We walk to a coffee shop and get on the Wifi. Jay looks for places to stay. Maybe we’re getting used to this because there’s no stress or tension this time. There’s a bunch of places to stay, but Jay, sweet girl that she is, picks one with a gym for me, despite the online reviews saying the rooms stink. Not stink in a “this place sucks” kind of way, but a literal bad aroma emanating from the room. We figured it was just uptight travelers.

I can’t help but notice a sculpture of a giant crab while Jay researches.

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This deserves it’s own post and header as it was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. The ferry itself was fine, but why does one dick always decide to watch Anime videos while everyone is trying to sleep? This is not a child, mind you, this is a grown ass man. I went on the deck a few times to watch the moonlit ocean wash beneath us and to take in the cool breeze. Unfortunately, my camera wasn’t able to capture a quality image of the moment.

Arriving on the dock in Surat Thani at 4:40am, we were told to go to the right because we were going to Krabi. We thought we’d be waiting an hour or so for a bus. Other people from the boat got led to the side, and others went in various pickup trucks/ taxis. After a few minutes, we were told to get on a pickup with a French couple. We were told we were going to the bus station.

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Ko Tao. It’s time to go.

There’s a skinny cement path that goes all along Soiree Beach to the pier. It’s littered with stores, resorts, people, dogs, motorcycles, scooters, and motorcycles with a side attached to carry supplies. It’s very annoying to walk down.

To get to Krabi, we have to take a ferry, then a bus. The ferry leaves at 9pm and we’re to get to Krabi at 8:30am. It sounds long, but at least places should be open when we arrive.

We walk along the path to the pier, trying to find the best price from a travel agency. Our packs weigh a ton. After traipsing all the way to the pier, the best price was actually kilometers away, close to the resort we stayed at. We had stopped there, but no one was working it seemed, and thus, moved on, thinking we’d find the equivalent price along the way. Nah. So we walked all the way back, discovered someone working there, bought our vouchers, then went all the way back to the pier to wait. For hours.

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We’re now in Krabi Town, which seems like the biggest town we’ve been in so far, other than Bangkok, which I don’t really count s we never left Khaosan Road. How we got here was a trip, let me tell you (I made a pun), but more on that later.

Ko Tao: Never have I seen more Englishmen and Germans in my life. It was like being on the front lines of World War II, if that war were fought topless and the goal was to be the first to obtain pancakes. Actually, that could lead to a fairly homoerotic war. (more…)

We haven’t noticed much of a culture shock here; either because we knew what we were getting into, or because, as Jay thinks, we hail from Toronto, which is very multicultural.

Safety be damned! – There are no lifeguards anywhere. There’s no warning signs. One could easily have a heart attack climbing up that monkey temple and there’s no one to save you. It’s common to see a family of four and a dog on a single scooter. Speaking of which…

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So we get off the ferry and we’re ditched pretty much right away by the Germans. Guess they had enough. Actually, Sabrina, Jay, and I start walking to find accommodations. It’s 4:40am. No streetlights. Inka and Robert stay behind to wait for the sun to come up.

We get a little lost, then part ways with Sabrina when we finally find the road we’re looking for.

What’s frustrating about a night ferry is that you arrive super early; like I said, 4:40 am. Nothing in Thailand seems to open until at least 8 am. So… we wait.

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So now I’m on a boat. Take a good hard look cuz I’m standing on a boat!

It’s just hitting me now that it had never occured to me that I’d be on a boat in Thailand. Actually, in a bed on a boat in Thailand.

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We’re at the train station waiting to leave Prachuap Khiri Khan, which kind of sucks, because I finally learned the name of the town. Yes, it’s taken this long for me to learn it. My parents always said I was special. We’re going to Chumphon for the night, then taking a ferry to Koh Tao.

Prachuap Khiri Khan is a small seaside town that has few tourists and seems to be pretty relaxed. The people seem very nice, especially the owner of the hotel we stayed at, De Boutique (stay there if you find yourself in this town!), even though it seems like some of the locals laugh at us for being Farangs (foreigner, but may have a slight disparaging term for it). For example, the day after we went to the beach, we climbed the equivalent of 34 flights of stairs (thanks Fitbit!) to a temple sanctuary or something like that. We went to a restaurant after and I feel the locals there were laughing because of how red and sweaty we were. Since I don’t understand Thai, I refuse to be insulted.

Also, Jay is awesome! (more…)

I’m on a train.

I really wish I could remember the rest of that quote from Inception.

We just left Bangkok, heading south to Prachuap Khiri Khan. It’s supposed to be an up and coming destination, meaning that some tourists found it, but not all of them. (more…)