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Published: January 31st 2011
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street vendor
outside the salon Boy are we glad to be getting out of Bangkok.
First order of business was checking out at 11:30. After that we left our bags at the travel office before heading to the hair salon. We had a few hours until 15:30 when the palace was supposed to open, so I got a falafel on the street and Ronald got a baguette with butter and jam from The Macaroni Club and we headed off.
We were at that salon for three whole hours and they had to dye it two times because the first time it turned out blue with yellow underneath and so this time it is now a sort of greenish blue. He paid half and we left to go to the Grand Palace. We started walking and a few minutes later were told that the palace was closed! So we kept walking thinking maybe that guy was wrong and that maybe we could still get a picture or something. We were very wrong and it was all closed and guarded. Boo. The one sight to see in Bangkok and we missed it! Oh well. Apparently it
closes at 15:30 on Sundays.
We didn't really do
much until our bus and waited for about 15 minutes in the travel agency before walking to another street where we waited for almost an hour. The bus left a little after 21:00 and was packed full. Uneventful, really, apart from the horrible Thai woman seated in front. She took up two seats and all of the extra space in front where you can put bags. Ronald tried to put his backpack next to her back and she freaked out and started yelling "No!". After this we picked up another group of people and an old Thai man with a cane came up and asked about her empty seat and she told him she'd bought two. So he left his bag next to hers (where Ronald tried to put his backpack) and she said not a word but kept yakking away on her cell phone. She denied a few people the seat next to her and kept pointing behind her where a mom was sitting with her toddler. Eventually she moved over and the boy sat next to her and the father.
We had one stop for 30 minutes at 1:20 in the morning and got to the dock
no idea what else
he gives it to you in a bag with lettuce at 4:20. We had to wait around doing nothing until 7 am when the boat was scheduled to leave. We all got on and sort of settled in but that was pretty much the worst 3+ hours of my life. Sleep-deprived and being in a boat being pounded and rocked by
huge waves is not a good combination. Let's just say I was not the only one to get sick several times during the journey.
While we were waiting for the boat on the mainland we were given a free map, so when we got off the boat we started walking to a larger road with more things on it. We stopped at Cappuccino, a French restaurant, and staked out housing opportunities. We ended up in the Phon Somboon Guesthouse and now I'm going to sleep! Cute little island so far!
Technical Details * so far in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, both of us (one from Chile, one from the US) have been able to plug things in to their outlets without adapters as most outlets support various types (but not the slanted ones from...the UK maybe?)
* Khao San Road falafel = 70 baht
* large water from 7-Eleven = 13 baht
* small water in most restaurants = 20 baht
* you can rent bikes in the park next to the Grand Palace -- wish we'd done that!
* the bathroom cost 5 baht at the dock
* Phon Somboon GH: 350 - private bathroom, double, wifi, refrigerator, toilet paper, towels, small balcony
* N.O. GH: 500 was what I was told but he lowered it to 400 if we were staying for 4 days
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