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Bang Tao Journal
(Keith) After our arrival in Bangkok, our next stop was
Bang Tao for some sun and scuba diving. Bang Tao is about 1200 km south of
Bangkok; we decided to take a bus during the night to reach our beach
haven. This decision allowed us the wonderful opportunity to learn every
mode of public transportation in both Bangkok, Phuket, and Bang Tao. This opportunity
is a great learning experience after it was complete; during the experience, the
opportunity often lead to exhaustion, confusion, and
impatience.
We started in Bangkok at our hotel around 2:30 in the afternoon; we hiked (with our backpacks) several blocks to catch the Number 1, local, non-air conditioned bus to Chinatown. This was pretty easy and uneventful. Once in Chinatown, we caught the Number 7, local air conditioned bus to the south bus station. The southern bus station is where all of the buses depart for southern destinations in Thailand; it is about 20 miles outside of the city . . . roughly an hours drive! We took a seat near the head of the bus which gave us an excellent view of several near collisions with pedestrians, motor scooters, tuk-tuks, and other buses. None of the possible mishaps gave our driver a second thought; he simply pointed the bus where he wanted it to go and honked the horn; everyone else scattered as the bus plowed forward.
We departed Bangkok at 5:00 pm on the V.I.P. bus . . . very elegant, we each got a muffin, small bottled water, 1.5 movies ("Keep the Faith" and the second half of "Gladiator" both dubbed in Thai). The bus ride was approximately 14 hours and no lights worked on the bus; therefore it was pitch dark by 7:00 pm and we had no way to read or play any games. Luckily at midnight, the bus' lights suddenly came on and we were greeted with very loud Thai pop music . . . time for a rest stop.
Finally we arrived in the early morning in Phuket and we needed to arrange travel to Bang Tao; upon arrival in any city you are immediately accosted by tuk-tuk drivers, who are very willing to take you to your destination for a hefty fee (orders of magnitude greater than public transport). Our guide book told us about songthaews (local buses) out of Phuket, so we headed off into this town looking for the station.
We never really found the station, but did find a stop; it was in the middle of a produce market. There were truck after truck load of bananas, mangos, garlic, onions, basil, etc. you name it, they had it. After several minutes of confusion, we located the correct bus and were headed for Bang Tao. The bus was a pick-up truck with a metal, open air cage built around the truck bed; three rows of seats lined the back of the bus and I think if things got crowded, people could sit on the roof. We were escorted on our ride by an elderly Thai woman with a large bag of peanuts and several Thai children dressed in their school uniforms. All very nice.
After about 30 minutes on the road we reached the stop for Bang Tao; paid the driver ( ~$1 USD) and were off to our hotel. Keep in mind it is now about 9:00 am, the next day and we had gotten very little sleep on our V.I.P bus. Lea spotted a sign for the hotel, only 1800 meters; a little over a mile, piece of cake, after all, we will by hiking the Himalayas in a couple of months. After the final hour of trudging and hauling our backpacks, we reached our hotel. I think we need to be in better shape of the Himalayas.
(Lea) I will just say that after getting to our room in Bang Tao
(and Keith wrote about the experience of getting there - a great travel story
and one I am sure we will endure again), my thought was "We're paying $15
for this dump?" 20 minutes later, 300 feet away, I viewed the Bang Tao
Beach and our surrounding and thought, " We're only paying $15 for this
place!" We are located on the most beautiful beach I have ever visited -
crystal clear water, pristine beaches and a background of mountains. I can deal
with the dingy room ( a lesson I am in general learning - deal with some not so
great stuff to enjoy the great). Aside from the wonderful beach (with warm
water) the staff at our complex are extremely friendly as are the other visitors
(though most are Europeans so I have not struck up many conversations due to
language barriers)
About an half hour drive from us is Patong. We visited for an afternoon and reinforced how happy we are to be at Bang Tao. Patong is full of bars, tourist shops and a crowded beach. Right now there are 4 Navy ships there so you see Americans and hear American music blasting everywhere. Bang Tao is secluded, quiet but also has restaurants with the local Thai cuisine (excellent!). In fact, I now eat Thai rice and seafood soup for breakfast every morning.
For me, these first weeks of travel have been an indoctrination into the give and take of being on a year long trip around the world. .I knew, before the trip began, that there would be a lot to get used to. Still, actually staying in hotels much less than the standards of our previous travels (the shower and toilet are right next to each other - no door, but I should be happy to have each!), not being able to drink water from a tap, wearing the same clothes constantly, and getting around in a city where the vehicles are made for people much shorter than I, was a bit of a surprise. BUT, in return I have met some of the most hospitable people, am immersed in a country with an intriguing culture and history, and feel proud about experiences such as learning to use the local public transportation and finding my way around the city. There is nothing I can think of that I would rather be doing. Every day I learn or do something new and exciting. And I almost beat Keith at chess yesterday.
So, as wonderful and relaxing as Bang Tao is, I will be excited when we leave here to scuba dive in the Similan Islands, and then go to Northern Thailand - Sukothai and Chiang Mai. By the way, as I type this I just saw our "pet" gecko run across the wall of our room.
To see more pictures of Bang Tao check out the Bang Tao Photos.