Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Thailand Trip: Day 2 - Bangkok to Railay
We flew from from Bangkok to Krabi Airport. When we were collecting our bag we noticed an older man with a deep tan, long blond hair, a beard, hippie clothing and a carved walking stick. He stood out from the other yoounger travellers in shorts and t-shirts. Along with most people we got the shuttle bus to Krabi town.
When the bus reached, and passed, the waterfront in Krabi town the old guy started houting at the driver aying "this is a cam". The bus eventually stopped at a hotel where we were told to get off. The bus driver then said he would get us a taxi for free back to the waterfront. The old guy was in the taxi with us and explained that the bus used to stop downtown and that they must have a deal with the hotel. When I asked him how he knew where it used to go he said "I live here" and then "that's asia".
Once the taxi got us to the waterfront we were told that the last boat was at 4:30 (the current time) and that no one else was going to Railay so we had to pay for the whole boat ourselves or get a taxi somewhere else and go by boat from there. A guy was sitting at the tourist office desk next to us and we aked him for help but he just shrugged his sholders and looked away.
We ended up paying extra to get a direct boat to the beach we are staying at. Then the guy called his brother to take us. The boat ride was great, the water was calm and the islands of large rock looked amazing. We were surprised to see that the boat was heading for the wrong beach. We asked the driver but he pretended not to understand. We gave up, realising we had been scammed and got off.
To get to our beach we had to walk across the peninsula, along another beach and across some sharp rocks (with our packs on). The sun was low in the sky as we arrived and the beach wa bathed in a lovely, golden light. When we reached our resort it turned out that the tourist office in Bangkok had not faxed our booking through and our room wasn't available. They said we could have a room with a double bed instead! We complained and eventually they gave us a room with a double and a single bed.
For dinner we had marlin, freshly cooked on a BBQ. I haven't had marlin before and it was delicious. We strolled along the beach and looked in at the bars. All were quite empty at 9 pm. At one end of the beach the rock is lit up and we spotted 3 people on the side of the cliff using torches to find hand holds. That is hardcore climbing!
When the bus reached, and passed, the waterfront in Krabi town the old guy started houting at the driver aying "this is a cam". The bus eventually stopped at a hotel where we were told to get off. The bus driver then said he would get us a taxi for free back to the waterfront. The old guy was in the taxi with us and explained that the bus used to stop downtown and that they must have a deal with the hotel. When I asked him how he knew where it used to go he said "I live here" and then "that's asia".
Once the taxi got us to the waterfront we were told that the last boat was at 4:30 (the current time) and that no one else was going to Railay so we had to pay for the whole boat ourselves or get a taxi somewhere else and go by boat from there. A guy was sitting at the tourist office desk next to us and we aked him for help but he just shrugged his sholders and looked away.
We ended up paying extra to get a direct boat to the beach we are staying at. Then the guy called his brother to take us. The boat ride was great, the water was calm and the islands of large rock looked amazing. We were surprised to see that the boat was heading for the wrong beach. We asked the driver but he pretended not to understand. We gave up, realising we had been scammed and got off.
To get to our beach we had to walk across the peninsula, along another beach and across some sharp rocks (with our packs on). The sun was low in the sky as we arrived and the beach wa bathed in a lovely, golden light. When we reached our resort it turned out that the tourist office in Bangkok had not faxed our booking through and our room wasn't available. They said we could have a room with a double bed instead! We complained and eventually they gave us a room with a double and a single bed.
For dinner we had marlin, freshly cooked on a BBQ. I haven't had marlin before and it was delicious. We strolled along the beach and looked in at the bars. All were quite empty at 9 pm. At one end of the beach the rock is lit up and we spotted 3 people on the side of the cliff using torches to find hand holds. That is hardcore climbing!
Comments:
Bummer about the scam... fingers crossed you won't encounter anymore, and you will have become alot wiser for the rest of your travels... onwards eh... HAVE FUN!
Julie
Julie
# posted by 
: 12 February, 2008 19:59
: 12 February, 2008 19:59
Glad you eventually arrived and hopefully you can now enjoy your time there. Everyone seems to be on the make, so be on guard!
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