My Art Of Bargaining

Sometimes I really dont know how in the world I get to where I am today. I am clumsy and I am impetuous especially so when I am nervous or in a hurry.

I was in Ao Nang last weekend and to my delight there was quite a number of shops which sell imitation oil paintings. The price was not bad and I can say, cheap. You can get the famous white & black Beatles's cover album, Jimmy Hendrix, Marylyn Monroe and some other beautiful and classy paintings to your liking. At the most the prices are not more than 3000BHT (mostly around 2500BHT) for one good piece of delicate, intricate painting and for a much simpler one you can bargain for less than 1000BHT.

I was looking at some beautiful pieces at one stall and one painting of a Volkswagen beetle bug caught my eyes. There's also another interesting painting I ve been drooling to get but its a bit over my budget so I thought I d just settle for the beetle.

The VWbeetle bug cost 1200BHT and I was asking for 900BHT.

Me: Can you sell to me for 900(BHT) ?

Seller: NO... I give you 1000(BHT)

Me: Oh come on... please if you give me 900(BHT).... I'll take it...

Seller (pleading): Oooo.. 1000(BHT).... 1000(BHT) I give you 1000(BHT)

Me: 900(BHT) !

Seller: Wait.. I ask my husband. Krong krang pad thai pattaya krong plang plong.....

Seller's Husband To Wife: Plang plong krang krong pad thai phuket krabi pat pong pang....

Seller's Huband To Me: Just another 100(BHT).. I sell to you 1000(BHT)

Me: 900 (BHT) arrr....

Seller's Husband (after a few second of thought): OK

Me: Yeayyy...

Seller: You pay deposit first. You can come and take the painting tomorrow, I will do the packing for you.

Seller taking out the receipt book: Ok how much you want to give for the deposit ?

Me : 1000BHT

All was silent for a few seconds before cracking into a loud laugh in the middle of the night in the small street of Ao Nang.

Crazy me ......



*1,000BHT=RM101,43

Tengkujuh Di Krabi

Berombak-ombak di atas laut
Perahu besar rupanya kecil
Di tengah-tengah gelombang
Baru ku tahu makna takut

Ao Nang
Oktober 2008

Phnom Penh

Things I Learnt From My Trip

I think I want to finish off with what I had started in the earlier entries about my trip to Cambodia. Instead of telling every small details of the itinerary of the trip I'd rather conclude with what I had learned all through out the journey.


Cambodia Is Like Malaysia 20, 30 years ago

The surroundings, the infrastructure, the people. What amazed us most was the part that the Cambodians have a lot of free times. They would be walking in the parks, sitting near the Mekong River bank. They seem so relaxed which I think is good that they are not so much in a rush like in Kuala Lumpur for example. Malaysians do not go to the park anymore during weekend, they go to the malls.

The poverty level too is very high. Along the road on our way to Siem Reap we could see that many of the areas are without basic facilities like electricity and water. Houses were built next to the river (or canal) and they still use the river as their water source. I saw kids and women having their bath in the river too.


Currency-USD Is Widely Used

It broke my heart to see that a plate of fried rice cost us USD4.50. Arggghhhhhhhhhhh..............! Their currency is in Riel. USD1 is equivalent to 4200Riel and RM1 was about 1,200Riel (at that time-Oct2006). Being a developing country they need the help from the tourist to bring as much USD to the country as possible. Thats why the tourists (except Malaysians) have to pay the airposrt visa when they want to go in (at about USD20) and again when going out (including Malaysians) another USD20. It even stated somewhere at the airport that they need the money to expand their international airport.


