Probably my earliest start of Thailand today, mostly because I set an alarm to make sure I wasn’t packing in a hurry.
The hostel had a very relaxed attitude to people hanging out after checkout, and a bag store, so I was able to spend a chunk of the day wandering around.
At a canal side place I spotted a couple of big … lizards? … swimming around. Not sure how good or clear the photos are though.
Much like in Vietnam, getting onto the bus was An Experience.
- Hostel folks say my bus is here, and point me out the door
- Only thing out there is a guy on a scooter, giving me flashbacks to Hanoi
- I follow scooter guy on foot down the alley & across the main road to a travel agency office
- A van drops off more people
- At some point it seems like they’re missing someone & have to collect them? A lady who seems annoyed sort of mentions walking times from local hostels
- We’re given handwritten form tickets
- A bus eventually shows up, but we’re not to get on yet
- We’re allowed to put our bags on, but not ourselves. I’m trying to keep my bag with me, and annoyed lady says it’s OK to do so
- We wait some more
- Annoyed lady shouts at us to board the bus
My seat is right at the back, along with three of the other folk from the group, so we have the whole back row. There’s enough room behind the seat to stash my bag, which is a relief; I don’t want to risk losing it in a moment of tired forgetfulness, so I’m hoping that having only one bag will help.
We’re told that we can’t move seats because the next stop is the bus station, where the Thai People will board. This eventually happens.
The seats recline pretty far, so that’s good, but we’re at the back on the upper floor, so it’s a bit lurching in city traffic.