Bangkok Solo Backpacking Part 2

Date Trip: April 10, 2012

Woke up at about 6am, packed my stuff, left it at the reception,  and checked-out early from the hotel.

The primary reason I chose the @Hua Lamphong, the hostel I stayed in, is its accessibility to the Hua Lamphong Railway station.

Morning Walk Sight-- Monks lined up

Hua Lamphong Railway Station

I walked to the station and bought my train ticket for only 20 Baht. About an hour and a half until my train arrives so I had a quick breakfast in a local bakery and chilled for a while.

Train ticket to Ayutthaya

All sorts of travelers

The train is a Class C economy train. There are some foreign travelers who boarded the train and will alight in Ayutthaya. But most of the riders are locals going out of the city perhaps to their native provinces.

The trip is an more than an hour long. As I arrived, I walked around the station weighing my options. So, how would I go around Ayutthaya? Will I join the young European couple who sat across  me by the train or the couple of Korean guys who were . Anyways, I decided to just go by myself so I can be at my own pace.


I hired a tuktuk which cost me 400Baht to tour me for 2 hours visiting 4 temples. It's quite pricey though since I was alone, but I guessed it was the cheapest way to go around Ayutthaya anyhow.

My tuktuk and lady tuktuk driver

And here are snapshots of temples in Ayutthaya.


Wat Yai Chaimongkhon

Wat Yai Chaimongkhon

Wat Yai Chaimongkhon

Wat Maha That

Buddha Head on Tree, Wat Maha That

Wat Maha That

Wat Maha That

Wat Maha That

Wat Chaiwattanaram
This temple was actually closed during my visit since for precautionary measures since it was damaged by the last Thailand flood.

Wat Chaiwattanaram

Turista-shot care of other Pinoy tourists I encountered.

Wat Lokayasutharam

My tour ended around 11:30 AM. I had a quick modest lunch of barbecued chicken and rice in the sort of eatery fronting the train station. My lunch cost only about 40Baht.


I waited for a train back to Bangkok. Train ride going back costs cheaper at 15Baht.  The ride was long, hot, and sticky.


When I get back to the city, I tried hailing a cab going to Platinum Mall to no avail. I guess, it's rush hour and cab drivers here choose their passengers as well. So I asked the hostel receptionists how to take the MRT and BTS (Bangkok Train System) to Platinum. After giving me some written directions, off I go.


My quest to Platinum through Bangkok's city train systems is an adventure by itself. I got lost several times, boarding on or alighting from a station that sounds rather very similar to the one I was supposed to. And there was that time where I destroyed the ticket machine in one of the stations. (Another Nel moment for the books!)


So how in the world did I destroy a BTS Ticket Machine, you may ask? So, in the MRT, you're given chips as tickets. Apparently in BTS you're given a card (which I didn't know that time). I lined up the ticketing booth, told the man behind the counter my destination, gave my money bill, and he gave me coins.  I thought the coins were the tickets, a less high-tech version of the ticket chips from the MRT. So i dropped it in the ticket machine. And it got stuck. They have to open up the machine to retrieve my coin.  The man gave me coins to buy tickets from the ticket vending machine! I wanted to be swallowed by the ground, and I felt that the BTS guys were thinking that I am such a stupid tourist.  Well perhaps I was. So anyways, the ticket machine broke, and even when I returned back from shopping in Platinum the machine is still broken.


I returned from shopping late in the afternoon, showered, and went to the airport.
Tired and anxiously waited for my plane to bring me back home.


As I was excited to embark on that epic 4-country semi-solo trip, I was more eager to come back home.

Bangkok, Thailand Solo Backpacking Part 1

Date trip: April 9.


This is the last leg of my backpacking adventure.

I arrived Bangkok about 5pm, rode the airport express train, walked, transfered to the MRT, and alighted in Hua Lamphong station where my hostel, @Hua lamphong inn, is located.

I booked a solo room which costs about 650 Baht. It's ok in the sense is that it has a bed, fridge, own bathroom, and a flat screen TV. However, the room is on the 5th floor and there is no elevator. The absence of a wide open window made me feel claustrophic and I seem to be in a prison cell more than a hotel room. This cramped space made me miss home.  


Anyhow, I went down the lobby, asked the receptionist who happened to be lady-boy, how to get to Platinum mall but he/she said it's already closed and advised me to go to Silom instead (or at least that's what I heard). 


So I boarded the MRT alighted at Silom, looked for any semblance of a shopping center to no avail. I walked aimlessly, saw a Thai massage place and went in. I looked at the menu and prices, I felt weird when I saw an option of 'Massage with Cream', and felt weirder when I saw a set of index cards with photos of the therapists--all male. I asked if they have female therapists, and the guy said 'no, only male'. So I excused myself and went out.  Dafuq did I enter into! 


I rode back the MRT back to Hua Lamphong, walked along the hostel street and saw a massage place. Checked it out, and yup, female therapists! Not that shady kind of place. I had a traditional Thai massage for 200baht. My therapist is an old lady, perhaps in her 60s, but she has incredible strength. It's one the better massages I had.


After the invigorating massage, I walked back and I saw a food stall in an alley. They cook as you order. I ordered fish tom yam, and its the best fish tom yam I ever tasted.
  

After dinner, went back to the hotel to sleep.


Tomorrow, I commence Temple Run.