Indonesianz Speak Better Intonation of English (Well at least Ijul does)

Its not because I'm so obesessed with Indonesian that I can even say that their intonation is better, well at least better than mine. Ijul speaks with perfect pronounciation of every English words that come out of her mouth. With the right stresses at the right time and its not even a put up accent, its just the way she speaks. I thought its only because of the English language but actually even when she speaks her own language, she would speak with such confident and and with a great deal of strong pronounciation, I mean like the time when I was referring to Ijul about the Indonesian word "timpuk", she didnt get what was I telling her and I kept on saying to her " You know "timpuk", banter ..." and she was like " Ohhhh... TIMPUK ... " with the stress at the "K" sound there. When I pronounced "timpuk" its as if I put a stop at the "k" sounds but Indonesian would even stress at the "K" sound; 'Timpukkkkk" Get it ? And I also discovered that the English people understand Ijul better when she speaks. Hmmm..... I vowed to do something with my English.

I tried to speak like Ijul with cK and he mocked me saying that I sound like a robot !

Ijul Is Tough !

Hahaha.. really, I always consider myself as someone whos quite determined and not afraid of hard work, not the 'manja' type, and independant, I mean like if I want to do something, I would put my mind and body into it and would just shoot off right from the start and nothing rarely stop me. But being with Ijul for about 6 days, I could say that I came around being second (thats because they were only the two of us). "Orang Malaysia tuh tak pernah susah ....". Maybe shes right. We have been blessed with so much wealth and stability, economically and politically that we have become to comfortable and complacent and to certtain extend we have taken some things for granted.

Alhamdulillah is all I could say, but Ijul is afraid what might happen to the Muslims of Malaysia, say in the next 20 years. From what she could see if we dont do anything about our economic and political conditions, we would be swept aside soon ......

Conclusion

Well..... I really want to improve my 'speaking', I think I might join the "Toast Club".

and I want to travel to many other countries..... and I dont mind backpacking ..... to get to see the real people of the country ... not just the tourist places .....

ps: Ijul kalau aku pingin ke negara jauh aku perlu ngumpul uang dari sekarang deh... gimana jadinya plan kita backpack jkt-bali ... Arghhhhhhh...... money money money !!!!!!

Cambodia - Day Two

Morning of Phnom Penh

We woke up early to catch a bus to Siem Reap, the town of Angkor Watt, which is about 6 hours drive from Phnom Penh. The journey should have been less than 6 hours, if only there is a highway. Unfortunately Cambodia is very much under construction.

The bus cost us 7USD, with air cond but no wash room. We had no choice. The seats were a bit uncomfortable as we are both 5"6 and we found it difficult to strech our legs. We got to see a bit of the life of the Cambodians along the road, of which poverty is very much prominent.

Grilled banana.

Cute lady selling fruits.

We stopped by at a restaurant, supposedly for lunch, but of course Ijul and I had to hold back our hunger as they were no available halal food around. We should have bought some bread. And oh ya.. Alhmadulillah Ijul's Sis insisted her to give me the famous Indonesian 'kek lapis' (layered cake)as a take away. That saved us until lunch !

Cambodian Boys After School Hour

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is the happening town in Cambodia. Almost all tourists will flock the town as its the nearest to Angkor Watt. When we stepped down from the bus, we were flunk by the Tuk-Tuk drivers. One recognize me immediately as Malaysian (from my tudung) and spoke to me in Bahasa Malaysia. Sukry apparently had once worked in Malaysia. We didnt want the trouble talking in sign language so we chose Sukry as our official Tuk Tuk driver.

Sukry. Our Superman For the Day

He brought us to an Indian Restaurant as it was the first thing I requested. Our stomachs were making noises already and I knew I had to eat immediately before mine get worse. The street was heavily polluted by dust. Almost everything was under construction new roads, new buildings and all. Thats why a bandanna would come in handy at this time, but I didnt bother to.

The Halal Indian Restaurant is only next to Old Market. Its a bit pricey as, again, all the dishes are in USD. Sukry got his share too, courtesey of the owner (obviously for bringing people to the restaurant) and we were lucky because as Sukry only ate only half of his nasi goreng, we tucked half of his share for our dinner that night. We met one Malaysian family from Johor in the restaurant.

