BaoBao看世界: Step 10 : Day 1 : Kuala Lumpur

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Date : 25 January 2010 to 2 February 2010
Location : Bangkok, Pattaya & Ayuthaya

Itinerary:

Day 1 : Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok

Ringggggggg.....my alarm rang showing 3.30am. Need to wake up for another exiciting journey...Bangkok, I come lor!!! After preparing everything and the most important was to make sure we took our passport together (passport and money always on my mind if we going overseas...the rest can buy over there lar if forget to bring), the taxi already waited outside my home. Very punctual.

The taxi just took us to Medan Gopeng Bus Station. We took the Star Shuttle to KLIA. Departed from Ipoh to KLIA at 5.00am.

Reached KLIA around 9am.

Get the tickets and our flight was scheduled to depart at 12.25pm.

Oppss..we were on the wrong way to the departure gate. No need to take the aerotrain...our gate H06 at the main terminal building.

The sky was clear and the plane flied quite low. Half-way... saw the Penang Brigde as well.

Reached the Survanabhumi Airport around 1.45pm in Thai's time zone. Malaysia is earlier by 1 hours...so we saved an hour over here. Wow...so many visitors came to Thai, mostly "ang mo". Outed from the custom, the first thing we did was buy the prepaid mobile phone card...call using local mobile operator cheaper than roaming. Only 99baht.

We went down one floor from Airport Limousine for public taxi which will be cheaper. We make sure the taxi meter was used to avoid get cheated. The system looked so systematic and everyone was assured queuing for their turn. Just around 10 mins, we get our taxi...driver very friends and talkative. The journey just took around 30 mins to reach our destination; Khaosan Road...but the meter showing 800baht!!! So expensive...we had done some research before, fare should be around 400baht. Why leh???...What had gone wrong...we gone to the official counter and using the meter...no traffic jam as well and using highway!!! A very bad impression we had for Thailand on this very first day...mood down already.

When we back from Thai, we still puzzled what had gone wrong...so we logged into backpackers' forum. Got the answer and here my advice to all...

1. If you're first time in Thailand...never admit it to the driver. Say you been there before for few time.

2. When you going to get the taxi at the counter, a lady will pass you a small paper. Make sure you get that paper and not for the driver. That paper is for complaining which contains the driver's information. We saw that small paper but the devil driver grabbed away and said this is for driver! So he was safe to cheat us "kau kau".

3. If can, take the photo of the driver or the driver identification tag while on board.

4. Make sure one of you monitoring the taxi meter and ensure it rotate normally. From some backpackers' experience; they said somewhere in the hidden place, there is a button which can be press to accelerate the meter. While you looking outside, talking...the driver will take the advantage.

5. Make sure the destination is right infront you...never believed it is 1-2 minutes walk at the place the taxi driver drop you...it will end up for 10-15 minutes walk.

Here is the best advise...Other than this, Thailand is really enjoyable place.

We didn't make any booking for the room...but did some research before. We decided to stay in Lamphua House @ Soi Rambuttri near Khoasan Road but already full house. No booking from 25-31 January...so many people stayed over there. I did read good comments on Lamphua House in the backpackers' forum ...no wonder so many people.

So we searched around in Soi Rambuttri for room and finally chose Rambuttri Village Inn for tonight. 1050Baht per night for a deluxe room. Other standard room below 1000Baht all finished.

Posing @ the lobby while waiting to check-in...

The deluxe room...

Step-out from the hotel, you will saw fish pool with greenery view.

Swimmimg pool @ the roof top.

After checked-in and dropped our luggages down...we were ready to go. First destination supposed is Wat Traimit which is famous with a giant golden buddha at the Chinatown...but we cannot make it because the temple going to close soon at 5pm. So changed our mind just wandering around @ Soi Rambutri.

7-eleven are everywhere... so we entered for the hotdogs recommended by most people came here before. GOOD!!! Must try...you can dress-up your hotdog with variety of sauces and veges by yourself...put as much as you can!!!

Here really a heaven for the backpackers...cheap accommodations, food and massage as well.

Time for dinner, we decided to go to Chinatown / Yaowarat Road. We took cab which cost 60baht to reach there.

First sight at Chinatown...the durians.

Walked further...we came to a T-junction. At the left side with a team of people in green shirt and at the right side with a team of people in red shirt. They were the waiters and waitress for the two famous seafood restaurant in Chinatown. Seafood not in our mind for dinner...so we just passed by.

What in our mind was the "Chu Chap Tong" (mix pork soup). The stall was near the Lam Chen Heong's shop. When we reached there...we knew it was the place because so many people sitting at the roadside enjoying their bowl of pork soup. What special of this pork soup was the roasted pork which put together inside the soup. Yummy...Remember to order a bottle of herbal tea as well because the soup was very spicy.

Lam Chen Heong...selling Thailand dry food product. Like dry meat, dry longan, dry prawn, dry preservative fruit, dry mushroom. ..dry....dry......etc.

Bird nest sellig at the roadside...from 100baht to 300baht.

Looked yummy....but stomach too fulled.

Shark fin soup...No No No... coz we really want to have the feel as backpacker...no luxury food...need to budget, budget and budget.

Then we switched to these biscuits...we chose the pork.

Saw this Ah Ma before in TV for a Taiwan TV show. Ah Ma so sweet...posing nicely for us to take some photos of her.

Time to move...this time we tried on the Tuk-Tuk. Make sure to bargain for the fare before get on the tuk-tuk...better do some research before come here or you prepare to pay higher. 60baht fare can go as high as 300baht if no bargain!!!

Fast and furious...cut there and cut here...no traffic jam for the tuk-tuk.

We backed to Khaosan Road... a place full of foreigners. It is a short street selling clothings, handcrafts, paintings, clothes, pirated CDs, DVDs, and second-hand books, plus many useful backpacker items. Pubs and bars are everywhere...price reasonable as well.

The Thailand's national dishes, the "Pathai". It is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce, red chilli, pepper, chicken or prawn, etc...something like our friend keow teow. Must try it out...30 Baht for the egg pathai.