The train
The carriage
Last night I slept ok actually, the bed was comfy enough, the only downside was the 4 Russians who didn’t stop talking until around 1am. It wasn’t too bad though as I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, of course. It’s definitely worse when people are speaking in English and you either agree or disagree with what they’re saying but ultimately just want them to shut up! Like yesterday at lunch time, I was in this street café and these two guys chatting about different girls they had met and which ones they thought were ‘hot’ and why and ones they thought weren’t and how one guy couldn’t possible date someone taller than him because it didn’t make him feel manly! And I really just wanted them to shut up!
My seat before........
......and after!
Anyway that was in Bangkok and now I’m on the last leg of my journey to Phuket…….or at least I thought I was.
We left an hour late out of Bangkok so by my calculations we were then due an hour late in to Surat Thani at 8am. I was dozing on and off for the last couple of hours or so and kept looking at my watch to see when we were arriving then I suddenly awoke with a start to find it was 8.15am and I could only see one other person in the carriage!!! No Russians and no other backpackers! I don’t think I’ve ever got out of bed so quickly to try and find someone to ask! Fortunately we still had another hour to go….so we leave an hour late and arrive two hours late, I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Outside of the train station everything appeared to be working like clockwork, there were people shouting different destinations and directing us all to waiting buses. I got on the first bus that said it was headed for Phuket to find I was the first on so took the front seats upstairs. I don’t know, it all seemed a little too good to be true, there were only about 6 of us on this bus, I had what I thought was the best seat on board and we were leaving 5 minutes after the train had arrived.
Of course, it was too good to be true! After 45 minutes we pulled into what could be described as a holding station for tourists. Again we had to show our tickets and be given a sticker and told to wait. This place was totally run down and beat up. They sold a few drinks but I think really they have been used to getting more tourists through and now there just isn’t the people around at the moment.
An hour we waited for another bus……to take us back to Surat Thani it seems!! It’s lucky I’m trained to carry on smiling! ;-) Fortunately this time the bus didn’t go right into town just to another holding point where it was only me getting off but this time with a better place to get some rice and a drink.
By my original schedule I’m supposed to be in Phuket in an hour and a half! That is clearly not happening right now! The guy at the counter said the bus would be leaving around 12 – 12.30 for Phuket and it was now 11. L Time for lunch I guess. Over the next couple of hours more people arrived at the stop and finally at 1.30pm we all piled into the smallest, hottest mini van in history for the 4 hour ride! This clearly was not the travel experience I had paid for but beggars can’t be choosers I guess.
We stopped at a couple of places along the way to drop people and stuff and things off and finally we crossed the causeway onto Phuket around 5pm. I still had to get to Surin though which is where Amanda and Erin have booked a place and I think this is about an hour away from Phuket town! The plan was to get in around lunchtime and get a local bus out to the beach area but coming in at this time that’s really not going to be an option so after a little bit of haggling I manage to get the mini van driver to drop me at Surin on his way back out of Phuket.
Now I don’t doubt that Phuket is a really lovely place to be but so far getting there I’m really wondering if it’s worth it! Once on Phuket our driver stops yet again (!) at a travel agent where we all have to troop out of the van and tell them where we’re headed and where we’re staying, not because they’re terribly interested but just because that way if we have nothing sorted they can sell us somewhere they get commission from.
It’s almost 24 hours since I left Bangkok and although still very calm I am beginning to lose the will to live!
Our driver drops the others right in the middle of town and off we go again for what I really hope is the last part of my journey today.
26 hours after leaving Bangkok I finally arrive at the hotel. I loved travelling by train but the rest of the journey……next time you can keep it!
Amanda and Erin had been at the hotel since the afternoon so after a very quick shower we head out for dinner and a catch up on what we’d all been doing.
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