That’s another problem with flying long haul, you lose track of when one day starts and another ends. Well eventually I arrived in Bangkok. This is one hell of a vast city. The landscape is featurelessly flat meaning the city sprawl just goes on into infinity.
I am so tired I start making bad decisions like buying some paracetamol for my aching knees when I’ve already got some in my wash bag and it costs £8 for the box. I only recognise this as a bad move 10 mins after the fact and mentally shake myself awake. That’s the worst mistake I make however as I land on my feet finding a hotel at 4am.
The bed was really hard but it felt like a huge pile of feathers and I slipped off to sleep almost immediately. When I rose I had 2 objectives for the day. Pack up my motorbike jacket and post it off to England. And, get my next flight from across town at the other international airport. When I arrived in Auckland and chose to ride a motorbike around the country I also needed some bike gear to protect me in the worst event. I chose to buy a decent jacket, a nice brown worn leather one that fit really well. I figured I would post it home before I got to the Thai island as I didn’t want to get it ruined or stolen. Luckily, the hotel I had chosen by random had a post office literally at the end of the street. Things are always working out for me!
That packed off on its way, I hopped in a taxi across town. Not yet fully competent with the local currency or having any idea how long such a trip would take me, I argued the fare and lost. It would be 500 baht. In the end I think I got a good deal by English standards as the trip took 45 mins and used 3 toll roads all for £12.50.
This next flight was a short internal flight down the length of the country to Surat Thani. I found a local bus to take me into town and the helpful driver ladie dropped me at the ferry check in so I could find a hotel nearby. It was a bit tricky to find the check in as it was not really sign posted and was a small portacabin tucked in the depths of an open sided market building. It didn’t look like much but they were confident in the booking page I showed them so found myself a hotel, again for 500 baht. Does everything cost 500 baht here?
Last thing I did was find and dinner and I think this is where my luck ran out. I chose a place using my vietnanese cuisine choosing skills, one of the bigger front doorways into someone’s front room. I pointed and helped myself to a plate of food and went to sit down. It looked wonderful and smelled great so tucked in and promptly blew my brain out. IT WAS SO HOT I thought I could feel my throat bleeding! Man I was sweating so bad. A girl brought over some cucumber that I assume meant that even the thai’s found this one spicy. In the end I couldn’t finish it all, made my excuses and left in search of water. God knows what that meal will do to my bowels in the morning…