Bangkok

We took an overnight train from Arrau, Malaysia to Bangkok Thailand. The train was a second class sleeping car and it was really nice and comfortable. We were surprised to see only two cars trailing behind the engine. We thought there would be a food car but there was not. 

There was, however, a guy who, as soon as we boarded, asked us what we wanted for dinner. He said he was the only option and at the border, he would get out and cook our food for us. The prices were steep compared to everywhere else for what it was. It was 170-180 Thai baht for dinners. Alex got the Tom Yam soup for only 120 baht and it was amazing. It was a huge bowl, fresh with lots of seafood and a side of rice.  

Our train left at 5:30 and within a half hour we were at the border. We got off, went through customs and immigration and had 30-40 minutes to look around the station before the train left. We bought some snacks (including dried dates from Iran) and boarded the train to our food waiting. We sat in a booth that could've fit 4 until maybe 9:30 PM when they began converting the booths to bunk beds. Alex and I both had upper berths across from one another. The beds were comfortable and the train was much quieter and smoother than the train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. We slept well and around 1 PM were at Bangkok central station (Hua Lamphong). A short cab ride later and we were at our really nice boutique hostel, Bed Station. 

The hostel is a one minute walk to the skyline and is in a pretty nice location. The beds are huge and comfortable with privacy curtains, plugs, big lockers and super nice showers (Alex showered in the men's shower by an accident and it was pretty entertaining). We may return to Bed Station for a few days at the end of our trip. 

You can't go wrong with 50 baht pad thai in Bangkok

First thing was first, we grabbed some pad thai near our place and headed to my tailor, Rajawongse Clothier, who I went to 10 years ago. I got fitted for a new suit and picked out a bunch of dress shirts. This place is legit and proper. The owners Jesse and son Victor do a phenomenal job and cater mostly to US government employees. Ever since George Bush ordered suits for his whole family, this has been the place to go for a suit in Bangkok (and possibly the world). Needless to say, I was incredibly excited to get back in there. The place is like a fraternity, with guys who share the bond asking each other when their first suit was, all while drinking complimentary Heineken. Everyone was happy to be there. 

Canal Boat Stop 

Victor and I celebrating new threads

Jesse is all class and runs the best tailor shop in Asia. If you are ever in Bangkok, check out Rajawongse Clothier.

After that we did a lot of walking and saw a bunch of shrines. We then headed to China town for dinner but everything was closed for a holiday. I had a second fitting that night at 8 pm anyway so we headed back that way. At Jesse and Victors, I tried on what was essentially a vest and the tailor took measurements and made marks. We later went to find some live music but the only place we could find was slightly out of our budget. So we ended up eating fried rice and drinking cheap beers in a parking lot slash temporary restaurant. 

Lumpini Park, Bangkok

Street carts I desire

The next morning Alex's best friend from life, Christina, arrived in Bangkok and was entering the hostel as Alex descended the stairs for breakfast. I hear it was a magical moment but I was still sleeping. That day we saw the reclining buddha and ate some delicious street pad thai for $1. We had a low key night and turned in. 

The kindness of Thais was everywhere. This young man, held up traffic while an older and less able man, slowly crossed the street. 

Transportation in Bangkok: pink taxis and tuk tuks. 

We then headed to the Chatuchak Weekend Market which claims to be the largest weekend market in the world. I do not doubt this claim at all. It was absolutely massive. There was far too much to see in a weekend although some of the vendors were a bit repetitive. However, the food was amazing and I finally found some high quality thai pillow cushions, triangle cushions, that I had been searching for. I made a note of it for when we return to Bangkok in two months for our flight home to the states. 

Meat on sticks at the Chatuchak Weekend Market

Daily dose of pad thai

Coconut ice cream at the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand

I brought home one of these 3 fold thai pillow cushions as my checked luggage.

The shipping for the cushions was more than the cushion itself. 

Everyone can dream

Amazing food truck pad thai for $1 right in front of our hostel

The next day we went to the Flower Market and the Emerald Palace. I then went back to my tailor for my third and final fitting. This was the day where you try on the finished pants and you watch him attach the sleeves on the jacket while its on you. I felt like ironman. I will pick up my new threads in two months when we return to Bangkok before our flight home. This is one excited, soon to be well dressed, man. 

Flower Market

Getting a trim in the shade during break

We then tried catching a mini bus to Koh Chang but we were too late. The port to Koh Chang closes at 7 PM and we wouldn't have made it until after 8 PM. So we had to take a bus to Trat, which is the city near the port to Koh Chang. Alex got pretty sick on this mini bus ride but she toughed it out like a champ. Four vomit bags later and we were in Trat where we randomly found a really nice guest house with delicious food. The room was 600 baht and probably the nicest rooms we stayed in during this trip. That night I saw lanterns in the sky that really threw me for a loop. 

The owner of the guest house was such a sweet woman who made a chicken noodle soup to nurse Alex back to health. She also booked us for the ferry the next day. At 9:20 am, we piled into the shuttle to the port. 

Next stop Koh Chang. 

Langkawi, Malaysia

Our night bus to Kuala Perlis was uneventful in a good way. However, it was not easy to sleep as there were so many stops and the driver was talking loudly and playing loud metal music to keep himself awake. I was happy he was awake to keep us safe, but a bit more sleep would've done us some good. 

