Back to the Mainland

The next day was my final day on the islands. We were catching the afternoon ferry back to the mainland and the overnight train back to Bangkok. I wandered out on to the beach for a little while before we had to leave.

When we got to the ferry dock to catch our boat back, we said our goodbyes. Most of the group had decided to branch off and catch a boat back to Koh Phangan which would be hosting the Full Moon Party the following night. Only, Kitti, the British Couple, the Kindergarten Teacher and I were continuing with the trip back. The boat back to Koh Phangan was a little crowded:

Our ride back was a more than a little bumpy. Luckily I was tired and just tried to sleep through it. There were a couple of girls who were not so lucky. I saw a young girl and her friend run past with their hand over their mouths as the ran to get out on the deck. I was incredibly glad that they made it outside because I can guarantee that the smell of vomit would absolutely make me sick in an instant. Luckily our group stayed healthy for the trip. The boardwalk to the land from the boat was a few boards slapped together with no railings on either side. I wonder how many people fall in every year? Its amazing what things are acceptable in other countries that would cause an outrage in the US.

When we got back we rode a bus into the town, if you can call it that, which was made up of a couple of "restaurants" and a train station. We ate at one of these so called "restaurants" which had a very interesting interpretation of Chinese food and spaghetti. I had fries. Always the safe bet. We were worried about missing our train because our food was so delayed, but believe it or not, it was delayed! What a surprise! We waited an additional hour or so to catch our train. During that time we saw several others go by, including the local free train. People would just run across the tracks while the train was approaching to get in on the other side. Women were selling snacks on the platform to the people in the train windows. Stray dogs were everywhere, must have a been a great place to get some food for them.

When we finally made it on the train, it had a different set-up than our last one this one just had a narrow walk way with beds lining either side. I liked the compartment style from the first train ride better.

I kept my bag in with me because there was no safe compartment to stow it in. It was a little cramped, but not terrible. Luckily this train ride was only 9 hours compared to the 13.5 on the first one.