6- Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Termasuk total budget dan tips

Day 6- 1/2/2016

Bila kaunter tiket dah bukak pagi tu, kami pon beli tiket Lopburi-Bangkok (50baht). Then, kami naik train around pukul 2.30 pagi camtuh dan sampai di Hua Lamphong Railway Station (Bangkok) around pukul 5.30 pagi. 

At 2am in the morning, Lopburi

Waktu kami sampai di Bangkok, time tu dah pon Subuh. Macam mana tau kata dah masuk waktu? Time dalam train tadi terdengar bunyi azan Subuh, maybe time tu kami ada lalu kawasan Muslim kot kan. Dekat railway station tu, diorang ada sediakan musolla (surau), so, every Muslims boleh solat dengan selesanya kat situ. So, first, kami pergi drop bag dulu (60baht). Then, kami pergi mandi-manda membersihkan diri kat toilet dalam railway station. Don’t worry, toilet dia ada sediakan tempat shower tapi kena bayarlah around 10baht.

Memandangkan kami sedar yang kami ni sebenarnya kebuluran nasik-elmaklumlah perut Melayu, so kami decide untuk cari tempat makan. Mulanya kami round food court, tapi macam tak yakin ja kan, jadi apa kami buat time tu adalah berdoa penuh harapan agar jumpak balik brader pekerja railway station yang tegur kami semalam tanya makan ka belum tu. Dan, Alhamdulillah sedang kami berjalan keluar dari station, kami terserempak dengan dia. Dia pon bagitau la kat mana kedai makan halal. Ala. Dekat ja pon, lintas jalan sikit ja. Tapi, belakang-belakang sikit la.

Then, kami said thanks dan pergi cari kedai makan yang dia bagitau.

Ada dalam dua tiga restoran halal gak sebenarnya kat situ. Jadi, lepas makan nasik, kami jalan lagi kat situ dan makan lagi bihun sup yang kami jumpak (55baht). Balas dendam sebab almost seminggu asyik makan maggi-bihum PAMA ja kan.

Selepas tu, kami balik ke station dan beli tiket train Bangkok to Butterworth, Penang. Tiket Bangkok-Butterworth adalah sekali dengan katil, yang bezanya adalah kau boleh pilih sama ada nak katil bawah (mahal siket) atau katil atas (murah siket). Both of us nak katil bawah, which worth 1220baht for each of us. Masa bertolak 2.45 pm. Waktu tu baru pukul 11.30 pagi so, kami pon wandering around the station. Dah sebab kami dah pon nak balik Malaysia dan kami perasan kami masih lagi kaya sikit, jadi kami berfoya-foya dengan membeli ice-blended coffe kat Black Canyon dan jugak Dunkin Donut (200baht). Lapaq baq hang! Ada jugak cubaan nak wandering kat luar sekitar city cuma risau takut tersepit di celah kesibukan jalan raya dan aku dah pun blurr di luar sana. Konon sebab panas. Hahaha, sorry to my partner!

SRT ticket Bangkok-Butterworth

After Zuhr, aku dan member terus pick up bag dari kaunter drop bag (60baht) dan terus gerak ke tempat menunggu kat train platform. 

Sedang bersiap-siap ke platform tu, terserempak lagi dengan brader yang bagitau lokasi restoran halal food tu. Kami pon sembang la sat. Dia siap pesan, nanti datang la Bangkok lagi. Dia kata kalau nak, boleh tinggal contact number ka apa, senang nanti kalau nak pergi Bangkok lagi kan. 

Tapi tak pulak kami berbuat demikian, tak ingat apa dah aih. Ingat nak balik ja time ni. So, kami said thanks a lot to him atas pertolongan before parting.

To say bubye to Bangkok now

Dan pada pukul dua setengah camtuh pekerja station inform yang kami dah boleh naik train. So, kami naik train, cari seat dan pada pukul 2.45 petang, train mula bergerak. Destination: Butterworth. O yeah! Balik kampung!

Bubye Thailand!

Atas train, jangan tanya apa yang kami buat. Tidur bangun, tidur bangun sampai ke sudah. Maklumlah 23 hours journey kan! Uncle train attendant tu ada la offer makanan, tapi disebabkan tiada sumber yang mengatakan makanan dalam tu halalan thoyyiba, maka kami pon berpuasa (lah sangat!) Yang ni SRT- State Railway of Thailand, sebab tu makanan dia tu penuh syak wasangka tu. Kami makan maggi yang kami kami bawak dan mintak air panas ja dari café. Kami ada beli Dunkin Donut dekat Bangkok station, remember? So, kami perabis stok donut tu la. Brader yang duduk depan aku offer dia punya buah pisang, so aku amek ja. Rezeki jangan ditolak.

Dalam pukul 7 malam camtuh, uncle attendant datang dan dia tolong organize katil. Baik uncle-uncle ni, rajin datang tegur tapi dalam bahasa Thai lah. Ada sekali tu dia datang membebel time ada mat salleh sebelah kami tu tak puas hati apa tah. Aku paham dia nak mengadu so, senyum jalah kan. Disebabkan terlalu lenguh, aku siap jalan-jalan ke gerabak lain. Then, uncle-uncle attendant tu tanya kenapa aku jejalan. Aku cakap ja lenguh nak exercise sikit. Depa gelak ja.

Day 7- 2/2/2016 Arrival at Butterworth

Alhamdulillah,urusan immigration kat sempadan Thai-Malaysia berjalan smoothly. So, dengan selamat kami masuk Malaysia melalui Perlis dengan train. Muahaha. Jakun sat. 

