By now, you know I don’t travel like most people do. I was tempted to stay in Lapsing, play with the coffee guys for a week, have a brief stay at the islands and then fly home. However, that didn’t feel right.
Sunday, they dropped me at the resort where I spent the night. Around five o’clock, I was sitting at the edge of the cliff watching the liquid gold light of the setting sun change colors in the forest and over the waterfalls. About 24 hours later, I was at the border, walking through customs, almost wasn’t allowed to enter Thailand, made it through and continued on. What a change!
The walk through the border with Laos was a breeze. We didn’t have to take our backpacks or luggage off. Through their office and on to Thailand, things were going really well until they couldn’t find the address on my form for the place I was staying. That was because I didn’t have any idea where I was staying? Being a creative guy, I quickly picked out a name on the island of Koh Chang, found what district it was in, made up an address and returned the form with fingers crossed. That was fine! An address…pretty much any address! After my experience at DIA before, I had a feeling if it looked official, that would be fine.
So here was my travel day not including the hours I tried getting online yesterday in Pakse, Laos with little luck. I started walking down a dirt road with my pack, uphill even! At the highway with no shade, I plunked my pack down at the road side. I might wait 15 minutes or 2 hours??? In this instance, it was like five minutes! Good fortune.
Into Pakse on the back of a truck, I got a tuk tuk into the village and then another tuk tuk to the center. A driver told me it was cheaper to go to the ticket office. We went, they wouldn’t write any tickets until after 1:00! I paid to have him take me back to the village and met Miss Noy who called, wrote a ticket and told me to be there for the 3:00 pick up.
My next tuk tuk showed up 20 minutes early and I was off to the next bus station. Yes, it was the same exact station I had visited in the morning. We waited until nearly 4:30, loaded everyone on and headed for the border. We stopped a couple times after that but I didn’t really wake up to know what was going on? The VIP bus doesn’t make any stops…unless, the driver has made other arrangements. Our driver stopped to pick up people, drop off parcels, pick up packages and such.
This was not a sleeping bus and every seat was packed. The man in front of me insisted on creating my knees by reclining as far as possible. I finally let him know I am not Laos, am double the size of most people and I couldn’t move when he fully reclined. Reluctantly, he accepted that. I kept a knee wedged against the back of his seat just in case!
We arrive in Bangkok a little after 4:00 at the Mo Chit station into the midst of absolute and complete chaos!!! Tired and sleepy, no ticket office in sight, my stomach acting up again, I loaded up and fortunately, found a man who spoke enough English to direct me to the general area where tickets were sold. Yay! I bought a ticket for the 7:30 bus which was full later! Yay again!
Finally, nearing 1:00 pm, we arrived here in Trat. Smaller chaos but chaos just the same. Three or four guys were on the steps of the bus so no passengers could get out without shoving past asking “where going”. I didn’t know??? A tuk tuk also called a songthaew loaded up with passengers heading for the ferry for another songthaew to go find a place to stay on Koh Chang. I decided I had enough traveling! After considerable negotiation, I was driven to a home, the only name I remembered, and found a different place that is lovely!
Stomach still upset, I found a clay product at the local pharmacy, am hydrating, resting and repacking. They will let me leave all my extra stuff here in storage so I’m taking minimal items with me to the island!
Did find one lovely sounding hotel near Koh San Road area in Bangkok with swimming pool so booked one of the two rooms they have left. Tomorrow morning, I’ll get my ticket for the ferry and head over to the island. I’m asking to be guided to a quiet lovely little bungalow with hammock and some shade. That’s my final lodging shopping of this trip!
And, I’m leaving my heavy pack here in storage to travel with only island essentials! Yay!
Here are a few photo’s of the different forms of transportation I’ve been on!
Ciao…
What amazing travel, working your brain at every step with incredible rewards! I can hear the waterfall and feel the spray. Enjoy your beach.
Cant wait to hear about everything. Sounds amazing.
Do you have schedule yet? Need a pickup at airport?
Hopefully snow will be mostly gone by then.
Ellie