The Best Bus Ride Ever

Casey writes:

We thought it would be easy, straightforward and simple. Purchasing bus tickets from Krabi to Bangkok from what appeared to be a reputable tour agency in Ao Nang.... what could go wrong? That's a good question, because by 4am last night as we collapsed into bed, we were trying to count on one hand the things that had gone right.

We were promised a VIP, airconditioned tourist bus with a toilet and other mod cons for the 11 hour bus ride to Bangkok. We even paid extra to catch the 'day' bus rather than the overnight one, mainly for logistical reasons but also because we were well aware of the high theft rate in overnight buses.

It all started out calmly enough, and we were collected from our accommodation in a small mini van at 10.15am as planned.

We were told the van would take us to the bus station.

It didn't.

We were taken to another tour agency and forced to wait for another mini van which was then packed solid with people and luggage. We felt like sardines and were a bit annoyed but figured that once the two hour journey to Surit Thani was over, our glorious tourist bus would be waiting. We tumbled out, hot and cramped, and well, we were wrong. Another one hour wait with no idea what was happening, before yet another mini van appeared, with more luggage than people and full to the brim. Somehow we were all pushed on, and the depressing reality hit us - we had another 8 hours of knees up to our chins before we arrived in Bangkok.

Oh, if only it was that simple.

8 hours would have been glorious. What they forgot to tell us that it would take another 12 and a half hours in this vehicle, with a driver who, as the more fatigued he got, the faster he drove and the more manically he swerved potholes and trucks. The reality that we had no seatbelts was frightening, and the fact that we had not been given a proper meal break since breakfast was disturbing.

We finally arrived in the outskirts of Bangkok at 2:15am... merely 16 hours after we first set off from our hotel. But, we arrived alive and couldn't have been more relieved. Until we realised that we were actually nowhere near the promised drop-off location of Khao-San Road. In fact, we seemed to be nowhere near the centre of Bangkok at all. We we thrown out of the van, into a distressing hoarde of yelling taxi drivers, demanding we pay more for the taxi ride to our hostel, than what we paid for the bus in the first place. Fortunately, being hardened travellers by this point, we still had our wits about us, and told them we'd walk to the train station (although I doubt either of us had the energy to do so...we didn't even know where it was). Suddenly, magically, we had a taxi for a third of the price, and after a 30 minute drive we finally arrived at our hotel.

We wanted to cry with relief and exhaustion. Instead, we headed straight to Khao-San Road for some Pad Thai, avoiding the drunk westerners at every corner.

Finally we crashed into bed at 4:00am... actually we crashed ON the bed because the sheets were so filthy we were too petrified to touch them.

A terrible experience, but one to never forget. Oh, how I love travelling.

One hour in... spirits are still high: