Shuttle driver assistant!
Booked days in advance, today was my morning to go to the bus station early. I would be picked up at 8:00 for the 9:00 bus. I wasn’t the only one, there were 8 other people. All but two or three were early, the others 10 minutes late! No worries!
And then….we arrived at the bus station. At the ticket window, our driver indicated that we should hurry. I was surprised as it was only 8:30 and we had 30 minutes.
Except, we were told the wrong time. The bus was scheduled to leave at 8:30. The driver recognized me and motioned for my bag which I lifted to the top rack. I stepped to the bus door and saw that every seat was filled up! FULL! And there were three of us with valid tickets!
Thirty minutes passed not knowing what was going to happen. I did know things would work out one way or the other. Eventually, two people got off the bus for some ticket issue. That left three of us for two seats. You can see in the photo how that was resolved, two people in one seat!
Once seated, they loaded about 7 more people on! PACKED! Eventually, one lady got off and I moved to an open seat. Then, after lunch, we stopped and about 10 more people got on! MORE PACKED!
Hot, dusty, tired and hungry, we did arrive! A group of us shared a tuk tuk to the village and I arrived at my hotel. End of story, but not quite!
Two Day Cruise on the Mekong!?
The owner recognized me and gave me the top corner room with a good view of the Mekong River. Nice! I unpacked and headed to lunch and then to have a coffee.
One thing I expected was an email from the boat company. I wrote them yesterday, it has been 24 hours, and I did not receive a message from them. So, I had no confirmation for my seat, hotel, pickup time, or connection to pay them? OK, here we go again. I trusted everything was ok but made a backup plan.
I planned to pay through the app Wise which works great in this part of the world. Just in case, I went to an ATM and withdrew more money in two transactions so I could pay that way. If all else fails, that would work. I sent an email and didn’t hear anything.
Now approaching 4:00, I looked for another option to connect. I found their WhatsApp number so I called. They recognized me, told me what time pickup would be and said they would send me an email with a link to pay them.
So, once again, communicate, follow up, follow up, be more clear, stay really patient and then explore other options!
Awesome people!
My day was interspersed with awesome conversation and connection with different people! What a highlight! And every time I have such a conversation, I become clearer about what works for me in my life. Today, I had several conversations that turned to how life on “Planet Larry” works. That is always helpful to me and sparked some great dialogue. This is the richest part of travel for me!
Flowing, literally, tomorrow!
I’m excited to get on the river tomorrow. Since I read about this option, I have been really looking forward to it. One thing I practice it savoring the experience in advance! Today, talking with people, it is reasonable that some concerns come up. I turn in the opposite direction and focus on the experience as if it has already happened.
“Wow, wasn’t that an awesome trip I had on the Mekong tomorrow!” I imaging everything flowing smoothly. I feel what it is like to have a smooth and flowing experience! And when I say those words about, I feel them before I say them! So very cool!
And now, I need to finish packing for that experience!
