Back in Bangkok

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We didnt get up too early today, it was nice having a lie in after so long and after all the travelling. Rachael felt a lot better for getting some sleep and didnt have so many sinus pains. Because we were a little later getting up we headed onto Khoa San Road and grabed some food, by this time it was lunchtime. We then wandered up and down Khoa San road and did a bit of shopping. It was nice to be back somehwere familiar and to see so many westerners. We went to lots of tour agents trying to book our onward travel to the islands on the east coast of Thailand but all the ferrys were full so we opted to change our plan and head for Phuket. We booked the bus journey which was to leave that evening. We then headed to a pharmacy to get some decongestant tablets for Rachael, she opted for the drowsy ones as she thought this might help her sleep on the bus overnight!! After this we thought it would be a good idea to have a massage to relax us and increase the chances of us sleeping. We both opted for an oil massge as the thai massage was quite brutal last time and we were looking for something a bit gentler! After the full hour we both felt ready to sleep! We had our complementary tea and then headed back to our guest house to wait to be picked up to leave this evening. We were told we would be picked up at 6 from the guest house and then the coach would leave at 6.30. We werent picked up until 6.15, but there was worse to come. There were lots of people waiting to get the bus because the same bus took people going to the east islands and west islands. people who were going to the east islands then got a ferry and the people going to the west coast transfered into a different bus. We waited and waited and were given little information as to when they were expecting the bus etc. A bus finally turned up and they called forward groups of people, however this didnt include us. Once it had left the lady who was sorting everyone out came back to us and asked why there were so many of us waiting. It turned out that there were 8 people there who were meant to have got on the bus that had just left. However these people had asked if that bus was for the place they were going to and they were told no. One girl had booked to go the night before and the bus had been overbooked and if she had of gone she would have had to have sat in the isle so she had rebooked for tonight, only to have been told to wait when she should have got on the bus!! We all waited around and were frequently told the bus would be here in 5 minutes. These 5 minutes kept passing and passing and everyone was getting worried that no bus was actually going to come. Finally just after 8 our bus arrived and everyone still waiting got on. It was a pretty big coach, quite nice and although it wasnt a sleeper bus the chairs reclined quite far. We made a couple more stops until the bus was full and then set off on our journey.

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Comments

[R's Mum]

Travel arrangements seem very hit and miss. It's a wonder you get anywhere. I assume you're now in Phuket. Love Mum