At the end, dalam 1 pm camtuh kami arrived kat Butterworth train station. Dan memandangkan time tu tengah cuti Chinese New Year, jadinya aku decide untuk terus balik rumah kat Kulim rather than take another train to KL. So, aku dengan member aku pon berpisah di situ.

FIN.

Total budget yang dibawa per person	$250- mixed USD, THB, MYR convert siap-siap kat Malaysia.
Roughly budget yang digunakan:	RM800++ ke RM900 (bergantung kepada shopping level masing-masing)

Pesanan dan Tips:

1. Niat yang baik. Ecewah!

2. Banyak berdoa dan bertawakal kepada Allah selepas buat research. Doa orang bermusafir ni selalunya Allah makbul, inshaAllah.

3. Jangan tinggal kewajipan kepada Tuhan. Solat. Kalau bulan Ramadhan, puasa.

4. Smile, smile and smile. Walaupun kau spesis manusia yang serious.macam aku.

5. Never ever leave your important and valuable things unattended di mana-mana sahaja walau di dalam bilik hatta mau ke tandas sekalipon. Beware of thief!

6. Kalau naik tuktuk, jangan letak beg bahagian takdak jaring ataupun penghadang. Kalau tuktuk yang kau naik tu ada penghadang la kan. Kalau takdak, pandai-pandailah nak hidup kan. Huhuhu.

7. Merendah diri dan menghormati perbezaan adat budaya orang lain.

8. Lastly, kalau nak selamat, you should at least know some basic sentences or words dalam bahasa local negara yang kau nak pergi. Contoh, ‘Thank you’. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘Train Station’. ‘How much’. ‘Bus’, etc. Aku siap bawak buku ‘Speak Thai with Confidence’ lagi. Dan, agak membantu sebenarnya especially if kau tersesat dan nak tanya orang jalan yang betul.

Okay, then…maybe that’s all catatan perjalanan 7 hari Cambodia- Thailand from me.
Inquiries, feel free to ask me.
Till we meet again. Ohohohoho.

Wassalam. Dan bubye.

5- Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Mostly harga yang dinyatakan telah didividekan untuk dua orang.

Day 5- Bangkok-Lopburi (sunflower field)

Pagi tu around 9 am aku check out hostel (220baht). Staff tu bagitau, jangan naik tuktuk sebab mahal. Jadi, dia suggestkan untuk aku naik local bus to Hua Lamphong station. Bus nombor 73. Murah ja around 9baht ja kot dari situ ke station. Sebenarnya, dua kali jugak la aku silap naik bas sebab staff tu tak cakap aku patut naik bas bernombor 73 only. Ada lagi bas lain yang nombor 73 jugak tapi ada Thai character kat depan dia, dan bas yang tu tak pergi area railway station. Maka dua kali itulah aku dihalau turun oleh drebar. Tapi okaylah, depa tunjuk bas yang betul patut aku naik. Dan bas nombor 73 tu pon sampai.

Nak dijadikan cerita pulak, dah naik bas betul tu aku boleh tak dengar bila aunty conductor tu bagitau dah sampai Hua Lamphong. Manalah aku nak dengar dah tak paham pon dia cakap apa kan. Huhuhu. Maka, terlajaklah aku sampai ke hujung perhentian. Aunty tu membebel kat aku dalam bahasa Thai dan dia suruh aku turun. Dia kata dalam bahasa Thai “We are not going to Hua Lamphong anymore”.

Dan aku terus turun bas dan berhuhuhu di situ, in the middle of nowhere. Yang aku tau, tempat tu tepi sungai. Sungai apa pon aku tak tau. Nak tanya orang pon, dahla kedai semua tak bukak lagi. Aku ketawa sorang-sorang tepi jalan sambil berjalan sampailah aku jumpak balai polis. Aku lepak depan tu. Tapi risau gak takut nanti polis Thai keluar pastu tangkap aku ka sebab ingat aku ISIS kan. Dalam waktu yang sama aku sedar schedule aku dengan member dah lari angkara terlajak bas tadi. 

Then, saat aku dalam kerunsingan tu lalulah sebuah tuktuk. Aku pon tahanlah, redho ja tambang mahal ka murah. Alhamdulillah, kena 60baht ja. Maka selamatlah aku sampai di Hua Lamphong railway station. Kat situ, aku team up balik dengan partner-in-crime aku. Kat situ jugak kami disapa oleh seorang pekerja railway station. Boleh cakap Melayu brader tu. Dia kata dia asal dari Yala ka Narathiwat tah. Dia tanya kami dah makan nasik ka. Maybe sebab dia nak tunjuk tempat makan kot. Tapi kami reject dulu pelawaan dia baik-baik sebab kami nak jalan dulu.

Kami pon beli tiket train Bangkok to Lopburi (28baht). Time kami dok blurr tengok board train schedule tu, datang lagi sorang uncle pekerja railway station. Mulanya dia tegur dalam bahasa Thai maybe dia ingat kami bebudak Yala ka Narathiwat yang baru datang Bangkok kot. Dan, angin pon berlalu sampai member aku bagitau kami dari Malaysia.

