Final days in Thailand

After our time on Phi Phi Island, we took the ferry back to Phuket. We had one more night there and did some shopping the next day until we had to catch our bus to the train station so we could go back to Bangkok and fly back to Korea. It was going to be a lot of work, but traveling isn't easy.

So the ferry ride was good. We landed back on Phuket Island and we caught a mini bus back to the hostel where we stayed a couple days previous. That was an awesome hostel and anyone that goes to Patong Beach on Phuket I would recommend they stay here - Bodega Phuket.



Anyhoo, we couldn't spend any time on the beach because we spent most of the day shopping. We had to catch a city bus to the other side of the island so we could arrive at the main bus station so we could take the coach bus from Phuket to Surat Thani, where the train station was. We had tickets to catch the train from Surat Thani back to Bangkok. I thought it would be a fun experience and it was cheaper than a flight and we also didn't have to worry about accommodations for that night because we were going to be on the train.



On the coach bus, we met a girl from Ireland, a guy from Scotland and another guy from Denmark. The two from the UK were dating and we were all headed back to Bangkok. We already had our tickets because we bought them in advance and the three others didn't. They were just going to wing it and hope for available seats. Then my friend and I got nervous because maybe we wouldn't be on the same train. Luckily, when the three bought their tickets, we were all on the same train. So we had about one or two hours before the train arrived, so we went down the street to catch some dinner and a few beers. That's where the fun began.



We went to the platforms and found where our train would pick us up. We only had a while to wait, so we bought a few more beers. In all my experiences with Europeans, they have loved drinking...and I don't mind. Finally, the time was approaching where the train should be arriving. It was a little passed our scheduled time, but it was here. Then we asked one of the guys walking near the tracks to ask them if this was our train. He said, "oh no, yours is two more trains." We thought that that was crazy that the trains were so late. So we had more time to waste and more beer to drink.



I don't know if anyone has seen the Hostel movies, but this town and this train station had an eerie presence and it felt like someone could come up and murder you. It was very bizarre. We survived anyway and finally (two hours late) our train arrived.


(This is a photo of me lying down in the bed of the sleeper cabin..not too shabby)

Our new friends were in second class like us, but they had the seated cabin and we had the sleeper cabin. Ours also had air conditioning. I think most places in Thailand offered some type of air conditioning. I told them it was nice meeting them and we should try to meet up in the morning, but unfortunately, we never found them. They were fun.

We had another afternoon to spend in Bangkok because our flight didn't leave until 2am. That seemed forever and we were on a train for 12 hours and we were lugging around our bags so we didn't want to do much. We sent some postcards and tried to tour the Grand Palace, but we didn't have time. So instead, we booked tickets to this show called Siam Niramit. It's a theater show that explains Thai culture and heritage. They had tons of actors and extravagant scenes and it was just awesome. Also, on the outside of the entrance was this huge sign that read: "The stage of SIAM NIRAMIT is certified by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS as the highest in the world." It was pretty amazing. We couldn't take photos inside, but I can't explain how awesome it was. There was no dialogue, and really no speaking, it was just acting out. It was very easy to follow.



We decided to go to this show because it was in between the heart of Bangkok and the airport. So since the show was later in the evening, we were able to catch a cab to the airport and not have it be too expensive. Everything I experienced in this country was very unique and I think if I had a chance to go back to Thailand, I would experience everything all over again. It was a great 10 days.



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Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Our adventure continued when we decided to purchase a ferry ticket from Phuket Island to Koh Phi Phi. It's about an hour boat ride between the two islands and we were able to buy our tickets right from our hostel in Phuket. That's when I was saying the employees were so friendly. They would do anything.



We didn't have any hostels booked in advance. My friend thought that we shouldn't do that in case we didn't like one place, then we weren't forced to stay there. I would have rather booked a place in advance just to make sure, and because it was over the New Year break, so I knew there would be many people there. Either way, we didn't have a place to stay the first night.



Right as we arrived, we disembarked and looked at the information booths to see what kinds of rooms were still available. Not to my surprise, there were no more cheap ones available. We ran into this British couple and their boat arrived at 3pm (ours arrived at 6pm) and they came to us and asked if we had a room and told us they have been looking for three hours. This wasn't a good sign. At least there were other people in the same boat. There were two expensive room for 5000 Baht, which is like $170, which is very expensive - obviously. So we really had no other option but that, my friend and I took one and the Brits took one. The room was nice, but we also stayed in a Renaissance Hotel in Bangkok that was the same price, and that was much more luxurious. Whatever. It's fine. So we clung to the Brits because all Brits are awesome. There were many Brits just randomly traveling Southeast Asia. I was glad.



