My journey continued to Bangkok, the city of Eastern Angels – bad and good.

It cost me 12 hours riding on a VIP bus. However, I was bemused most of the time with the services offered by a chubby-yet-friendly ‘stewardess’. During the bus ride, I was offered with seemingly endless foods and drinks. There was a time when all the passengers were asked to get off the bus and ushered to a restaurant. Briefing was done by the same ‘stewardess’ but I couldn’t understand a word because she spoke in Thai. It turned out that, from my rough observation, the passengers were reminded about their discipline and punctuality. For approximately 15 minutes, all the passengers were seated in well-decorated tables and chairs, served with delicious Thai foods, and hurried into the bus immediately. All these were carried out in an amazingly well-coordinated timekeeping manner, which I had never seen before in any long-distant journey on a bus.

Amazing people. Amazing rule. How did they do that?


Hello Bangkok

The bus stopped at the Southern Routes Bus Terminal. Derek and I took a taxi to the nearest MRT station. If you asked about my first impression of Bangkok, I would say that it was a just normal crowded city with a lot of back-street concepts of urban lifestyles. Most parts of the city looked worn-out with a thick amount of electric wires or cables hanging hazardously on people’s heads, as if they were about to fall and entangle people’s bodies and kill them with the excessive voltage. Nonetheless, I was baffled most by the Rama VIII Bridge that resembled our own Penang Bridge, and the Democracy Monuments which reminded me of Dataran Al-Quran in Kota Bharu.

The taxi driver dropped us at the Hua Lamphong station, near the Bangkok Railway Station. I took a glimpse at the station and was taken aback by the grand size of its waiting hall and the church-like design of its roofs. I got into the MRT which was typically packed. I learnt later that the MRT, plus the BTS Skytrain, covered only half of Bangkok, which shocked me because I thought they traveled throughout the city, just like Singapore. But, in a way, it was good since I had a chance to travel through real and dangerous streets in Bangkok using more adventurous transportations like tuk tuks or taxis. And taxis here are a lot cheaper and easily hailed with no double charge after midnight. One thing for sure, I wouldn’t face the trouble of getting a taxi here, unlike Singapore.

Derek and I stopped at Silom station and settled in Sapphirtel Inn at Soi Silom 22/1, Silom Road. Silom Road is said to be equivalent to the Wall Street in the USA, a business district filled with trendy restaurants and shops all around. So, I didn’t waste my time resting in the comfortable inn, as I excitedly rushed to explore the lively streets. I chose to walk and use the map – yes, the map – this was my sole guidance, my bible. With that map with me all the time, getting around Bangkok streets was not that bad, not as daunting as my friends had reminded me about the delirious city. Every time I got confused with the streets, I would not be easily panicky and anxiously ask the Thais around who hardly spoke in English. Instead, I would stay calm and just look at the map and be contented with it. I would normally find my own way back to the desired places. Alhamdulillah, with this strategy and principle, I had never physically gotten lost in Bangkok.


The Good Erawan

That first day in Bangkok, Derek and I walked together along Ratchadamri Road and we passed Lumphini Park, which looked stunning in the afternoon setting. Being head-over-heels in love with lakes, I couldn’t wait to explore the park.

“Let’s talk a walk around the park,” I said. “It looks beautiful”
“It is just a lake,” Derek said, giving me his boring look.
“I really want to go there, Derek.”
“Is there a toilet here?” he said, looking around for a clue. “I need to go to the toilet.”
I was impatient. Our communication was at its critically low point.

Soon after that, we passed Erawan Shrine which is dedicated to the Hindu God, Phra Phrom. It is a must-visit shrine for all devotees including Buddhists, who came regularly here asking for luck and other favors. As a Buddhist, Derek took this opportunity to pray.

I hoped that one of Derek’s prayers was to put our relationship in a better shape. But he must have violated some of the prayer rules because the condition between us deteriorated in the following hours. But before it happened, both of us managed to get a superior glance at two superior malls in Bangkok – Siam Paragon and Emporium. I decided not to dig into the malls since shopping was not one of my motives. We strolled lazily along Sukhumvit Road and Ratchadaphisek Road when I found another lake, Benjakiti Park.

Not wanting to miss another beauty of a lake garden, I quickly marched through the lake while Derek followed behind me. He looked tired and said seriously, “I want to take a rest first. You can walk alone. I will catch you later. You walk so slow, I think I can catch you.”

So I walked, slowly.


The Eruption of Patpong

Patpong near Surawong Road was a place filled with exciting pandemonium and chaos. This was Bangkok’s main night entertainment district which was popular for its vibrant night bazaar. Surrounded by alluring discotheques and go-go bars, it was matter a choice for a wandering soul to seek for pleasures. “SEX DVD” signs were everywhere; the chatty businessmen were aggressive, pulling you forcefully to their bars. “Five minutes only!” they would say, persuading you so sweetly to unleash your wild imagination, making you feel defenseless. The shirts sold at the bazaar were printed with all sorts of amusingly provocative remarks ranging from “Sorry girls, I am gay” and “I am horny”. The women were throwing some sort of rubber that resembled the objects you don’t want to know. They were all ready with calculators, ready for body-language bargain, and insults would be granted if you refused to buy. “I don’t want your thank-you, I want your money. Fuck you!” I scurried away from the shop, shocked and scared.

