Saturday, July 12, 2014

Short writing on sightseeing.

Writing is a remedy.

Seeing all those great books and film made out of it. Inspires me to one day in my life be able to leaave something behind to.

Is it too late to start writing again?

Today was another hot walk. Although the roofs and integrated rail stations hovering us from the striking weather, it never failed to make my skin itch and scaly (saking dry-nya) which I knew later was an actual skin disease that happens to people who are used to the tropical climate, but came to this kind of land with the kind of weather that hits 18 degrees celcius. Hence the blotches from my scratches. Great.

I love seeing the little ticket vending machines surrounding the station, more than that in Malaysia. And obviously, I don’t often get to see this sight back in my country. You can tell busy people roaming with a preset destinations in their head, like the place was a hive. Quickly in and out as an expert in using those machines that pour out coins and tickets. Playing around with it and people watching has its own sense of excitement. something that you don’t do everyday.

The train was jammed. Unlike an empty LRT at Sri Petalling Station, once u hop on to BTS – at any BTS station- it is like going in a monorail in the middle of Bukit Bintang. Crow-ded. Good thing though us Indonesians *hashtag* were never exempted from being the ones who eventually got on board knowing how much more competitive it can be in a situation exactly like it in Indonesia. (By the way, we unconsciously kept doing the hashtag trend everytime someone made even the sligtest a mockery out of the country. Eventually, it became a habit)

The train moves steady in the air, cutting Bangkok and its high buildings in half. You can see them alongside to the left and right. Amazing. I cant imagine the city without it. Maybe that is the reason why the price for public transportation is a tad higher here. Compared to the bus we rode which only cost us around 8 baht. Man, that’s a bronze coin. Imagine it like a single aluminium rupiah coin you can use to take a ride in the city. So damn cheap. Anyways, taking the train to Phaya Thai cost us ten twenty (10.2), then switch for another thirty four. Stop by at Mc Donalds for Brunch in Siam Paragon, then off we went to try on the cruise at Chayo Praya River.

Boy it was a crowded ride alright. After standing to wait in lines for around 20 minutes we all hopped in the back of the boat, starting at the Sathorn, Taksin Central Pier when the ticketing lady would go around asking tickets for fifteen baht. Great view it was in the middle of the day. Though I could not find a sense of tranquility in the ride regardless the meditating view of the river waves and all sorts of boats, cruises and yachts fenced by modern buildings of all sorts standing as long as the eyes can see on each side of the river bed. Not a mistake going through the crowd to get to the front deck, because we ended up finding seats there. On the way, I saw some locals doing selfie images which was very much the same like in our hometowns except these ones obviously had no embarassment or whatsoever doing it when people are basically standing next to eachother.

Speaking of selfie, people here I reckon tends to be more self conscious of their self image. Maybe that’s an understatement since I, live in the rurals rather than the big cities myself. Maybe in Jakarta its common to see a person seem like he or she put on costumes. outifts so revealing. flawless faces and skinny postures. I can spot a young teen in his student uniform crossing the road and all the while was brushing his hair neat. Two ladies wearing off-shoulder dresses infront of me, gleeningly smiling to the self hold camera, complete with a striking pose and orange colored lips.  Young hipsters with a playlist track icons tattooed on his wrist. Then, almost every women had their eyebrows done too.

Just off the pier again we came to a traditional market that sells random stuff from flowers (for rituals in the temples0, to food and beverages. Overall the midday was so different compared to at night time. It was hot as hell. I could instantly feel migrain approaching. Eyes watery as the cold I had was getting worse.

There is nothing to else to do except write at night. At times like this, the trip feels like a bore and a waste. But none of us were in a prime state after spent breathless and wreck from 3-days water sport excursion at Krabi. Bangkok is just like Jakarta plus the BTS train. Going anywhere means leaving the warm cozy protection of the hotel and fighting the cold in the night in and out using the public transport. The demo gotten more packed as the sun down, we didn’t want to get caught in it either.

Next, The Madam Tussauds. I bet I could be bored seeing it in a wee couple more hours. How’d a house full of dead, white, un-living candles shaped like a human figure gotten that famous anyway? Not to mention expensive? It can throw a whole economic boost to a pool of my fellow boatsman in Kuin Floating Market. Too bad I was busy taking pictures for friends than to read and touch every single thing readable and touchable there for visitors interactions. Seeing some of the history of these prominent figures makes you so want to become somewhat more than as shallow and insiginicant as your current state.

I love my friends. That’s for sure. This trip isnt just abut walking around sightseeing, and into expensive park entries. Most of it is about instant living and move-in together with five very unique and charming people, really got to know a segment of each other lives, and most importantly – creating lifetime worth of memories full of laughters, joy and simply savouring a spontaneous lives for a brief grace period. So, do enjoy travelling while you can :)




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