Some of the Tuk-Tuks with their customer at the Ticket Booth

To get into Angkor Watt we had to buy the passes. One day pass costs 20USD and for a three day pass it d cost 40USD. We decided to get a one day pass only as we didnt plan to stay that long in Siem Reap. Sukry suggested that we buy the pass that day itself because the one day pass bought in the evening of that day can be used for that day itself and the next day. He thought we might like to get into Angkor Watt that same evening to see the sunset at the top of one of the temples (there are apparently many temples in that 400km sf area and Angkor Watt is actually one of the famous temple they have inside that huge area).

A bit from the map

We had to do some climbing before we reached the peak of the temple to get the sunset view. We had to first climb the hill and later the stairs. The stairs were steep and narrow.

First the hill. Look at the people

Then the temple steps. Look at the people again

Look at the crowd and Ijul

It must be the weather ; because in our opinion the sunset was not really spectacular that day. Or maybe it's my inability to get a good composition. My bad then !

Our hotel in Siem Reap. 20USD

Look at the bed. You can guess which one is mine.

Cambodia - Day One

I reached KLIA and met Ijul at LCCT, Sepang. That was the first time I met Ijul, face to face. I was a bit anxious as it would be our first time meeting and staying together for 5 nights. We actually had the same thoughts, wondering and hoping that both of us can get along well for the whole of the trip. I was actually worried that she might get to know me 'better' and discover I'm not that 'nice'.LOL

Our flight was scheduled at 3.15pm but the plane coluld only take off at almost 4.20 pm because of the bad weather, it was raining heavily at the airport. The flight took about 2 hours from KL to Phnom Penh.


We were greeted by Hari, Ijul's friend whos working at the Indonesia Embassy in Phnom Penh. He was kind enough to provide us the first night accomodation at Paragon Hotel. The room which comes with Air Cond and warm water costs 35USD.



Our hotel faced the Mekong River. We found out that there were many Cambodians who like to sit along the river bank until the wee hours of the night. We spent the first night walking along the Mekong River and took some photos which included some fried bugs !

I turned into ghost that night

Ijul was tempted to taste the fried bugs but I pulled her back. LOL *kidding*

No, we didnt have the bugs for dinner, instead we went to 'Bali Cafe' an Indonesian Restaurant for some halal food . Its not that far from our hotel. But please bear in mind that USD is widely used in Cambodia, and so our dinner which Ijul insisted was on her, cost about 12USD. Go figure your calculation in RM.

And later that night, we went to a hotel where Hari was waiting for us with his gang. We took Tuk-Tuk from Bali Cafe which was 2USD trip.

(Hari : third from right)

I was so sleepy during the time there and was almost sleeping. The first time Ijul discovered how easy I can fall asleep !

We went back quite late and were grateful to be sent back by Hari's friend, Dana (Shes fourth from left).

The BackPack Packing

Ok. This entry has nothing much to do with my Cambodia trip. These are the things I learned after only a few trips some where and things I get from the internet during my homework. Just thought I'd share them with you.

Do your homework

If you really want to go backpack, you have to start doing your homework early on. Plan your trip at least 6-12 months ahead. It helps especially if you want to get a good cheap flight from Airasia. You can get a very good bargain for the flight you intend to take. Study the place you want to visit thoroughly and compile them in one file.

These are a few things you have to know:-

• Political situation of the country. You may not want to end up with the street demonstrators (or if u re like me who WANTS to be part of it, thats another story, go talk to your parents first)
• The Visas and all the taxes you may need to pay, you may get shocked like me who didnt know that we had to pay an airport tax of 25USD when I wanted to get out of Cambodia. Apparently Malaysians need not pay any tax when going into Cambodia but still have to pay the 25USD when going out.
• The price of the taxis, tuk-tuk. The trick and trade of the taxi drivers and tuk-tuk. Like you have to know the places yourself instead of accepting and agreeing to everything that the Tuk-Tuk drivers suggest.
• Get the map of the town you're visiting. Get the idea of the place in your head.
• Check the tips from other travellers.
• Check the cheap hotels you intend to stay. Make some notes and try looking for any comments or reviews from other travellers who have stayed there.
• Get to know where the Mosque and the muslims community are.
• Find the Halal restaurants from the internet, so you wont be starved to death while crawling in town looking for one.
• If you re planning to travel from one place to another, its good to know the ticket price of the bus, taxi, train etc beforehand so that you can make a proper and estimated budget.
  

