I'm not one to look too much for a 'point' in things. You get up, live your life and go about your business. There doesn't have to be a deeper point than that. However if I was look to look for a point in travelling it would be this:
To travel!
Whilst this may seem to some like a stating of the obvious, it was something that was weighing on my mind as my time in Bangkok drew to a close. The plan had always been to start my journey there but I had only booked a few nights and had assumed I would figure out the rest. The problem was, it had been 4 days and I was no closer to a second destination, figuratively and literally.
I had made plans for a later date though. I was meeting a friend from my dorm in Cambodia on April 1st. As I write this it has only just occured to me that this plan may be part of spectacularly elaborate april fools joke on his part. I may arrive to meet him at the hostel in Siem Reap to find a message awaiting me saying 'Jokes on you, I'm actually in Singapore. Lol.' I certainly hope not, I guess I will find out later.
Anyways, this gave me a week to fill between Bangkok and Siem Reap. The route to the border was to the east, meaning practicality ruled out Chang Mai in the north and Phuket in the south which are two of the most common destinations to progress to. I was starting to feel lost but I knew I needed to get out of the city.
Thankfully some sage like advice came from back home. A friend of mine who had done the same route before said that I should check out an island on the gulf coast called Koh Chang (my thanks go out Anka for this call!). It seemed like the perfect place to unwind between the bustle of Bangkok and the sites of Cambodia. The only problem was, I had no idea how to get there.
After checking with the travel advisor working in the hostel, I discovered that if I went to victory monument I could catch a mini bus. Seemed simple enough. So with my backpack finally on my back where it belonged I set off for the sky train. This is one of the main public transport services in Bangkok and is quite a convenient way of getting around. Kinda crowded though. Feeling like I was carrying a baby elephant on my back, I somehow squeezed my way on to the train, no doubt concussing a few locals on the way, but needs must and I had a bus to catch.
Any sense of bravado I had from using real public transport on my own for the first time, soon evaporated when I reached victory monument. Anyone who has been to a big, official bus station in their home city can get that idea out of their head. After wandering the streets trying to figure out where anything was that could transport me forward, I saw a guy with a sign saying 'Koh Chang'. As I approached him, he pointed to a woman sitting behind a table and told me to pay her 300 Baht. She in turn told me to go and wait and I would be told when my bus was ready to depart.
I waited in what can best be described as a yard. It was covered in an array of different mini busses, some broken television sets, an old motorbike, what I think was a fridge and some complacent looking Thai tourists. I felt completely out of place and I was just waiting. And waiting. And Hoping. Eventually I was joined by a pair of Canadians who said they too were going to Koh Chang which inspired me a little more and sure enough, we were eventually approached by a guy in some kind of makeshift uniform who told us to get on his bus. We duly obliged and shortly after, we were on our way!
Performing the sardine shuffle amongst the assorted locals also using this bus, we were certainly cosy but we were moving. I got chatting to one of the Canadians who turned out to be a proffesional rapper and muay thai kickboxer. We discussed all manner of things and bonded over a mutual affection for hip hop. We both recounted the moment we first heard The Real Slim Shady, mine was on a similar mini bus on a school trip to wales, his was in jail.
As the miles and hours melted away, the destination drew ever closer. I saw a variety of sites along the way, including a legitimate ' elephant crossing ' sign and a monk of a motorbike. It was weird, it was new and it was exhilarating. I would later come to realise that this trip was a walk in the park compared to the next journey I would be making to Siem Reap but at this point I didnt care. I had done it. I had made a call and seen it through. I was finally travelling.
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