Leaving Samui for the mainland
Too soon it became time for me to do what I came here for, and since all schools in Samui (very few of them) had no vacancies for the new academic year, it was time for the groot trek to the mainland - first stop Bangkok.
Too soon it became time for me to do what I came here for, and since all schools in Samui (very few of them) had no vacancies for the new academic year, it was time for the groot trek to the mainland - first stop Bangkok.
I'd already experienced a few days here and there in Bangkok on previous visits, and while it is a great city for a specific or business purpose, it's not a city I like to hang around in - crazy place, but a necessary evil.
Nevertheless I was looking forward to the trip ahead of me from Samui on the Lompraya High Speed Catamaran to Chumpoon. From Chumpoon there was an the 8 hour bus trip to Bangkok. I would spend a few days in Bangkok - a couple of day trips out of the city - then off to Chiang Mai for 2 weeks or so before I officially started work in Sukhothai. The trip to Chiang Mai was to enrol my daughter and her fiance at the University to do their TEFL courses, and also to find suitable accomodation for them for the duration of their studies. Yes, they had decided to venture out of SA and explore better opportunities as well.
Nevertheless I was looking forward to the trip ahead of me from Samui on the Lompraya High Speed Catamaran to Chumpoon. From Chumpoon there was an the 8 hour bus trip to Bangkok. I would spend a few days in Bangkok - a couple of day trips out of the city - then off to Chiang Mai for 2 weeks or so before I officially started work in Sukhothai. The trip to Chiang Mai was to enrol my daughter and her fiance at the University to do their TEFL courses, and also to find suitable accomodation for them for the duration of their studies. Yes, they had decided to venture out of SA and explore better opportunities as well.
Saying goodbye to lovely folk in Mae Nam was hard - they had been wonderful to me, and the dear old lady adopted me as one of her own. She kept asking her daughter to persuade me to stay - wish I could have, but work is why I came here, and work is what I must do. So, farewells done and dusted, and off I went feeling more than a little sad.
Leaving from Samui
A very efficient service - departure from Chumpoon
The trip to Bangkok took a lot longer than expected, and I arrived at the hotel in Khaosan Road environs sometime around midnight. I think I spent the next day browsing around the nearby markets and planning my first day trip out of the city. Hua Lamphong Station was my first stop the following morning, and I was soon on the day train bound for the ancient city of Ayutthaya.
I arrived there at about noon, and decided to hire a bicycle to explore the ruins and the temples - big mistake. It was so hot, I struggled to lug this bicycle onto the ferry from the train station to the other side of the river, and after about 10 minutes of peddling in the sweltering heat, I ditched the bike - well I locked it up at the jetty and hired myself a tuk-tuk driver for the day. He was really a gem, very patiently waiting for me while I explored the city, and took me to places I would otherwise never have found. He did try to persuade me to ride or feed the elephants at one of the tourist hotspots,but I politely declined - that's just something I don't approve of. Heat seemed to be rising from the cracks in the road and engulfing me, so an ice cold freshly opened coconut was a welcome relief when we got to the reclining buddha lady - at that time in a state of disrepair due to the recent flood damage. She has been restored to her former beauty since then.
At the end of my excursion, the tuk tuk driver collected my bicycle, shoved it into the back of the tuk tuk and drove me over the bridge to the train station. We had a beer together, I paid him generously for using up his whole day,and boarded the train back to Bangkok. Pleasantly pooped after the sun and the fair amount of climbing up and over ruins and stairs. Note to self at that stage - don't rent bicycles, consider a sun hat, get used to the heat ...... it did take me a few more stupid decisions on another excursion before I actually heeded my own advice. As the saying goes- I always make the same mistakes a few times, just to be sure.
Bicycle finally on the ferry
Upon arrival at the train station in Bangkok early that evening, I made my next mistake and booked a train ticket to Chiang Mai for the next morning. That's a story for another day.
Arrival in Chumpoon - Koh Nangyuan
A very efficient service - departure from Chumpoon
The trip to Bangkok took a lot longer than expected, and I arrived at the hotel in Khaosan Road environs sometime around midnight. I think I spent the next day browsing around the nearby markets and planning my first day trip out of the city. Hua Lamphong Station was my first stop the following morning, and I was soon on the day train bound for the ancient city of Ayutthaya.
I arrived there at about noon, and decided to hire a bicycle to explore the ruins and the temples - big mistake. It was so hot, I struggled to lug this bicycle onto the ferry from the train station to the other side of the river, and after about 10 minutes of peddling in the sweltering heat, I ditched the bike - well I locked it up at the jetty and hired myself a tuk-tuk driver for the day. He was really a gem, very patiently waiting for me while I explored the city, and took me to places I would otherwise never have found. He did try to persuade me to ride or feed the elephants at one of the tourist hotspots,but I politely declined - that's just something I don't approve of. Heat seemed to be rising from the cracks in the road and engulfing me, so an ice cold freshly opened coconut was a welcome relief when we got to the reclining buddha lady - at that time in a state of disrepair due to the recent flood damage. She has been restored to her former beauty since then.
At the end of my excursion, the tuk tuk driver collected my bicycle, shoved it into the back of the tuk tuk and drove me over the bridge to the train station. We had a beer together, I paid him generously for using up his whole day,and boarded the train back to Bangkok. Pleasantly pooped after the sun and the fair amount of climbing up and over ruins and stairs. Note to self at that stage - don't rent bicycles, consider a sun hat, get used to the heat ...... it did take me a few more stupid decisions on another excursion before I actually heeded my own advice. As the saying goes- I always make the same mistakes a few times, just to be sure. 
Bicycle finally on the ferry
Upon arrival at the train station in Bangkok early that evening, I made my next mistake and booked a train ticket to Chiang Mai for the next morning. That's a story for another day.
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