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Apologize in advance how long and boring this one might be for some...and for the horrible grammar and inconsistent verb tenses. (Such an English geek I am, I know)
Yesterday we woke up at 6am for our 630am pick-up from Utopia Bungalows on Ko Samui. As soon as we walked out into the garden area it started to pour rain all over us. We waited for our ride and as soon as we got into the mini-van the rained stopped. Of course. We did a few pick ups along the way. A Kiwi couple heading for the Airport in Surat Thani and another couple (maybe Israeli) heading to the airport as well. We all arrived at the Pier confused as to where to go next. Everything seems confusing when you first arrive somewhere. People asking you where you're going. Where your ticket is. And then they show you a bus and tell you to wait infront of it. So we wait. Later we figure out its going to Phuket so we are waiting for all Phuket passengers to put their luggage on first since we are getting off before them in Surat Thani. We see our boat arrive and our backpacks are put under the bus and we get a seat. It's one of nicer of the 3 air-con buses (so we think at the time) and the bus drives us to the boat and we are told to get off. Again, confused by this, we find out that there are no stairs between the vehicle deck and the passenger deck. But at first it felt like they were just takin us for a little 30 second trip to drop us off and move on elsewhere with our bags. Hehe...
The ferry is nothing special. Once we arrive on the other side, we are in Don Sak (an hour away from Surat Thani where we were catching another air-con bus to Krabi) We get on a 4-lane highway and drive along a ways…stop to pick up the bus driver's right hand man's dry-cleaning on the side of the road…then carry on about 10 minutes and pull into a gas station. Here we were stuck for a good hour because our lovely bus, that we thought looked reliable, had a flat tire. The Kiwi couple is stressed about missing their flight but no one is too angry…we just sit and wait. A lot of waiting we find we have been doing the last few days. And during transport in Thailand in general really.
The bus gets going and we are dropped off in a random spot on the side of the highway…there's a little shop and travel agency…under a make-shif-type hut with those ripply tin roofs. I recognize our travel-agencies name and figure we're good, and pretty much have to be since they told us we'd be waiting for an hour until the bus for Krabi leaves. We talk with a guy from France for a bit, watch a really cute puppy get whipped lightly with a long twig by his owner for trying to eat a dead bull-frog, and sit around waiting…until I notice a sign that says hotel bookings: Krabi, Lanta etc. The travel agency guy was cool…he set us up with our accommodation in Krabi for 1 night (told us it was just outside Krabi Town right next to the pier) and then booked us for 4 nights into our first choice place on Kantiang Bay on Ko Lanta. We have been pretty lucky so far! Always seeming to land the places we want to stay.
At 1230 we hop into the back of a truck and are told we are going to Krabi…obviously not in the bed of a pick-up the whole way…so we know hes taking us to another spot where our bus will be. Where we will wait again possibly? Not this time…he drives us through Surat Thani and turns down a suspicious alley-way, turns again and then we see our air con bus waiting at the corner for us. Apparently they had been waiting a bit for just us, because as soon as we got out of the truck the bus driver was telling us to hurry and jump on fast…with our bags too! Which in a way, I am not grateful for.
This bus was not what we paid for…or I guess maybe half of it was. It was a bus and it was air-con. But since we were the last to get on, and had been over-booked, we had to sit in the aisle on the floor, along with maybe 5 or 6 other travelers in the back. It seems it wasn't just a tourist bus, because about ¼ of the front of it were Thai people making there way back home to Krabi. The bus ride wasn't a pleasant experience…Mike couldn't sit because it was too cramped…and I sat on our backpacks crouched forward hugging my smaller back-pack. My butt hurt and the bus smelled like musty old leather mixed with very old secondary school locker. It also didn't make it totally enjoyable that the girls cactus legs were prickling me the whole time. She was sleeping so I didn't want to wake her. What would I have said? You should shave and please move over?
