This van ride was the first time I felt like it was winter here - all the fields and bushes in northern thailand were brown and dry, and looked like a more tropical version of the high plains in winter (no snow, of course) I arrived at the bus station there and people gestured somewhat vaguely in a through the bus station to show me where the train station was. I started walking, and after 2 blocks down a side street, asked again at a restaurant and was told I was on the right track. Soon I arrived at the train station and was able, after one failed attempt, to buy my parents the first class sleeper car train tickets they wanted. My lonely planet said one of the biggest malls in Northern Thailand was a few blocks away, so I set out again from the train station. I found the mall after wandering through a deserted market and a construction site. Unfortunately, no one in Northern Thailand was selling swim suits (I guess it’s winter, and I didn’t have time to search every shop, but I think in an American mall at least the department store would have some.) But I did have a pretzel at Autie Annie’s, so it wasn’t a total loss. Then I got a tuk-tuk through town to the airport, arriving with plenty of time. My flight was on Air Asia, and I had pre-ordered spaghetti bolognese as my dinner on board. I was craving pasta a lot when I purchased the ticket. It was pretty gross - really sweet sauce - but I still ate most of it, because by 5 PM I was fairly hungry, having only had a bowl of corn flakes and then the pretzel.
We flew through some pretty awesome cloud formations and then over the mangrove swamp and beautiful Ao-Phang-Na bay filled with limestone carsts as we landed in Phuket. I got a mini-bus to my hotel, which drove through Patong - the biggest, brightest, seediest tourist town on the island - on the way. It also drove straight up and down some hills that would be considered to steep to build on in America. Meanwhile, my parents were on a much longer journey - from Denver to Phuket via LA and Hong Kong. Their flights were also uneventful, but they were delayed at the Phuket airport trying to get money from the ATM, so they ended up spending more for a taxi to the hotel. (I’ve come to the conclusion that when a Thai ATM is broken, it just tells you that you’ve inserted your card incorrectly, no matter what the actual problem is. ) They were there at the hotel, tired but intact after a 30 hour journey, when I arrived. They had even walked around town some.
The view from the airplane.
Our next journey was from Puket to Ko Samui. My mom had researched this and knew that we wanted the big bus from Phuket town, not a mini-bus. However, the big bus company phone number did not work initially, and after several attempts with different numbers, when we go through to a person who spoke english, they told us to call another number. One which didn’t work on multiple attempts. So we booked a mini bus at the travel agent on the corner, recommended by the hotel. The mini bus arrived Wednesday morning at 7:50, already pretty much full of French students and their giant backpacks (these people had at least 1.5 times as much luggage as me, each, and I had a lot of extra stuff because my parents had brought a suitcase from home for me. Our terse mini bus driver managed to pile our suitcases atop the large stack behind his seat, and Mom and I climbed back to the 4th and last bench of the bus, where we sat with 2 french students. Dad got to perch next to the luggage, and spent the next 20 minutes trying to get the left half of his left butt cheek on the seat, while worrying that a sharp corner might cause the luggage to collapse onto him. Mom and I encouraged him to move forward to the passenger seat, which was unoccupied. But this was bad advise, because after our gas stop we picked up 3 more passengers. One of the french students had abandoned our row for the passenger seat by this time, so my dad was gestured back to our row. the luggage was rearranged to make about 1.3 seats in the first row by piling some of the suitcases into the aisle between the second and 3rd row of seats.
The view from my seat in the Mini Bus. At least with me, my Mom, and Dad in the back,we were able to share and redistribute space and stuff so all of us had the most legroom possible.
At this point, one of the french students protested, and was rudely offered his ticket back and a chance to get out of the bus. One of the new passengers got to sit in the front seat with the french student, and the other two got to share the first row. Somehow, despite their perch, the managed to sleep through the next several hours of the journey. I think they might all have been hungover, but especially the one who slept sprawled across the luggage, with his shirt buttoned incorrectly. Finally, after an early lunch stop at which none of us ate (we weren’t hungry, and with the AC working only somewhat in the last row of the bus, I was worried about motion sickness), we arrived in Surat Thani about 1:30 PM. We were deposited at a storefront with one table and 4 chairs (at this point, our minibus had 14 occupants) along with the contents of a second mini-bus. We waited here until about 3 while the man in the storefront tried to sell us taxis and accommodation on Ko Samui. Finally a songthao (truck taxi - like a pickup truck with benches and a covered back) took us to another place, this one a restaurant, where we were again offered transportation / lodging services while we waited for the big bus. The big bus took us the short (1/2 hr) journey to the ferry and there we waited only a short while (But were again offered booking assistance for hotels and taxis on the other end) until the ferry left at 4.
