Well kinda !
It wasn't a road trip as such more like a air,sea and hours on a noisy diesel smelling bus trip!
The idea of saving a few quid travelling will make even the meanest backpacker beam from ear to ear.Even though i don't consider myself a backpacker, far from it - more like a glamper! if tents were involved.
Most far flung solo travelers to South East Asia have this idea of visiting as many countries as possible in their 3 months allotted time, before either their visa runs out or their wallet does,but
my paltry 2 week holiday really hardly scratched the surface.
A good starting point for anybody wanting to explore Asia is Bangkok, the connections by air,land and sea are excellent, although train and road travel could be improved as i found out to my cost.
When landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport ( no i cant pronounce it either ) The Thai`s pronounce it Sawarnepoom - eh !! At the end of an 11 hour flight the last thing you need is rip off taxi drivers harassing you at arrivals charging you 1000 baht to get to your hotel when the same taxi-meter drivers do if for 250 baht including the tollways.
So unloading my cases in the back of a meter cab i felt smug and pleased with myself i managed to avoid the taxi scams the internet had warned me about.
So imagine my horror after 5 mins on the highway when the driver decided to inform me that he needed more money that was being shown on the meter.In normal me mode i would tell him politely to get lost but decided against this approach and not wanting to piss off my driver after only after 5 mins on Thai soil.
He then pretended to fall asleep in the fast lane as the car was slowing down hoping it would provoke some response regarding me paying him more dough!
But the only response he got was a short dig to the ribs from me telling him politely in my best pigeon Thai to get a move on as he was getting nothing more out of me. He then reluctantly sped up but my ordeal left me sweating profusely in an air conditioned taxi. The idea of dying on the highway in a foreign country does not really appeal to me!
Upon our arrival at the the hotel i paid the cheating taxi ******* what was on the meter, him still protesting wanting more,luckily the hotel porter came to my aid and thankfully told him where to go!
Stories like this is not uncommon all over the world where taxi drivers are concerned but the trick is to do your research online before your trip obviously i didn't.
After 1 night in balmy Bangkok my head was thumping, needing food and liquid i made my way to the bus station and purchased my 1 way bus ticket to Koh Chang at 180 baht ( roughly £3.30 )
I went for the air-con bus 100 baht more and less stops than the cattle bus.So time to get my head down for some much needed sleep with Zz top for company on my ipod.
Only half hour into my 5 hour journey ( 15 mins of which was spent in traffic trying to get out of Bangkok) we stopped in some random town where a dozen or so more locals get on, my empty seat next to me was now filled by some fidgety American who wouldn't stop talking or moving about!
Ok i thought only 4 hours to go get some much needed shut eye or so i thought, but the Yank next to me had other ideas, assuming i was her local guide as she bombarded me with questions about this journey,
"Sorry love" i said in my best cockney accent "i dont ave a clue" hopefully that will confuse her, now leave me alone i thought i wanna die quietly from this hangova!
After another 3 unplanned stops and already 3 half hours into the journey i realized we were not going to make to the ferry before 2pm, last ferry to the island goes at five, so attempting to talk to the driver in my worst Thai to find out when were arriving was proving fruitless no end.
Nearly six hours now and what seemed like another 25 stops most of the people had got off, only me and the annoying and now snoring American sat next to me were left. It was very tempting to nudge her in the ribs and tell her to move to one of the many vacated seats that were left by the Thai`s.
Suddenly at 3.30 we were turfed off the bus! "err where are we"? i thought then the driver informed us this bus goes no further! "You What" i said !
We are in the middle of nowhere! this was beginning to resemble something out of an American road movie!
A bus stop that was a bench and a Coca Cola machine was all that there was- oh and the annoying American.I was praying that she wasn't staying in my resort or even on this next bus taking us to the ferry.By this time though it was gone four o`clock now i`m panicking thinking "WHERES THIS FUCKING BUS"
Eventually at 4.15 a pick up truck ambles in, a couple of Thai`s get in the back with bags of big vegetables, "are you ready sir" one of them says, i think "what that's the bus to the ferry".
So in the back of a pick up truck i go luggage on my lap thinking this is the way to travel.
So still panicking i asked how to long to the pier "not far " came the reply, i love their calmness while i`m dying inside!
When we got to the pier the queue for the last ferry was enormous," how we gonna get on" i said "ah don't worry Mr we all get on"
And we did all get on they certainly cram them in ,anyway why was i worried it only took over 8 hours to get to this point!
The Thai`s don't the meaning of the word `urgent` or `hurry up` its not in their vocabulary, and why should it be its such a hot part of the world why would you wanna rush for anyone especially foreigners its in their nature to take life at a certain pace and only rush when they need to.
The ferry journey was a beautiful cool sail on a scorching hot day, the view of the island in the distance was breathtaking i knew i was home and the long journey to get here was definitely worth it.
At arriving at my bungalow in Kai Bae i felt relief as i checked my watch it was nearly seven o`clock
Ten and a half hours later i had finally made it.
