After returning from our boat tour, we went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and secretly use the outdoor showers/bathrooms. We are sneaky! This was our only opportunity to clean up before our overnight journey to Koh Phi Phi island on the Andaman (west) coast. I only travel under the cover of darkness now. The conditions of these overnight journeys really do get worse each time... I should have done this trip backwards.
We took an 8 hour overnight (10pm-6am) boat trip from Koh Pha Ngan to Surat Thani. It was like a slave ship! The boat appeared to be about 100 years old and we boarded via a wooden plank. Then you went up a 6 step ladder/staircase to the upper level sleeping quarters. The ceiling was too low for us to stand up straight. There was a narrow walkway flanked by 2 rows of very thin sleeping mats and very hard pillows... probably 50 on each side. Luckily, the boat was only half full so everyone could spread out a bit. Otherwise, you'd get to know your neighbor pretty well! There were a few fans scattered about, but we had to keep the windows open to get the sea breeze. This made for a loud journey and the boat was a-rockin! I didn't get sick, but I didn't get any sleep either.
Realizing that the slave ship comparison might be a bit harsh (they probably didn't have fans), I instead thought of myself as a young Irish widow fleeing the potato famine in search of a better life in America. I could barely last 8 hours on that damn boat, so I have a newfound respect for my ancestors and happier than ever to have been born in the United States.
When we arrived in Surat Thani, we took a sawngthaew (pick-up truck taxi with benches in the back) to an open-air travel agency. We spent 45 minutes watching Jackass 2 before a bus picked us up for the 2 hour ride to Krabi. We ate breakfast at the Krabi pier, then took a 2.5 hour ferry ride to Koh Phi Phi island. This was one of the nicest pier/ferry combos I've seen in Thailand. It had AC! I was just beginning to think that this leg of the journey could conceivably meet American standards when a little girl in the row ahead of me vomited. Mother and daughter took turns holding the plastic bag of puck for the remaining hour of the journey. The bathroom is 20 feet away -- get up and dump that!
Upon docking in Phi Phi, we were met by hour hotel's long boat water taxi. They were waiting to transport Mr. Maureen C and guest to the resort. I was happy to play the role of Mr. if it meant a bed and shower.
3 comments:
That boat looks like it would be very safe and who doesn't love to sleep in a holding cell.
Comparing yourself to a slave, smooth move.
These travel conditions will make your long plane ride home seem luxurious.
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