Thailand Revisited
Leaving Nepal proved to be a tad more difficult than expected. Because of the (slight bit of) trouble in Nepal, all the flights from Kathmandu to Bangkok were fully booked. The lady at the airways desk didn’t even look at my ticket. Plan B was to go to the airport on Monday, 1 April, at 1pm and get on the waiting list for a seat. I did that the first day and by the time they handed out any spare seats there was close on 50 people on the waiting list, I was twelfth on the list and didn’t get on. Then it was on to plan C, back to the Thai airways office and ask for a $200 upgrade to business class. This they were able to do for me but only on the Thursday flight on April 4.
Now I had two days to hang out in Kathmandu. It wasn’t so bad – I saw a few more Hindu temples and went out to the bars in the evenings with the Aussie and English lads I had met on the Everest trek.
The flight to Bangkok on Thursday went very well. I suppose sitting up front in business class and not in the back with the poor people did help make it comfortable. As we approached Bangkok airport the farmlands below looked like a giant patchwork quilt. I realised I was fulfilling a promise I made to myself on my last visit nearly three years previous. I was going back to Thailand and was very excited.
Immigration and customs was cleared with the minimum of fuss and I headed straight to the bus stop to catch the A2 bus to Khao San Road. This was old hat to me I knew what I was doing. By the time the bus arrived four fellow travellers off the flight from Nepal were chatting about which guest houses we should try. The bus dropped us off at the opposite end of Khao San Road to which I remembered. This disorientated me and I ended up looking down the wrong streets for my preferred hotel. Not to worry, we found another one we would use for one night and search for the correct one in the morning.
It was still early evening and we were all keen to get out and try some Thai food and round it off with a few beers at the traveller’s pub, Gullivers Tavern.
Next morning we moved hotels. It doesn’t take much to work up a good sweat in Thailand, just put your pack on your back and you are dripping wet. Alan and Jo and an English couple in our group and myself were planning to travel to a nearby island called Ko Chang. I wanted to warm up a bit after the freezing cold experience that was trekking to Everest Base camp. So we headed off to book some bus tickets. Later that evening the group met up for a few cheap beers at one of the many table and chairs which are set up along the roadside. By this stage a few more had been added to our group including a fellow South African and a Thai ex-pat on a visit back to Thailand.
After quite a few beers, Jo, the only girl in our group suggested we visit Patpong. Patpong is well known for all its go-go and girlie bars. Needless to say we didn’t need much convincing. So we all piled into a couple of Tuk Tuks, which are much bigger and cleaner than the Indian autorickshaw. Patpong also has a night street market so we spent a great evening haggling for cheap fake watches on the street and popping into many bars for the odd drink or two. The bars can vary from quite tame to full on hard core. I don’t think I will be sending my mother a postcard from Patpong.
The next day I was nursing quite a hang over but still managed to explore Bangkok from the river. I found my way down to the Choa Phraya river and caught the river taxi. It is a large, cheap and efficient way of getting around Bangkok and providing where you want to go is near the river you get to miss the noise and pollution of the roads (although I have noticed that the Bangkok tuk tuks don’t produce nearly as much pollution as I remember). Again that evening I had arranged to meet up with the English lads from Nepal who where now transiting through town and wanted to watch the English soccer.
On Sunday, 7 April, I got an early start to catch a 8am bus to Ko Chang island. The bus was a big air conditioned VIP sort so the five hour ride out of Bangkok through the Thai countryside was very comfortable. The bus deposited us at the ferry pier and whilst waiting the 2� hours for the ferry I got chatting to Ally and Tessa, who were holidaying from the UK and another follow Capetonian, Branden.
The ferry took 40 minutes to reach Ko Chang. This island is Thailand’s second biggest and is covered with thick jungle forest. Dotted along the coast are sandy beaches lined with palm trees. Perfect. The Songthaew is used as taxis on the island. This is a small truck with two long bench seats at the back. They charged us 30 Baht for the ride to White Sands Beach. I found a bamboo hut on the beach for 200 Baht per night. The next ten days basically followed the same pattern, which was sleep, sit on the beach, swim, shower, eat. In the evening all the restaurants set up their tables and chairs on the beach. They serve fresh seafood dishes cooked any way you prefer, i.e. Thai or western. Likewise the bars all put out cushions and candles and it’s very easy to while away the hours, chatting and drinking.
One day I did go diving. I took a day trip on a dive boat to reefs of one of the smaller islands. The trip was well run. The diving went well and it was great to get back in the water with all the equipment. I had two dives of an hour each so we didn’t go deeper than 10m. I met some great Danish travellers and a American family that lives in Thailand. On another day I hired a motorbike for the day. I explored the rest of the island which was quiet once you got away from the main beaches. I discovered an entire fishing village built along a pier at the end of which the fishing boats are moored. The whole community lives along the pier with shops, houses, bars and hotels all supported by poles driven into the shallow water.
During my stay on the island the Thais celebrated their Songkran festival which is the Thai New Year, spread over three days. It is really just an excuse for a massive water fight with huge water pistols. Along with getting wet they smother you with talcum powder. It was a lot of fun soaking everyone, especially the newly arrived travellers with their backpacks.
After 10 days it was time to move on. The plan was on April 16th to wake up and get the 9am ferry back to the mainland. Dave, an Irish guy staying in the same huts as me already had a bus ticket and I was going to tag along and try and catch the same bus. That was until we both overslept. We rushed to make the 11am ferry which didn’t arrive until 1pm. By the time we got to the mainland Dave’s bus had left. We then had to catch a taxi into Trat and hope to get on the one of the many public buses. But it was still the end of the Songkran festival and all buses where full. Luckily, after waiting around awhile there were some cancellations and we got on an evening bus which made it back to Bangkok by 10pm.
The plan now is to get back on the travelling trail. Tonight I head north to Chang Mai where I hope to do a Thai cooking course, after which I want to hop over into Laos. Getting the visa for Laos meant taking the risky move of leaving my passport in Bangkok with some travel agent. But I got it back and the visa looks in order.