Check these sites : VirtualTourist, LonelyPlanet (and its forum), Halal Guide, Journeywoman (for us women travellers) to get tips and brief ideas of the place you're visiting.

You can also buy all the travelling books, like LonelyPlanet Guide Book, but they can cost half of your flight ticket.

Anyways, below are the essentials for your packing :-

Top Of The List

• Passport
• Tickets (flight, train etc)
• Booking documents (when you book online - eg hotels)
  
• Identification Card
• Some cash (in USD)
• Driving license (just in case)
• Photos (ur ID photos - some places might require photos)

Kindly make photocopies of all the important documents and put the original documents safely in your bag. You can put the copies in your day bag.


The Bag

If youre going for not more than 2 weeks, a 30 ltr bag is actually enough. Well if you have to bring lots of your stuffs, then you might get yourself a 40 ltr or maybe 40 + 10 or even 50 to 60 ltr bag which to me is very very big, the 50 ltr and above bag is actually meant for the round the world trip or 3 months journey through Europe or the whole of South East Asia. ( Well I made a mistake the first time I went to South Thailand with my 60 ltr bag ). The bigger your bag is the more tendency for you to bring the content of your room ! No matter how commercialise Deuter sounds to you, its actually the best one around. Karrimor is good too, less expensive than Deuter or you can find The North Face to your liking but which may not suit your budget.

You should also get yourself a small pouch or something like the blue pouch I have. I love this small bag, its not bulging as any other pouch , quite thin and can carry my passport, cards, bills and other small stuffs which can be easily reached.

Me and my 30 ltr bag and the small sling pouch

You still need to be careful with the sling pouch as it can sometimes not only reachable for you but also be easly reached by the snatch thief as well.

The List

Appparels.

Ok. You don't have to bring one shirt for everyday of your trip, if you only have a 30 ltr bag. You can bring 6 shirts according to the days of your trip only if you have a bigger luggage. Lets just keep your list of apparel to:-

• One thin cotton shirt, one t-shirt, one long sleeved shirt, one thin jacket (which I didnt bring but felt that I actually needed one) one pair of jeans and one cotton pants (or khaki pants). Jeans are heavy actually but if you still want to look cool during the trip, just shove it into the bag. You dont have to bring a t shirt, just buy one at the place u re visiting as the first souvenir for yourself ! Get a dri fit shirt which u can wear for more that a few days, it doesnt smell !
  
• Underwear: panties - get the light ones, 4-5 pieces. Bras- 3 at least
• Telekung and sarong with socks - for solat
• Socks if youre taking your Nike sport shoes
• Sandals
  
• Cap/hairband/cotton bandana
  
• Swimming suit (no, I didnt go to the beach in Cambodia)
  

Shoes

If youre going to do lots of walking, get a good walking shoe. I was thinking of wearing my Converse cotton, but its not really comfortable actually. Better still you can get a Teva sandal, but I must warn you, Teva sandal can be smelly after some times, wash it off with soap if your travelling companion starts complaining of the foul smell (or if the locals squeeze their noses when you come in). Nike sandals are ok but my they are not really durable. I heard that Chaco sandals are highly recommended, try to find one in KL but it may be tad expensive.