The ferry had indoor seating upstairs (VIP, 50 baht to sit in it, with a slight smell of gasoline exhaust), indoor seating downstairs (regular, free, and completely filled with gas fumes), and the ability to sit on the deck in front or the walkway to the front (but no benches or chairs). The front quickly filled up, so we ended up downstairs, but made frequent trips to the back deck for fresh air and picture taking. At this point, we were too frustrated with the package transit company to give them any more money to sit in the VIP area.
The deck of the ferry - full of people who don't want to sit dowstairs in the fumes or pay for slightly less fumes. They're all young and on vacation, so they seem to be handling it well.
When we arrived in Ko Samui, we checked out other ferry options, and then got a taxi to our hotel - after calling the hotel and being told ‘their’ taxi was taking someone to the other end of the island. We payed the same price, anyway, and it was 50 bhat less than the kind offer of the man at the storefront enforced rest in Surat Thani. Our hotel was lovely, and we were more than ready to hop in the swimming pool and have some spring rolls and phad thai for dinner.
My last journey was from Ko Samui back to Vientiane. It started with the hotel hostess asking if I could go to the airport at 2 because my parents wanted the taxi to the ferry at 2:20, and she only knows one taxi driver. I told her no, I would walk to the taxi stand (about 3 blocks.) I needed the extra 20 minutes to eat lunch and pack. I got a fair price to the airport at the taxi stand, and we drove through what looked like small country roads to me, finally arriving at a small airport. Check in went smoothly, an I was soon inside security at the Ko Samui Airport. The whole airport is made up of small hut-like buildings, I suppose trying to be authentically island-style, with covered walkways between. It was actually quite picturesque, especially the outdoor shopping mall on the way to the 6 gates. At my gate, I sat and read the Bangkok Post, which was hilarious in that every article was both reporting and editorializing on the news. A fellow traveler tipped me off that I could get my very own copy in the “Courtesy court.” What is a “Courtesy Court?” I thought to myself. Turns out, it is a little hut filled with free food, drinks, and newspapers. Bangkok Airlines really is a boutique airline! I loaded up with croissants, cake, pudding, and newspapers and really enjoyed the rest of my wait for the plane. On board, after riding little golf-cart like trolleys to the plane, we had chicken sandwiches and juice or water during the 45 minute flight to Bangkok.
I knew that I could get to the train station in Bangkok on the new high-speed train that connects to the airport from the city, then by subway, or on an express bus. The subway/train would be cheaper, but the bus would be simpler. But, I made the mistake of asking a fellow Thai traveler how was the best way, and he told me to take a taxi on the express way (400 bhat) because 2 hrs between my plane arrival and the train departure might not be enough to get there on the train/subway. I don’t think he knew the express bus existed. But, that made me anxious while trying to find the bus stop. (It also made me decide not to risk the train/subway connection.) I did find the express bus, and after all that worry, was more than a half hour early for my train. The train station was also NOT confusing (my Thai friend reported I might need a half hour to find things) and I had plenty of time to buy water, juice, milk, and 2 donuts from Mister Donut before getting on the train and sitting for 20 minutes before departure. This was my first time on a sleeper train - I had booked a second class lower bunk with AC. I had been warned that the upper bunks are quite narrow (this is true, plus you have to climb a ladder to get to them) and the cabins are freezing (also true.) An hour or more into the trip, and after one donut, the train attendant came along and made my bench seat and the one across from me into a lower bunk. It was fun watching him - he clearly has an incredibly honed set of motions to make all the beds up as efficiently as possible. I changed into my pajamas and settled down for the night. There were some stops to pick up passengers and some longer delays throughout the night, and we arrived 2 hours late, but the bed was comfortable and I slept through most of the night. (I had to fold my blanket in half to have 2 layers, and wear 3 shirts, but luckily I am short enough that that worked.) And since I don’t have a watch and my cell phone battery was dead, I had little sense of the passage of time, and no ability to worry about it.
Two views of my sleeper bunk
My seat mate commented snidely on my profession in light of my breakfast; 1/3 of a baguette with spreadable cheese and 2 kinds of lunch meat and my second donut, plus a box of apple juice. I’m not sure what I was supposed to eat - it’s not like there’s a great supply of fresh fruits and veggies on a train (or in the train station.) Finally, we arrive at the Nong Khai train station, were I decided to try taking the little train from thai to Lao. This saves money because otherwise you get a tuk-tuk to the border which is the same price, and then a bus across. Plus, it’s more convenient. However, I discovered it does NOT save money on the other end - the train station is maybe 1 KM from the rest of the border, the city bus does not go there, and you are at the mercy of the tuk tuk and mini-van drivers who are waiting for you. I refused several expensive offers of rides into town (which would also have required me to wait for some of the rest of the train passengers, who were all still in line for Visas), but one of the mini-van drivers took pity on me, or appreciated my bargaining in Lao, or had to leave to come into town anyway, and offered to take me right away for 100 baht (3.3 dollars.) It’s 26 KM, so that seemed like a reasonable price to me. (Though the bus is <1 dollars, the minibus was also more comfortable, and dropped me at the end of my alley.) I ended up paying him in kip - 5 dollars - sort of a tip for breaking ranks with his compatriots. Returning along the road from the friendship bridge, I felt like I was coming home, which is a really nice feeling, and I’m glad to have it here after only 4 months.