We arrived at the port around 8 and had to wait for the 9:30 ferry. We grabbed some delicious roti across the street and were soon on a fast, overly air conditioned passenger ferry where they played what seemed like a locally made horror movie on the tvs. It was pretty intense for a ferry with families with little kids yet no one seemed bothered. 

Upon arrival, we learned that there were no local buses on the island. We were on the other side of the island (which is 120 km in circumference) and took a taxi for 30 ringgits to Zachary's Guesthouse. We were real lucky we reserved a place ahead of time as there was an air show that weekend and the island was packed. We saw other people struggling to find a place. 

I mentioned in earlier posts about how expensive beer was in Malaysia. Not in Langkawi. The government apparently decided in the interest of tourism not to tax imported goods in Langkawi. You could buy a beer in a convenient store for 1.5 ringgits (in Kuala Lumpur it was 5-6). However, even after not drinking for a week, we still didn't really take advantage of this news for some reason. Maybe it was the heat. 

The first day we checked out the local beach across the street and then went out on an island hopping tour. We went to 3 different islands including Pregnant Island which is an island that is shaped like a pregnant woman lying down. This island harbors a massive fresh water lake surrounded by lush green peaks. The swimming was refreshing and worth the trip. However, I noticed we were two of the few swimmers as many of the visitors may not have known how to swim and there was no shallow water, merely jumping off a dock and rolling in the deep.

That night we went to dinner next door with some people from our guest house. We had a delicious and surprisingly expensive piece of fish. In hindsight, totally worth it. 

The following day we rented a motor bike (scooter) as we needed to buy return ferry tickets the day before our trip in order to ensure we made the ferry to catch a pre-booked night train to Bangkok. It was my first time riding a motor bike and my first time having someone behind me as well. Alex held on tight, and I drove slowly and stayed to the left. Yup. Left. At one point we ran into a rotary (traffic circle) which was quite a trip going around it clockwise. At another point, I almost hit a monkey. 

After grabbing our tickets, we headed to the best beach on the island up north. We stopped off at a new Buddhist temple under construction and then at a roadside cafe for a cheap lunch. We got to the beach and were amazed at both its beauty and its emptiness.

This was weird. He wanted to take a picture with us and this was his idea of a pose.  

That night we headed to a once a week night market. We sat in traffic for quite a while along the main strip of the main beach. However, it was worth the wait and the ride. The market was packed and full of all kinds of bbq, fruit, and tons of new things to try.

I highly recommend renting a motor bike when visiting Langkawi as it is such a large and beautiful island with so much to see. We paid 40 ringgits for 24 hours and filling up on gas was almost nothing. Just be careful. 

The next morning I returned the motor bike and we grabbed a cab to the port. There was TONS of traffic due to the airshow and we nearly missed our ferry (and hence train). We arrived 10 minutes late and the boat was thankfully still waiting at port. We made it.

From the port back in Kuala Perlis, we jumped in a cab to Arrau where we awaited our 19 hour overnight train. 

Next stop Bangkok.

Kuala Tahan- Taman Negara, Malaysia

From Kuala Lumpur we were headed to the rainforest in Malaysia, Taman Negara. We We took an early morning bus to Jerantut which took about 2.5 hours. From there we were just in time for the 1 o'clock local bus to Kuala Tahan, the entry point to the rainforest. However, we ended up getting in a tour company van who needed to pick someone up on the other end. We paid the same price and made it to our hostel earlier than expected. When making this trip, I suggest avoiding tour packages to get you to the rainforest. They charge 3-5 times what you will pay if you put the 3 pieces of the trip together yourself. I suggest taking a bus to Jerantut for 18 ringgits and hopping on the local bus there for 7 ringgits. Kuala Tahan is tiny and everything is walkable in 5 minutes.

We arrived at our hostel, Delimah Guest House around 2:30 PM. This is by far the best place to stay in Kuala Tahan. Delimah has AC, ensuite bathrooms, very clean rooms and a great breakfast. It was 90 ringgits a night, which is pricey compared to the surrounding guesthouses, but worth it if you have the cash (i'll come back to that point).

Our dangerously speedy van ride, gave us more time than expected that afternoon so we hopped in little ferry boat that brought us to the park for 1 ringgit each. Upon arrival, I saw a sign stating the wildlife that live in Taman Negara. There are bears, jaguars, cougars and tigers. What!? We decided to check out the swimming hole first. Alex didn't hesitate to hop right in. I was on tiger watch. After we did a loop out to one of the hides where people camp at night and hope to see one of the remarkable animals that reside in the national park.

That night we realized we made a pretty big travel mistake. We didn't bring enough cash. There are no ATMs in Kuala Tahan and nobody takes credit cards. We counted up our money and realized we couldn't afford a second night at Delimah so we sadly had to move to Durian Guest ouse the following morning. This simple room with a fan was less than half the price at 40 ringgits and was fine. There was a giant spider and a couple of frogs visiting us at night, but thats almost expected when staying in a hut in the jungle.

The next day we walked the canopy walk, hiked to a look out point and Alex spotted a family of wild monkeys on our way back. We spent maybe 15 minutes standing quietly and watching them get closer and closer.

Baby monkey left by himself to learn how to climb.  

We woke up the following day and hopped the bus back to jerantut and Kuala Lumpur to catch our night bus to northern Malaysia. 

Next stop Langkawi island.