Bangkok to Singapore in 7ish days; another update from the present

**ANOTHER NON CHRONOLOGICAL  UPDATE**

Let me sincerely apologize to my loyal readers who must be beginning to doubt my commitment and professionalism when it comes to this blog. It has been a wild time since Liebler left me, meeting people and seeing Bangkok, while also trying to get a job, which has been difficult to juggle. I promise that future posts will be more frequent, even if they have to be a bit shorter, in order to satiate your voracious blogatite (see what I did there?).

So I have spent the last week traveling down to Singapore with my new Welsh friend, Owen. The trip was an extended version of a very necessary border run in order to renew my travel visa, as to not be deported from the country I hope to be semi-permanently living in soon. At this moment I am grateful to be sitting in the Singapore Airport, waiting to return to Bangkok, and I have decided to post first about the trip I’ve nearly completed, then return to the exploits of myself and the Brave Sir Liebler of Nashington.  This is a long one folks, I recommend taking a break or two in the middle, grab yourself a snack or something.

So let us return to a time that seems distant history, a time of mystical magic and excitement, where everything can change in an instant, and nothing is what it seems: March 1, 2011.

I woke up last Tuesday morning and found my friend Owen waiting for me in the lobby of my hostel. Owen had just returned from a short trip to Laos with some friends, and had booked a flight back home from Singapore on March 9^th. We’d discussed this fact a few days previous, and decided it would be a blasty if we did the trip together, since I needed to leave the country by the 9^th anyway, and if I returned by air (as opposed to land) I would get another 30 days on my visa (as opposed to 15). So our plan was as follows:

1^st- begin in Bangkok, spend the night on an overnight bus to Krabi, in the SW of Thailand

2^nd- take morning ferry to Koh Phi Phi, spend next two nights on Koh Phi Phi

3^rd- Rock Koh Phi Phi
4^th- ferry back to Krabi, bus to Surat Thani, ferry to Koh Pha Ngan for the Black Moon Party

5^th- day on Koh Pha Ngan, ferry back to Surat Thani for overnight bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

6^th- Rock Kuala Lumpur, spend night.

7^th- Day in KL, overnight bus to Singapore

8^th- Rock Singapore, spend night.

9^th- Fly back to Bangkok/London, respectively.

This was the general outline we came up with, and were pretty happy with the number of places we were going to get to see in a mere week’s time.  So in the afternoon we braved the Bangkok traffic by taxi, and arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare before our bus ride, excited to get our journey underway.

Now I’m sure at least a few of you have had the good fortune to enjoy the opportunity of taking an overnight bus trip, be it for an extracurricular activity or simply budget travel. Those few of you will be able to relate to the torments of such a ride: tossing and turning trying to get comfortable, attempting to shield yourself from the bitter cold of blasting A/C, waking up sweating because the A/C has for some reason gone off, jockeying for space with the person sitting next to you, etc., repeat for 6-8 hours. Not great. But convenient when you have to pay for both transport and lodging yourself, and prefer to pay for both at once. Gotta work the budget ya’ll.

So we arrive in Krabi, an incredibly picturesque place in its own right, and sit down with a bus station travel agent, and organize ferry tickets to and from Phi Phi Island, a bus from Krabi to Surat Thani (on the west coast of the thin strip of Southern Thailand) and ferry to Pha Ngan Island. Probably overpriced, but we had transport figured out for the next few days at least.

So we head out on the ferry to Koh Phi Phi, the legendary backpacker island mecca where the movie The Beach was filmed, and as we near our destination, the scenery just gets better and better:

So we embark, pay the 20 Baht entry fee, since the island is also a National Park (I think? Maybe they just charge you for entering paradise) and head to the bungalow we were staying in. We’d booked a room before we left Bangkok, just to be sure we didn’t get to the island and find that there was no vacancy in any of the “affordable” places. I use quotations because, just like in the states, isolated touristic areas are inevitably overpriced (see: any theme park or ski resort you’ve ever been to). So the bungalow we stayed in was pretty awful… but in all our searching, we found nothing better for even close to the same price, so we just stayed, comforted by the fact that the only time we’d have to spend there was while we slept.