Anyways, we are told the bus ride will be 2 hours…so we think we are going to arrive in Krabi at 230. I closed my eyes for the first hour thinking that it could be worse, I could be at work. So I found myself pretty content there for the time being…tried to do as the Thais do in rush-hour traffic in Bangkok and meditate but I couldn't quiet my mind. I kept wondering how much longer until we arrive. Then the bus slows down and we pull over…I think were there and its just after 2 so I think, great we're early. But we are just making the first of many drop-offs and pick-ups of the Thai folk. (So its kinda like we were on a transit bus in a way) As we get on, I see a sign that says 115 K to Krabi and I am disappointed. Mike seemed irritated, but we are both just rollin with the adventure and 'fun' of it all and I keep thinking, it could be worse…I could be feeling major motion-sickness, which I kinda was a bit, but it was manageable. Next it starts to rain like mad. Like MAD! Full on madness of rain. We pass a really horrible accident on a bridge…a truck was completely smashed in on the front and there about 30 - 40 thai ppl sitting across the way watching the mess. Not long after a seat opens up and I snag it. Mike moves our bags up and stands beside me. Then, our so-called classy air-con bus begins to leak from the rain. It is awesome. Hehe…we all kinda laugh about it.
We didnt arrive in Krabi until 4. Our pick-up guy for Pine Bungalows couldn't have been happier to see us, since he'd been sitting there for and hour and a half. We hop into the back of his truck and then drive through Krabi Town. We're told itll be a 30 minute drive to Pine Bungalows. We do one more pick up on the way and its an American guy that lives on the Southern tip of the Baja in Mexico. He's really chatty and funny, but odd. Probably in his late 50's, he reminds me of some one famous but I cant place it…maybe Stephen King. But with blondish grey hair. We got to Pine Bungalow to find out that it was actually located waaaay further than we thought and what we were told. It was more like a 45 min drive and it was passed Railay Beach and Ao Nang…which are both further over than we were planning to staty. So here we are at Pine Bungalow located on Khlong Muang Beach. The tide is up and ppl are swimming, the restaurant is open and decent. Our bungalow works fine, except the toilet doesn't. No major amounts of creatures inside except a few geckos.
After dropping our bags we head straight to the restaurant for some food. Baja guy is already there with his shirt off drinking a beer. We order some really yummy fried noodles with veggies and enjoy a beer. The restaurant clears out except the staff, who all were related I think. Really friendly people that spoke pretty good English for Thais. I think we were still waiting for our food when I heard a lady announcer on the radio speaking in thai listing off Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi etc etc and then numbers in thai (my thai-english dictionary study back in the Winter paid off a bit) I walked over to the radio where the owner (the dad) and his two sons with matching mustashes were telling me to hush and they were listening intently to the ladies voice. I looked at Mike and told him to come over. I thought they were listing off temperatures at first, but then I was like 'there's no way they care that much about how hot its going to be'…then the owner guy, who reminds me a lot of the Wully Bully cartoon men from Chipmunk Adventure, says "I tell you a secret. But you no tell anyone else around." "Ok…what is it? Im hearing places and numbers." "Ya, it's a tsunami" He says this all smiley like its no big deal, but Mike and I were both totally bug-eyed. The numbers I was hearing were times that the tsunami would be hitting areas in Thailand. You guys back at home may or may not have heard about it, because it ended up being lifted in the end anyway, but there was a 6.7 earthquake off Sumatra…apparently the 5th one in/around that area in the last 5 days. Lovely.
So we promise not to tell the other guests because Wully Bully man tells me its ok and we don't have to worry. We are in a bay and Krabi area is safe. But all of Phuket and Khao Lak and Phi Phi were evacuating. Its 530 at this time and he tells us that when the waves come it will be 730.
The whole time Mike and I are kind of in shock thinking how insane the 2nd tsunami is coming to Thailand while we are visiting. Just hearing "a tsunami is coming" was the most eerie feeling we've had. We both weren't sure to trust Wully Bully and his sons, but as soon as they started sweeping away, playing cards and sippin drinks we figured we were fine. There was a big steep driveway to run up either way.
We walk to the beach to check it out…Baja guy is sitting with his drink in the hammock and says he had just gone to put his swimming trunks on and when he came back all the water was down and it was all rock now. This kinda freaked us out a bit. The water had literally disappeared in a matter of minutes. It was all just black rocks and boats stuck on top of them. A lady that works us tells everyone that its normal there that the tide goes out that fast, but Mike and I know differently and just kinda stare bewildered out at the calm ocean. There are huge dark clouds coming our way and we are told its going to storm. Yay. So we hunker down in the restaurant with all the other guests. Except Mike and I are a bit nervous wondering how far the water is going to come back up at 730.