Aku ingat lagi uncle tu tarik tangan baju aku ke depan board schedule. Dia tanya mana kami nak pergi. Kami bagitaulah dia. Then, dengan gigih dia terangkan dalam bahasa dia nak bagi kami paham. Tiba-tiba aku dengar dia sebut ‘neung, sawng, saam..’ which means one, two three..dan jugak perkataan ‘platform’ dan jugak dia tunjuk tujuh jari dia. So, aku bajet dia nak bagitau Lopburi Platform 7 kot. Bila kami sebut balik “Lopburi, Platform Seven”, dia kira jari dia balik one by one dengan English “one, two, three..”sampai seven. Dia pon angguk lega sebab kami dapat grab apa dia nak bagitau. 

At the end of the story, kami bertiga tepuk tangan kegembiraan di situ. Hahaha.

Berphotoshoot dulu sementara tunggu train sampai kan..

11.30-12.30pm: Train from Bangkok to Lopburi. Atas train tu kami sempat disapa oleh seorang sami Buddha dalam bahasa Thai. Aku rasa kesan dari aku senyum kat dia mula-mula naik train tadi. Aku rasa dia nak ajak sembang ja tu kot. Huhuhu. Then kami tinggal bag kat kaunter bag drop (15baht).

Dah sampai Lopburi

Dah sampai Lopburi, merayap sesat pulak. Berapa kali naik songthaew pergi balik dari tempat yang sama. Akhirnya, masuk tanya sorang pekerja kedai gajet. Alhamdulillah, dia reti cakap English dan dia tolong kami ke jalan yang benar., naik songthaew ke bus terminal (16baht). Dia tuliskan kami note dalam bahasa Thai untuk kami tunjuk kat drebar Songthaew. Mungkin berguna jugak untuk korang yang nak pergi sunflower field Lopburi nanti kan.

Note from brader Thai

Atas songthaew pulak aku dengan beraninya poke sorang uncle askar Thai ni mintak tolong dia bagitau kat mana tempat betul aku nak turun sambil tunjuk note yang brader kedai gajet tadi bagi. Dah turun pulak kami tanya abang-abang polis diorang tak tau nak bagitau. Aduhai. Tapi okay, kami serbu sorang aunty penjual jajan dan dengan body language ja dia bagitau kat mana bus terminal tu. Bring it on aunty!

Dari bus terminal, kami naik bas kaler hijau platform berapa aku tak ingat. Tunjuk gambar sunflower field dan drebar ajak naik bas dia (15baht). Dia drop kami kat sunflower field. Dah kami sibuk dan lupa daratan berphotoshoot kat situ, kami tersedar yang we’ll gonna miss the last train for that day from Lopburi to Bangkok. Kami pon bergegas tunggu bas. Tunggu punya tunggu last-last bas tak datang. A couple yang menjual kat situ teman kami for about 2 hours la jugak sampai dah maghrib. Kami sembang la guna buku bahasa Thai yang aku bawak. Kami tunjuk soalan, depa tunjuk jawapan. Hahaha.

Berphotoshoot di Sunflower field, Lopburi-before tertinggal bas. Hahaha

Suddenly, ada satu family Thai yang pemurah dan baik hati ni datang berphotoshoot kat situ jugak. Couple tadi bagitau masalah kami kat depa kot. So, depa tumpangkan kami sampai ke bus terminal. Malu sungguh derr. Tapi, okayla family peramah dan cuba untuk sembang walaupon masing-masing tak berapa nak paham. Sempatlah kami berkenalan dengan depa. Depa rupanya dari Chiang Mai. Jalan yang depa nak lalu tu satu jalan dengan bus terminal, so, takdaklah rasa bersalah sangat kami ni.

Then, dari bus terminal kami naik songthaew ke railway station (10baht). Kat situ kami lepak sampai pukul 2 pagi sebab train ke Bangkok start ada balik time tu. So, kami pon shopping la makanan kat 7-eleven (80baht) dan makan sambil lepak kat bench train station tu sampai pagi.

Kisah menarik dekat Lopburi railway station ni was that member aku kena ngorat dengan sorang askar Thai. Yang bestnya aku kena jadi orang tengah. Dengan buku-buku aku sekali dia buat cagaran nak mintak nombor telefon dengan facebook member aku tuh. Sengal sungguh. Hahahaha. Lawak tau dak. Tak boleh blah sungguh.

TBC...

4- Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Mostly harga yang dinyatakan telah didividekan untuk dua orang.

Day 4- 30/1/2016 Siem Reap-Bangkok

Selepas siap-siap berkemas bagai pagi tu maka kami pon Check out hostel. Total price for staying there worth $10 (for two persons). Memandangkan kami dah pon beli tiket bas untuk ke border, maka kami cuma tunggu bas tu datang pick up. Datang around 7.45 pagi camtu arr.

Staff hostel yang kami sembang semalam. After check out.

So, our journey ke Thailand pon started there. We rode the bus until border Poipet. Selesaikan urusan immigration dan Alhamdulillah everything went smoothly. Maka kami pon selamat masuk menjejak kaki ke Thailand. Dah masuk Thailand terpinga-pinga kejap sebab nak cari transport ke Aranyaprathet railway station. Nasib baik ada sorang aunty Thai ni datang tolong dan dia tolong panggilkan uncle driver tuktuk. Pakcik drebar tu pon bawaklah kami dari border terus ke Aranyaprathet railway station (75baht).*Sebenarnya kalau nak jimat lagi naik songthaew boleh rasanya. (Songthaew adalah sejenis pengangkutan awam di Thailand-boleh google kalau nak tengok gambar). Tapi ada sorang brader tu dalam blog dia, dia cakap dia naik songthaew. Itu aku pon tak berapa pasti sebab bila kami sampai situ kami adalah agak blurr dan tak nampak pulak songthaew jejalan kat situ.