If you get to come to Thailand, and make it to the islands, and are younger than 35, DO NOT skip Koh Phi Phi. It is amazing. The scenery is unbelievable, the water is clear and warm, and the beach parties are outrageous. Phi Phi is a tiny island, with two big bays in the middle of the island, (one on the north and one on the south)and the main town cradled between the two. Owen and I spent the day at the beach, soaking up (a bit too much) sun and scoping out the place and what it had to offer. As the sun went down Owen and I headed back to the room to shower and change, and headed back to town around 8 to get some food and begin the crazy night we had ahead of us.

 **DISCLAIMER** any and all descriptions of activities that take place on Koh Phi Phi may or may not have been participated in by myself or Owen; this is merely a factual account of what goes on (mom, dad, grandma)** The big thing is buckets; this is what most people are drinking down on the islands, at least as some point during the night. They are what they sound like: buckets full of ice, liquor, juice/soda, and usually a Red Bull or two. An example of an enormous bucket:

Every night is a party down on the beach. Each bar has its own dance floor set up on the sand, and the Fire Shows start at 10. Those are also what they sound like: dudes with sticks or balls on strings, lit on fire and spun about in an exciting manner. Pretty cools stuff, but fairly safe. Safety is essentially abandoned when the Fire Games start: jump ropes, limbo/high-jump poles, large hoops, all aflame, fueled by good old-fashioned petrol, for party-goers to jump over, limbo under, or dive through. I only singed the ass of 1 pair of shorts…

So the partying went late in to the night, and although Owen and I got split up around 1, we both made it back to the bungalow safe and sound. The next day was more of the same: Beach, sun, water, paradise. In the late afternoon, we took a short hike up to a view point that overlooked the island, but even better than the view was what we saw on the way back down the hill:

Monkeys! Finally! I’d been in Thailand for nearly a month, and was yet to see a monkey, and was frankly beginning to lose hope, when we happened across this bro and his pals in the trees right next to the road. I know Liebler will be green with envy.

When we got back to the room I was met with the first truly bad news of my trip so far: My debit card was nowhere to be found. I had used it to get money from the ATM that morning, and at some point throughout the day it had fallen out of my pocket. Major bummer. We hadn’t gone many places that day, so we went back to every place we’d been, searched the ground, and questioned any person we could find who might have seen it or had it turned in to them. Nothing. So with the search returning no good news, I had the card cancelled and figured out what I would do moving forward. I had my parents wire me some money, which I planned to pick up on the next island the following day. Not a full on catastrophe, but incredibly inconvenient. My card, after many great years together, was officially dead. So it goes.

We decided to make it a quiet evening, as we were still a bit tired from the night before. A couple beers at a bar in town, an early night, some good rest, and an early rise in the morning to make it to the ferry with time to spare.

Didn’t happen. Buckets have a way of telling you how your night will go. I will withhold all the details for another time and place, but it was a fun time had by all.

The following morning when I woke up, Owen was nowhere to be found. I assumed he’d gone home with a friend/girl, but was a bit worried because I hadn’t gotten a text or call from him, it was 8:45, and our ferry was leaving in less than 2 hours. I went down to the beach, half hoping to find him sleeping on the shore somewhere, but no luck. All I could do was go back to our place and wait, worrying that we’d miss our ferry and bus, which would suck since we’d already paid for both. But Owen showed up at 9:30, having spent the night with some new friends who were staying closer to the beach, too tired to make the trek up the hill to where we were staying. We packed quickly, rushed to the pier, and were on to our next island paradise: Koh Pha Ngan.
We slept on the ferry, suffered through the barely air-conditioned 4 hour bus ride, and endured another 2.5 hour ferry, before we finally landed on Pha Ngan Island:

Yeah, that’s a full rainbow, ending at the pier. Coincidence? You decide.

We had a few reasons for coming to this island:

1.       I’ve been told by many people that it is their favorite island in the south of Thailand

2.       We had some friends from England that we met at the hostel in Bangkok that were there at the time as well and

3.       The island is famous for its “Full Moon Party,” held every month. This party was 2 weeks ago… however, I’ve heard its over crowed and over drugged, and the Black Moon Party is actually much cooler. The Black Moon took place on the 4^th this month. Couldn’t pass it up.

