Thai teen brings his grandfather on trip to Singapore via train and bus
A 16-year-old boy from Thailand has gone viral after taking his elderly grandfather on his first trip overseas, travelling more than 2,000km overland to Singapore.
Instead of flying, the teenager planned a budget journey involving third-class trains and public buses through Thailand and Malaysia.
Teen planned overland journey from Thailand to Singapore
Earlier this month, the teenager, Queue, shared his long overland adventure on Instagram.
He began the trip with his grandfather from their home province of Kanchanaburi.
Source: @kollawat_2626 on Instagram
They first travelled to Nakhon Pathom, where they boarded a third-class train south to Su-ngai Kolok in Narathiwat province.
After crossing the Thai-Malaysian border on foot, the pair took a public bus to Pasir Mas railway station.
From there, they boarded a long-distance train towards Johor Bahru.
Source: @kollawat_2626 on Instagram
Their train tickets reportedly cost about 390 baht (around S$15) per person.
They then travelled from Johor Bahru into Singapore by bus via the Woodlands Checkpoint, with the cross-border journey costing around 50 baht (around S$2).
The entire overland journey reportedly took close to two days.
Stayed in Johor Bahru to save on accommodation
To keep expenses down, the pair stayed overnight in Johor Bahru instead of booking accommodation in Singapore.
According to Queue, his older brother helped to pay for their hotel, which cost close to 2,000 baht (around S$77) a night.
Source: @kollawat_2626 on Instagram
During the day, he and his grandfather crossed into Singapore to explore the city before returning to Malaysia.
For him, the trip was also about not putting off meaningful experiences until everything was financially perfect.
Source: @kollawat_2626 on Instagram
He reflected that the people one hopes to travel with may not always be around in the future.
Trip went viral on social media
His posts documenting the journey went viral, with one garnering more than 870,000 likes and 4,800 comments.
Queue later thanked those who shared and supported his story, saying he had originally uploaded the trip simply as a personal memory and had not expected the attention.
He also shared an older photograph of himself travelling with his grandfather when he was 13, showing that the pair had already been taking trips together for several years.
One Instagram user said she now follows the boy and expressed her desire to see him take his grandfather on more adventures.
Translation: Please take him on more trips. I follow you now. Wish your grandpa good health so that he can travel with his grandchild for a long time.
Source: Instagram
Another netizen encouraged him to do whatever makes him happy. He added that life is short, so he should collect as many good memories as possible.
Translation: Do whatever you want, as long as you can afford to do it. Go for it! Our lifespan is limited; we should collect as many good stories as we can. Stay safe!
Source: Instagram
Also read: Student cycles 15,000km from France to S’pore, spent years saving up for multi-country adventure
Student cycles 15,000km from France to S’pore, spent years saving up for multi-country adventure
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Featured images adapted from @kollawat_2626 on Instagram.
