Travelling alone, not really.

Lying on a spacious sofa in a garden at my “guesthome” in the hearth of Chiang Mai city with a laptop in front of me early in the morning is something I have not done for a long time (if you were to exclude the requisite location of Chiang Mai).

I have been travelling since late march and though have returned to home for a week to recuperate from my sickness after Laos, have not felt a slightest hint of homesickness.

Maybe because I have always been in close contact with my family and friends over the phone and internet and that blogging has always linked me back to civilization, I never felt that I was really away. Reading comments becomes a past time and I felt that despite my distance, I’m never too far away from my home – Malaysia.

The odd thing about travelling alone, is that I can never seem to find myself alone.

As early as travelling in Laos, I have always been able to find a companion to travel with, whether they just land themselves in front of me, or it is god’s will to let us meet.

Three months ago, Raj called one night asking if I was interested to go to Laos, Airasia was throwing the once in a year free seatings promotion. With almost no delay, we booked a return flight to Laos that very same day.

And then I was browsing by the site and realised a single return flight from Cambodia would only cost me RM75. Out of enthusiasm, and I embarrassingly admit, I booked a one way ticket from back Phnom Phen at the end of the month of April (when I was to return from Laos on the 3rd) and made my plans to travel around Indo-China like I always wanted.

Yes it was an overnight decision, but it was a long night k?! I thought LONG and hard and didn’t sleep on it.

As read before in my Laos entry, when I parted with Raj in Vang Vieng, I was soon joined by John in Luang Phrabang.

But then I fell sick and couldn’t proceed to travel from Laos to Chiang Mai (as they were so near each other), hence with the privilege to choose to fly back from Vientiane to KL on my return flight ticket, I flew back to KL for recovery.

On my first night up to Hatyai on a night bus from KL, I was seated next to this really friendly Uncle who talked to me about his life and his marriage to his Thai wife. How he befriended the Thai bus conductors because he has frequented Thailand back and forth so often. He then helped me to buy a Bangkok bus ticket at the bus station before meeting up with his wife in Hatyai.


Quite comfy la~


On my second bus ride heading up north, I read through most of my books since it was day time and I have had enough sleep the night before (not that I ever sleep much when I travel). Shawn from Kuching emailed me one day telling me he would be in Bangkok the same time that as I, so we arranged to meet up as soon as I were to set my foot in Bangkok.

On my arrival in Bangkok Southern terminal, it was already midnight, and most bus services have ended. I met this Thai guy while waiting for the same bus to the city (pointless wait) and we chatted with the bit of English he could manage. He found out I was to look for a hotel and assisted me in taking all the public transport in Bangkok to reach name of the hotel I’ve shown him. It was my first time taking a public bus in Thailand, and he even paid for my 10 baht bus fee! (Though in the end I were to discover he led me to the wrong hotel -.-)

For the next few days, I spent my days travelling with Shawn exploring the bits of Bangkok that I was ever so familiar with, showed him around Chatukchak and he offered to bring me to the aquarium knowing I couldn’t afford such a price on my tight budget long term travelling.


Nicole the flying manta



Come and get me shark!



As you can see I’m quite proud of this shot.


Shawn loves food, so do I. So we made good travelling buddies, but terrible finance consultants, we will splurge on every single good looking food we come across, including this exotic localised desert in Swensens.


Mango ice cream with pandan sticky rice and cream, oh my heaven~



Thin Pocky!!! God’s gift to mankind!


Zen emailed me announcing that he’s a reader of Bangkok on my first official day in Bangkok, I asked him out for a drink. On the second night, we met in my first love location Soi 38 for dinner, with Shawn of course.


Shawn, I think we over ordered



I love you Sticky Rice with Mango and Coconut Milk!!



I love you pad thai too! Will update my food blog soon.


That night, he brought me out to Skybar on the 64th floor of the State Tower, the only place I ever regretted not visiting during my last trip here (ran out of time ma).


Zen looking so cool on his PDA


We chatted the night through over the scenic night view of Bangkok that took my breath away.




We talked about everything, relationship, my travels, his work, life, studies, goals, future, past. Pisces, can you blame them for being so romantic and long-winded? (Btw, Shawn is a Pisces too. Yay, Pisces reunite!)

We also went over to Booze, a famous club that most Thai young adults like to visit. You will find very few “farangs” here. And drank Bacardi Breezer which I so missed since my hey days in England.




Fourth day in Bangkok, as I checked out of the hotel with my night bus ticket to Chiang Mai in my pouch, I surfed the internet chatting with random msn-buddies at the lobby with the left over wifi-time I bought the night before. And Simon messaged me.




Simon is a British who has been working in Malaysia for two years and is now training for a course in Bangkok, he is moving in between apartments and hence will be homeless for a few days. With the Songkran Festival going on, he has a few holidays to spare. The next thing I know, he was sitting in front of me at the hotel lobby waiting to head to Chiang Mai together that night.

It was madness, both of us got so wet in Chiang Mai during the Songkran. The difference between Chiang Mai and Bangkok on Songkran, is that Chiang Mai is much wetter and the volume of water used is more, erm, immense.


Icemen!!!


By immense I meant it’s a war between the river warm water (which comes endless) and the trucks’ ice water.


Unlimited supply of water!!


Water guns became rather useless then, because everyone uses buckets. Small squirts and room temperature water just don’t quite cut it anymore. Seeing that I COULD NOT get any wetter than I already was, it all down to how cold the water was to spice things up.


The water has finally entered my camera and fogged up the inner lense


It lasted the whole day, party, music, lady boys and lots and lots of ice water down your back from behind, over your head from trucks, in front of you when you walk pass. My highest record was to get hit by 12 buckets in one go (which instantly soaked me). Sigh, Thai people seemed to like to wet me~

This is the end result.


Drying my dollars under the evening sun.


Just two days ago, we cycled 8km out of town to a hill temple and took a LONG sweet relaxing ride down the hill on our way back.




Last night I cycled 3-4km out of town to a night bazaar with a Jaclyn, a British lady travelling with her friend (Ruth) who got ill, and had an enjoyable night scouring the stalls and haggling over cheap goods.

Simon left for Bangkok last night, and I’m back to being alone once again. Waiting to catch a bus up to Chiang Rai at noon, I anticipate the next person I will meet on my journey.





ps// Songkran in Chiang Mai rocks!