Back to Bangkok We Go...

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Bangkok Bound:

We snook past and were one of the first onto the boat, today was definitely the hottest day we'd experienced here and we were gutted to be leaving. A group of Swedish lads came and joined us and we were soon back on the Chang with the tunes pumping! It seemed this boat ride wouldn't be so bad after all! A couple from London noticed our party and started chatting with us too. They had been travelling for two months and had done this journey before which made me feel lots better. They then went on to give us a warning, the coach journey was notorious for travellers being robbed. Someone climbs in with the luggage and goes through everyones bags, they had wrapped theirs up with masking tape on their last journey and when their bags were returned to them sure enough the tape had been removed and half heartedly put on again. Also, they had experienced peoples belongings been taken from them whilst they were asleep, and they had gone around drawing all the curtains so they could steal any belongings from the storage above their heads. OK, we were officially crapping ourselves. We had read about this before we had come but you always kind of think 'it wont happen to me'. We made an agreement with the couple and the swedes that we would carry on drinking, consume some monster red bull and stay awake through the entire 13 hour journey.

The boat trip was a ball (and we managed to drink all the Chang on board) before we knew it we'd docked and the bus was already there to take us to the terminal where the coach would pick us up. Unfortunately we were split from the Swedes who had booked their trip via a different company. 'The Terminal' of course was another shop with over priced food and drink, just another ploy for you to buy something. The couple from London let us borrow some of their tape and I drew a squiggly line where it over lapped so Id know if anybody had been in (not that it would make much difference as the Police are in on the scam too) just out of curiosity. We were given a different coloured sticker than the couple with the tape and had to go our separate ways. Another mini van came for small groups to taxi us to yet another terminal, at least this time the coach was here.

Eventually we boarded the coach, I waited to put the luggage in the under carriage whilst Paulie bombed it on to find us the best seats. Clever Paulie secured the seats with the most leg room. Unfortunately it was a standard coach with no tables and up right seats. It did however have air-con and a tv, one right at the front of the coach and a black and white one in the middle. When we set off we noticed that the air con was dripping, the guy behind us let out a shout when the bus drove down hill and he was literally drenched. They said it was tough and thats what happened when they went down hill. We drove for a couple of hours before stopping. Now, the couple from the boat trip had previously warned us that this would happen. The driver and his amigos stop at their friends restaurant and drive off giving them the opportunity to get who ever from out of the under carriage and of course all the passengers are likely to purchase the over priced food. This had happened to us in Turkey and when i'd confronted the driver he just brushed me off. I was getting very agitated and refused to sit in the restaurant.. eventually we gave up and bought a sandwich. A couple of hours later the Bus returned, the driver had told one of the other girls that had confronted him that the bus was 'broken' and they were sending another. We did the same as we had earlier and Paulie was first on to secure the best seats. The first thing I checked was if the plastic bag that the guy had secured where the air con had been leaking was still there... of course it was. It was the exact same bus. Also Paul had been concerned that the emergency door was literally just tied with a bit of string to his chair, that was also still the case. I settled down in the hope that there would be no more unwanted stops. They started to play Twilight on the television, then the television broke. I wanted to read but the electric wasnt working because of the dodgy air con. This was going to be a horribly long journey and I was desperate for some shut eye. I swallowed a sleeping tablet and the next thing I knew a worse for wear looking Paulie woke me to tell me we'd arrived at Bangkok. It was 5.45 am and it actually felt a little good to be back.

The streets of Bangkok where definitely different at this time. We found the Hotel pretty much straight away, slap bang in the middle of Khao San Road. They told us that we wouldnt be able to check in till 8 am. Poor Paulie hadnt got any sleep and just wanted to get his head down. Luckily everything in Bangkok is pretty much 24 hours. We went across the road to the Bar we'd attended on our first night in Bangkok and ordered some breakfast and a coffee. We then went across to the internet shop to kill an hour. As soon as the cleaner had done her job we were straight in the room. Not wanting to waste our last day, we were showered and back out again in the hope of finding a trip to the Floating Markets and the Tiger Temple. Unfortunately all the trips left at 7 am and a private taxi was well over what we had left to spend. Instead we went up to the roof top pool on our Hotel. It was lovely. So quiet and serene, we decided we'd spend our last day soaking up the sun and reading our books.

It was barely 10 am before two scousers came crashing in with a bottle of Sang Som, and it quickly became clear that the serene environment wouldnt remain serene. We spent the whole day laughing and the scouse guy with half a little finger missing tried to convince us to miss our flight. Hed been here for years and couldnt imagine ever having to go home he kept telling us. Diving was banned but that didnt stop us bombing and pratting around, it wasnt long before we were reported and the manager asked us to leave the pool area. It was almost 6pm and we needed to make ourselves sparse before being kicked out of the room also. Wed agreed to meet them at the bar across the way but the guy was busy being escorted out by security at the time.

We made it out and were absolutely starving. The guys were sat across the road in the bar as promised, and the lad seemed to have recovered from his hustle with security. Wanting to give the booze a rest as it was only a few hours til our flight we made our excuses and headed out for some food. Once full bellied we decided just for old times sake to have a walk over to the first hotel we stayed in when we arrived in Thailand. We found it no problem our instincts seemed to know the streets as well as we knew the streets back home. We snook past reception and out onto the small veranda at the back, again we sat in silence as the thought of leaving managed to creep back into our minds. I cried. And we walked back to hotel at Khao San Road hand in hand. I glanced over at the table where Scouse had been sitting and they werent there, but on the table opposite a recognised a face... and then another.. I couldnt believe it! I nodded my head towards the table at Paul who clearly thought I was developing some sort of twitch. I snook over by myself and leant in the middle of them both ''WELL LOOK WHO WE HAVE HERE!!'' I shouted. Ria shrieked and stood up to give me a hug, Martin turned to shake Paul's hand and we all sat down to say how crazy it was that in all the people in this massive city we managed to bump into each other once again. We stayed and had a couple bottles of water but the booze and the food was definitely kicking in. Again we said our goodbyes and made it back to the room once more to grab a couple hours kip before having to leave for the airport. Only an hour or so later we had to awake again - luckily we hadnt really unpacked and were ready to leave. We flagged a taxi with the usual argument of him putting the metre on - him claiming it was broke - raddie radda. I prayed and prayed for the taxi to break down. He stopped to buy one of the fresh flower necklaces I had seen plenty of women putting together in the street from a lady passing by ''Good luck Buddha'' he smiled at us, 'I wish Buddha would bring us some good luck and you broke down so we missed our flight' I thought. He tied the necklace around his mirror and we made it to the airport with plenty time to spare.

Adios Amigos xx

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