Daily Archives: Wed January 28, 2009

Temporarily in Trat

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The prettier side of Trat

The prettier side of Trat

The journey was nowhere near as long as I was expecting. Myself and my new German companion (Gunther, I think – we never really introduced properly) arrived at around 13:30. Three hours earlier than we were told by the staff at the bus station! I slept for virtually all of it anyway, so I didn’t need the munchies and drinks I’ve bought at the shop. They won’t go to waste.

The bus station in Trat is a kilometre or two outside of the town so you’ll need to get a truck into the centre. We were charged 30 Baht each for the journey which may or may not be fair. Either way, it’s not a lot of cash. Of course, we were taken to one guesthouse (“Pop” in this case) which I scoped. It was OK, but the mattresses looked a little caved-in so I followed my German companion to “Jame’s” on the other side of the block. That’s not a mis-type, by the way. There is a “Jane’s” a couple of doors up.

This was a little nicer and run by a delightful “little old lady” who speaks halting but useful English. Typical of somewhere with the “Old Lady” touch, the shared shower and bathroom are always clean. I picked the smaller of the available rooms for 100 baht. It had all I needed – fan, electrics, light and a lockable door.

A quick walk around town was in order and we strolled and chatted. Gunther is retired – I was astounded to find he is 70, personally putting him nearer his late 50’s – and is basically happily frittering away his pension on the understanding that “you can’t take it with you”. Sensible man.

Look at all that lovely food

Look at all that lovely food

I have to say that just walking about gave me goosebumps. I love being in Asia. The people, the sights, the attitude. Just how everything is. You can walk up to anyone and just talk to them, haggle, argue and you always leave with a smile on your face.

We discussed prices for taxis and shuttles and I argued with two guys in the back of a truck I saw with Celtic shirts on their heads to keep the sun off. I wasn’t that bothered until I found out they were Liverpool supporters. As soon as they mentioned “Newcastle 1… Liverpool 5” I waved my hands and walked away. Bad men.

There is very little to see in Trat, but that’s not why I am here. The aim is to chill and relax after a long journey and this place is spot on for it. Most working people speak English and it’s just a nice little town. It is, in fact, an idea introduction to Thailand. Much as I love Bangkok, it’s just too built up to be Thai. Trat is smaller and easier to get around.

After a swift siesta while Gunther sorted some accommodation for himself on one of the nearby islands, we met back up for dinner. The night market is superb with a huge variety of food. We settled on a small stall doing chicken and noodle soup. Two servings plus a large bottle of beer between us came to 110 baht. Around £2. Can’t complain.

We walked a little longer and I indulged in a carb-fest of a pancake for 20 baht. Gunther then retired for the evening and I headed for the Sea House bar which has free wi-fi for customers. Courtesy of the collapsing Sterling, a large beer is now around £1.80 but that’s still not bad for a pint. And far cheaper than paying for 3 hours’ internet separately…

My plan tomorrow is a fairly early rise then rental of a 2-wheel deathtrap to get down to the ferry and onto Ko Chang for an explore. It’s a small-ish island roughly 30km in length with some gorgeous beaches. Diving’s not that cheap so I’ll leave that till I get to Sihanoukville.

Right now, I’m going to relax in the mild but warm temperature and cool breeze… and sup my Singah. Aaaaah.

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Back in Bangkok. Briefly.

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A flag of Thailand on the top of a pole.

Thailand. Again!

Not a bad journey here. I’d happily recommend Etihad – comfy planes, great staff, good food, decent legroom and a wide range of things to watch on the seat-back TVs. If I have a complaint, it’s that the trivia quiz game had too many American football questions in it. And that the flight times mean I was flying during the day instead of at night as i usually do so my sleep’ll be a bit whacky.

So here I sit in the bus station just outside Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. This is – as far as I could determine – the cheapest way to get to Trat (or Trad, or Tart – depends on which sign you read) near the Cambodian border.

My flight landed early, which was nice, but there was the usual delay at immigration. I didn’t have a hotel name on my immigration card but there were no problems when I explained I was transitting to Cambodia. To get to the bus station, it was a walk outside to where the Airport Express runs from, but a short walk past them to the end of the concourse (bear left when exiting the terminal one floor below where arrivals come out). There’s a shuttle bus every few minutes which I think is meant to cost 10 baht, but I paid 20. Hey ho.

Ignore the bus timetables posted at the station. According to them, the next bus to Trat was around lunchtime. An alternative was getting the 10:10 to Chanthaburi then hopping on a local bus for the 90 minute ride south.

However, when I asked the smiley and helpful young lady behind the counter, she informed me that the next Trat (city, not ferry) bus was actually at 9:10 (90 minutes wait) and 248 baht (around six British Pounds). I should arrive in Trat around 16:20. I asked and was told that the journey is non-stop so I’m going to pick up some drinks and munchies. Having said that, I’d be genuinely surprised if there’s not at least one stop along the way. I’ll likely sleep for most of the trip anyway. Especially as, once I finish my book, I’ve got nothing to do courtesy of the thieving toerag in Kuala Lumpur last year who stole my PSP. I hope you get cancer, you filthy lowlife.

So I have an hour to kill and I discovered a free wi-fi connection. If you’re ever here and need to check your mail, sit near stop number 3 and connect to “muek”. Now all I need is a power point…

Overall, a nice journey. The weather’s not looking great here. It’s warm but very humid and the sky is completely grey. I don’t know whether that will burn off or not as the sun rises. I’m hoping for better weather by the time I get near the coast.

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