oppositesofthailand

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Thailand was like a breath of fresh air after India. After a chaotic flight out of Calcutta I arrived in Bangkok around 4pm then jumped on a bus to Koh San Road. A bus ride that was suppose to take 45 minutes ended up taking nearly 3 hours because the rain and traffic. Since the weather wasn't so good and I just wanted to relax after India, I went into a travel agent and booked the next bus out to Koh Tao an island on the east coast of Thailand. The bus drove overnight and arrived in Chumporn and then a 2 hour ferry took me into the island. I walked around looking for a place to stay and found a cute little bungalow near the beach. There was no A/C or hot water, but I was ok with just a nice bed. Koh Tao is a small island that was nice and quiet. Just what I needed. I walked around a bit and ended up making friends with the locals by playing some pool with them. They were the staff at the restaurant connected to the bungalows. They were very sweet and it was interesting to listen to their storied despite the language barriers. It's so interesting the people you meet when you are travelling. I met a guy from South Africa that was living in the jungle for two months catching bees for his dad's research.

The weather wasn't that great in Koh Tao as they were just approaching their monsoon season so I decided to start around other parts of southeast Asia and booked a ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam. The idiot that I am, I didn't realize that I needed a visa prior to entering the country. So I had to change my flight and headed back to Bangkok after just three days at the beach. I took the overnight bus again and arrived in Bangkok early enough to go to the Vietnamese embassy. Bangkok is crazy and so easy to spend your money. I stayed on Koh San Road that first two nights I was there and I think my guest house was next to the loudest bar on the street. The first night I got to listen to an Aussie couple fight about their love for each other. Supposedly Joe didn't think his girlfriend loved him enough and didn't want to be with him. It was ongoing for a few hours.

I did manage to check out a few sights while I was there like the Grand Palace which was beautiful. But to my luck my battery died just as I entered and I wasn't able to get any pictures. If you remember I dropped my camera down the cliff in India. And when the Indian boy when down to fetch it I didn't realize the battery dropped out when it fell. So the knock-off replacement I bought in Dharamsala turned out to be crap and only lasts about an hour. Such a pity since the Palace and temple were beautiful.

The following night I checked out the downtown area and it was great. I could definitely see myself living in Thailand. Thai people are great and so friendly and I I'm making it a point to make it back at the end of the trip. Travelling alone definitely pushes you to the limit on every aspect: physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. But it been a great test so far and an experience I will never forget. I'm in Vietnam right now and it's been amazing. There are some crazy stories to come. Hope everyone is well. I miss you all! Write more soon!

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Comments

[KJ]

thai it, you like it!
Wow, that's awesome Susan! Great sunset photo, I can't wait for the next round of stories and adventures, I'm so jealous!! Keep your head up and stay strong, these adventures will only make you stronger and more enlightened :) -kj