We met our friends, Charlotte and Phoebe, and they had booked a night for us in the bungalow right next to theirs, which was truly considerate and appreciated. We went and got dinner, caught up on each other’s exploits, and got ready for the party.

The Black Moon Culture as it’s called, takes place on Baan Tai beach, about a mile or two up the coast from Haad Rin, which was the beach where we stayed. So that night we got a cab down to Baan Tai to join the party, and on the way found out that the cost to get in to the party was 500 Baht, about $16. A $16 cover charge sounds ridiculous, and in Thailand it sounds downright extortionate. I was against it simply on principal if nothing else, but the party was a huge part of why we came in the first place, and the girls really wanted to go, so we pulled some financial strings and enjoyed the party. I’d say we got our money’s worth, and things escalated quickly:

We partied late into the night once more, met some cool people and enjoyed a new experience. It was an overall success, despite the price tag.

We had decided shortly after getting settled in that we were not going to be up to another day of travel on the 5^th, so we decided to ax Kuala Lumpur from our itinerary and stay on the island a couple more nights instead. Sorry KL, maybe some other time things will work out between us. That morning I found a Western Union about a block away from our bungalows, got the money my parents sent, repaid my debts to my friends, and was feeling good about life. We spent the day relaxing on the beach, which was easily the nicest beach I’ve ever been to. Like Phi Phi, the scenery was amazing and the water was the perfect temperature, but unlike Phi Phi, the beach was spotless and long, and the water was actually deep enough to swim in, with waves big enough to body surf. I’ve already thrown around the word paradise, so I’m not afraid to do it again, and the beach at Haad Rin on Koh Pha Ngan really is paradise. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of the beach proper because we spent all the good sunlight hours we were awake for down at the beach, and I had learned my lesson about bringing valuable things down to the beach… but look it up on google images and you’ll get a good idea.

The beach parties on Haad Rin were even more fun than those on Phi Phi, because not only did they have the fire shows and (cheaper) buckets, but they also had games like basketball  shots, musical chairs, balloon stomping, and tug of war, where the prizes were… you guessed it: alcohol! So if you were skilled enough you didn’t even have to buy drinks, you could easily just win all the alcohol you could ever need. Tons of fun for all, and another late, awesome night.

It was more of the same the 3^rd day/night, hanging out on the beach making fun of each other’s accents, and later a chance to watch Liverpool beat up on Man U live, which was a real treat. We said we wouldn’t drink the last night though, given that the following morning Owen and I had to be up to catch a cab to the pier at 6. This time we actually did follow through on the quiet night, said our goodbyes to Charlotte and Phoebe, and got a tidy 5 hours of sleep before the megatrip we were undertaking the next morning.

Because we removed the stop in KL, we had to travel straight from the Island all the way down to Singapore, as Owen had to catch a flight at 2 am on the 9^th, while I fly out at 6pm. We knew it would suck, but we decided it was worth the extra 2 days on the island. It was worth it, but it was overpriced and probably the most uncomfortable 24+ straight hours of my life. Taxi at 6 (on the 7^th), ferry at 7, shuttle to travel agency, minibus to Thai border town, big VIP bus from border town to Singapore, arrive at 11:30 am (on the 8^th). A solid 30 hours from point A to point B. Not ideal.

Everything seemed great until we got on the minibus, a 15 seater that felt like it had 20 in it. Worst of all, Owen and I, easily the largest people in the van, got crammed into the smallest seats at the very back. It was an uncomfortable 4.5 hours, broken up by frequent and seemingly pointless stops at gas stations, rest stops, and small restaurants made specifically for travelers and tourists. It was frustrating, but we had good company in an English couple sitting in the seats in front of us, and we all commiserated together. To make things worse, Owen left his PSP and PSP accessories on the minibus when we got off, and when he called to get them to come back the driver said they weren’t on the bus, which they clearly were. Lame.

