Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Once again, i'm not really on Ko Sichang as I write this but I was until last night so I figure I'll stick it on the old map!
Had a wonderful, chilled out and relaxing Christmas. We arrived off our overnight bus journey on the mainland at around 7am and very smoothly caught the first boat of Christmas day over to the island. With no trouble we jumped in a tuk tuk(on steroids thanks to the mountainous island!) and tried to communicate that we were looking for a camping ground, this however did not work and we were instead taken to the main beach area and driven straight up to a rather lovely bungalow overlooking the beach. No now not being ones to look karma in the mouth we had a look inside this bungalow to find it had the exact right amount of beds for the 8 of us who were spending Christmas together, and for a fiver a head we just couldn't complain!
The island itself is beautiful, very rugged and untamed with hardly any tourists around and a really nice relaxed pace!
With digs all sorted and xmas dinner already having been booked for 7pm that night there was very little to do other than grab our santa hats and bikinis and head the three steps down to the beach while we waited for the others to come join us!
A day of chilling out on the beach, a bit of snorkeling and swimming followed by a nice light lunch and some more lounging about and chatting with good company was a pretty perfect way to spend my first Christmas a long long way from home I think!
We gradually dragged ourselves up to the bungalow and got ready before having a few beers and making our way to the gorgeous restaurant where our turkey roast was waiting for us! The american guy who owns this place with his Thai wife has got it spot on, a great mix of western or Thai food and an awesome location by the beach mixed with nice decs and a bit of light jazzy christmas music had us going back there for breakfast the next day!
An evening spent on the porch listening to the waves break against the rocks and a good old natter was a perfecvt way to wrap up a lovely lovely evening!
Boxing day started very nicely with a similar pattern to xmas day and a nice waffle and juice at Pan and Davids. Unfortunately even with leaving plenty of time to get to bangkok, get on overnight bus that would get us back to the north east with time for an hours kip in a bed and a shower before school, we ran into a problem.
No one had told us that this week is a national holiday even though kids are still at school, our arrival at a very over crowded Mochit station in bangkok rang alarm bells and the unhelpful lady behind the desk saying
"full" to every suggestion of a bus going to ANY north east province over the next two days made me laugh out loud!
After many phone calls to teachers at our schools and phone passing to ticket sellers we were able to confirm that yes indeed, all buses going pretty much anywhere out of Bangkok were full for the next two days and given that no train lines run north east we were pretty much stranded in bangkok. Ayc were notified and told us to head to a hostel for the evening and they would get us a mini bus the next day and let our schools know the situation. We jump into a cab and get down to the koh sahn road, find a room available by some miracle (given the time of year), are about to book it when another member of AYC staff calls to tell us he has a friend who has managed to get us on a bus and to get to the station NOW!
Well to cut a long story short I got into SN at 10am this morning and grabbed a shower only missing two of my lessons. The bus journey was on a 4th class bus with no toilet and rather cramped but I dont think we can complain because it would appear that to get us on it they had put small stools down the isle and had people literally sitting for 10 hours in the isle! Being Farang of course we were given the best seats possible which was amazing but I couldnt help but feel bad for it too!
Anyway, whilst I'm greatful for them sorting us out a bus (ok I may have been a little pissed we didnt get that extra night off in the big smoke) AYC spent a lot of time confusing things this morning, seems like the left hand isnt talking to the right hand and by the time I got to school they had me convinced I'd commited an awful crime and that my school would shoot me on sight. (even though those of us who were stuck were stuck through pure accident and best of intent and never give them ANY trouble or haven't since we got here in october despite being given a rawer deal than a lot of the other interns) Of course I should have known better, when I arrived sports week weas in full swing, the teachers were just over joyed to see I was back so soon and no one is teaching anyway as the kids are either playing sports or cheering theyre classmates and here I am lesson 4 should be beginning for me and I'm writing this blog! hehe
Anyway its by no means ruined anything and at least I know i need to book my bus back from bangkok this week for New years!
Miss you all! Hope your Christmas' were wonderful! lots of love xxxxxx
- comments