Kembali Berjalan: The 1st-timer Backpacker

I’ve got 5 days of travelling in Thailand on 3-7 Nov. Me and Doli, my sister’s boyfriend, started this trip from LCC Airport in Kuala Lumpur. We leaving Malaysia for Chiang Mai using Air Asia in its morning flight.

a. Chiang Mai

This beautiful city known as the second biggest city in Thailand after Bangkok. Chiang Mai, means the rose from north, might be not a quite familiar as a tourism destination comparing to Bangkok, Phuket, or even Pattaya. If the last two cities I mentioned are famous with beaches and night life euphoria, Chiang Mai might offer a different kind of sensation. Elephant conservations, beautiful temples, or several outdoor activities like mountain hiking and downhill biking are the main invitation for attracting tourist to enjoy this beautiful rose.

I had Chiang Mai only for 2 days from overall 5 days trip inThailand. On the first day, soon after arrived in Chiang Mai International Airpot, we chose Doi Suthep Temple and Chiang Mai Zoo as our first destination. Prior to go to Doi Suthep Temple, we dropped in for a while in Chiang Mai Train Station buying ticket to Bangkok for the next days. Spending almost 2 hours in the Doi Suthep, then we went to Chiang Mai Zoo where Panda was really famous as its main attraction.

For lodging issue, finally we chose Green Tulip hostel for a 1 night stayed in Chiang Mai. Beautiful houses, complete facilities, reasonable price (400 B) and a great hospitality from the owner made us feel really sorry only spent 1 night there. Honestly, I highly recommended for this hostel, it just totally awesome!!

Chiang Mai own thousands variety of tourism tours, but with all budget I had prepared, there would be less option to be chosen. Luckily, the hostel recommended us a low budget tour. Comparing to another tour written in any kind of brochure, this one-day-tour price is really surprising us. It only cost us 1000 B while the others took 2000 B.

Just like the old people said, the price just describes the quality itself. The tour package consisted of Elephant riding, buffalo cart riding, bamboo rafting, and visiting the long necked tribe village. The elephant conservation were quite fun. Not only riding the elephant itself, but we also saw the baby elephant and watched the elephant show. It’s really funny when their playing football or even drawing a t-shirt. Ok finish with elephant things, the rest of our tour package was too lame. Buffalo cart riding for example, in Indonesia we call it as “delman”. And believe me, our delman are a lot better than it. Bamboo rafting??? You might quite familiar with “rakit bambu” right! The attraction just sitting on the rakit and enjoying the cruise sailing on river which it seems had just devastated by pathetic hurricane. I wished long-necked village might be a better attraction than the previous ones. And just like your guess, it’s just getting worse. I thought the village was located in such rural places, perhaps there might be a little “adventure” in discovering it. And oh my God, it just located not far outside the city, still close to the main road. Furthermore it’s not real “village” actually, it’s just small space of field which filled by two traditional houses and several traditional kiosks selling hand craft whose owned by the long-necked their self. Ironically, I saw there are no daily activities villagers always do except only taking care of their traditional shop. I wish the Kampung Naga - Badui village in Banten is far far far far far better than this "unique" show.

b. Bangkok

13 Hours-entrain took us from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.

Yes, I have 3 days left for my holiday in Bangkok. But the last two days of it, I would spend it alone by myself because Doli only spent 1 day in Bangkok. And just like before, money still became my serious issue for travelling in Bangkok. Spending 3 days and 2 nights in one of the best city tourism destination in the world with really tight budget and being left alone, I don’t think that’s a good option for holiday. But there’s always drama behind it.

Bangkok seems quite similar with Jakarta. Both cities are central of everything in their own country. But Bangkok equipped itself with much better-organized mass transportation and public facilities. Moreover they also have nice sidewalk for the pedestrian. I surely feel amaze if there are any city in Indonesia able providing this proper and humanized sidewalk for its resident.

Bangkok realizes that it has huge potential in tourism sector, that’s why it is not hard to find tourism information box which located separately in each corner of the town. These boxes provide any kind of information like maps, buses or MRT route, or even the tour package. Tourism destination map completed with the transportation map which I bought from the central station are the main guide for me to explore the city. Another thing that makes Bangkok so adorable is it makes you easily moving from one place to another without worrying the traffic jam, pollution, uncomforted facilities, or even the cost for the public transportation.

The tourist map showed us that Bangkok have several mode of public transportion. City buses and Tuk-Tuk seem to be an “old-fashioned” mode of transportation among others. Bangkok also has the modern kind of transportation like BTS Skytrain, MRT Subway, and SRT Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail. Finally Bangkok also provide river cruise with Chao Phraya Express Boat. And from all of that, the best part is all you have to do just sit relax in the MRT and see thousands of beautiful girls from around the globe walk accros in front of you (I wished they are “really” a girl).

I had 2 nights in Bangkok. Since I could not find a suitable hostel for my first night in Bangkok, so I took my choice to prefer Suvarnabhumi Airport as my for-free-one-night lodging. It might be one of my best decision though! Enough with my first experience just like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal”, then I stayed in a hostel located near the Hua Lamphong Train Station for my second night. Spending one night in Backpacker hostel was a great experience. I had three roommates from England, US, and Canada. Interestingly each person had their own reason why they backpacking overseas. The most unique one, a Moslem US Afro-American, Rosi Turner had backpacked around globe for almost one year. He started from US then jumped to Central America, Europe, Africa, India, and then we finally met in Bangkok. He said that there might be few countries after Thailand, it were Taiwan, Japan and finally returned to America.

Its sight-seeing time ! ! ! Some tourism destination that I succesfully visit are Grand Palace, Wat Pho – The Reclining Buddha, Gold Mount, Vimanmek Throne Hall, Anantasamakhom Throne Hall and Chatuchak Market. Unfortunately there still few interesting place left, but the thing I regret most was I missed the thai boxing match or perhaps some sexy queer show.

Ok folks, that all my stories of my first-time-backpacking experience! I do realize that I make several horrible mistakes in planning the whole trip. Believe me, the devil is in the detail. From the day I leaving KL for starting my trip, I just equipped myself with several general information, not even touched the specific one. I didn’t booking any room for hostel or arranging the fix itinerary for each day. Furthermore, the worst mistake was how come I didn’t count precisely the budget whether it would be enough or not with the whole expenditure prediction due travelling. Perhaps it may become a serious evaluation for me in arranging another trip plan ahead.

7th November 2010, Gate B Suvarnabhumi International Airport

I realized that we have thousand of world class tourism destination here, in Indonesia. Ironically with lack of support of better facilities and promotion, those beautiful jewels just lay down hidden under the pile of nightmare story of our bureaucracy.

A few minutes before takeoff to Indonesia, I browsed some news about Indonesia in the internet. The news were horrible. Volcano’s eruption, tsunami, devastated flood, and the corrupt government lethally strike my country. It might be a really tough week for the Nation. Somehow I felt useless and terribly sad. All I did just nothing but Condolence.

God, please bestow all Your mercy for all mistakes, we need Your divine guidance to strengthen Indonesia with Your bless.

In the corner of nowhere, i just got my tears fell down through my face...