Friday, January 05, 2007
January 6th 2007 - Surin Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand
Well, Thailand is interesting. I tried all I could to find out the itinerary of how I was getting from Samui to Phuket but no one from the company I booked with could tell me. I left Samui Island yesterday and took the bus from Nathon Pier. This was taking us to the ferry pier. The ferry ride was really nice. I reflected that for someone who had worked out at sea and lived on two separate boats for a year and a half all these years ago, I really couldn't remember being on a boat since. I left the Nimrod III at the very end of December 1991 which was just about 15 years ago. But in thinking about it I remembered that there were in fact a good many small trips like the boat rides to Hinchinbrook island in 1993, the ride back from Rottnest Island a few years later. A few ferry trips in Sydney of course. But, I don't think Kayaking the swan river, or rafting down the Zambezi river counts however. It has been a while just the same and I really enjoyed the boat trip yesterday. It was just over an hour and a half. Then, we reembarked on the coach on route for Surat Thani. Up until then things were pretty good. I'd been told the trip would take about 5 hours so by the time we arrived in Surat Thani to change bus, it was 2:15pm and we'd been traveling almost four hours.
We were told the bus to Phuket wouldn't leave before 3:15pm and then I was told the trip to Phuket from there would take 4-4:30pm hours. The hardest thing in Thailand is that often time when you are asking questions, you are not understood. So, when I embarked for this next part of the trip, I and indeed we- every passenger in the bus- were continually in the dark about where we were and how far we were. We seemed to stop here and there to let people out and take more people in. I was supposed to do this part on a mini bus but I heard that the mini bus in question had crashed, hence we were packed in a coach and many people had to stand for the whole trip. In the end I arrived in Phuket town at 8:45pm.
I had to find a taxi to take me to Surin Beach and finally off loaded at 9:30pm which was about 12 hours after I left my accommodation that very morning. So, it was a bit of an adventure. A soft one really but one just the same. It was dark last night so I couldn't tell much about my surroundings but I could feel it was warmer yet here which is normal because I have traveled south from Samui. I marvel at the fact I have resisted looking at any guide books for Thailand. In fact when I booked my trip to Phuket I had the idea that Phuket lay north of Samui and that I would somehow be making my way to Bangkok slowly. So I was a bit surprised to see on the map the day before my departure that I was in fact traveling south.
Now that I'm here I wonder a bit what I'm doing here. I haven't seen enough to make that judgment of course but it all seems a far cry from what I would be interested in. It's more populated that Samui of course. People here do mostly wear helmets on scooters which was rarely done in Samui. Even I ditched the helmet a couple days in. And it seems more like a city. Just as Surat Thani did also. I hadn't seen cities or towns in Thailand yet. Just tiny settlements. So I guess Bangkok might be a shock.
As for my friend I have just met up with. It's nice to see him but I feel we have little in common and it would probably be a challenge to travel with him. So, still I'll give this a few days before I decide where I go next and book my flight out.
Bye for now
Well, Thailand is interesting. I tried all I could to find out the itinerary of how I was getting from Samui to Phuket but no one from the company I booked with could tell me. I left Samui Island yesterday and took the bus from Nathon Pier. This was taking us to the ferry pier. The ferry ride was really nice. I reflected that for someone who had worked out at sea and lived on two separate boats for a year and a half all these years ago, I really couldn't remember being on a boat since. I left the Nimrod III at the very end of December 1991 which was just about 15 years ago. But in thinking about it I remembered that there were in fact a good many small trips like the boat rides to Hinchinbrook island in 1993, the ride back from Rottnest Island a few years later. A few ferry trips in Sydney of course. But, I don't think Kayaking the swan river, or rafting down the Zambezi river counts however. It has been a while just the same and I really enjoyed the boat trip yesterday. It was just over an hour and a half. Then, we reembarked on the coach on route for Surat Thani. Up until then things were pretty good. I'd been told the trip would take about 5 hours so by the time we arrived in Surat Thani to change bus, it was 2:15pm and we'd been traveling almost four hours.
We were told the bus to Phuket wouldn't leave before 3:15pm and then I was told the trip to Phuket from there would take 4-4:30pm hours. The hardest thing in Thailand is that often time when you are asking questions, you are not understood. So, when I embarked for this next part of the trip, I and indeed we- every passenger in the bus- were continually in the dark about where we were and how far we were. We seemed to stop here and there to let people out and take more people in. I was supposed to do this part on a mini bus but I heard that the mini bus in question had crashed, hence we were packed in a coach and many people had to stand for the whole trip. In the end I arrived in Phuket town at 8:45pm.
I had to find a taxi to take me to Surin Beach and finally off loaded at 9:30pm which was about 12 hours after I left my accommodation that very morning. So, it was a bit of an adventure. A soft one really but one just the same. It was dark last night so I couldn't tell much about my surroundings but I could feel it was warmer yet here which is normal because I have traveled south from Samui. I marvel at the fact I have resisted looking at any guide books for Thailand. In fact when I booked my trip to Phuket I had the idea that Phuket lay north of Samui and that I would somehow be making my way to Bangkok slowly. So I was a bit surprised to see on the map the day before my departure that I was in fact traveling south.
Now that I'm here I wonder a bit what I'm doing here. I haven't seen enough to make that judgment of course but it all seems a far cry from what I would be interested in. It's more populated that Samui of course. People here do mostly wear helmets on scooters which was rarely done in Samui. Even I ditched the helmet a couple days in. And it seems more like a city. Just as Surat Thani did also. I hadn't seen cities or towns in Thailand yet. Just tiny settlements. So I guess Bangkok might be a shock.
As for my friend I have just met up with. It's nice to see him but I feel we have little in common and it would probably be a challenge to travel with him. So, still I'll give this a few days before I decide where I go next and book my flight out.
Bye for now
# posted by AdeC @ 11:03 PM 