Good evening Mr Cross the receptionist said as i dropped my bags to the floor we thought you wasn't coming?
You and me both i thought!
Most far flung solo travelers to South East Asia have this idea of visiting as many countries as possible in their 3 months allotted time, before either their visa runs out or their wallet does,but
my paltry 2 week holiday really hardly scratched the surface.
A good starting point for anybody wanting to explore Asia is Bangkok, the connections by air,land and sea are excellent, although train and road travel could be improved as i found out to my cost.
When landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport ( no i cant pronounce it either ) The Thai`s pronounce it Sawarnepoom - eh !! At the end of an 11 hour flight the last thing you need is rip off taxi drivers harassing you at arrivals charging you 1000 baht to get to your hotel when the same taxi-meter drivers do if for 250 baht including the tollways.
So unloading my cases in the back of a meter cab i felt smug and pleased with myself i managed to avoid the taxi scams the internet had warned me about.
So imagine my horror after 5 mins on the highway when the driver decided to inform me that he needed more money that was being shown on the meter.In normal me mode i would tell him politely to get lost but decided against this approach and not wanting to piss off my driver after only after 5 mins on Thai soil.
He then pretended to fall asleep in the fast lane as the car was slowing down hoping it would provoke some response regarding me paying him more dough!
But the only response he got was a short dig to the ribs from me telling him politely in my best pigeon Thai to get a move on as he was getting nothing more out of me. He then reluctantly sped up but my ordeal left me sweating profusely in an air conditioned taxi. The idea of dying on the highway in a foreign country does not really appeal to me!
Upon our arrival at the the hotel i paid the cheating taxi ******* what was on the meter, him still protesting wanting more,luckily the hotel porter came to my aid and thankfully told him where to go!
Stories like this is not uncommon all over the world where taxi drivers are concerned but the trick is to do your research online before your trip obviously i didn't.
After 1 night in balmy Bangkok my head was thumping, needing food and liquid i made my way to the bus station and purchased my 1 way bus ticket to Koh Chang at 180 baht ( roughly £3.30 )
I went for the air-con bus 100 baht more and less stops than the cattle bus.So time to get my head down for some much needed sleep with Zz top for company on my ipod.Only half hour into my 5 hour journey ( 15 mins of which was spent in traffic trying to get out of Bangkok) we stopped in some random town where a dozen or so more locals get on, my empty seat next to me was now filled by some fidgety American who wouldn't stop talking or moving about!
Ok i thought only 4 hours to go get some much needed shut eye or so i thought, but the Yank next to me had other ideas, assuming i was her local guide as she bombarded me with questions about this journey,
"Sorry love" i said in my best cockney accent "i dont ave a clue" hopefully that will confuse her, now leave me alone i thought i wanna die quietly from this hangova!
After another 3 unplanned stops and already 3 half hours into the journey i realized we were not going to make to the ferry before 2pm, last ferry to the island goes at five, so attempting to talk to the driver in my worst Thai to find out when were arriving was proving fruitless no end.
Nearly six hours now and what seemed like another 25 stops most of the people had got off, only me and the annoying and now snoring American sat next to me were left. It was very tempting to nudge her in the ribs and tell her to move to one of the many vacated seats that were left by the Thai`s.
Suddenly at 3.30 we were turfed off the bus! "err where are we"? i thought then the driver informed us this bus goes no further! "You What" i said !
We are in the middle of nowhere! this was beginning to resemble something out of an American road movie!
A bus stop that was a bench and a Coca Cola machine was all that there was- oh and the annoying American.I was praying that she wasn't staying in my resort or even on this next bus taking us to the ferry.By this time though it was gone four o`clock now i`m panicking thinking "WHERES THIS FUCKING BUS"
Eventually at 4.15 a pick up truck ambles in, a couple of Thai`s get in the back with bags of big vegetables, "are you ready sir" one of them says, i think "what that's the bus to the ferry".So in the back of a pick up truck i go luggage on my lap thinking this is the way to travel.
So still panicking i asked how to long to the pier "not far " came the reply, i love their calmness while i`m dying inside!
When we got to the pier the queue for the last ferry was enormous," how we gonna get on" i said "ah don't worry Mr we all get on"
And we did all get on they certainly cram them in ,anyway why was i worried it only took over 8 hours to get to this point!
The Thai`s don't the meaning of the word `urgent` or `hurry up` its not in their vocabulary, and why should it be its such a hot part of the world why would you wanna rush for anyone especially foreigners its in their nature to take life at a certain pace and only rush when they need to.
The ferry journey was a beautiful cool sail on a scorching hot day, the view of the island in the distance was breathtaking i knew i was home and the long journey to get here was definitely worth it.
At arriving at my bungalow in Kai Bae i felt relief as i checked my watch it was nearly seven o`clock
Ten and a half hours later i had finally made it.
Good evening Mr Cross the receptionist said as i dropped my bags to the floor we thought you wasn't coming?
You and me both i thought!
