Getting to Southern Thailand
Trip Start
Jul 27, 2006
1
18
19
Trip End
Aug 2007
From the children`s home we took a bus to Bangkok. This was 7 hours of pure roller coaster mountain cruising madness. And I was sitting in the second seat from the front. I have no idea how the ppl in the back made it without puking all over themselves. So, I was all ready for a relaxing trip to Bangkok via the bus. But, the roads are very curvy and there are many hills and apparently the bus driver only knows one speed...super fast.....then slam on the brakes.....then super fast again. This is around corners, up and down hills, his technique for stopping at rest stops. The person sitting next to me must have taken this bus a time or two before because he had a barf bag with him AND he used it. That added to the pleasantness of the ride. Not to mention the ppl across the aisle barfing in their bags. We made it to Bangkok 7 hours later. I somehow, by seriously some miracle, did not barf. Thank goodness. Once in Bangkok, Andy and I had to figure out how to get down South to Phuket. We actually had a place to stay there which is a plus but we definitely did not know how we were getting here. According to all the websites the planes, buses, and trains were all sold out. We took a cab to the other Bangkok Bus Station. Which was completely ghetto. Im pretty sure it was the South train station. Anyway, it was crowded, way crowded, dirty, and just had an overall not so cool vibe about it. Well, we go to the ticket counters to try to get tickets for an overnight bus and they are all sold out. Slight panic sets in cause I dont want to stay in Bangkok and I definitely dont want to stay anywhere near this station. Andy and I notice some travel agencies across the street and check them out. Again, nothing!! A little more panic. We get sent back and forth between the travel agencies when finally a lovely lady brings us to this table outside of the first travel agency we went to. At this table there are two Thai men sitting with a money box and slips of paper and to top the cliche off, they had cigs hanging outta their mouthes. Hmmm.....this seems good. Right. However, they tell us they have tickets for an overnight bus with aircon to Phuket. The price wasnt bad either. It did seem like there were a bunch of other ppl waiting near this table too. So, after a brief discussion of the shadiness of the situation and our respective worries about getting ripped off or taken to some alternate destination we decide, meh, why not, we need to get to Phuket. We pay the men and the card table in the middle of the street near the shadiest train station Ive ever seen. Cant say I was completely comforatble with the situation. Neither was Andy for that matter. But, we did it. He handed us a slip of paper with our seats written on it and told us to wait. We had a couple hours and we were hungry so we set off to find some food. Apparently this station is a member of the twilight zone club because we kept walking around in circles to the back part of the stn and ending up where we started. We gave up and ate at the restaurant near the shady card table. Cant say the restaurant was much better than the card table transaction. Seemed a bit mob-esque. With the men with greased back hair, tattoos, wearing old army fatigues or leather vests. Oh yeah. Seemed like a nice place. But, hey, they had karaoke and an English menu and we were hungry. We figured drinking was a good way to ease our tensions as well. So we ate, we drank and then the drunk possible mafia men started singing love songs to me. Fantastic. What could be much better than this. Hahahaha! Dear Lord. Not only were they singing, one very persistent fellow came to sit with us. We thought we could get rid of him by saying we had to go to the bus cause it was leaving (which it wasnt but it was coming soon). Nope. Didnt happen. He followed us to the bus stop/random card table. So, this guy doesnt speak English, but he really wants to ask me out I guess. He calls his English speaking friend on his cell and has him talk to me and make sure when I get back to Bangkok that I will call his friend, who yes has given me his phone number. What the heck is this all about. He was in love I guess. Andy and I get on our bus. We are in the very first row on the second floor of the bus full of only Thai ppl. We felt a bit akward. And here begins the Highway to Hell adventure. At least thats what Andy and I deemed it. The first two hours were pretty cool. They played some hysterical Thai TV so we were entertained. Then we slept for awhile and had a rest at some rest stop in the middle of no where, but with a fantastic store. Now, sometime after this point is when things went a bit awry. The bus made a big clunky sound. Like a BAM, Clunk, eeerrrkk, CLUNK! I thought we either got shot at or we ran a person over or the engine fell out. Its night, and raining, and you cant see a thing so...hmmmm. The bus proceeds to pull over on the side of the highway. And its night, so all we can see in the red glow of the break lights. That was creepy. Then the bus pulls back on the road. Then it does a U turn. Then, it pulls over on the side of the road on the other side. Then it backs up and goes forward for about 20 minutes. Then, we pull into this clearly closed mechanic shop place/someone`s house where the bus driver proceeds to blow the horn for 10 minutes straight. By this point Andy and I are like what the F***K is going on. This can not be good. Well, no one came out of the mechanic shop so we left. Or did we. I cant remember. We fell back to sleep. Maybe someone came out and fixed the bus and then the driver again went backwards and forwards for awhile. Who knows, its all this blur of complete terror, confusion, and sleep. Either way, the bus eventually got fixed and I dont know how long it took. But, we had to stop and get gas or something and Andy had to pee at this completely remote gas station. I guess he had a beer with the ppl inside really quick and they fed him something before he got back on the bus (this all seriously took place in 7 minutes). He said he kinda thought they were going to kidnap him and he`s not entirely sure what kind of interaction he interrupted. Oh boy. We`re not even halfway there yet. And all this has happened. But, actually after this, things went pretty smoothly. They did bring us to Phuket. We had no idea where we were in Phuket, but we did get dropped off there. Our hostel was still another 10K or so away and we took a rickshaw there. After the rickshaw driver stalked us for a block and we had no alternative. It was fine. He brougt us to our hostel and we got all checked in. And the place isnt so bad either. Clean. And that is key. With TV and lotsa English movies. We have arrived in Phuket alive and well. Yay us!! We really didnt do too much this first day. Ate, hung out, watched movies. We were tired. Plus we had to save our energy for tomorrow!! New Year`s Eve!!!
