Christian December 27th, 2008
First off, sorry for the delay in our last two postings. It has been crazy since we got home last week. We will post another couple of posts this coming week. We took a van from the Jolly Frog Guesthouse to Bangkok. We were both stuffed in the front seat with the driver, but that did not matter much since it was even cheaper than the second class bus + taxi into town would have been. Sitting in the front seat we could really see all of those “close calls” with other cars/ motorcycles, but I guess that is all part of the the experience. When we got to Bangkok, we were happy that the guesthouse that we had booked for the following night had a room available a day early, we hate switching rooms when we don’t have to. We actually sat down for a bit before venturing out and getting our bearings. We walked down the infamous Khao San Road to see what kind of merchandise is on sale, testing the waters on how low the prices can go. Continue Reading »
Christian December 8th, 2008
The trip from Ko Tao to Kanchanaburi was terrible. When we woke up, the rain still had not stopped and it was pouring buckets outside. To get to the truck that would transfer us to the dock, we had to walk through a knee high puddle, drenching our shoes. As we neared the dock the pickup truck that we were sitting in the bed of hit a huge pot hole, making the seven of us in the back fly forward. The truck was stuck, so we got out and walked the last 100 meters. By the time we made it to the checkin counter, we were completely soaked. Our waterproof pack covers could not even keep out the rain. The ferry ended up being about an hour late. When we were finally on the ferry, the air conditioners were on full blast and dripping water all over me. We found the only other two seats next two a wierdo, but decided it would be better than getting anymore wet. When we reached Chumporn, the boat stopped at the end of the longest, rickty dock I have ever seen. It was at least a ten minute walk in the rain over missing boards and nails sticking out. Continue Reading »
Christian December 2nd, 2008
The flight to Ko Samui was great. Bangkok Airways fed us snacks while we waited for boarding and fed us a meal on our forty minute flight. It was a breath of fresh air from all of the super budget airlines we have been flying, while still cheap at $50. As we decended through the dark clouds, our hopes for good weather were slowly dwindling. On the ground we were told that the cheaper minibus option was not available and that we would have to fork over 500 baht (around $15) for a fifteen minute taxi ride. In Thailand, that fare is just crazy so we proceeded to try and walk from the airport towards our bungalows and catch a cab on the way.
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