Going where I’ve never been

We’ve entered Thailand for the fourth and final time after a wonderful, originally unplanned month in peninsular Malaysia. As you may remember, we began that month in a bit of a slump that came from general “nomad-fatigue” combined with increasingly mixed feelings about the impending return to the US.

I’m happy to say that the slump didn’t last, and that we departed Malaysia as reinvigorated, satisfied travellers. The big turnaround of course came with our discovery of Juara Beach (see below), and progressed with a stay at Taman Negara (a 130 million year old rainforest that, although not as memorable as Tioman due to the number of tourists and lack of visible monkeys, was still an awe-inspiring place) and peaked at the Cameron Highlands, a former colonial British hill station with chilly temperatures, endless tangles of lush forested hiking trails and no shortage of strawberry farms, tea plantations and the best Indian restaurant yet (we ate 10 of our 12 meals at the same table).

By the time that we made it full circle and arrived back in Penang, we were about as street-wise as it gets: we were buying Indian music, ordering “teh o ais” with confidence (leave out the “o” and your “iced tea” becomes a glass of condensed milk and sugar with a hint of tea), eating nasi lemak for breakfast, nasi campur for lunch and tandoori for dinner (tandoori’s don’t do lunch!), judging the time of day with the calls of the muezzin from the local mosque and shoveling sloppy piles of rice and curry into our mouths with our right hands.

Street-wise or not, yesterday was a reminder that there are always more lessons to be learned! We decided to “treat” ourselves and book a minibus straight from Penang to Krabi in Thailand, saving ourselves the hassle of a walk to the ferry, ferry to the bus station, bus to Hat Yai then another bus to Krabi. It would cost a few dollars more, but would be much quicker and, come on, we deserve to take the easy road sometimes!

We were told to be ready to go “before 8:00.” I ran at 5:45, we were eating masala tosai by 7 and waiting with our bags packed by 8. Around 8:50 the minibus pulled up and we climbed in before being taken around the island to pick up other passengers.

There are two way to get off of Penang: the ferry, which takes you directly to the bus station in Butterworth, and the bridge, located on the other side of the island. Being in a minibus, of course the plan was to take the bridge. Something happened (our driver’s explanation had too few English words in it to be decipherable) and traffic was horrendous; not stop-and-go, just stopped.

It was past 11:30 before we even got off of the island, the time that we’d expected to be making our way through immigration. Once we finally broke away onto open roads, our driver high-tailed it to Hat Yai, where one couple was dropped at the bus station for a connection while we were taken to the travel agent’s office.

The connecting minibus to Krabi had left at one; it was now 2:15. The girl at the desk told us “30 minute!” so we scampered off for a quick bowl of soup, our first bite since the light-ish 7 a.m. tosai. We made it back quickly, only to discover that 30 minutes actually meant an hour. We gritted our teeth and tried to laugh at how we used to be charmed by the laidback nature of the Thais, the lack of urgency with anything.

Eventually a tuktuk pulled up, and the girl gestured at it, saying “Krabi!” Surely there was no way we were taking a tuktuk; the long leg of the trip hadn’t even begun yet!

We piled in and were taken to a gas station, then to yet another bus station where we were quickly herded into a minibus blaring Thai pop music at ear-splitting levels. Once it was full we got to see the same gas station yet again, then were finally on the road. It was now the time that we’d expected to be arriving in Krabi.

We kept our sense of humor about it all pretty well, dreaming of the (affordable!) beer that we’d be buying upon arrival. After an hour on the road we’d relaxed, knowing it was the last leg…or was it?

There was a strange sound and we had a horrible thought – flat tire! That’ll take awhile! The driver pulled over, the assortment of passengers (including an old Chinese woman, a young couple with a newborn and two leopard-printed twenty-somethings straight out of a Phuket go-go bar) piled out and surveyed the damage. It wasn’t the tire, it was the fan blade, which had shattered, tearing a hole in a radiator hose. Awesome.

An hour later, our rescue minibus came and we were squeezed in with its original passengers. Finally, finally at nearly 9:00 we were dropped in Krabi town, too exhausted to even care about that beer anymore.

Lesson? The Krabi-Penang route is not our friend, in either direction. This supposedly single leg/7 hour journey was a 7-leg, 15 hour trip on the way down, a 4-leg, 13 hour trip on the way back. Someday, in our next life, when we traverse that route again, we will know to fly (or even walk)!

Today we are recovered and refreshed, ready to head to Khao Lak for our grand finale, a four day liveaboard diving trip to the Surin/Similan islands. After that we will go straight to Bangkok and depart Asia on March 4th.

Though there is plenty of apprehension and anxiety on both our parts about jobs/culture adjustment/what will we eat?, we’re eagerly anticipating  the reunions with family/friends, the thought of a clean bed, a bathroom that we don’t have to wear shoes into and, of course, the ability to get from point A to point B without going through ten points in between!

One thing that I’ve learned in Thailand is that no matter how long it may take or how haphazard the method may be, someone will always make sure that you get where you’re going!

A good example of this happened several weeks ago, as Gabe and I were trying to hail a taxi home from Sukhumvit. A persistent tuk-tuk driver kept trying to lure us in, claiming he would take us to Tao Pun (the major road near my place) for 70 baht, well below a cab fare. Although it seemed like it was a bit far for a tuk-tuk ride, he insisted that he knew Tao Pun (not always the case) and we decided to go.

