilling pork skewers and they smelled so good. I bought two skewers to try, at 10 Baht (S$0.40) each. They were so yummy.
And of course, no visit to Thailand is complete without having some of the famous mango sticky rice. I bought a small portion for 50 Baht (S$2.00) and it was so good. The mangoes were really sweet and the rice was very fragrant. It was way better than those overpriced ones sold in Singapore restaurants.
I returned to my hostel at 11:15pm. As I crawled into my bed after taking a shower, I saw a small cushion placed beside my pillow, bearing the words “Where Stories Begin”. I thought about how apt it was. A year ago, as I lay in bed at home, unable to sleep, I thought about taking one flight out of Singapore to Europe, travelling around the world and gradually making my way home by land. Fast forward one year later to the present, it is Day 95 and I am approaching the end of my grand adventure. I’ll be bringing home lots of stories with me. It all started like this as I lay in bed. Where stories begin, indeed.