Naik tuktuk dari border ke Aranyaprathet Railway Station

Around 1 pm kami sampai kat railway station. Kami blurr nak beli tiket sebab kaunter tutup. Kami try tanya dua tiga orang local kat situ dengan soalan menggunakan satu perkataan “rot fai?” Diorang pon jawab dalam bahasa Thai. MashaAllah.  Subhanallah. Tak paham. Dan kami pon berhuhuhu di situ.

Sampailah ada dua tiga orang budak yang agaknya kesiankan kami ni, rasanya student international kolej ka apa kot (aku usyar beg diorang) datang membantu. Rupanya, kaunter tutup lunch hour. Pukul 2 bukak balik. Tiket Aranyaprathet ke Bangkok (48baht).

Aranyaprathet Railway Station

1.55pm-8.30pm- Train dari Aranyaprathet ke Bangkok (Hua Lamphong train station). Ini semua atas guide budak yang tolong kami tadi tu. Pandai pulak diorang cari seat dekat dengan kami atas train. Ngehngehngeh. Ada air yang aku beli atas train (40baht).

Dalam perut train

Sampai di Bangkok Hua Lamphong station, aku berpisah dengan member aku sebab kami book lain-lain hostel akibat nak jimat sangat punya pasal. Harga paling murah lah tu.

8.30pm-9.30pm- Tuktuk to Home Hug Hostel (300baht). Yang ni memang mahal. Kata uncle drebar tu memang aku punya hostel tu jauh ke tengah bandar plus time tu memang tengah peak hour untuk jalan jem. Ditambah pulak aku mintak uncle tu bawak aku pergi moner exchanger premise kan. Aku sedar ja sebenarnya harga tu memang mahal pon. Tapi, disebabkan aku memang dah lesu tak bermaya kebuluran nak mandi mengantuk bagai, aku redhokan. Dah tak larat angkat kaki nak cari nearest bus stop. Nasib baik gak uncle tu jenis peramah. Boleh jugak cakap English. Kira aku anggap khidmat tour guide gakla kan. Dia pesan dua tiga kali kat aku beg jangan letak sebelah takdak jaring tiap-tiap kali naik tuktuk, sebab takut kena ragut nanti. Thanks Lung.

Check-in Home Hug Hostel. Staff dia peramah. Siap bagi tips lagi kat aku cara nak pergi railway station by local bus. Rest.

TBC...

3- Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Mostly harga yang dinyatakan telah didividekan untuk dua orang.

Day 3- 29/1/2016    

                                                                                                 

After Subuh dan breakfast, kami decide untuk sewa basikal yang hostel punya ($1/day).

So, around 8.00am- 3.00pm- we cycled around the town. Tujuan utama tu sebenarnya nak cari satu hostel yang sediakan bus trip untuk ke border Poipet Cambodia-Thailand. Kata member aku, hostel tu punya trip murah sikit dari yang lain-lain. Tapi, ada je sebenarnya yang lagi murah, tapi korang kena pandai carilah ye. 

Sementara cycling tu, kami pon melawatlah wat-wat yang ada kat town tu. 

Wat pertama yang kami jumpak dan masuk sebab curious nak tengok macam mana pagoda diorang buat tuition kelas bahasa free atau kos murah untuk locals adalah Wat Preah Prom Rath. Sebab letih sangat, aku pon duduk la sat bawah pokok kat situ sambil jaga basikal dan tengok sorang cikgu tu mengajar kelas English kat student dia. Aku tau dia perasan aku dok tengok dia. So, aku senyum jalah kan. Elmaklumlah kat tempat orang.

Habis kelas tu, dia datang kat motor dia which is sebelah aku dan dia pon cuba la berbual. Dia tanya where do I come from dan ada la benda lain sikit-sikit dia tanya. Last sekali dia bagitau kalau kami nak tengok monks or novices, kami patut pergi another wat dekat situ jugak, Wat Bo namanya. Ini adalah kerana semua monks kena pergi Wat Bo tu that day. Diorang ada exam katanya. So, kami pon said thanks dan terus kayuh pedal basikal ke Wat Bo. Konon nak cari monks punya pasal.

Pusing punya pusing Wat Bo tu dari depan ke belakang ke depan balik, bayang sorang monk pon kami tak nampak. Aku siap terjatuh basikal lagi kat situ. Sungguh memalukan. Hahahaha. So, kami pon keluar dari kawasan Wat Bo then menuju ke arah town.

Pagoda

Wat Preah Prom Rath

Kami di perkarangan Wat Preah Prom Rath

Dan ada la aku beli mineral water ($1) while cycling.

In the middle of the town

Mariam bersama hpnya. Dan Khmer mineral bottle

Our bicycles

Beli tiket bas kat The Siem Reap Hostel untuk ke Poipet (border Cambodia- Thailand) which worth $8. Kami ada singgah satu supermarket ni. Motif: cari benda yang harga paling nak sama dengan duit Malaysia. So, aku pon terbelilah air tin 7up dengan harga $0.5.

Ada jugak kami jumpa sekolah dan university yang ada di sekitar Siem Reap town tu.

Then, kami kayuh balik hostel. Rest. Book hostel kat Bangkok untuk esok siap-siap.

9.30pm-10.30pm- Angkor night market. Shopping again ($25). Balik hostel, macam besa, kami lepak dulu kat lobi. Sembang dengan this one staff yang nampak macam interested nak sembang dengan kami since the very first day kami kat situ, tapi dia tak pernah datang pon. So, kami la pergi berbasa-basi dengan dia. Elkisahnya esok kan kami dah nak check out, so why not?

