The MATH Challenge: The difficulties of a first-time out of the country travel and the lessons gaine
- Joseph Subong
- Feb 6, 2016
- 2 min read
I dub this travel, The MATH Challenge. MA for Malaysia plus TH for Thailand and challenge because this is my first out-of-the-country travel. Math because this is the subject I am in real struggle since my elementary years.
In sum, this travel is a challenge to overcome. With excitement though.
The given
My friend informed me that there’s a ticket sale to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Back and forth is roughly at P2, 500. Enticed, we booked.
The Problem
What to do in Malaysia for five long days.
The Complication
Realizing that we can cram the destinations in two days. We also booked tickets for two days to Bangkok, Thailand.
The answers
Google and Pocket Guide. Since we don’t have much idea on the tourist attractions in Malaysia except for the famed Twin Towers, we asked google. We also downloaded Pocket Guide for details on how to go through the city tour. The app was a big help. We never got lost. It enabled us to explore the city as if we were locals.
In KL, our searches lead us to: Petaling Street, Central Market, Berjaya Shopping Center, Little India, Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Museums, and Temples.
In BKK, which at that time is celebrating its Songkran or the Water Festival, we attended street parties along with hundreds of tourists and locals, experienced traditional Thai massage, bargained at malls, and tried new flavors from street stalls.
The Challenges and the Lessons
I am a heavy viewer of news. I have the idea that the world is unsafe, more so outside my country. Anything bad can just happen. I was wrong here. We never encountered any threat of danger.
I felt very safe in KL. People are mannered and discipline is their way of life.
In BKK, I was a bit cautious not to fall victim to any sketch. It never occurred though. Besides, tourists are everywhere in Bangkok and the city is nocturnal.
So, set aside your worries and enjoy your travel.
Because I have not set foot on any foreign land, getting lost is a total scare for me. It turned out that it’s hard to get lost in these cities. In KL, the transport system is very organized and easy to figure out. In Bangkok, the only challenge is on the cab drivers’ English skills.
In other words, we never got lost throughout the travel. Oh, except in Cubao.
The original plan was to just go to KL but we suddenly inserted Bangkok. This is where the waste of time and money is.
In booking a multi-city ticket, avoid returning to your transit point. In our case, we had Manila-Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Manila. This robbed us of days we could have spent touring more attractions instead of waiting at the airport and looking for new accommodation.
Also, book a ticket arriving in time for your hotel check-in.
Plan your itinerary carefully. Make sure you can complete your list against the time you allotted. Check the route to avoid going back and forth.
And by the way, two days is definitely not enough in Bangkok. I guess, in my case, I’ll just make this error my reason to return.
Until next travel. When I am more learned.
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