We were very optimistic about the VIP bus from the border town of Hat Yai, as it seemed very comfortable when we boarded and settled in. But as the trip progressed, things got worse: Owen’s seat was unable to recline, the air-conditioning was on full blast with no way to keep it from blowing on you, the staff was rude and unhelpful, and we had several passport stops where they just yelled “Passport!” and we would have to get off the bus and just figure it out, hoping that the bus would be there waiting for us when we were done. It was less than relaxing, but we made it to Singapore in one piece, and I suppose that’s what counts.

We hadn’t booked a hostel in Singapore, and so we had to find some WiFi so we could at least find a place, if not book the room itself. So our first mission when we stepped off the bus: McDonalds. It’s everywhere ya’ll. And it’s actually nicer in other countries than it is in the states, with comfortable seats and free WiFi in every one.  I got a double cheeseburger that looked as perfect as the ones in the commercials, rather than the squashed, grease covered versions you get in The States. The only issue with the WiFi was you needed a local Singapore telephone number in order to sign on, which I obviously didn’t have. After asking around I eventually found a really nice Singaporean guy named Shawn, and he took around 15 to 20 minutes to help me work it out, which was incredibly kind and thoughtful. I begged him to let me buy him something from Mickey D’s, but he refused, and I honor him here as my repayment for his help. Thank you Shawn, you are now internationally famous.

We found a hostel online, but were unable to book it because I had no card and Owen’s got turned down (he was told by his mom that he had around $400 in his account. We later found out it was actually $7…). We went straight to the hostel hoping they’d have vacancy, but they didn’t. And neither did the hostel below them. But they kindly called another one just 1 skytrain stop away, and we went there and I paid for a night, though Owen had no need since he was leaving later that night.

We threw our bags on my bed and headed out to explore Singapore a bit. Owen had been here a few weeks previously and stayed in Chinatown, and he generally knew his way around from there, so off to Chinatown we went. If you’ve never been to Singapore, you may still know of its reputation for being a very clean city. It’s reputation is well earned, and it was pretty nice to be in clean, fairly westernized city again, as opposed to the lovably grimy, congested Bangkok.  We walked around, and eventually saw some pretty incredible architecture. It’s pretty clear after just a few hours that there is a lot of money coming in to this city:

We eventually headed back to the hostel, got some food, took showers (which we had not done for over 48 hours) and Owen got ready to head home to Wales. He was excited to be heading home, but sad to be leaving friends, and I was sad to see him go. But he is returning to Australia in a few months, so hopefully we will get to see each other again soon. It is an amazing feeling when you meet people from all over the world and have so much yet so little in common, and become such good friends so quickly. People are the same everywhere; it’s only cultures that are different.

With Owen gone I busied myself uploading pictures to my computer, updating myself on what had been going on in the world of Sports and Facebook during my trip, and organizing the details of my own trip back to Bangkok. During this organization, I discovered yet another problem. Hooray. It seems that in Asia, you can find very cheap flights around the continent. However, the budget airlines make their money on add-ons, even more so than the American companies we all know and love. My mom had booked my flight because for some reason it wouldn’t work with my card (RIP) when I tried to use it, and had rightfully (or so we though) said I wouldn’t be checking any baggage, because my bag is small enough to fit in the overhead compartment and checking a back was another $20. The problem is Tiger Airlines qualifies a carryon bag not by its size but by its weight, and mine was well over the allotted 7 Kilo (however much that is in real weight) that is allowed for a carryon. Normally this would be annoying but not a source of worry. But normally I have a debit card. So now running low on cash, I started to worry that I would not be able to afford the cost of checking a bag last minute, or if I could, I would have little left over to last me in Bangkok. Long stressful story made short, after many calls and skypes home, some very late at night in the US (sorry mom and dad) I was able to use my parents’ credit card and checked my bag safely.

So here I am, now actually on the plane, a bit exhausted from the ups and downs of what was a pretty eventful week, and happy to be going back to a place where I know some people, ready to get going on the next adventure, which will hopefully (fingers crossed ya’ll) involve a job offer in Chiang Mai. If you’ve actually read this entire post you are to be commended, and I thank you for your interest in my life. More posts to come soon, promise.

Ian

PS If anyone can think of a clever catchy tag line for me to use at the end of my posts I could really use one. Comment away, may the best tag line win.