Formula 1 trip to Thailand

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I was down for breakfast at 7.30am. I was packed and ready for the off with plenty of time to spare. I had become bored of just having toast for breakfast, so before I ate I nipped to the seven-eleven to grab some supplies for the bus ride. I decided upon bags of mixed nuts and double stuffed Oreos for this trip to keep me full and stave off the sugar craving. I also spotted a tin of mild chilli tuna which I bought to make toasted tuna sandwiches with. Ok, so maybe tinned tuna for breakfast isn't the most appealing thing, but I missed the omelettes I'd got used to in India, and needed my protein fix. I sat and had my tuna toastie before getting my bags ready for my 8.30am pick up. No sooner had I dumped my bags on the side of the road and sat down to my second cup of coffee, the minibus pulled up outside the guesthouse; but isn't that always the way when you're ready and waiting! I necked my coffee and jumped aboard the bus to Krabi. The trip was going to take a minimum of eight hours as long as no-one on board had any problems at the boarder.

I joined five Newzealanders who had already been picked up before we headed out of Georgetown to the mainland. We went across the Penang bridge rather than the ferry this time and were on our way to the Thai boarder with the sun shining gloriously as we drove. The guys and girls on the minibus and I started to chat about the living conditions in Penang and I and one of the guys agreed it was nothing like the poverty of India. I hadn't actually thought that anywhere I'd been since leaving Mumbai was as bad as what I'd seen in India. I was glad that it had been my first port of call on this trip as it had prepared me well to accept that some of the places I would visit may make me feel uncomfortable.  

As we trundled up the highway, we passed the huge limestone outcrops in the land that we synonymous with Southeast Asia as well as acre after acre of palm and rubber tree plantations. The whole countryside, as far as the eye could see, was lush and green with no trace of drought. I wasn't sure if this meant that I was in for rain or it was all naturally lush. We stopped about an hour-and-a-half in at a funny little rest spot. None of us were sure if we were going to be making stops this regularly or not but as it turned out it was for filling out immigration cards ready for the crossing. Not long after we'd got back on the minibus we arrived at the boarder crossing at Selamat Datang. As with the trip from Singapore to Malaysia we had to be stamped out of Malaysia before being stamped into and approved for Thailand. Everyone was cleared for entry with ease and this boded well for the rest of the trip, or so we thought.

About another two hours in we pulled off the highway into a small town. We stopped outside a travel agents and were told, in the best pigeon English, that we would be changing minibus. Bemused we humped all of our stuff onto the pavement and into the travel agent. I was confused and asked the only person that spoke relatively good English why we were changing minibuses. I was told that our driver was returning to Penang and we'd be picked up in an hour by the next minibus. I hate not being told what's going on, so told her that I was being expected at 4.30pm for transfer to my hostel. As I discovered, lying is bad karma. We were picked up twenty minutes later only to be taken to another travel agent before returning to the first to pick up one more passenger losing the hour we would have waited for anyway. To top it off the six of us had gone from being relaxed in our first minibus made for fifteen to practically sitting on each others laps. The minibus was full and our bags had been lashed to the roof with a tarpaulin. It was hot, sweaty and uncomfortable and none of us were happy.

We grinned and bared it for the next four hours as we wound our way up to Krabi. Any time that we had lost in fannying about was soon made up by our driver who had clearly got confused between driving a minibus full of people and driving a raleigh car! I had got onto the minibus first and as such was squished onto the back row with three of the gang I'd started with. As he took the tight corners at vastly over the speed limit we were thrown from left to right. Each time we went over a bump in the road we were thrown into the air and the girls shrieked causing the driver to turn round and look.

At last Nigel Mansel pulled the minibus over outside the travel agents in Krabi. We all fell out of the bus kissing the ground as we did. Needless to say I thought my trials for the day were over, so I booked a taxi to take me to Ao Nang. I gave the travel agent the address, and the driver spoke no English, and was put into another minibus who would do the half hour journey to Ao Nang with me. Halfway there we pulled over and he shouted at a guy on the side of the road. He came over and in excellent English asked how I was and if he could organise any accommodation for me. I told him that the driver was taking me to the hostel I'd already booked and an exchange in Thai began. Eventually I was asked by the passerby for the address. Already pissed off for the nightmare minibus journey I told him to ask the driver if he had bot been given the directions by his boss before we left. How foolish of me, of course she hadn't! I showed the passerby and asked him to tell the driver that this is where he was taking me if he didn't want to go home with a f*#king black-eye. He didn't seem to understand my idle threat as within five minutes we were lost again and asking for directions. We eventually found the road the hostel was on and the driver signed to me asking which way to go...unbelievable. At last we reached Baan Taveesri and was greater by the owner Charlie. I shot the driver a look of death and headed inside.

Charlie was massively helpful, he gave me a map, told me where all the good restaurants were and how to get to Railey beach the next day as well as offering to help organise transport to Bangkok. He showed me to my room and left me to it. I was gobsmacked. I was in a room with a double bed, balcony, Tv and DVD player and wet-room bathroom. It was paradise. As I showered and got ready to head out for food I considered staying an extra night or two just to enjoy the comfort of the room. Sadly I realised that to get of of the country in my fifteen day visa limit (entry to the country by land means shorter visas) I'd have to leave on Tuesday.

I ventured out and grabbed some rather plain sticky rice with equally bland garlic and pepper chicken. It did the job and filled a hole; I thought I'd find proper food tomorrow. I headed to an internet cafe after dinner to Skype home and was so pleased to see Mum, Dad and Nan all sat there when the call connected. We waffled on for an hour about how I was and what I'd been up to and I remembered how much I missed them. As the old BT advert said 'Its good to talk'. I returned to the hostel and watched a DVD from Charlie's huge collection before falling fast asleep exhausted from the journey to Ao Nang.

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