Travel Journal:

Thailand in December - To Ko Pha Ngan...


To Ko Pha Ngan... 12/21/04
 
4:09am



  A time when I can only laugh because otherwise I'd have to cry. We paid 800baht for a supposed combo ticket package from Ayuthaya down to Ko Pha Ngan but it has ended upbeing a million little jammed transfers and now the long bus, which turned out not to be a VIP bus and SO NOT comfortable, has landed here at 4 in the morning, dropping off a full busload of dazed and confused young backpackers... And no one knows whats going on or what happens next.

   I try and comfort myself with excitment over the fact that there are flush toilets here, and toilet paper, and soap! Abe is busting out another Laos cigarette which he keeps saying he's not going to smoke because they're no good, but I suppose if I deep down liked nicotine I'd do the same right now. People are half asleep and disgruntled and all frantically consulting Lonely Planet books trying to figure out what the hell is going on...! There is a TV playing bad music videos... The sky is starting to lighten...



~ 5:30am



   Tam and I wandered down the street, moved by boredom and hunger. There aren't many stores around here, but we found two women cooking on the street, or rather, out of the open front of their home. They seemed to speak no English, and we speak no Thai, but they had a collection of little packages wrapped in banana leaves that were cooking over a little grill and smelling enticing. We decided to be adventurous, since we had no way to ask what was inside the pockets, and had fun pointing at things and holding up fingers trying to communicate an exchange.The women just kept laughing at us and we laughed along with them.

   The treats ended up being 3 baht each, which is practically free, and inside they were filled with warm coconut rice and banana pieces... oh, delicious! We took them back to share with Abe, gleeful over our successful purchase via handmotions and smiles.

   The sky is really full of glorious colors now...

 
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