How do you feel when you arrived in a place that you never came before? There is no friend that you know; there is no family that follows. It was I felt when I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand. Lucky me, I have my best friend who became my partner in crime. His name is windy, Indonesian also. I don’t know if I am alone, I thought it totally bored. In the end of exchange program, we had chance to get internship for two months. Bangkok is our internship location. This is because we have very nice “Adjan” (lecturer in Thai) who has cousin that working in Shipping Line Company in Bangkok. She recommended us to get internship there. She said “two of you have to feel how Bangkok life experience”. She is name Adjan Oraphan. Believe it or not, she is proof for statement that Thai is so kind and nice. She is one of Adjan that really care with us. It is true; we are not metropolitan citizen who usually with full activities a day. We are not rich man yet who has billions of money to buy many things that we need and want. But, we have brain to control our money, Internet connection to looking for useful information, and spirit for travel every time. That mean, we have long planned to travel and bear down Bangkok with little amount of money. Then, the journeys have just begun when we knew internship day only until Friday. Travel was our obligation in weekend. I realized I am not an update people who like every times use internet. But, First tips for travel is use your internet please so that way you will find a way where and how will travel. There are many people wrote about their experience in place that we want to travel. So, we can find easily important recommendation and tips. Special tips for you who don’t too like or have not time for using internet is make sure you have a friend like Windy. Hahaha. Windy is an expert looking for information in Internet. Again lucky me for that, From Windy I knew the cheapest transportation in Bangkok is bus. Generally, we only need spend 7 till 10 baht each route Windy also found website to check number of bus and route. If you are the one who has same typically with us make sure you have to write and remember number of bus to reach your destination. We were getting lost for unaccountable time because of that. Second tips, if you want to travel in Bangkok very important to make destination list that you can find easily in Internet. Actually, there are automatic rent bike in Bangkok. But, when we calculated, bus is the best partner of our money. Are you a Muslim or Christian? One of Attraction that I recommend is Temple Tour. We try to visit all popular temples in Bangkok. This is because Temple is unusual places that hard to find in our country. Especially popular temple, tt is not just place for Buddhist pray but also have “something” to attract visitor. Please mind your position, where will you start your journey. When we were there, we live in near Lumphini park. At Friday night, we were looking for bangkok map and destination. We find temple area and Write bus number clearly. The first temple that we visited is Po Temple or Wat Po in Thai language. We found information that Big Buddha is sleeping here. WOW. Actually, I don’t know why I have to visit this temple. But, According to Internet and Travel Blog this temple must to visit. Hahaha. Then we have to visit it. I am forgetting bus number, to make sure every time when we want to ride bus we will ask local people by our Thai Language. There are two kinds of people that we met. First, friendly people who will tell us correct information of bus number like “Yes, you are right, you have to ride bus number bla bla with color bla bla, you can follow me I pass that way”. Second, we met with people who don’t understand with our Thai language so we just smile and said “Mai pen Rai (Never Mind) Khob khun khrap (Thank you)” then looking for other one. You will find many foreigners in Po temple. So, it is proof of popularity. I would like to share about secret key of our travel tips. We can get in temple without buy a ticket. As foreigner we have to pay 100 baht to get in, but as “Thai” we can get in for free. Hahaha. I can read little bit Thai word. They have written clearly in entrance gate but using Thai word. That is why I knew Thai can come in free. I told with windy, we can get in for free if we walk with Thai people. So, when bunch of Thai walk in to entrance gate we just follow them. Then, no one knows. We save our 100 baht. Please