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Published: February 4th 2017
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This is more like it! Ao Nang Beach. What a terrible night of not much sleep. We are both finding it very hard to get over jet lag, so feeling a bit zombie like today. We got up at 4 and packed the last of our stuff, including the takeaway breakfast we'd asked for last night in the restaurant. Bless them, they kept asking questions to get right exactly what we wanted.
We went downstairs and the transport was waiting already at 4.30. Not a very nice guy, yawning loudly. Of course when we'd set off he tried to say 150,000, new road, blah blah (see last blog). We said no, the hotel, said 100,000, but I didn't want us to get kicked out at the side of the road so said we'd pay when we got there. And guess what? We were there in 15 minutes, not the 30/40/60 minutes that the hotel staff and the agents we asked in the street said. No new road, no massive detour. We got our bags out, wheels at the ready and I just handed him 100,000. He didn't try to argue. We were very surprised, not at the attempted deception, but that the hotel receptionists would try it on.
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Our packed breakfast It looked like they and all the agents around were all in cahoots! Will definitely put a review on TripAdvisor. Everyone else was so nice there, it left a bad taste. If it had been a better time of day we would have walked up to the main road and flagged a bluebird, or given uber a go.
We didn't actually know how the journey would go today. We had 2 flights with AirAsia but had to collect our bags in Singapore and check in again, but with 3 hours between flights there was plenty of time. We filled in an immigration card, handed it back when we went through to the airside again 20 minutes later. We got some Thai baht, using some small dollar notes that the local money changers really don't like and I got some Singapore dollars so we could have lunch. If the cash machines didn't work at Krabi airport at least we had money for our minibus fare! We played with the Pokemon and other children's items for a while.....
Lunch eaten at 11.30am, now smelling strongly of garlic we waited for our flight to Krabi.
On the plane we were
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Signage at Bali airport! given landing cards. They had a space for a visa number. Now due to the impulsive nature of our decision to come to Thailand I hadn't given a thought to the visa thing. Sam was here 2 years ago, didn't remember doing anything in advance like you have to for Vietnam. We thought that logically, with the huge number of tourists, surely we can just get a stamp on arrival. I found mine in my passport from 8 years ago. Sam was sure it would be OK, I didn't like not knowing. So we followed everyone else, got in the queue and a Danish family said EU members didn't need one. You are still members at the moment, right? Haha! Not laughing! Sam was right, we were stamped through, no problem. Right in front of arrivals, very clear, bus ticket counter. 150b to Ao Nang. Sam confused herself by getting out ringgits, colours and numbers didn't seem to look right. I had 6 different currencies in my wallet yesterday, grief! We have been in 6 countries in 6 days, which is hard to get your head round, albeit 2 were just flight transfers.
We came out of the airport
and there were all the minibuses, joined a group of farangs, said the name of our hotel and were off in minutes. How easy was that! It looked a bit dull, and just before we got to Ao Nang (40 mins) there was a deluge. The windscreen wipers could hardly clear it and we had to slow right down. It was a whiteout! We were expecting it today, the rest of the forecast looked good. The driver dropped people off on the way, getting as close as he could and using an umbrella so they didn't get wet. He was a star! It was light rain when we got to ours, J Hotel, up a little side street, didn't look too inspiring but matched the photos. They were expecting us but we had slightly confused the room issue by asking for 2 beds AND a high floor. Pok, the owner, wanted to give us the top floor as it has sea glimpses, but this had a kingsize. We said 2 beds was the priority so he took us up to the first floor, obviously a bit uncomfortable and expecting us to not like it. He was right, it smelled of
damp and the view from the pointless balcony was of the side of the building next door, 18 inches away. See photo! Also, quite a lot of mozzies. Luckily we are not too fussy, won't be in the room much so said OK. He came up later with 2 girls who separated the beds. They were most amused by us. Sweet!
We unpacked, put the mozzie machines in the electric sockets that actually worked (a few didn't), showered in the big bathroom, looks like a sports centre changing room. Unable to actually see outside, we checked the weather on our phones and it said 100% rain, so we put on our ponchos, went downstairs and it was bright sunshine! The staff thought this was highly hilarious. Took them off and left them in reception. Sam stayed here 2 years ago and so we walked down to the beach and she pointed out good places she'd eaten and drunk in. It as hot hot hot and sunny, people lying on the beach, just beautiful, so we were super happy we'd come and stopped adding up just how much our change of plan has cost us! We looked at prices for
our onward transfer, 350b each to Khao Lak. Lots of nationalities here, all ages, families too, a really nice vibe.
We walked on the beach, a bit of rubbish but nothing major, shells, beautiful limestone karst cliffs, just lovely. We sat in a beach bar, had a drink and watched the sunset, identified sunbeds for tomorrow walked back to eat in an Indian restaurant. They were very friendly (at first) and the food was great, but more like prices at home so a bit expensive. Then Sam went to the loo and slipped on the wet floor, went down like a sack of spuds, clothes all wet. Yelped, and the girl in the next cubicle thought she'd been accosted! The staff feigned concern, blamed the wet (didn't like to think what kind of wet....) floor on the rain and Sam said a free glass of wine would be acceptable. The waiter said he'd ask his manager. The bill came, charged for the glass of wine. Sam said this was not OK, but they wouldn't budge, said it would be taken out of their wages. She was not happy! There are tourists of all shapes, sizes and ages here. It
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Our phones said 100% chance of rain! could have been really serious. A different attitude to customer care!
Came home, light off at 8.30 as were were shattered from our early start and travelling, wide awake at 1.30am........
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