Sam and I left Ko Chang the same way we arrived--chasing after the ferry. Our hotel kept putting us off when we requested to settle our bill, and only put a rush on it as the roaring motor of the long boat ferry approached. It was 7:50 am, and we were both sad to go.
We had no plans for when we arrived in Ranong, just the idea that we might try to make it to Ko Lipe (an island very far down the west coast)--per a friends referall.
Once in Ranong we hitched a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station and decided we would take a bus to Krabi... I had sort-of recalled the book saying "go through Krabi". We ended up on a local bus. This means that the air con spits out 80 degree 'cool' and stops every 10 mins to pick someone up--Krabi is suppose to take 4/5 hrs to get to... It took us 7.5. Fortunatelly our iPods were charged and we had new books to dive into.
By the time we made it to Krabi all we had eaten were Lays chips, Oreos, and some very tasty pineapple... 100% sugar. A melt down was brewing. We decided we would try to make it to Satun, which is a city close to the port (Pak Bara) from where we would have to take a boat to Ko Lipe. We managed to grab some take away food before hitching the next bus--but somehow all we got was protien-less fried rice, french fries, and a small chiken sandwich... Mostly carbs and sugar... Thus encouraging more of a melt down.
As the bus moved forward I grew intent that we would get off at La-Nagu (the town closest to where we wished to go). Every time the bus stopped I would ask "La-nagu?" and people would sake their heads at me. I thought the driver understood that this was where we wanted to go--certain he would stop there for us.
Of couse, as we sped through La-Nagu the bus didn't stop. My body wanted to run forward and tell the driver "stop stop!" but my brain kept telling me "he knows where we want to go--he would have stopped had that been La-Nagu". An hour later we arrived in Satun. Now we would have to back track or skip Ko Lipe entirely. I stood on the curb, arms crossed, sulking, waiting to attack the next chipper thing that crossed me. Looking for a hotel was going to be a challenge, seeing as we were both exhausted, hungry for real food, and very smelly.
Hotel 1, was described by Lonelly Planet as having "the best view of the town and jungle"..."updated western matresses"..."clean and comforatable". It was the most expensive joint in Satun, a whopping 600 Bhat ($30). I figured, if we had to stay in this dump, we might as well sleep well and maybe catch a little CNN, to provide a sound other than our arguing.
The woman at the front desk smiled, and was polite and helpful. The lobby was polished and clean--I was optimistic. She told us the room would be 680 BHT. We smiled and through our teeth said "fine, can we see the room". Her assistant took a key and escorted us into an elevator. We boarded. She pressed "7" (the penthouse). I smiled. And a fly buzzed around our heads. I stopped smiling.
As we got off the elevator and walked down the hall I noticed a very large animal scurry away. I cringed. We looked at the room... Two twin beds (which given our attitudes toward one another was slightly appealing), mold on the walls, wood damage at the base of the TV stand (perhaps from gnawing rodents)... I smiled at the assistant and at Sam and said "I don't think so". Upon exiting the room I looked down the hall again, my fears confirmed "Sam, there are two rats down there". For $30+ no way was I sleeping in an establishment with rats! Esp on the 7th floor!!
When we went back to the lobby the English speaking receptionist said "no discount!" and Sam said, "that's okay, you have rats up there". We left.
The best thing about traveling with Sam is that he really understands my need for a clean bed. And as we left the hotel there was hope for us still. I also realized that no matter how angry we were with one another, there was no way I wasn't sleepig next to him. I needed protection!
Hotel 2 was very modest looking, but at 200 BHT ($8) for a fan room, I figured I could sleep with rats. We went up to the 4th floor to take a look at the room, the receptionist allowed us to go alone. Upon reaching "4" we were greated by 3 or so bats--enjoying the dungeon-like hallway. The place, as described by LP, "was institutional"..."providing spring-y mattresses"..."nothing fancy". And upon entering the room, I discovered how low the standards were of the people writing for Lonely Planet were. Had I been the author I would have written "run for your life"..."never come here"..."room looks like crime scene".
I plopped down on the plastic chair, crying and surveying the room for rodents. I realized, we had no choice. Sam went back down to the lobby to pay the receptionist and I sat there. In shock. I was going to have to sleep here. I surveyed the room. The linnen company had written it's logo and contact info on the sheets and pillows in red. But they were not good at it, the letters were smudged and it looked like someone had been stabbed or shot in the bed. I tried to think possitively "well, the sheets look ironed..." I told myslef. "there is toilet paper..."
Sam came back into the room and we both decided tomorrow would be anoter day. A clean slate to reasses our plan and an opportunity for an "attitude adjustment" (to quote my godmother).
At 5:00 am a louspeake went off--perhps a Muslim prayer?--our hotel was right above as Mosque. We drifted back to sleep until 7:00. When we woke we looked at eachother and laughed a little. "That was ridiculous!" Sam made sure to note, "no bugs or rodents". And even though the room was disgusting, he was correct.
(the pics don't emphasize just how bad it was)
We decided to hop into a cab and head to Pak Bara--we are going to make it to Ko Lipe. We may only stay one or two nights. But after all that travel we just wanted to get there. We now also know that we have the option to take a ferry into Malaysia from Ko Lipe... So the trip might be worth it after-all.
Today has certinly provided us with an attitude adjustmet, and we are enjoying reflecting upon the ups an downs of our trip.
Before we left, Sam's good friend asked him if he really thought I would be able to handle backpacking... I can say that the adjusting hasn't been easy, but we made it through last night. And we are really proud of eachother.
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