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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Holiday Hell

Ok, so I had a pretty awesome birthday (thanks to my amazing roommate Noong and my friends here) but after my Christmas Eve/Christmas and birthday things started to go south quickly! :( It all started with my decision to go on a little four day holiday to the Islands down in southern Thailand. Simple right? Wrong! My destination was 8 hours south of where I am currently living. It was supposed to be a one bus journey down to the last major city before the islands. Then a ferry to Koh Lanta and that would be it.

Reality: I had to take a minibus and two regular buses just to get to the drop off point to Koh Lanta. On my minibus to Koh Lanta it was a nine seater bus and we had 18 people on our minibus including our driver! I was supposed to meet my friends on Koh Lanta but due to my bus arriving late I missed the last ferry to Koh Lanta so I had to spend New Years Eve alone in Krabi. It wasn't all bad though because I met some really cool people.  I spent the vast majority of my night with a beautiful girl from South Africa and we shared a very special great New Years Eve together we got to release lanterns to the Heavens together just like on my birthday. Unfortunately for me I failed to get ANY of her contact information. It is really a shame because I had a great time with her and will always remember this new years eve because of her. I guess if we are meant to meet each other again we will. What is interesting is that I remember every detail of what she looks like,what we talked about,what she smelled like (lilac perfume if you are curious lol) and a few other details but sadly not her name or how I can contact her :(

So Jan 1 I wake up and go to book my travels to Koh Lanta to meet my friends. Again for me more unfortunate news... I made the bad mistake of trusting some random travel agency to take care of my travel needs. I booked my travel to Koh Lanta, from Koh Lanta and my stay on Koh Lanta all with "Happy Travel" in Krabi. Well it turns out I wasn't very "Happy" because it was terrible!! First they were late getting me to Koh Lanta, then once I got there I found out that the "cheap cheap" resort they booked me into didn't even have indoor plumbing!(just a no flush toilet with a bucket)  Not only that but it was a Muslim run resort. Now I want to be clear that I respect all religions of the world but if you observing your religious practices wakes me up at 5 am everyday by LOUD praying then I tend to get a little angry. That on top of the fact that I couldn't get any beer or pork there was more than a little frustrating!

It rained most of the time I was on Koh Lanta and I never got to see my friends because there was no phone service where I was and I never could find them. I did meet some cool Austrian guys while I was there and I got one good sunset so I tried my hardest to stay positive! But it got worse for me when I rented a motorbike to tour around on and they gave it to me with almost ZERO gas in the tank so while I was desperately looking for a place to fill up the tank I ran out of gas. Completely. For the first time in my life. At this point I was trying hard not to rip my hair out. (It was really hard!) Luckily a nice Thai guy got me back on the road and helped me. I still didn't find my friends though :(  Now about my journey back home... Keep in mind this is only an 8 hour journey.

I was dropped off by taxi at the designated pick up point so I could be taken back to the ferry by minibus so I could get back to the mainland. Well I got the the drop off point to wait for the minibus just fine but then the problems started :( I waited. One hour later he still hadn't showed up. So I called the company they assured me this was normal and to wait. So I waited (having them be one hour late in Thailand actually is not all that unusual) Then I waited another hour still no minibus. I had my connecting bus back home to catch at 3:30pm! So it is nice 12:45pm and he is two hours late, my patience is running out. I call them again! They tell me the driver will be there at 1:45pm a full three hours late! I am stuck outside a 7/11 with nowhere to go and nothing to do! :(

Finally at 1:45pm he arrives three full hours late and I am so angry I tell him he better get me to my connecting bus home. He assures me we will make it. Well we don't! I miss my connection and not only that but on the minibus home for two full hours I had to sit next to a local person with foot rot. Talk about gross! So I finally arrive back in Krabi and I am told I have to stay the night there because I have missed every bus back to my town (and I have to work the next day!!!) I am so angry! and they want me to pay them MORE money for me to stay the night there!

I demand a refund for their bus driver being late and making me miss my connection. Which they refuse to give me, tell me it isn't their problem. (Don't even bother getting a refund for anything in Thailand it won't happen) so I lost 15 dollars USD right then and there. Well since there was NO buses going back to my town and I HAD to be back for work the next day I had to take a private taxi to a town three hours away. For 60 USD! :(

I get to this town and  I want to get the train back home (6 hour train ride) I am told the ONLY seating left it 3rd class standing room only with no airconditioning (Could my holiday get ANY worse! lol). So, packed in like cattle for 6 hours I rode that damn train. The only bright spot was I was crammed in right next to some really cool Thais and a few French and Swiss guys. (It was nice drinking whiskey with you Alex,Daniel and Thomas) the whiskey made the journey slightly more bearable. So I arrive home at 6:00am after twenty something hours of continuous travel. Not to mention I spent a whole month's rent for a four day holiday.


Other than meeting that gorgeous South African girl and hanging out with the guys crammed on the train and the Austrians on Koh Lanta, I truly had the holiday from Hell! Next time I will just stay home lol. Yall take care,Tyler

2 comments:

  1. I'm sure you will be able to laugh about your "Holiday Hell" trip in years to come. I'll bet you showed more patience than I would have. Sorry it was so miserable, and I hope foot rot is not contagious!!
    Love ya lots, mom

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  2. That sure sounds rough and like your mom I definetly would have been out of patience much sooner, but I guess there isn't much else you can do when you are in the situation. At least you had minor happiness because of the people you met along the way. Another experience to add to your travels....it's these ones and the great ones you will remember most.

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