We did get free breakfast the next morning at the little restaurant next to our 'hotel.' It was very delicious: coffee, orange juice, eggs, garlic toast, deep-fried bananas, French toast, and fresh pineapple. EXCELLENT for being free.



After, we split from the Brits because my friend and I wanted to go to on a tour of some of the islands and to go snorkeling and see Maya Beach. If anyone has read The Beach or seen that movie, I think this was the beach that it was based off of. I have never seen it or read it, but apparently it's about the perfect beach were there are no tourist and it's a secret that nobody knows about. It seems very peaceful. But when we arrived, there were many tour boats full of tourists. Ironic.



Snorkeling was awesome. It was like being on the surface of a huge fish tank, but instead of looking in through the top or the side of the glass, you we looking at it like first person. I can't describe it. It was beautiful. Once I jumped in and got my goggles and breathing tube all settled, I looked under for the first time and it was amazing how close the fish swam to you. You could reach out and touch them. Some of them weren't too fast in moving out of the way, so it was eerie at the same time. Such a great experience.



That took up most of the day (until sunset) so we went back to our room and rested for a while. I don't remember where we ate dinner that night, but I don't think we met up with the Brits. But later, we must've randomly ran into them on the beach. There was a fire show that we stayed and watched for 20 minutes or something; we were just so tired from being in and out of the water and in the sun on the boat all day.



The next day we had a few hours to lie on the beach and soak up some rays before we had to catch or ferry back to Phuket. It was a great island to travel to. A little more expensive than Phuket, but overall I thought Thailand was fairly cheap. Lots of great islands and beaches in southern Thailand. I highly recommend it.

Day 2 & 3 Thailand - Phuket

Hello. After spending the first night in Bangkok, we woke up and spent the day on the river looking at the Temple of the Dawn and just hanging out. Then we had a flight from Bangkok to Phuket, an island in the southern peninsula. We already had some hostels booked, so we didn't have to worry about looking for them when we arrived. Although, we originally had round-trip overnight train ticket from Bangkok to Phuket, but right before we left, the train people informed me that there was no train available for the night, we that's why we booked a last minute flight. It worked out alright; the flight was at 11pm NEW YEAR'S EVE, so it took about 45 minutes and I was hoping to be on the beach by the time midnight came around, but unfortunately, we were in a mini bus from the airport in Phuket to our hostel. Lame.

So when we landed in Phuket, we ran to the information desk because originally we were planning on being on the overnight train, but because that fell through, we had to book a hostel last minute. It was, by far, the crappiest hostel I had ever stayed in. It was very cheap, but not worth it. The beds had no linen, I didn't even take a shower and there was no air conditioning. It was miserable. We were happy to leave the next morning.



So we checked out of our hostel in the morning and found a quiet place to eat breakfast. That was delicious. Eggs, toast and bacon. Just what I needed. Then we continued walking down the streets looking for the hostel we booked in advance. This was the nicest and cheapest hostel I have ever stayed in. Bodega Phuket. the staff was awesome and friendly and helped us out anyway way they could. I don't know if that's how all of Thailand worked, or just this hostel, but it was great.



We started exploring and walked toward the beach. The weather was perfect. We slept in a little late, but that was fine with me. Then once we got to the beach, we slept some more. We didn't get there early enough to get chair and umbrellas, so we just laid our towels on the sands of the beach. The beach wasn't as clean as I thought it would be, but then I realized the night before was New Year's Eve, so there was probably a little party the night before. We didn't end up doing anything. I told my friend that I at least wanted a beer or a rum and coke, so I made her come out to the bar the was closest to our hostel. It was OK.



After spending most of the day on the beach, we went for dinner. I ordered friend noodles with chicken at this little restaurant down an alley off the main street. It was delicious and CHEAP. It hit the spot after doing nothing on the beach all day. We didn't do much that night either because we were wither tired or just didn't feel like it. I wanted to, but was tired at the same time. Eh.