don’t follow us if you have western face. People will know you are foreigner even you can speak Thai. Haha. Po temple is good. There is free mineral water, coffee or tea for visitor. We also can take picture as much as we want. When we want to come in and see sleeping Buddha Statue we have to take off our slippers and use special bag that offer for free. There are many stallers inside. We can enjoy it. Not only Sleeping Buddha Statue, We can also look around and see interesting building and other statue. If visit Po Temple, We also have to visit other two popular temple because temple location is near each other, Grand Palace and Arun Temple. From Wat po, we just need walk around 100 meters and find Grand Palace Gate. Please mind, Grand palace open until 04.00 pm. We visited grand palace at 04.00 pm and no one allow us get in. We have to come on other day. Actually, Grand palace is place for King Rama and Family. But, I don’t know they still live there or move to other Palace around Thailand. So, if you wish to meet king here, please be ready for disappointed. Okay. You also have to wear trousers if want to get in. The most important things are you have to pay 500 baht to get in temple area. But, if you have ASEAN face you can save your 500 baht again and get in as “Thai” through Thai Gate, not foreigner Gate. How did we know? Because, one luckier we get in for free. We are Thai, aren’t we? I still have story with two more temple. It is different temple with two temples before. This is because we can see Bangkok view from the top of temple. I do like it. Like Arun Temple, We have to ride boat to through river. We have to pay 10 baht only. There is no way for free in this point. Because, even you are Thai you have to pay also. There is no gasoline free. okay. Hahaha. We can see Arun Temple from far. Arun Temple is quite high. We have to climb with steep stairs to up. Be careful when you climb up the stairs. I though we have to go to hospital if we are falling down from the up. Difference with other temple there are ticket post office in Arun Temple. But, it is true; we can just walk to up without buy that ticket. I don’t know how that ticket post office working. Hahaha. After reach top, we can see Bangkok landscape from high. Enjoy the view. The last temple that we visited in Bangkok is Golden Temple. The location is quite far from other temple. We have to ride two or three bus from Lumphini park. This temple is not too popular. But, I do love this temple than other temple. This is because in the top of temple there is big golden building that so bright when sun shine. They build temple on hill. So, we can see Bangkok view more clearly from here. The best time to come is afternoon because Golden Temple is one of destination that really good to see sunset. There are not many foreigner come to here. So, there is no ticket for get in. I find the meaning of travel when I visited temples. It was not just find destination, go to there, and spend money for reach that place. It is about how we respect the culture, see new things and give tolerance for the other. We found many learning point. One of them is we found a way to save our money by get in without ticket. It is so recommended tips but only for you who need to save money in traveling. Understand! Because temple still need money for repair many things and offer good facilities for visitor. Include you and people who want to pray. I promise will pay ticket if I have enough money in my travel as businessman later. Okay. I promised. If you are real backpacker who likes traveling alone, I suggest you to find partner in your next travel mission. Partner in traveling is one of recommended activities. Maybe you like feel free when alone. But, you can find your best friend by travel. How we can understand each other, how we find funny things and laugh, how we do crazy things and the important things is we did together. I got many new idea and resolution by talk and share in beautiful places with windy. Sometime we go to someplace and just spend our time for talk. Actually, we are not need to find someone else to take our picture because we have friend to take our picture for free. Then, when we got lost, it is better when we are together. At least, we can feel stupid together. hahaha.
So, Keep Spirit for Travel and find your best friend This articles present for my best partner in Crime Windy Noriega and Adjan Oraphan as Really good teacher who open our way to get our experience in Bangkok.
