Imagine: you are lying on the beach, listening to the
breaking waves, digging your feet deep into the sand and feeling the sun on
your skin. Suddenly you hear something or
someone searching your bag! You turn around – ready to fight the thief – and
find yourself eye in eye with a monkey staring at you and pulling your camera
out of the bag. I hissed at him, showed my teeth and started to scream while grabbing the strap of my
camera. I pulled as hard as I could. You can steal my food, you can even steal
my money but for Christ's sake don't you dare touching my camera! Vicky who’s sleeping next to
me on the beach startled, grabbed the nearest branch and started to fight
the monkey. We both screamed like crazy and the monster disappeared…
…and then I woke up, pressing my backpack to my chest,
looking around, expecting one of those hairy creatures sitting in front of me.
But there was none, I was in the night bus to Bangkok, next to me my dreaming friend Vicky. My heart was still racing; I was ready to fight. The sad thing about
the story? It wasn’t a dream, it was more of memory as it actually happened on Koh Lanta while
we visited the National Park on the island.
And yeah, I must confess, since this incident I can't speak well of monkey's ‘cause they did not only try to steal my camera one of them
even jumped on my back when I left the National Park. He just fell off a tree,
can you imagine how scary that was?? That has affected me for life. So please
don’t talk about “cute” monkeys in my presence, 'cause I may start to
scream and fight you with a branch.
Anyway, that's some time ago. Since then, Vicky and
I had great adventures (positive and negative ones):
- Observing and making fun of annoying couples
- Dancing to live music on the beach (or on the streets)
- Surviving a mosquito-attack
on my humble ass (fun for Vicky, not much fun for me)
- Killing a huge cockroach trapped in our mosquito net (where I almost lost my thumbnail; sending an evil eye to Vicky)
- Spending New Years Eve on Koh
PhiPhi with thousands of people (I swear the island was about to sink)
- Traveling in a local bus in Phuket
- Getting upgraded to a double bed room with aircon (‘cause we're awesome)
- Surviving
an annoying roommate in Khao Lak (her stupidity knew no bounds)
...and finally organizing the trip back to
Bangkok in a night bus.
The last part seems to be quite easy, right? You
couldn’t be more wrong. Two days before departure I booked two tickets from
Khao Lak to Bangkok with the bus at my favourite tourist office. D-day came, we showed up at the office and there it started: “Helloooo miss, me try to
call youuu free times. You don’t knooow? Bus not coming because heavy raaaain.
Soorryyyy.” NO, I don’t know!! It would have been to easy if it worked out like
planned, I mean it’s Thailand. So we made a new deal: a taxi to the next bus
station where another night bus leaves at around the same time. One hour later
we found ourselves squeezed in between some Chinese tourists with their trolleys and shiny watches, locals
staring at us like we were aliens and a monk who panicked when we sat close to him. But as I learned
in my intercultural courses women shouldn’t talk to monks or be near them. Out
of respect I tried to sit a bit further which was quite a challenge as the bus station was bursting at the seams. Which was our bus? What time should it show up? We were lost. So we waited and waited and waited, helplessly staring
on our bus ticket when the monk suddenly started talking to us. Whaaaat? He’s going on the same
bus to Bangkok and we can just follow him, he knows which of those dozens of
buses is ours. By looking at his brandnew Samsung smartphone (which was in a way better shape than mine) I guess he must be a pretty modern monk. xD
So we followed his wavy orange appearance (pretty useful in a crowded place), I felt so important. Even more
important when we found out that we were upgraded to VIP Bus. Whoopwhoop!
Better seats and snacks in the seat pocket, Mama I’m home. 4 hours after
departure, we were sleeping like babies, the bus suddenly stopped, all the lights came to bright and the monk
translated the Thai-Lady’s shrill announcement. Something about a 20 minute break and
food. Food? Let’s go. We were pushed into a big hall with small stone tables.
Everything was organised and we were advised to sit down, immediately. Yes,
mam’! Some other people joined our table and not even two minutes later food
appeared: currys, steamed rice, vegetables and some other indefinable things. I tried a small spoonful of the yellow curry… “HOLY CRAP!” Oh my god, I
really shouted it out loud. The man next to me started to laugh and the old chinese lady on the other side of the table wished the ground would swallow her up. Well done,
Ari. I looked at Vicky and we started to laugh. So funny how things can fall
together. In one moment you are lying on the beach and in the other
you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, eating spicy Thai food with people
you’ve never seen before and having a chat with a monk. Life is unpredictable!
It was 5 am when we arrived in Bangkok. Of course with
thousands of others. It was quite a fight to get to a taxi and find our lovely
apartment with the cosiest bed I’ve ever slept in (many thanks to JJ who was hosting us).
Well this holiday is one for the books. Highfive, Vicky!
Goodbyeee, I'm off to new adventures! (Cambodia is waiting...)
Ari
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