The following day was the same thing: lying on the beach and eating. I think we just went back to our hostel to eat. They had amazing food: smoothies, great breakfast and burgers! It has been a while since I've had a burger. So I ordered one. While we were eating, we met some other English speakers. It's a good thing we started talking to them because they invited us to go out with them. They had to catch a flight the next day, so they told us they weren't going to go crazy, but we were out nonetheless. We drank a few beers at a bar with a live band. No matter where I have traveled, it still amazes me how many people actually speak English. It makes me feel bad that most Americans don't learn a second language..but at the same time it's not really necessary for us to. I don't know, it's a personal fight with myself, even though I speak a second language. Sorry, I'm off on a tangent. So after we left the bar, we went to get a massage. I guess those are very common in Thailand. It seemed like every block, some Thai girls were asking if we wanted a massage. So we stopped and got one. It was foot massage, which I felt kind of bad because I hadn't cut my toe nails for a while, but she didn't seem to mind. I must admit, it wasn't as pleasurable or relieving as I thought it would be. It hurt the whole time. It lasted one hour and it cost 300 Baht (Thai currency). That is less than 10 USDollars. Not bad. After it was finished and I got up and walked, it honestly felt like I was walking on air. It was crazy.



That's about all that happened in Phuket. It was a great time and I would definitely want to go back.

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Bangkok, Thailand - Day 1

Hello Everyone. I have been very lazy in writing on my blog, but I just got back from Thailand four days ago, so I can write some more now. Boy, do I have some good stories.



First, we flew from Seoul to Bangkok and that went smoothly. The South African and I had to pick up our train tickets from the cargo terminal in the Bangkok airport, so all we had to do is take "shuttle A" from the passenger terminal to the cargo terminal. We were going to spend one night in Bangkok and the following day, then we had plans to go down to some islands and beaches in southern Thailand, so we wanted to experience the passenger train. I bought the tickets ahead of time on the internet. Because I booked late, there was no train ride from Bangkok to Phuket (and because it was New Year's Eve) so that wasn't available. But the return was available, so we decided to book a flight from Bangkok to Phuket and keep the train ride from Phuket back to Bangkok. So when we got to the desk to get our tickets, they weren't there. Typical. I had a very stern voice and simply said, "here is my e-receipt, it says confirmed booking and tickets issued, the money has been taken from my account, I want my tickets." They were nice enough to call the number on my e-receipt, so I talked to this woman that I have talked to before. I had to buy Skype credits and call Thailand because we were almost ready to leave the country and our train tickets weren't booked yet. So I was frustrated emailing back and forth, so I called this number via Skype. I talked to her and she told me to wait at the terminal and the tickets would be there in 50 minutes. I thought was impossible. Why would they be there in 50 minutes but not be there when they were supposed to be? When reserving the tickets, I had to include my flight number, the airlines I was flying and the time our plane landed. There is no reason the tickets weren't there. So we waited and in about 45 minutes, the woman at the desk came running to the front with our tickets. It was a miracle. I thought we would have had to pick them up the next day or just not get them. So everything worked out well.




Then, we were on our way to the hotel. We booked a Marriott because a friend of mine from college works there and she has a friend and family rate. I have used it before in the States when going to weddings in Eden Prairie and Rochester, so I knew all would be good. But when we arrived to the hotel, the manager said that this hotel didn't qualify for that discount. We were bummed, but after the hoopla at the airport and long day of traveling, we weren't going to put up a fuss. We were originally going to pay $35 each, but it doubled. It was supposed to be more, but the manager felt bad, so he didn't pay us the full price.



The next day we had to out of the hotel and carry our bags with us the whole day, so we wanted to do a bus tour of the city. They didn't really offer that, but they did have a boat ride where you could go on the river, visit a temple and boat through the canals. We decided on that one. It was a great choice because we could set our bags down and rest a while.



We went to the Wat Arun - Temple of the Dawn - which was awesome. You could climb the steep steps that led to the top. I saw the beautiful panoramic view of the Bangkok skyline. It was very difficult climbing with my heavy hiking pack. I made it anyway. After spending some time there, we continued with our tour guide and cruised through the canals. It was such a different feel seeing all those houses with their foundations just inches from the water. Even the big wooden power lines poles were led right down to the bottom of the water. It was crazy. I would imagine that that was what Venice is like, but Bangkok wasn't as "European" if you know what I mean.




After the long tour, we had to make our way back to the airport to catch our flight to Phuket. We heard from many people that there wasn't much to do in Bangkok, so the south African and I wanted to go to other beaches and islands. We had plans to be in Phuket for a few days, take a ferry to Koh Phi Phi for a few days, and catch the train in Surat Thani back to Bangkok. then we would have another full afternoon before we had to catch our flight from Bangkok back to Seoul. Lots of traveling, but all worth it. We took ever mode of transportation possible: plane, train, taxi, long boat, sky train, tuk tuk, ferry, city bus, coach bus, subway. It was a great adventure.

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