Getting around South East Asia, especially Thailand, is usually very organized chaos...much like hearding cattle. You are escorted from one form of transportation onto another multiple times for many hours before reaching your destination. My trip from Langkawi Island, Malaysia to Koh Samui Island, Thailand was no different! At the hostel, I purchased a ticket that paid my way all the way from one to the other including tickets for: shuttle, ferry, tuk tuk, mini van, charter bus, and overnight ferry...all operated by different companies in two countries. I was told it would be a hassle free, very long journey...yeah right!
My first few modes of transport went off without a hitch, the shuttle was there bright and early at 6:30am to bring me to the port, where my ferry was waiting and delivered me to the mainland. After a short wait in the port, I was escorted and loaded up into a Tuk Tuk with some other foreign faces. One by one, the Tuk Tuk emptied out until I was the lone passenger and was eventually dumped at the "minivan station" which consisted of a couple of benches under an over hang and a older couple sitting at a desk checking tickets. I had yet to eat anything all day, and it was now around noon. When I asked the lovely couple where I could find somewhere to get some food, hoping to be pointed to the nearest 711, they pointed straight ahead to the lady selling fruit from her motorbike. Papaya and Pineapple would have to do.
After a couple of hours, we arrived in the Malaysian/Thailand border city of Hat Yai, which I had read numerous times isn't very safe for foreign travelers. I was supposed to be dropped off at the main Charter Bus terminal to catch my bus to the coast. I was very specific when ordering my ticket that the long leg of the land trip would be in a large charter bus. After 3 months of being crammed like a sardine into a minivan for trips that often turned into over night missions, I wanted the luxury of leg room on my last long journey. The driver looked at my ticket and apparently had no idea what he was supposed to do with me. After an attempt to drop me on the side of the road in the middle of this unfamiliar city and many shout-filled phone calls to the number on my ticket, he pulled into none other than an all mini-van station...the ban of my existence at that point!!
He was so ready to wipe is hands of the lone white girl that he basically pulled me out of the van, threw my bag on the ground, exchanged some shouts with some more angry minivan drivers and took off. I was left being stared and laughed at by groups of strangers, while constantly being told to "Sit here, Sit here, just one moment!" I can't even describe the frustration I felt in that moment. Finally, a man came out of nowhere, the other men shouted and pointed me in his direction, and there I was...having my bag loaded onto yet another minivan, while I persistently yelled about the "big bus!" I got a head shake and finger point from yet another angry Thai man and took my seat in the back for the 5 to 6 hour journey to the coast. (It's now about 4pm and all I have had to eat is pineapple and papaya that were both long gone by now).
Thankfully a British guy sitting in front of me dared to speak to the "high maintenance, bitchy American girl" (as he later admitted his first impression of me was). Mitul and Tom were on a 10 day holiday from their financial jobs back in London and were on their way from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui. We chatted most of the way, making the time go by much faster and they even shared some of their snacks since I had barely eaten anything all day! We were all expecting to take the 11pm overnight ferry from the coastal city of Suratthani to Koh Samui Island. Upon our arrival, we were dumped at a "Travel Agency" by the minivan driver. The boys went in and asked to purchase tickets for the ferry. The "agent" told them that the ferry wasn't going tonight. The weather had been too bad all day and the water was too rough...we hadn't seen a cloud in the sky. So I went in after Tom with my already purchased ticket and got told the same thing, and that they could arrange a hotel for us for the night (for a mere $30 a night) and we could catch the morning ferry.
I was too tired and beat up from the day to even think of other options. I was all ready to bunk up with the boys and catch the morning ferry. But thank goodness, Tom smelled a rat and decided to go ask around at some other agencies or stores. Sure enough, the port we were told was 15 km away with no boats was located about two blocks down with the 11pm ferry ready and waiting! The poor Czech couple that spoke very little english fell for the scam and got carted off in a Taxi to the hotel that was obviously giving kickbacks to the agent. Thank goodness I had met them, or I would have fallen for the scam in a second and been spending a very expensive night, by Thai standards, by myself, in a sketchy town!!
We still had about 2 hours before the ferry and thankfully the local entrepeneurs had figured out that "Plastic Chair Metal Table" establishments could be very profitable next to a late night ferry terminal. We sat down, had my first meal of the day, and enjoyed a handful of large Changs!!
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| Tom, Me, and Mitul enjoying much deserved Changs! |
We picked up a few extra Changs for the ride, boarded the boat, and set up shop on our mini mattresses layed out on the floor. We ended up meeting a really cool British couple who we had a good chat with until I let the craziness of the day take over and zonked out!
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| Our overnight ferry accommodations |
We were woken up about 6AM the next morning in Koh Samui...I made it one piece somehow!! Now I just had 24 hours to wait until Aunt Margie would make her arrival!!