Rupanya dia seorang yang educated la. Ada degree in law school.  Dahtu suka membaca pulak. Katanya dia suka pergi library. Tak kisahla. Yang mencabar tahap keimanan tu adalah dia punya curiosity level. Banyak jugakla dia tanya pasal agama Islam. Dia kata dia mintak maaf sebab tanya kami banyak soalan pasal Islam sebab before this dia ada gak try tanya kat guests Muslim atau kawan-kawan Muslim dia dari kampung sebelah, tapi dia kata diorang akan refuse to answer or change the topic immediately. Katanya, kami ni ja yang nampak macam open sikit nak rileks-rileks dengan diorang dan okay ja kalau diorang tanya bab tudung or prayers or food or man-woman relationship in Islam. 

Yang paling mencabar keimanan sekali bila dia tanya soalan bab Tauhid. Mak aih. Dugaan apakah ituh la kan. Aku sampai terduduk kat situ sebab nak pikir jawapan. Mengucap jugakla kami kat situ. Huhuhu. Dugaan sungguh. Dia tak tau kami ni ‘berhuhuhuhu’ kat situ.

Lepas penat berhempas pulas, sedar diri dan tersentap hati juga perasaan kat situ, kami pon mintak diri masuk bilik dan packing barang siap-siap untuk journey esok.

TBC...

2-Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Mostly harga yang dinyatakan telah didividekan untuk dua orang.

Day 2- 28/1/2016   

                  

Lepas Subuh pagi tu, Driver kami (Mr Kim) bawak pergi beli tiket Angkor Wat for one day pass ($20).

One day Pass Angkor World Heritage. Abaikan muka serius.

Kami hired a tuktuk driver yang dah pon kami inform the day before. Mulanya berangan nak tengok sunrise kat Angkor Watlah kan pagi tu. Last-last tak bangun. Nasib baik sempat Subuh. Punah harapan! Kami hire tuktuk tu untuk package ke Angkor area+ Banteay Srey+ Kbal Spean ($31).

Information: http://www.khmerangkordriver.com/ (Mr Long Kim San+Mr Long Kim Seng)

Pastu ada la aku beli air botol oishi tu for $2. Dahaga sangat. Mahal pon tak kisah dahla kan.

Perjalanan:

6.45am- 8.00am- Banteay Srey (1jam perjalanan dari town Siem Reap dengan tuktuk). 

Banteay Srey

8.30am- 11.30am- Kbal Spean. Terkejut aku. Rupa-rupanya kena hiking derr nak sampai puncak kalau nak tengok temple dia. Yang bestnya, ada Cambodian aunties yang lepak ja hike pakai high heels. Mak aih. Dahla trek tu agak berliku dan berbatu. Tak paham aku. Sampai atas tu kau boleh tengok la still ada Cambodians or Hindus yang chanting their prayers kat situ.

Kbal Spean

12.00pm- 3.00pm-Ta Phrom Wat. Ini glamour as a tempat shooting for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

3.30pm-4.15pm- Angkor Wat. *tak tunggu sunset sebab dah penat sangat berhiking kat Kbal Spean dan bergambar kat Ta Phrom. Kami just bergambar ja kat depan mercu Angkor Wat yang famous tu sebab kami dah broke our legs for the previous temples. Maaf takdak gambar kat Angkor Wat sebab terdelete. Hahahaharubiru.

4.45pm balik hostel. Lepak dengan staff-staff hostel kat lobi. Diorang terkejut bila kami bagitau kami cuma bawak around $250 ja. Diorang kata we cannot survive in Cambodia for 4 days. Sedih kami mendengarnya. Huhuhu. But Alhamdulillah, everything was fine. Pastu dalam keriuhan kami tu, datanglah jugak penghuni hostel lain yang join kami. The guy from Spain. Ada yang tegur-tegur sambil lalu ja. 

Banyak la yang kami sembang. Dari sesi ice-breaking, cerita pasal kerajaan negara masing-masing, experiences, etc. Pastu aku ada bagi kat sorang staff maggi kari berapi jenama Mamee tu. Pastu dengan slumber badak dia offer Angkor beer kat kami. Sengal. Beria dia suruh kami try. MashaAllah. Sabaq jelah layan perangai depa ni kan. Layankan jelahhh..

Lepas merepek-merepek merapu, berkongsi tips, tanya itu-ini, gossip, sembang politik bagai, kami pon mintak diri. 

Then, rest.

TBC...

Journeyku, Cambodia-Thailand: Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station

[Kisah perjalanan 7 hari termasuk arrival kat Butterworth train station] –Mostly harga yang dinyatakan telah didividekan untuk dua orang.

Kuala Lumpur-Siem Reap (Flight)
Siem Reap- Bangkok- Lopburi- Butterworth (Train-Overland)

Actually, tak pernah terfikir pon nak pergi Cambodia ni pada awalnya. But then, ada member tiba-tiba terbagitau yang dia nak pergi Cambodia on 27 Januari 2016. Aku rasa macam best gak kalau ikut dia. Hahaha. Maklumlah baru nak acah-acah backpacking jauh sikit kan. Sebelum ni Singapore ja pernah sampai dalam keadaan sorang-sorang pon.