It was a bizarre kaleidoscope.

It was at this very same place that Derek and I came to a solution regarding our frustrating relationship – we finally agreed to ‘break up’. After a series of explosive cat-and-dog fights, we decided to go on traveling on our own ways, putting an end to all the troubles and miseries I had been putting up with him for the past five days. The time-bomb finally erupted.

“I would never travel with you again,” he said.
“Of course,” I answered, determined and confident.


Happily Alone

The following day, I left Derek in the hotel room and roamed around the city with a new and fresh perspective. Walking alone in the Bangkok city, I felt so thankful for making it so far, even though there was no one to accompany me. I texted my friends in Malaysia and received a lot of mixed responses:

“You will survive, don’t worry. Just enjoy yourself ok.”
“I know you will do well.”
“Go visit the palace, temples, saunas, massage, Patpong, Khao San Road, Chatuchak. I am sure alone is better as what I have experienced. But take extra care.”
“There are just so many experiences in Bangkok. We experience what we want and willing to experience.”
“You are in Bangkok - the city of eastern angels. You’d be inspired.”
“Put the problem aside and enjoy the holidays ahead of you!”

With all this support and inspiration in mind, I pulled myself together and started all over again. Indeed, I was about to discover the places that I had wanted to go.


Lumphini Charms

I was overjoyed to be walking along the park after my request was denied by Derek the previous day. I truly enjoyed the scenery, the smell and the peace that the lake offered. As I was cruising, I was approached by a middle-aged white man who came from the opposite side.

“Hello there.” He said, smiling.
“Hi,” I answered shakily. He looked at me directly and asked, “Are you alone?”
“Er, yes.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“Okay. But I am not a money boy, okay.” We both laughed.

After some time, we became good friends and talked a lot about serious issues and life experiences. He is a Frenchman who migrated to Bangkok and has been living there for two years. It found it unbelievable for a man from a developed country to migrate to such an unlikely favourable place like Bangkok.

“There is something here that you cannot find in Paris – the humane aspect,” he said, so wisely I didn’t believe that I had been talking to a wise stranger in a strange place after being dumped by my own travel-mate.

However, the true saviour for my solitary day was not that French guy. It was Lily.


Lily: The Pretty Saviour

Yes, Lily also happened to be in Bangkok. It was such a dramatic coincidence. We both came to Thailand separately to celebrate our own same-date birthdays, but with the twist of fate and luck, we finally met in the city of Bangkok, right after I met Thierry at Lumphini Park. I didn’t how it happened, but God seemed to listen to my prayer and sent Lily to save my life there.

Her presence truly made my day. Together, Lily and I traveled giddily along Chao Phraya River using the tourist boat. The journey along the river was breathtaking. From Sathorn Pier to Phra Arthit Pier, we were profoundly fascinated by the mesmerizing sights of Temple of Dawn, Wichaiya Prasit Fortress, Santa Cruz Church and Memorial Bridge.

From Ratchawong Pier, we got out of the boat and walked merrily to Yaowarat Road where another world of merriment awaited us. Located in Chinatown, walking along Yaowarat Road was tiring yet fun. It was a bustling trading district for all kinds of products, prominently jewelries and all that. Lily couldn’t get her composed when looking at the wild assortments of cute little things along the endless streets. Each time she found an interesting shop, she would pull my shirt forcefully and moaned over it.

“Cekmi, comelnya.”
“Cekmi, cutenya.”
“Cekmi, iiii….”
“Cekmi, uuu…”

It was annoying but it was, at the same time, pleasant. Her wailing made my heart melt with warmth and joy.

Soon, we found ourselves in the middle of Pharurat Road. It was a shopping district famous for its low-priced clothes and textiles where retailers were mostly locals of Indian ancestry. Then, we passed a famous wholesale flower market called Pak Klong Tarad. The smell of flowers filled up our noses, as we were rushing to get the last boat to the Central Pier.

After an exhausting walk, we realized that we shopped nothing since we had been preoccupied with talking and laughing and sightseeing and joking and kidding and giggling and sobbing, that when we reached at the end of the road with empty hands, nothing mattered as long as we were together, bringing home full hands of unforgettable memories in such exotic places in Bangkok.

But wait, our journey did not end there. After dusk, we headed to Siam Paragon to celebrate our birthdays together. It was a belated celebration, but it was my first official celebration with a cake that I bought myself. Pathetic, wasn’t it? Well, it was not a fancy 5-tier cake, but a normal doughnut-size cake.

Truly, the day I spent with Lily in Bangkok was one of the most unforgettable days in my life.


********

Later that night, I went back to the hotel and found that Derek and all his belongingness were gone. There was a letter left for me at the reception counter. It was from Derek. I read it and felt numb. I was too preoccupied with Lily that Derek’s issues seemed irrelevant.