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Published: January 23rd 2010
So we left Pangkor and begun a bit of an epic trek up into Thailand. The plan was to get to Hat Yai which is a sort of transit town via a sleeper train and then head to the island of Kho Phi Phi which is on the west coast. We said bye to our lovely hut thingy on Pangkor and got a taxi to the other side of the island then it was a 40 min boat back to the mainland port of Lumut. From there we got on a bus to Ipoh to wait for the train. We got to Ipoh pretty late and so with backpacks in tow we walked in what we hoped was the right way to the train station. Eventually we found it and were quite impressed when we did. Apparently its called the Little Taj Mahal and you can see the similarity. Its a massive brilliant white building that looks really out of place next to the usual small Thai houses and shops. We went inside and cooled down in the air conditioned hall for a bit. By this point it was about 6 ish and our train was not till 1 in the
morning so we decided to go and find something to eat. We had read that this side to town could get a bit quiet but it did get a bit creepy after a bit. We found refuge in a really lovely coffee shop and had probably some of the best coffee in the world. It was super strong and super sweet. We we both a bit buzzy after only one little cup so went next door to a little restaurant for something to eat. Andy managed to finally have Nasi Gurenge ( cant really spell it) its just chicken in really spicy sauce and rice with a fried egg on top. After another few coffees we headed back the train station to wait for our train.
The sleeper train was really good, we had two top bunks facing each other and once we got our backpacks up there and squashed them in a corner there was loads of room (well for me, Andy doesnt really fit in anywhere very well.) The train stopped about 8 hours into the journey at the Thai boarder. We we all woken up and told to take our passports to immigration. It was a
tense time as once we were all off the train it started to pull out of the station! Thankfully it reappeared on the other side of the office. We got our passports stamped out of Malaysia and moved around to the Thailand side where there the most amazing signs station that hippies would not be allowed into the country. It then went on to try and define hippies. It had things like, people with long untidy hair or people wearing silk pants, had to be wearing underwear etc. It was amazing.
After that we arrived in the town of Hat Yai. By this point i was not feeling too well, i think i made the mistake of having my malaria tablet on an empty stomach while lying down. Yep...mistake. So when we go there all I wanted to do was lie down and be not well so we checked into a hotel near the station. After about 2 hours i felt better so Andy was not best pleased! Oh well, we were both shattered anyway. We also found out that if you cross into Thailand by train/bus and not air then you can only stay 15 days and
not 30 days like we thought. This put our Kho Phi Phi plan out the window as we wanted to do Phi Phi and also go to Kho Tao so Andy could learn to dive. We decided to head straight to Kho Tao and do everything else on the way back down after we had flown back from Burma.
So that is where we are now...not Kho Tao, but on the coast a town called Surat, waiting for out boat to Kho Tao to depart (in 4 hours). Sets off at 11 at night and gets there at 7 in the morning. I'm planning to sleep the whole way.
Oh and I have a massive spot on the end of my nose....not happy.
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Gill & Kath
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Fab Blog
Just caught up on what you've been up to, sounds fantastic, but not so keen on some of the wildlife you've met! Haggis night party at the Callows tonight, got our secret pressies ready for the free for all! Looking forward to reading the next chapter...enjoy and be safe xx