I believe it’s important to document the shittier parts of long-term travel, to remind oneself that it’s not always fun. If there is one thing that I miss, it’s bathing. I was therefore delighted to find an airport hotel online that featured a big bathtub, as well as a lovely-looking garden view. Nope.
The photos could not have been more misleading! It was a tiny, mouldy-smelling room, equipped with a brown towel, fake flowers, 3 earbuds, a pooh-coloured bed, and a concrete ‘garden’ with a distressed-sounding chicken outside. It did have an aircon though, to be fair.
Considering that this was just for one night before catching a flight to Chaing Mai, the shower, toilet and bed all worked. I took a stroll alongside the busy, truck-dominated road, hoping to find a bar or restaurant (even just to spend my Saturday night among some locals after their hard work week), but there were just auto-repair shops, wholesalers, a three-legged dog taking a shit on the pavement, and another barky one about to bite me. I half expected to come across some miscreant teenagers sharpening shivs. I found a tiny express shop and got two beers to help pass the time. And my flight was only the next NIGHT! Had no idea how to spend an entire Sunday there…
I felt rather ripped off. The reception man didn’t speak English but kept shoving a bill in my face, until we both realised that my name isn’t Robert Something. (I had already paid). At the airport, these 4 girls quoted me 300 Baht for an 11-minute ride. I expressed that this seemed expensive, and the one loudly said, “You go! You go!” I might have read into it, but it felt like I was being told to get lost. They cheered up when I paid the price.
I had an interesting thought on the way. If you owned and rented out accommodation on Booking dot com, you want to get as many positive reviews and ratings as possible. So, if you give a couple the best available room you have, that’s potentially 2 positive reviews, versus only 1 if it was given to a singleton. So mathematically speaking, perhaps give singles your shittier rooms for a greater chance of getting 2 positive reviews against 1 negative review?
I had experienced some lonely moments by this point and saw very few people on their own during transits. In this state of mind, I was daydreaming while the bus played love hits. “Every little thing that you do, baby I’m amaaazed by you.” What about clipping your toenails while taking a shit? I chuckled myself awake at that thought.
Back to positive thinking! My last day on Kho Tao was great. I did a half-day snorkelling tour which saw us boating around the entire island with 5 stops. During the final plunge we saw a baby shark, as well as an endangered Green Turtle and two critically endangered Hawksbill Turtles! It was just disturbing how close people got to the turtles while frantically swimming… Fortunately our ancient sea-friends didn’t seem too bothered. I watched from more of a distance with my brain thinking, “please just don’t touch him/her”, but two people did pat turtle heads… I really think they should give a brief briefing before any snorkel, to let those who don’t know, that we should respect wildlife and not touch.
I neighboured with a very friendly couple from Tasmania during my last couple of nights on Koh Tao. They really sold me on the idea of visiting that island if I ever find myself in Aussie territory. The best meal I had on my final night was at a place called “Eat Like a Local”. The splurb on the menu said that they are 3 generations of islanders and fisherman, and you could custom pick your fresh seafood and sides. The early morning walk to the ferry was also very pleasant, allowing time to experience the island before the buzz began.
Next: Thailand #24 – Doing it My Way on the Highway
Previously: Thailand #22 – It’s Raining Men
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