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Motorbike through the jungle
Well, we were driving on the roads, but this is what it was like, plus many steep hills We've been in Ko Pha-Ngan since the 15th. We are finally experiencing the rainy season. Having a great time, but more on that later...
First, we must share our scam with readers in hopes that it saves someone else going through the same $#@! that we did...Apoligies for the negativity...I promise, its not long
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We booked our travel from Ko Lanta to Ko Pha-Ngan through a travel agent in Ko Lanta. This included two different mini-buses and a fast ferry.
The mini-buses--a mini-van with 12 people squeezed in, thank goodness for the a/c-- were fine, we had a lot of waiting to do...two different car ferries, dropped off to catch our second bus where we were told it would be 45 minutes late, then the driver stopped at another place and told us "30 minutes". We thought maybe we had more people coming, but no, he was just having a lunch break! Quite funny how things work here 😊 The whole day we pretty much just handed someone a piece of paper, they filled out another one for us, then sent us off with someone else. I kind of felt like an animal being herded somewhere.
Anyhow, we eventually make it to Surrathani, or rather, Crap-town, as we now call it. This is a small city that is a major travel hub--ferries to different islands, buses and trains all work out of here.
So we were dropped at a random travel office. We handed over our paper that said" 2 people ferry to Pha-Ngan". The woman tells us we'll leave at 6pm, arrive at 10pm on the slow ferry. We had thought we would be ARRIVING at 6pm. We say, no, that's not right, we paid for FAST ferry to arrive early. (note, we didn't have a room booked so we could not get in too late).
"No, this ticket not right. Only for slow." We were mad. A whole day of being poked and prodded and now she's telling us we aren't getting what we paid for? We thought that someone during the day, exchanging tickets had given us the wrong thing...scammed us.
"But you can pay 350Baht each and get ticket for fast ferry," she says, as she keeps apologizing to us about SOMEONE ELSE doing this to us.
Without any other choice, we pay the money, and we're taken in
another mini-bus to meet antoher mini-bus on some dodgy roadside. This last one took us to the ferry.
But wait, we had the scam all wrong...
Talking to people on our bus, a tourist who is somewhat of a local here tells us that the woman we dealt with is who ripped us off. She did the exact same thing to another couple with us. Turns out she is known all over SE Asia for her dirty deals, she even pays off police. She pretty much controls all bus/ferry travel in Surratthani. The local told us a few stories of others who paid much more than we did. But she just gets away with it.
Okay, so its not like 350 is that much money, but its the principal of the matter, and now we are VERY skeptical of everything from anyone.
Lesson learned: Check with several different people before paying the price, and be sure of separate prices on joint tickets so you can prove your prices in this situation.
TO ANYONE TRAVELLING THROUGH SURRATTHANI, PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF THIS AWFUL WOMAN!
On a positive note, this island is beautiful. Hills of
jungle and beaches all around, tucked in little bays, many only reachable by boat. We rented a motorbike to cruise around yesterday. We went to Hat Rin, the little village where the famous Full Moon parties are held monthly. Dead since the party was just last weekend, but a cool little place.
The few main roads are paved, but sometimes you'll be driving along and come to a huge hole and have to swerve to the other side--no signs or warnings. And the hills are very steep, some only dirt/gravel. It was quite an adventure, but Dan is a great driver so we had no problems. The only bummer was getting caught in a downpour on the way home that left us drenched! But rain makes the crazy drivers stay off the roads so I gave Dan my aviators and we cruised along singing "Cool Rider"...yep, we're dorks, but it was fun 😊
It rains every night, pounding our little bungalow, and even in the days, you can feel the winds change and pick up just before the huge showers hit. Today is gray and showery so we've been hanging out in the restaurant, lounging on big pillows,
I loved this spot!
Rain or shine, perfect for reading. Also rocking my new sarong :) eating bananas, and reading.
We're staying at Haad Son Resort, just south of Had Yao beach on the west side of the island. The tide is too low for swimming in the sea (pretty much around the whole island) but our swimming pool is wonderful. It sits up on the hill so you literally look out to sea while you swim. And our bungalow is on a hill with a fantasic view. And it's as cheap as chips. Every night we leave our windows of our thatched bungalow open so the sea breeze drifts in to keep us cool while we sleep under the big mosquito net. It's rustic but great.
We head to Ko Tao, a tiny island just north of here, tomorrow to meet up with the Kiwi couple we met in Phi Phi. We're debating whether to do a diving course or not (as in deep sea diving)...
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Carol
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Loving the blog
really enjoying the blogs.Feel we are travelling with you,but without the hassles.I guess this is making you more worldly wise,but hope you dont fall victim to any more scams.Go the cool riders!Take care of yourselves, Love and hugs Ma xoxo