After spending a few days in Bangkok I decided on a "mini vacation" to Ao Nang, an infamous pandoraesque beach town in southern Thailand.
First was the transport. I easily booked a bus on 12go Asia and took the wildest sequence of taxis to get to the bus station(Sai Tai Mai).
From getting scammed in Lima to people changing the prices mid-ride, we all know how much I dislike taxis. Alas, in Bangkok they are crucial if you want to make quick stops around the city. For context, there are two types of Taxis: Metered and regular. In the latter, you give them your destination and they immediately quote you an outrageous(but negotiable) price like 500THB for 10km. Taxi meters on the other hand simply charge a set rate of 6-8THB per km. Okay, now onto the trip.
The general layout was like this:
First hostel to the bus station, then the minibus to the market and back, and finally taking the overnight bus to Ao Nang.
The first taxi leaving the hostel, who I'll call Joe, was a very lively character that knew the streets like the back of his hand. I hailed his cab down and asked for a quote to the station and he started at nearly 300THB(almost double the normal fare)! I insisted on the meter and he immediately went down to 250. I was like Joe, amigo, can we please do the meter? You have a meter taxi after all. Finally, Joe and I embarked on the short drive to the station and I hopped in the van to Maeklong(post coming soon).
note: "Hop" is also an oversimplification. There was about an hour of waiting in the wrong line, the driver searching for missing passengers, and a large case of beer blocking the sliding door. It was fun.
Second, the taxi going back to the bus station. It quickly became clear that the guy did not know this part of the city well. I asked for the bus station(aka Sai Tai Mai), pointed to my phone's map, and then he gave me a thumbs up that read, "Hop in, let's go". I get in the car, and he asks me which direction to drive in. I showed him the station on Google Maps again, and he said, "Ohh Sai Tai Mai, bus station? Ok." Skeptical, I start the navigation on my phone and hand it to him so we don't get lost. All is well for about 10 minutes, but then he says, "Ahhh missed the exit". After an 8-kilometer detour, we arrive, and I end up just paying the flat rate for the original distance.
At the bus station, I got a delicious beef noodle soup and some 7-11 onigiri for the road.
Soup. Colorized. Thailand 2023.
After some waiting, the bus arrived, and everyone lined up to board. I got a front seat on the first floor, and I kid you not, my feet and legs could not fit the dimensions of the footwell, so I did some modest sprawling into the aisle.
Um, which bus am I getting on again?
We drove for a few hours and eventually stopped for a meal at a place that reminded me of the roadside dhabas in India. Out of curiosity, I looked at the map while I ate to see where we were getting dropped off in Ao Nang.
Krabi region, Bus 11223...good
Krabi town...good
Krabi airport bus stop...WAIT WHAT
What happened to Ao Nang? I was not going to the right place. Frantically, I looked at the map and found I was getting dropped off a mere 5-hour walk from my intended destination. Damn.
Note to self: Don't buy bus tickets at 2 in the morning.
I thought about making the walk and perhaps asking to be dropped off earlier and hailing a cab, but no dice. We were in the middle of the Thai countryside, and the bus stop was my best bet for finding transportation. With some digging, I found this godsend business "Buddy Rent a Bike", which was for some reason open at 3 a.m. and happy to meet me at the station with a 150cc motorcycle when I arrived. This detour just got a whole lot better.
We arrive, and I wait 5 minutes before I see a dude pull around on the most glorious red bike I had ever seen. Disclaimer: Winter has seen better things but was just excited about the bike
I paid the deposit/ rental fee, sent him my info, and before I knew it I was off zooming down the highway...with a helmet!! For only $9 a day, this was a steal.
I finally got to Ao Nang(via my new motorbike) and booked a last-minute hotel for just $7 a night.
On the beach
Oh yeah, and there were monkeys but more on that later. Here's a sneak peek at one of the cheeky little buggers.
A monkey.
P.S. I made a Patreon. Subscribe for early access to posts, video announcements, and more!
Comentarios