So, aku pon dengan cepat, pantas dan efisyennya terus membooking tiket Air Asia yang kebetulan time tu tengah sale. Alhamdulillah, dengan segala limpah kurnia-Nya, aku berjaya booked tiket on 27 Januari 2016 bertolak jam 6.50 pagi waktu Malaysia dengan harga lebih kurang RM100+ including luggage 15kg+insurance. Hahaha. That 15kg is for the sake of the future la. Manalah tau kan tiba-tiba nanti beg aku jadi berat over 7kg ka kan, naya ja tak buleh bawak naik cabin. At the same time, member aku pon ada bagitau yang dia nak tumpang ubat-ubatan dan makanan dalam beg aku. So, tak rugilah 15kg aku tu.

Ada jugak orang tanya how about food? Is it difficult to find halal food there in Siem Reap? The answer is not that difficult. Ada ja halal restaurants, mostly near the Muslim village. Tapi, kami tak makan gak kat situ sebab mahal. Elmaklumlah semua harga converted to USD. Kami nak jimat. Kami takut nanti bajet kami tak cukup sebab kami nak balik Malaysia ikut jalan darat by train!

Jadinya, kami bawak maggi-bihun PAMA-Milo-nestum kami sendiri. Nestum tu aku suka bawak sebab senang bawak pergi mana-mana.Sumbat ja dalam beg dan sumbat ja dalam mulut bilamana terasa lapar.

Now, the journey begins!

26/1/2016

Lepas Zuhur aku dah bertolak dari UIAM Gombak naik LRT straight ke KL Sentral. Aku pilih naik bas transit ja dari KL Sentral ke KLIA2 sebab yang tu paling murah dalam RM10 ka RM12, aku tak berapa ingat. People asked, “Why la u go so early to KLIA2?” Yalahkan, flight aku pukul 6.50 pagi esok kot. Jawapan aku senang. Aku saja nak bagi sampai situ awal. Boleh lepak-lepak.rileks rileks. Berjimba apa dulu. Sempat la berkenalan dengan Pakcik Guard KLIA2 tu sementara tunggu member aku yg fly dari airport Penang. Estimated dia sampai dalam pukul 12.30 malam camtuh.

Day 1-27/1/2016 Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Bila member aku sampai, kami pon berjimba-jimbalah, selfie apa dulu, makan-makan dulu. Sampailah around pukul 4 pagi camtu aku pon pergi la Check-in. Member aku still chill-chill dulu, sebab flight dia dalam tengah hari gitu.

Flight aku depart at 6.50 am. Arrived in Siem Reap International Airport at 7.50 am Cambodian hour, kira-kira 8.50 am waktu Malaysia.

 

From inside at 6.50am

Arrived in Siem Reap! 

Benda yang aku buat pertama sekali adalah selfie dan beli Simcard SMART ($5). Elmaklumlah nak ada internet access kan. Mana la tau tiba-tiba tak dapat wifi ka kat hostel. Then, aku pilih untuk tunggu member sampai sebab dia amek flight tengah hari. Dia sampai around 2.30pm. Disebabkan aku tunggu dari pagi kat airport tu, uncle immigration Cambodia tu siap datang tanya aku lagi if I need any help. Bukan apa, dia kata aku tunggu kat situ dah lama sampai dia dah habis shif dah. Hahaha. Risau gak aku kang dia report kata aku ISIS ka kan.

Okay, why did I chose to wait for my friend there? Ini adalah kerana kami nak naik tuktuk yang dah disediakan oleh hostel yang memang kami dah booked siap-siap dari Malaysia untuk jimat kos.

Hostel kami: Moonlight Kiss Hostel. Kami google through booking.com. *friend’s advice, kalau nak tempah hostel, tengok yang sediakan FREE airport shuttle, dan dekat dengan tempat yang kau teringin nak pergi. Senang kerja kau.

After Check-in, kami rehat sat dan round hostel tu. Belakang dia ada swimming pool. Ahaks!

Around 5.30pm, pergi the nearest Muslim village sebab nak cari masjid (tak ingat nama kampung tu). Around 5 minit jalan kaki ja dari hostel. At first tu jenuh gakla nak explain kat staff hostel tu yang kami nak cari masjid. Hahaha. Whenever outside the country, you will understand yang body language is somewhat important! But, don’t worry diorang faham ja English, cuma nak explain perkataan ‘Muslim prayers’ or ‘solat’ or ‘mosque’ or ‘masjid’ tuh ja yang susah sikit. Nasib baik staff tu cerdik dan dia suruh pergi tanya orang kat kampung Muslim tu.

Selfie berbackground hostel

In front of the Moonligh Kiss Hostel

Depan Masjid An-Neakmah

Dengan Mariam dan sorang budak Kemboja

7.00pm-Pergi Temple Bar (level 2) kat Pub Street untuk tengok Apsara Dance for FREE! Nak lagi best pergi la Smile of Angkor yang worth about $48 (kami tak mampu). Kami order Pumpkin dessert+ Apple shake for $4.5 . Makan sambil tengok show. Dan sebenarnya, kami pon tak percaya yang kami boleh jejalan kat Pub Street tuh. Dah nama pon Pub Street kan, memang banyaklah pub kat situ. So, mostly, during night time, banyak foreigners omputih and locals, drunkers jalah yang ada situ. Bagi pompuan, hati-hatilah bila berjalan kat situ waktu malam.

Watching FREE Apsara performances

Serawa labu and apple shake

Me with ma phone

Show habis around 10pm terus pergi Angkor night market. Shopping ($24). Kalau kau memang pandai bargain, kau memang akan boleh dapat harga murah. Dan paling utama, carilah kedai yang paling murah. Kawan aku siap kena tipu lagi dengan auntie sorang tu sebab pekerja dia tersalah bagitau harga. Tapi, auntie tu just continue playing with the price yang silap tu which make it much more expensive dengan the actual price. Rugi beb!