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It is true; I am not a real traveler. I have not backpack and travel alone. I have to think many times before I decide to come to somewhere. But, I am sure. I am the real travel lover. I love how I act and breath in new place, I do love to catch every moment and feel anything of people response, I don’t care even there is no enough money to buy many things. Because I knew, special moment plus new special people will create special memory. Above all, money will never do it in right way. Let’s i am taking you to one of special place that i visited. It is so expensive ticket to come and enjoy like I did. Maybe you are rich man and can travel around the world or you are free man who has many times to travel in everywhere. But, if you want to travel in this place you have to pay with trust and pure happiness. This location is taking place in Thailand, in the province that we called Patthalung in Tamod district. Surely, this is not too popular province. It is not same like Pattaya or Phuket that too crowded with foreigners. I knew this province because this is my best friend hometown. We got there and know with his family and travel around as complete family togetherness. Even I and my friend is Indonesian, but they can accept us as family. Then, the story began. I have Thai friend. He is like my own old brother when I was in Thailand. He is Jay. We called him “Abang” (Brother in Indonesian)”. He was asking us (Me and my best partner in crime, Windy) to come to his home when we has weekend holiday. Firstly, I didn’t know where Patthalung province is and what we will be doing there. Yet, everything answered while we were arriving in his home, in Tamod district. The first things that make me impress is the climate and condition. It is totally same like my village, my home. The most important thing is I do love how they taught us about happiness in family and Live. Jay’s mother we called “Mae” (in Thai that is mean mother). She made very delicious Thai dish. She always serves my favorites, Som Tum (Papaya Salad), Paed Ped Khai, Tom Yum. It was perfect because the taste is delicious and we got it for free. Hahaha. I learned how jay loves his mother so much. I learned how jay’s mother taught her children to love even with step brother. I learned how jay and Mew (Young sister) try to not burden their mom anyway. I learned how live with family in difference culture, religion and condition. I learned many things in many times I visited this place (I checked in my photos album and we went there in every months when we was holiday). I will let you know the most impress place that we can travel in Tamod district, Pathalung. There is beautiful place that not published yet but we can totally find reflection of our selves by natural view. I though, there is no foreigner who knew this place as tourism attraction. It is big barrage that officially build by King Rama Nine authentication. For complete our perfect moment, we have to go there and spent our family togetherness. So lucky us, we went there many times and always spend our time with new family. We have to go there by our own vehicles. The perfect time to visit is afternoon around at 4-6 PM. We can see sunset time and water will be golden. The air is so fresh and there are many hill and Trees. We feel so ‘Green’ there. Do you know our first time moment come here? I felt so free. Maybe you also felt it in the place that you thought so beautiful. Our eyes suddenly open. We breathe deeply. We want to scream but we still stunned with the view. Sometime we decide to close our eye and breathe deeper just want to make sure we still stand here. I really like this view and I will thank God as much as I can in that time. One day I, windy, Jay, Jay’s Mother, and Baow (Jay’s brother and so close with us) decided to come again in that barrage and we ride a boat. It is so fantastic. For second time, I feel so be carried away. I can touch directly the water and breathe with very fresh air and can smell the fresh of the water. Double lucky because in that time rain came. There is rainbow that we can saw clearly. We soaked. But, I feel so satisfied. If I can choose in that time between billions of money or my family there bedside me, I will chose second option. It is very recommended place for family. But triple lucky, I saw all “expensive” things with people who receive us as new family. Thank you for very special moments. In other day, we went there again. At that time, more people came. We was doing picnic. Just imagine, eat with so kind people, talk and was doing joke in perfect place that offer unforgettable view. It is just like happy without limit. I guess, I would not bore and will come again. I just mind myself to breathe as much as I can and try to capture all moments. Because, I know I will miss it one day, then when I miss it I will open my memories and feel same like I still there. It is running well now when I typed this story for you. The memories come to mind clearly. If you have planned to get here, you have to make sure that you knew where Pathalung province is (southern of Thailand). I really recommended you to ask your Thai friend to come with you, because there is no public transportation to get there. If you have time with family, you have to trying hard to come there with your family. But if you are not, just make sure you will share your experience with other family. It is enough. I don’t know when I will come again in this place and meet again with My Thai Family. But, I have planned to come again anyway. Maybe one day, I will bring my family to come with me. Then, I hope they will receive us as family again for second, third or unlimited time. By these experiences, I totally knew that travel is not just an activity to refresh our mind but also can refresh our life by meet new people and learn many things. Travel can be a key of relationship. That is why there are word say “travel like a book, people who do not travel is mean only read one page and not move on” Let’s travel and enjoy your life.
This articles presented for my big Thai brother “Jay” who had taken care us and My Best Thai Family in Tamod, Pathalung Thailand. Thank you for unforgettable moment. |
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I am Indonesian. My name is Diogi. So interest with business and entrepreneurship. I am creating Social Business to find the best method to teach entrepreneurship and help people to meet their potential for facing future. Like traveling and writing. Archives
July 2021
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