“ …Cheap Ticket to Krabi! VIP Bus! Good for You!”
May 30, 2008 by Ubertramp
Filed under Southeast Asia, Thailand
The 12 hour train ride from Hualamphong Station, Bangkok down to Surat Thani went surprisingly quickly. I expect I must have slept for longer than I first thought possible.
Waking at 5am left me ample time to double check my gear and enjoy a stunning sunrise over a leisurely breakfast. Breakfast was a hot, sweet cup of coffee and, acquired the previous evening from one of the walk-on vendors, a styrene tray of spicy mince and boiled rice (complete with plastic spoon and precariously balanced fried egg.)
I managed to get a grandstand view of my new surroundings from the far end of the carriage. After pulling open one of the main exit doors and wedging myself firmly into the exit aisle (so as not to alight the train during a sharp sideways jolt, of which there are many), I cracked on with breakfast.
That morning, as I sat and watched and sipped and munched, I felt truly blessed. I could genuinely appreciate just how lucky I was. Seldom do you chance upon 2 such exceedingly rare pleasures in such a short time span : a spectacular sunrise over Southern Thailand and a decent cup of train coffee. What a treat.
For the next leg after Surat Thani, a bus trip, I decided to play it by ear. I’d see what was heading south from the bus station (assuming that there was one and that I’d actually find it) and take it from there.
Shortly after breakfast, the journey finished. We pulled in to Surat Thani train station just after 6 am. Even before the train had come to a complete stop, I knew that onward travel wasn’t going to be a problem since a group of touts had already gathered on the platform – all eagerly scanning the train doors and windows for potential customers. I looked back down the carriage and counted about 6 other backpackers slowly making their way to the exits. Our carriage was a prime target.
With one, final lurch forward, the train stopped. By now, many of the tour reps had gathered around the exit, all jostling for a place at the front of the pack, their destination placards waving high in the air. I was genuinely surprised by their eagerness.
The doors opened and the welcoming committee pushed through the Thai passengers to get to us. The moment I stepped onto the platform and into the bright sunshine, I almost got a large, neatly printed placard thrust up my nostril. It was akin to some bizarre race where the winner is the first to grab a shirtsleeve and therefore ‘claim’ the tourist inside it. I pushed my hand deep into my wallet pocket and kept walking. I also wished I’d played more rugby at school.
“Where you go?! Where you go?!!”
”Ko Samui?”
“Ko Tao?”
“Phuket?”
We have cheap ticket to Ko Phang Ngan! Come! Come! Cheap! Cheap!”
But I didn’t want to go go, even if it was cheap cheap. I told the fella that won me I didn’t know where I wanted to go and that I didn’t need a ticket, cheap or otherwise, but it wasn’t enough to shake him off. He wasn’t going to give up just yet. I continued out of the station and down the street, all the time with my new mate in tow, without the slightest idea where I was heading. After about 500 yards, cheap ticket man slowed up.
“Hey, where you go?” he said, sounding genuinely confused.
“I go for coffee…this way” I replied, pointing down the street and to the furthest visible point from the tour office.
“We have coffee! Come! Come!”
The thing is, he probably did, too.
“No, I’ll go down here, and then maybe Krabi” I blurted “…but later…and from the bus station”
My foolish concession gave the guy a new lease of life. Man, I wish this plonker would keep his gob shut, I thought (and by ‘that plonker’ I mean me, not him.)
“Station no have bus Krabi! We have bus Krabi! Cheap cheap for you! Easy for you!”
I hesitated. Glancing back over my left shoulder, I saw the other folks from the train getting funnelled into the tour agency opposite the station. What if this was telling the truth? What if they did have the only busses to Krabi? What if the other people were also going to Krabi and they knew this? For a moment, I considered joining them. I pictured the map in my head: Krabi looked a big place, Surat Thani looked a big place – surely there had to be busses between the two. I decided to carry on walking.
“No, I think I’ll go to the bus station…but thanks anyway.”
All I had to do now was find it.
This brings back memories. I remember a porter automatically carried my bag to the bus, I had to chase him and tell him I can do it myself. I ended up giving him tip. The bag wasn’t that heavy to begin with.