The ferry had indoor seating upstairs (VIP, 50 baht to sit in it, with a slight smell of gasoline exhaust), indoor seating downstairs (regular, free, and completely filled with gas fumes), and the ability to sit on the deck in front or the walkway to the front (but no benches or chairs). The front quickly filled up, so we ended up downstairs, but made frequent trips to the back deck for fresh air and picture taking. At this point, we were too frustrated with the package transit company to give them any more money to sit in the VIP area.
The deck of the ferry - full of people who don't want to sit dowstairs in the fumes or pay for slightly less fumes. They're all young and on vacation, so they seem to be handling it well.
My last journey was from Ko Samui back to Vientiane. It started with the hotel hostess asking if I could go to the airport at 2 because my parents wanted the taxi to the ferry at 2:20, and she only knows one taxi driver. I told her no, I would walk to the taxi stand (about 3 blocks.) I needed the extra 20 minutes to eat lunch and pack. I got a fair price to the airport at the taxi stand, and we drove through what looked like small country roads to me, finally arriving at a small airport. Check in went smoothly, an I was soon inside security at the Ko Samui Airport. The whole airport is made up of small hut-like buildings, I suppose trying to be authentically island-style, with covered walkways between. It was actually quite picturesque, especially the outdoor shopping mall on the way to the 6 gates. At my gate, I sat and read the Bangkok Post, which was hilarious in that every article was both reporting and editorializing on the news. A fellow traveler tipped me off that I could get my very own copy in the “Courtesy court.” What is a “Courtesy Court?” I thought to myself. Turns out, it is a little hut filled with free food, drinks, and newspapers. Bangkok Airlines really is a boutique airline! I loaded up with croissants, cake, pudding, and newspapers and really enjoyed the rest of my wait for the plane. On board, after riding little golf-cart like trolleys to the plane, we had chicken sandwiches and juice or water during the 45 minute flight to Bangkok.
I knew that I could get to the train station in Bangkok on the new high-speed train that connects to the airport from the city, then by subway, or on an express bus. The subway/train would be cheaper, but the bus would be simpler. But, I made the mistake of asking a fellow Thai traveler how was the best way, and he told me to take a taxi on the express way (400 bhat) because 2 hrs between my plane arrival and the train departure might not be enough to get there on the train/subway. I don’t think he knew the express bus existed. But, that made me anxious while trying to find the bus stop. (It also made me decide not to risk the train/subway connection.) I did find the express bus, and after all that worry, was more than a half hour early for my train. The train station was also NOT confusing (my Thai friend reported I might need a half hour to find things) and I had plenty of time to buy water, juice, milk, and 2 donuts from Mister Donut before getting on the train and sitting for 20 minutes before departure. This was my first time on a sleeper train - I had booked a second class lower bunk with AC. I had been warned that the upper bunks are quite narrow (this is true, plus you have to climb a ladder to get to them) and the cabins are freezing (also true.) An hour or more into the trip, and after one donut, the train attendant came along and made my bench seat and the one across from me into a lower bunk. It was fun watching him - he clearly has an incredibly honed set of motions to make all the beds up as efficiently as possible. I changed into my pajamas and settled down for the night. There were some stops to pick up passengers and some longer delays throughout the night, and we arrived 2 hours late, but the bed was comfortable and I slept through most of the night. (I had to fold my blanket in half to have 2 layers, and wear 3 shirts, but luckily I am short enough that that worked.) And since I don’t have a watch and my cell phone battery was dead, I had little sense of the passage of time, and no ability to worry about it.
Two views of my sleeper bunk
Mekong from the train
My parents, in their journeys through Thailand, had even more adventures, but those are their stories to tell, and this post is already long. Each of these travel days was sometimes adventuresome, sometimes nerve-wracking, sometimes rewarding of good communications or planning, sometimes boring, and sometimes interesting or beautiful. I am sure I will remember some parts of these trips for as long as I remember the fish I saw snorkeling or the food I ate in Thailand - so maybe the journey really is the destination.
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