So we sit and wait to see what will happen. We play backgammon…a very slow game of it because we are both distracted…we watch Wully Bully man sneak a few swigs of Jack behind the counter, we order some macaroni with cheese (which ended up being not macaroni noodles, but spaghetti, veggies WITH cheese in it…still good, but funny how the things on the menus here are differently interpreted) We then watch an English guy get Wully Bully to sit with him and they seem to be talking all hush hush and I know right away that he knows about the earthquake. It starts to thunder and rain and it's a brilliant storm out there…the kind we miss out on muchly in Vancouver. It was awesome except it was dark and we couldn't see the ocean anymore. We decide to check out the beach…just to see…and we find some of the staff out there…they tell us it wont be until 830 that the water will come in…but that it will be a small 1 meter that will come up and it will be fine. Then after talking to the English guy who had been with Wully Bully, he told us that it had been lifted completely. Hearing that felt reassuring obviously. We spent a bit of time talking to him about how he had been there for the last one in 2004 and he showed us how far up the water came up for Pine Bungalow. Then we talked with one of the owner's sons and he talks about his experience…and how long it took to clean up the beach afterwards.
We head to bed, but are first warned by Baja man that there is a huge black scorpion hanging out in the walk-way to our bungalow and to be careful. Luckily we didn't see it and we went to bed. I slept like a rock (what else is new?) and Mike said he had trouble staying asleep because of the frog and gecko noises. I also discovered that Mike can do two really good impressions. One of a frog…and the other of our really loud Air-Conditioner we had at Utopia.
The morning today was good. Another early start…we had toast with jam and butter for what feels like the millionth time. Saw a cat that looks like Nishka but skinnier…hopped into a truck with a bunch of others to the pier for Ko Lanta. At the pier area in Krabi, the building was probably the most official station we've seen since the train station in BKK. We sat and waited in the main waiting area. And then were moved to anther waiting area to wait some more. And then told to walk down the walk-way to the pier where we sat and waited even more!
The boat was a bit dodgy. It was rickety and old but it did the trick. There were a few moments where the stories I read about boats sinking in Thailand came to my mind and caused some mild paranoia…but it disappeared quickly as soon as I got into my book again. Which I must repeat, I love and am enjoying so much. (Tanis, you must borrow it when I get back!)
We get to Ko Lanta and our pick-up for Kantiang is there waiting. The drive is nice and I immediately like Ko Lanta. It is really long and the beaches are very pretty here. Our bungalow is a basic bamboo one at Kantiang Bay View Resort…the toilet is the first one that has no flush…and u get a pale of water with a scoop. Figure that one out people. Took us a bit. But were all good now. We have a hammock and the beach is nice…not as big as we thought…but good. The restaurant is outside under a gigantic tree and theres internet right here and a travel agency. The area is quiet in the way that there are not a lot of idiot ppl on motor-bikes or falling over drunk kids. Lots of families which feels different, but ok.
At the place we've already booked our boat to Ko Phi Phi (my most anticipated island) and were able to find and book accomdation at our 4th choice on the island as well. (After the thai girl called about 6 or 7 places and then would laugh and say "Every-ting Full-ing" super cute. So yep, happy and relieved to have somewhere to stay on Phi Phi. It's the most popular place in Thailand…probably due to the fact that the movie The Beach was filmed here…and mainly because I hear it is thee actual paradise on earth.
So we stay here on Kantiang for 4 nights…already liking. There's a cool bar called "Why Not?" and good music and the food smells awesome. Looking forward to sun-tanning tomorrow as we haven't really seen that much sun for 2 days until we arrived on Lanta this afternoon. Gotta catch up on our tans man! Mike laughs at me cause I feel like Im too white…even tho, I admit, Im not. Hehe.
Going to go eat now. Been on here again forever. For anyone reading this that has stuck it out to read the whole thing, good work! Oh and one more thing I need to share that some people might find amusing…it could just be me though, cause this kind of stuff always cracks me up.
The Thai's English is really cute. On menus its often totally off, or there's extra letters or they add 'ing' instead of something else. So here are a few things that Ive read that make me snicker a bit…
- French Fries = French Fried. (everywhere they print this and say this)
- Don't leave valuble stuffs on bus.
- (Pine Bungalow's mission statemate) We are mainly focusing on the friendly services to reacd the guest's satis factions because of our guests are the key factors in our success so the understanding with high quality of services to our guests are most important.
Until next time…
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