Lepas shopping terus balik hostel. Feveret kami adalah lepaking at the hostel lobby. Bila kau duduk ja kat situ, akan ada staff yang datang dan berbual dengan kau. Kat situ kau dah boleh dapat free tour advice dah. Dari situ la kami tanya do’s and dont’s, tips, jalan apa bagai. Senang.

Then, we went into the room and rest.

TBC...

Peter I (1682-1725) -short notes

Peter I was the successor of the Muscovy dynasty after Sophia. He was educated in Europe in the hands of French, German and Scot teachers. So, during his reign, he tried to install the idea of Enlightenment and French Revolution into Russia. He moved the capital nearer to the West, where he established St. Petersburg. He brought the idea of liberalism and lifted the censorship restrictions for the people, but later on, he executed it again. He tried to make constitutional reform but failed. Despite his idea on liberalism and democracy, he claimed that serfdom should remain as how it was.

Volga -short notes

Volga is the name of a river located in the Russian territory including some parts of the Eastern Europe today. This river is important for the establishment of the early Russian kingdoms for domestic supply and the course for communication system. For example, the early Bulghar Kingdom was founded on the Lower Volga region but due to forces from Khazar Kingdom, the leader established new Bulghar Kingdom on the Upper region of Volga River.

Uzbek Khan (1313-1341) -short notes

Uzbek Khan was the leader of the Golden Horde and he was the person responsible in making Islam the official state religion. Under his rule, the non-Muslims were not forced to accept Islam. However, he forced the Mongol elites to accept Islam. There was a period of religious tolerance where the Christians were allowed to keep their churches and the local pagans were allowed to practice their own beliefs. The Christians were even allowed to build church in the capital city of Sarai. Their churches were exempted from paying taxes and jizyah and became richest institutions during this time.

Pugachev -short notes

Pugachev was the son of a small landowner Don Cossack. He was the leader of Pugachev rebellion on 1773 until 1774. This rebellion happened at the same time when the Muslims came into confrontation with the Russians. So, Pugachev’s forces mostly consisted of Muslims who wanted to fight against the Russian emperor. However, Pugachev was captured in 1775 and he was sent to Moscow where he was decapitated publicly.

Vladimir I -short notes

Vladimir I was the successor of Kievan Rus after Sviatoslav in 980 to 1015. He was known as the person who was responsible in declaring Christian to be the official state religion in 9888. During his time, Kievan Rus had a good relationship with the Byzantine. Vladimir got married to Basil II’s sister. He got baptized during this marriage, whereas nullified his former marriages. Then, he ordered his sons to govern cities and towns; and each of them was equipped with their own druzhina to help enforcing Christianity onto the people and to ensure the security of Christian priests.

The Major Episodes of the French Invasion of Russia in 1812 and the Factors for Russian Victory

In the 1812, there was a period of the French invasion into the Russian territories. This war is mainly known as the period of French invasion of Russia. The Russian forces was led by Napoleon Bonaparte and they started their march into Russia on 24 June 1812. The first Russian place they have entered is the River Neman, where they planned to go further into Russian territories.

The aim for Napoleon to bring his army into Russia was to force Russia to cut off its business relationship with England as England was the enemy of France. However, it could be that French’s main political intention was to actually seized Poland from Russia. So, because of these reasons, Napoleon came into Russia together with his Grand Army consisting about 680,000 soldiers.

During the early invasion, the Russian army did not really fight the French but they took decision to just keep retreating into deeper Russia, while the French army keep following them. In the meantime, the Russian Cossacks were given orders to destroy all villages and crops in their way to cut the food supply for the French who were following them. In 7 September 1812, French and Russia met at Borodino, a place near Moscow. So, there was a battle between the two forces. This battle was known to be the biggest and bloodiest battle in the history of Napoleonic war, resulted with 70,000 deaths in just one day.

Later, French managed to enter Moscow. However, Moscow was already destroyed and left deserted under the command of the governor Count Fyodor Rostopchin. Napoleon  waited for a month, hoping Tsar Alexander I would come to Moscow for peace negotiation. But his wait was unfruitful. So, Napoleon decided to move forward until Kaluga. As usual, the Russian army keep on retreating into deeper Russian territories. As the French followed them, the weather had changed. Now it came the winter time.

The French army was now exhausted. They did not have enough food supply to equip them for further movements. What more was terrible is that it was winter but they were not equipped with winter clothings. So, Napoleoen decided to pull back his forces to go out of Russia. Thus, with the end of the Russian invasion, it marked the end of the Napoleonic war. French lost about 300,000 men from the war and 100,000 were captured by the Russian, left only about 27,000 who were with Napoleon during their withdrawal.

The reason for the Russian victory was they were well-planned to confront the French army. In the battlefield, the Russian keep on retreating its army into deeper Russia and it might be one of their strategies to exhaust the enemy’s force. By doing so, they have the chance to cut supply of food for the enemy by destroying the villages in their way and they could kill the small groups of the French soldiers who were responsible to go out to search for food.

Besides, the Russians also was well adapted to the Russian lands. It would be easier for them to move from one place to another without so much difficulties as they understand their land. Unlike the French, they were from another place and they might be not well adapted to the Russian geographical characteristics. This factor became one of the help to Russian victory in the war.

Ibnu Khaldun's view of sedentary life and why he considered it as an example of civilized life.

