Beyond Bangkok
So we left Bangkok a while ago now. I forget how long to be honest.
First stop on our way south was a little place called Trat, or Trad depending on how you want to spell it. Noone else seems to give a toss, so I don't see why I should. Anyway, towards the end of our time in Bangkok, we elected to get to the bus station and buy tickets to get us down there. So the guide book says most buses going east go from, funnily enough, the Eastern Bus Terminal.
Of course, we don't like to make things easy, and on the promise that it takes less time to get to Trat from the Northern Bus Terminal, we head up there. I should point out that things in Thailand are not necessarily promoted or pointed out handily for the tourist as they might be in, say, London. For example, there are NO FUCKING SIGNS AT ALL for the Northern Bus Terminal if you decide to use public transport to get there. Which we did. And then spent an albeit fairly pleasant hour walking the wrong way through a nice park to try and get there. Ah well.
Some time later we found our way to the bus station and bought tickets. At last. We then of course determined to sod public transport and get a taxi there the day after. Easy.
And so to Trat, on a 1st class air con bus. Which is just a big coach full of noise, but with some legroom and not so oppressive heat. The air con is essential in cooling your fear from the driving of the clearly amphetamine fuelled maniac at the wheel. But we got there in one piece eventually.
Trat doesn't seem to be on the traveller trail really. It's acknowledged as the place you get the ferry to Ko Chang, not somewhere to stop over. But stop over we did, and it was worth it just for a look around, but there's not much there. A few nice cafes, Cool Corner Cafe chief amongst these, and a few temples to go and bother; we hired bikes and scooted a couple of km out of town to one.
After two relatively sleepless nights in our guest house, thanks mainly to our staying in an oven which appeared to be bordered by Trats one and only political rally and rock festival venue, our first stop was the post office, to send on all the extraneous crap that everyone told us not to pack, but we did.
Rob - please tell Kate that Gill did not of course need her Uggs and they've been sent to Oz. Funny that eh?
Bags suitably lightened, we practically skipped into a songthaew, and on to the ferry to Ko Chang. We've been on Ko Chang for 7 nights now, and have got another 4 to go. It's lovely, white beaches, hot sun, warm sea, the lot. A nice holiday within our holiday, and feeling suitably relaxed, we're now planning our assault on Cambodia, and are next heading to Siem Reap to go and mither more ruins at Angkor Wat.
On a final note, here on the beach at Kai Bae, the sunset is saluted every night by an aging disabled German/Swiss gent in a wheel chair using a full size Alpen horn. MINT.
First stop on our way south was a little place called Trat, or Trad depending on how you want to spell it. Noone else seems to give a toss, so I don't see why I should. Anyway, towards the end of our time in Bangkok, we elected to get to the bus station and buy tickets to get us down there. So the guide book says most buses going east go from, funnily enough, the Eastern Bus Terminal.
Of course, we don't like to make things easy, and on the promise that it takes less time to get to Trat from the Northern Bus Terminal, we head up there. I should point out that things in Thailand are not necessarily promoted or pointed out handily for the tourist as they might be in, say, London. For example, there are NO FUCKING SIGNS AT ALL for the Northern Bus Terminal if you decide to use public transport to get there. Which we did. And then spent an albeit fairly pleasant hour walking the wrong way through a nice park to try and get there. Ah well.
Some time later we found our way to the bus station and bought tickets. At last. We then of course determined to sod public transport and get a taxi there the day after. Easy.
And so to Trat, on a 1st class air con bus. Which is just a big coach full of noise, but with some legroom and not so oppressive heat. The air con is essential in cooling your fear from the driving of the clearly amphetamine fuelled maniac at the wheel. But we got there in one piece eventually.
Trat doesn't seem to be on the traveller trail really. It's acknowledged as the place you get the ferry to Ko Chang, not somewhere to stop over. But stop over we did, and it was worth it just for a look around, but there's not much there. A few nice cafes, Cool Corner Cafe chief amongst these, and a few temples to go and bother; we hired bikes and scooted a couple of km out of town to one.
After two relatively sleepless nights in our guest house, thanks mainly to our staying in an oven which appeared to be bordered by Trats one and only political rally and rock festival venue, our first stop was the post office, to send on all the extraneous crap that everyone told us not to pack, but we did.
Rob - please tell Kate that Gill did not of course need her Uggs and they've been sent to Oz. Funny that eh?
Bags suitably lightened, we practically skipped into a songthaew, and on to the ferry to Ko Chang. We've been on Ko Chang for 7 nights now, and have got another 4 to go. It's lovely, white beaches, hot sun, warm sea, the lot. A nice holiday within our holiday, and feeling suitably relaxed, we're now planning our assault on Cambodia, and are next heading to Siem Reap to go and mither more ruins at Angkor Wat.
On a final note, here on the beach at Kai Bae, the sunset is saluted every night by an aging disabled German/Swiss gent in a wheel chair using a full size Alpen horn. MINT.