Personal Hygiene

Toothbrush.toothpaste.liquidsoap (as you may not like the small soap they give at the cheap motels). Razor blade (should you need to (!)). Shampoo. Baby oil (I have no idea what its for but its always with me when I travel). Deodorant (a must). Cotton Bud. Facial wash.Facial cream.compact powder.lipstick (if your femininity calls) Hairbrush (small one u silly !) Sanitary pad (in case). Perfume (backpackers need to smell nice too).

First Aid

Panadol.Charcoal pills (when the foreign food is not to your stomach liking) Miyak Cap Kapak (ointment) when you cant stand the foreign smell in the local bus or their musics. Bring some Vitamin C as well or maybe some other vitamins to boost your energy all through out the trip.

Miscellaneous

All sorts of charger for your phone, camera, videoacamera, mp3. Mp3 is highly recommended (again to help you with the sound of musics not to your taste). Safety pins, bring one packet if you must, they help you when u cant close the hotel windows with their cheap curtains. Small day bag, for you to take during the day trip around town (so you dont have to bring that big backpack to the restaurant)

And dont forget to bring one small bottle of liquid wash soap for washing. You may not like your shirt to smell like bath soap !

Your Travelling Companion

Be ready to accept everything that comes with the package. Be open minded. Dont be too sensitive. Be considerate. Compromise. Understanding. If you cant get along with your travel buddy, your trip wont be that fun anymore. Dont fret over small petty things. No body's perfect. The main thing is that both of you should at least agree on certain main issues, like both should agree on what type of accommodation (simple, cheap, expensive, comfortable etc) and both agree to spend as little as possible (like cutting down the expensive comfortable bus and use the local bus instead)

Notebook

Something for you to jot down everything from your plan, itinerary, expenses etc......

Pray

Never forget to pray for your trip to be safe and sound

Cambodia-The Plan

No, I didnt actually plan to go anywhere initially, I was thinking more of Langkawi or perhaps one of the Terengganu islands to recharge myself (yes I need that ocassionally to get my sanity intact).

I went to Cambodia with my good friend whom I met virtually through her blog. Ijul, yeap thats the girl. We ve been visiting each other's blogs for more than 2 years. She was in KL last year but we didnt get the chance to meet. So this year as shes visiting her sister again (whose husband is a manager of one of an IT international company here), we vowed not to miss this opportunity to meet. She told me that shes going to Cambodia first before she could come to Kedah. I was intrigued.... wondering whether its possible that I could follow her. Shes leaving on the third of raya and will only be back 5 days later. As usual, on impulse, I just blurtered out whethere she'd mind if I go with her. She was overjoyed.

So its on !

I told here I was quite tight on budget. I had only 350USD to spend after deducting the flight ticket. I was glad we agreed to spend as little as possible for the 6 days trip.

I was excited.

Masa Yang Berlalu

Saat itu resah terjadi
Aku tiba-tiba seakan ingin memanggil namamu
Tatkala itu aku merasa himbauan sesuatu yang dalam
Senda apakah yang ingin kau beri
Duka apakah yang paling abadi
Melainkan sepi berabadku ini

-Pyan Habib-

Can I Hold The Memory

What was I looking for when I started the journey.
Not knowing the uncertainties that lies ahead.
Believing what has been written somewhere is my fate
And yet I planned the plan thats been meant for me to create.

Along the way I found myself
together with the other side of me that I always tend to forget
Tis' a couple of lessons I learned
From a far away friend who is never hesitate
to point out her thoughts thats forthright straight !



ps:
I will unfold my 6 days story in a short time
after the sorting out of the hundreds of the photos comes to an end ...

Run If You Can

Packing again !

Our Hotel - After

Can't imagine ........

Our Hotel

Our hotel sign ..... high up

Patong-After

The same street when the waves was rushing in

Patong - Before

The street of our hotel

Patong - After

Hmmm........

Patong - Before

The beach in front and across from our hotel

Patong - After

I hope the girl at the front desk had time to run for her life

Patong - Before

Our hotel taken on 7th December 2004.

Phi Phi - After

What happened to the "handphone Guy" .........? His shop was almost next to the Pier