According to Ibnu Khaldun, a sedentary life is a condition  of life that is opposite to the nomadic way of life. In fact, he contrasted his idea between the two lifestyles and expressed that he somehow preferred the nomadic lifestyle rather than the sedentary one. He preferred the nomadic life because from his point of view, the nomads were living a healthier lifestyle by doing all the chores for living like taking care of the cattles, do the farming, hunting and all other chores. Besides, he said that the nomads who were not living in luxury, they could cope better with hard situations then those living in a sedentary lifestyle. They are considered as stronger than the people from sedentary lifestyle with the help of outside forces from living with raw substances for diets, and are exposed to constant physical exercises in their daily routine unlike the sedentary people who eat highly processed foods and partake of very little physical activity.

Ibnu Khaldun also compared the two lifestyles according to the amount of pleasure that the people would receive by living in any of them. For those in the nomadic lifestyle, they would receive less entertainment and pleasure that would make their life easier. As such, their life would mostly circulating around surviving and providing food for the family. It is undeniable that the people in the nomadic lifestyle did receive some pleasure, but it was not like those in sedentary life. The people in sedentary life received more pleasure and sometimes exceeding their needs. They have great supply of food, money and other luxuries that would distract them from living an exemplary lifestyle.

To assume the living state as a Muslim, the sedentary people might be having more tendency to be astray and get away from the right path of the religion. According to Ibnu Khaldun's view, these kind of people who live in luxury would be less religious it would be quite hard for them to live in a divine worship life to be compared to those of the nomads. Based on the living condition also, Ibnu Khaldun pointed out that the sedentary people are lacking in the ability of thinking and generally, he referred them as being stupid for never facing a real hardship situation in life to cope with.

Moreover, the sedentary people are also considered as being dependent. They could not survive by their own self. They need other people in duty to protect them and to help them survived; a situation contradicting to the independent nomads. In relation to his previous view concerning the lack of thinking ability of the sedentary people, they are also not equipped with proper knowledge and skills to survive. That was why they need others with skills to help them survive. The experience living in the hot desert, and the way of living by their own family, the nomads, are well equipped with every skill to trust themselves and this would make them survive the hard life ahead of them. For Ibnu Khaldun, the nomads always value independent life and freedom so that they could move around freely.

As from the normal description of the nomads, they are living in the deserts. In the vast area of the desert, these nomads would constantly moving from one place to another in order to make sure they always have enough food and water supply. Furthermore, Ibnu Khaldun mentioned that the nomads might be the first tribal form of the Arab tribal culture since before the coming of the farming age. It was the moment when the nomads realized that they could just settled down while growing their own sources for survival. By doing this, they could provide enough living supply for their family with less risks from going outside from their community.

These nomads who have settled down would then change their lifestyles. They are now living in towns and cities. They are now modern and living in sedentary lifestyle. In this new lifestyle, they have more free time to spend and they have less hard works to do. However, these people have problems to face due to their past experience living in the desert. Why? It is because when they were living in the desert, they did not get proper education and training to live in a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, the society could not expand their tribal societies in order to survive in the new life condition. For some reasons, these once nomadic people are now considered as the people who are used to laziness and pleasure. They are no longer nomads that go out hunting and tough.

So, the question is how did Ibnu Khaldun considered sedentary life as an example of civilized life? According to his work, he subscribed to the cyclical theory of civilization; which refers to the rise and fall of civilizations.Yes, in this theory we can conclude that somehow a sedentary life means a civilized lifestyle or has something to do with the formation of a civilization.However, he expressed that a sedentary lifestyle is actually the last stage of the cyclical civilization stage. It is a civilization's period of decaying and the turning point into failures. In this view, when a society turns to be sedentary, they will lose their own unique identity just like the nomads. They are influenced by those condition around them and they started to extinct from their own civilization. Just like the nomads who lose their own identity as being 'nomads' by living in a sedentary lifestyle.

Besides, by living in this civilized life, family ties becomes not that important anymore. They could simply lose their own societal structure and culture to give in to the new one. In this new lifestyle, the issue of lineage purity is not that important anymore. They could marry and associate with people from different tribes, and sometimes they could associate with even the non-Arabs people. They have this opportunity because they are no longer living as nomads, so there is no reason for the people to resist them for what they are now. However, all this matters is actually highlighting that the former nomads are actually losing their own family unity to the new sedentary life they are living.

Another problem came when the nomads are living in a sedentary life. They could not adapt well with the situation for example in the matter of providing the family with enough wages. Those who are already living in sedentary life since they were born might engage themselves in some arts and commerce. But, those who came from the nomadic family were actually living far worse than their original state. They could not expand their lifestyle as they were not really educated into it and some of them just continue to make rugs, pillows and other handcrafts products to sell them while they are living in a sedentary life.

Ibnu Khaldun is actually referring this situation based on his theory of asabiyyah or the group sentiment among the nomads. While the nomads are trying to adapt with their new culture and the change of societal hierarchy, their own sense of identity will slowly began to disappear through time. Moreover, when the sense of identity disappear, the value of the group sentiment will also perished. The people will start to disintegrate and will no longer willing to live in tribal traditions. In the end, when the feeling of asabiyyah comes to extinction, so thus the civilization, which will follow later.

References:

1. The Good Life, by Yi-Fu Tuan.

2. The Islamic Quarterly, vol32, by Islamic Cultural Centre.

3. Ibn Khaldun: The Mediterranean in the 14th Century: Rise and Fall of Empires, by Abdesselam Cheddadi

Keith Syakil, IIUM'16