Ten minutes later we were pulling into the driveway of Tao Pun Hotel – definitely not where we needed to be! Gabe and I started laughing, though I half expected that we would have to pay this guy then switch to a taxi. That wasn’t the case, however – it quickly dawned on our driver that we meant THE Tao Pun (white people don’t go there!) and he also laughed, saying “Tao Pun, 100 baht!” We agreed as it was still a good deal and soon we were being dropped off at our 7-eleven. There was no frustration, irritation or insistence that we pay since we hadn’t clarified our destination; he just found humor in the mistake and fixed it!

There were other great examples this past weekend. We had decided to go to Lopburi to see the monkeys and a few of my friends. We’d planned to catch an 8:30 train on Saturday morning, but a late night of drinking with the street vendors and the changing plans of my friends botched that idea. It was no problem, as the online railway schedule showed a 3^rd class train leaving Bangsue at 10:04. We jumped in a taxi and got to the station merely minutes before, wondering if we’d miss it again.

We DID miss it, but not by mere minutes…it had left at 9:40! Their train schedule wasn’t even remotely related to ours and it showed the next train leaving at 1:45. We were directed to the other station where there was a departure for Ayutthaya any second, which would at least get us halfway there. We ran and managed to get on, cramming into the aisle as the food vendors pushed past, calling out their prices.

It was a two hour trip and about halfway through a very nice guy gave up his bench for us. As we neared Ayutthaya we got up, ready to exit. We got off at what we believed to be the right stop, only to see a sign reading “Ban Phe”…luckily we made it back on, several Thais gesturing at us. At least five people asked where we were going and made sure we knew it was two more stops. At the next one, several others reminded us not to get off quite yet. Soon after, a conductor came by, indicating to me that Ayutthaya was next and not to miss it.

We got off and sat to wait an hour for the next train to Lopburi. While waiting, another conductor approached me and, assuming that we were headed to Bangkok, pointed out which platform we needed to be on. I told him that we were going to Lopburi and he apologized, revising his information. It wasn’t anything that I didn’t already know, but I certainly appreciated it!

We eventually got to Lopburi and spent a few hours getting attacked by crazy monkeys and catching up with some of my friends (see photos!). The last train was at 5:30, but Gabe and I decided to stop back in Ayutthaya to hang out with Michelle for a bit. It ended up being something of a pointless stop; we only managed to explore the night market and grab a snack before the storm rolled in. It wasn’t going to let up, so we decided to just go ahead and go back to the station to catch the 9:45 train.

We got to the station via shared songtaew, only to find out that the train was first-class and would cost 320 baht – unacceptable since it had only cost 13 baht to get there! Gabe suggested trying our luck with the buses, so we headed back into the rain to find a tuk-tuk. He went to inquire and was told “Buses finished, only trains now.” Meanwhile, I spoke to another old man who thought for a moment then said, eyes lighting up, “I know a bus! Only until 9:00, is far but I take you now. 100 baht!”

We figured that we had nothing to lose and took him up on the offer. We climbed into the back of his tuk-tuk, sheets of plastic hung around the outside to block the downpour. Halfway there, the tuk tuk stalled and didn’t start again. Our driver got out, pushed it out of the intersection, and motioned for us to wait. I assumed that 9:00 wouldn’t happen, and that we’d have to find someone else to take us back to the station and end up paying for the train anyways.

Lo and behold, the determined nature of the Thai transport professional did not fail us! A new tuk tuk pulled up across the street, our driver indicated that his engine was full of water and that his friend would take us to this mystery bus. He walked us across the street, waved at his friend, and sent us on our way!

Within ten minutes we pulled up next to a van with a few people standing around it, waiting on the side of the road. This was the ‘bus’ to Bangkok, so we paid our driver and were greeted by guys who were apparently waiting on us. These vans are known as minibuses and are basically a carpool service. They run a certain route, will pick up/drop off anyone along the way and don’t leave until they are full! We paid 40 baht (much more like it) and squeezed in.

We were in Bangkok within 45 minutes and pulled up to a huge transport center outside of a mall in Rangsit, on the outskirts of the city. This was apparently the final stop and although I luckily knew where we were (I have friends living in the area), it was still a hefty taxi ride to Bangsue.

The driver asked where we needed to go and after I told him he spoke with one of our fellow passengers. She indicated that we should follow her, so we shrugged and did so. This girl literally spent 30 minutes asking all sorts of bus drivers, minibus touts and random people how to get us to Bangsue. I knew that we could just stop a taxi, but she seemed determined and we kept following her through the hordes of people.

Eventually she explained in very broken English that she was waiting for Bus 29 – it could take us MoChit, where we could get on the subway to Bangsue. Was that okay? I said that of course it was okay, and asked if she was going to the same place, which would explain why she was spending so much time on us! She smiled and shook her head, said no, no, she lives in a different area. Soon Bus 29 pulled up and she led us over, reiterating that we could get the subway at MoChit. We thanked her and she disappeared – I was blown away at her generosity!

The bus was of the archaic, local variety and cost an entire 7 baht to ride. It was packed at first and neither of us were totally sure how we would know where to get off, since we had no concept of the route. Eventually the crowds thinned and we were able to sit; as soon as we had a view of street signs and landmarks, we recognized the area and actually managed to get off at exactly the right spot!

Finally, finally we got home! It was about 9 hours of travel for 3 hours of sightseeing, but thanks to the nonsensical (yet effective) networks of “transporters,” we ended up exactly where we needed to be.

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