Amazing Race: Ko Chang Leg

We had been anticipating Heather’s arrival for quite some time now and she finally arrived on Thursday evening. We took her for a late night tour of the Mercy Centre so she could see where we spent all of our time. It was late in the evening so all the kids were dressed in their PJ’s watching movies. We were able to give her a tour and she was able to meet some of our special friends and a few of our students. Later in the evening, we went to our favorite restaurant at the night bazaar. It ended talking into the wee hours which wasn’t the best idea since we had to get up at 5:00

Heather flew and Jodie and caught the 7:30 bus and headed to Ko Chang. We caught the ferry and arrived in Ko Chang around 2:00. We spent the next hour and half looking for our hotel. We were on a bit of wild goose chase because Heather had written down the wrong address and so we travelled to the wrong end of the island trying to find it. We eventually found it and then began our search to find Heather on the beach. After a long hot frustrating search with no luck we went back to our guest house. There we found Heather who had been waiting for the last couple of hours. After venting our frustration we decided the only way to brighten our mood would be to eat. We ended up eating at the guest house and the food was seriously some of the best Thai food I’ve eaten on my travels through Thailand.

Our accommodations however were an experience in themselves. The best way to describe the bungalows and our experience would be like sleeping in a tree house. The bungalow was very cute from the outside and only 200 baht per night which is only 7 dollars Canadian. Inside there was one large bed which was covered with a mosquito net that hung from the ceiling. The bathroom however did not have the one thing we desired most, a shower. There was a hose but it only delivered cold, cold water. We spent the first evening there, all three of us in the same bed protected by the mosquito net. The tree house was also infested by ants. Later we discovered a large nest of ants that lived in a nearby tree. In the middle of the night I awoke to thunder and lightening showers and throughout the night water sprinkled on my face. It was not enough to keep me awake but at one point I woke up and grabbed the blankets and covered my face. Praying that I wouldn’t wake up soaked.

On Friday morning we decided to move onto another accommodation, the cold shower in itself was a reason to move on. We began on our search to find another hotel in the pouring rain. After about an hour and a lot of rain, we finally found a place. This hotel had a hot shower, a pool and two double beds. We took it and decided to make something of our day. In the afternoon, the sun came out for a short period and we took full advantage. We hung out by the pool and soaked up the sun for an hour or so. It wasn’t quite enough to help the tan but we enjoyed it anyways. In the evening Heather and I got massages on the beach and then the three of us followed it up with romantic dinner on the beach.

On Saturday, we refused to let the rain get us down. We weren’t going to spend our weekend sulking and staying in the hotel room. Our original plan was to rent motorcycles and drive around the island but because of the rain we decided to rent a car. Jodie and Heather drove but when it came time for me to drive I was not prepared. I began driving in the middle of the busiest street on the island and my perception of the road and the car was way off. Remember, the car is on the opposite side of the road and the driver is driving on the passenger side. Anyways, I was quite nervous and after a minute of driving in which I almost hit a car and a person, I decided to pull over and let Jodie drive again. I was quite disappointed in myself and I felt like a failure but I knew that if I had a chance to practice and get my bearings then I would have been fine. Lesson learned I guess. Don’t start Misty off driving in a foreign country in the middle of a busy street.

We drove to the opposite side of the island and went on a boat ride in rain. We originally wanted to go kayaking but chose the alternative boat ride because we had the option of sitting under an umbrella and staying relatively dry. The boat toured around the mangrove forest. This boat trip along with our drive around the island was one of the most breath taking experiences of my life. We took a lot of pictures but they really didn’t do the sites justice.

The mangrove forest was fascinating and Heather shared with us that this type of forest is usually destroyed because of coastline property. It is similar to a rain forest because of its unique ecosystem and its importance to local organisms and animals. Usually when the forests are destroyed it damages the local ecosystems and it often is impossible to replace. During the boat ride we passed a small fishing village and for a moment got insight to the lifestyle of a Thai fisherman, when we saw an older man fishing in his boat.

On our way back to the other side of the island we stopped for Indian food. On the other side of the island we shopped at a local market and Heather bought some local art and a few souvenirs. Later in the evening we all went for Thai massages. Heather and Jodie preferred the Thai but I felt like I was being beat up the whole time.

It is hard to describe the roads to you and I can only compare it to the Cabot Trail. The roads were so steep and so narrow. Some of roads were on the verge of being washed away and there were times where it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest. It was unbelievable adventure that I will treasure for a long time.

On Sunday we had one of the worst bus experiences of my life. Unknowingly we bought a ticket from a private bus company. We ended sitting on a bus that smelled like an outhouse for 5 hours. About an hour into the trip I realized I need to pee but refused to use the bathroom which smelled horrific. The bus was also leaking and it leaked on the Jodie the whole way home. She used the curtain and created a contraption that solved the problem momentarily. Everyone on the bus looked and smelled like they hadn’t showered for days. I imagined that they all stayed in the 200 baht guesthouse with no showers. The fact that it rained all weekend didn’t help the cause or the smell of wet dogs and sewer that filled the bus. We didn’t make any kind of stop until the 4th hour of the bus ride on the way home, and to say that my bladder was on the verge of exploding would be understatement. We made an unusual stop and everyone was forced to buy something because we were all starving. The Thai food was disgusting and expensive which made me the whole bus experience worse. We eventually arrived at home around 6.

We made plans to meet Carole, another fellow ed student on Sunday night. We met her at the hostel she was staying at. The hostel was really fancy and had a really great vibe to it. We had a great evening sharing stories with her and by the end of the night we realized it was time to go on a SERIOUS SERIOUS budget. Anyways, I am writing this post in an internet café and I don’t have time to fill you in on the events of today. We had a great day with the boys from soi 40 and I will end this post now and save the details for my next post.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty