With my time in peaceful Pai over, its time for me to make the short but arduous trip back to Chiang Mai, foremostly as it is a prime location for travelers to make a 'visa run' - basically a one day trip to cross a border in to another country and then cross back in to Thailand again, essentially 'restarting' a new visa. Sounds complex enough, but its a necessary requirement of all backpackers wishing to remain in the country longer than the 30 day visa-on-arrival.
The cheapest, quickest and most convenient option from Chiang Mai is the 8 hour round trip to the Mae Sai border in Burma, offered by pretty much every travel agency operating in Chiang Mai. The night before my early morning departure I check in to a cheapish guest house and decide to have an early night in preparation. Unfortunately this doesn't quite pan out, and I am kept awake most of the night by a couple in the room next door arguing, and then inevitably having furiously loud sex. The walls are paper thin and I almost consider giving them a round of applause as I'm absolutely positive they'd hear. My ears are in distress. Starting to regret not bringing ear plugs....
Nevertheless I drag my carcass out of bed at an ungodly hour in the morning and start the visa run trip. Its a smooth enough trip and we are at the border by midday. The bus driver allows us 1 hour to leave Thailand, enter Burma, exit Burma and re-enter Thailand, so its a bit of a mad dash to get everything done in time. But it is do-able! Within 20 minutes I've entered Burma, found the nearest booze shop to stock up on cheap red wine, and re-entered Thailand again. I'm thankful that we only have 1 hour in Burma though, because as soon a you cross over the border, there are market sellers, tuk-tuk drivers, cigarette vendors etc trying to flog just about everything imaginable. A little stressful, and it actually reminds me of being in an Indian market.
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Back in Chiang Mai, I meet up with the Pai boys for a few drinks to reward myself, which quickly digresses in to a wild night and culminates in 5am roadside drinking, me getting locked out my guest house, a bleeding and bruised foot and of course a tactical spew in my bin. Thank god I'm not in a dorm...
The following day, once the hangover subsides, I have arranged to take he night bus to Bangkok, and then on to Krabi, as i have agreed to meet a sort-of-ex for Christmas on an island in Southern Thailand. Prior to leaving for Asia, I had more or less been in a relationship with someone (who all henceforth be referred to as 'The Kunt'), which came to an abrupt end and was never really concluded or resolved. So we have arranged a Christmas get together, against my better judgment, pretty much just to reach some conclusion.
And the disasterous bus journey that ensues should be the first alarm bells that this get-together is a bad idea and I should TURN BACK NOW.
The journey itself is uneventful (a couple of sleeping pills; lights out) and it's not until I am in Bangkok in a pharmacy when I notice that my wallet is significantly lighter than it was when my journey began. About £200 lighter. I feel absolutely sick to my stomach and tip the whole contents of my bag on to the pharmacy counter, sure that I must have just misplaced the money. But I haven't. It's gone, Ive been robbed while asleep and there's nothing I can do about it. Gutted doesnt even begin to cover it.
After a little research I realise that this type of robbery isn't uncommon on Thai buses - especially when the driver has 3 friends accompanying him on the journey, who are all small enough to crawl underneath seats almost undetected. Really.
After a little research I realise that this type of robbery isn't uncommon on Thai buses - especially when the driver has 3 friends accompanying him on the journey, who are all small enough to crawl underneath seats almost undetected. Really.
But with another bus journey booked to the south, I don't really have any other choice but to leave Bangkok penniless and pissed off. This journey is ok, probably because i am so paranoid that i sit hugging my bag all night. Yet again, another passenger wakes to discover that they have also been robbed of $600, and others discover that their luggage, which was in the hold, has been tampered with and even burst open. I am rapidly losing patience with Thailand. Perhaps 10 years ago Thailand was a great place to travel;still relatively fresh and undeveloped. But now, with the huge influx of tourism, he country and the people are a lot more jaded. Land of the Smiles? Think the government may need to rethink their marketing.
Arriving in Krabi the following morning, I hop on the boat for Koh Jum, fully expecting that The Kunt is also going to be there, as there is only 1 boat per day. But he isn't, so already we're off to a bad start. The island itself is tiny but picturesque, and has pretty much avoided all development...no 7-11's, no ATM's, and no consistent electricity or internet. Which is lovely- in theory. But the prospect of spending 10 days here with an ex is slowly filling me with dread. And if course he is in fact a day late, so my first day on Koh Jum is rather uneventful bar being chased by a hostile and probably rabid monkey as I am walking through the forest to my bungalow. I spot it sitting in the trees around the complex and do my best to totally ignore it, but it has other plans and leaps down from the branch it is perched on and makes chase. Hideous! Having decided a rabies injection (or any other medication/injections/disease prevention) is absolutely unnecessary while travelling, this could be Russian (Asian?) roulette.
And now I have to keep a small supply of stones on me at all times, just in case...
Thankfully Koh Jum has some beautiful scenery to keep me amused, and plenty of sunset-photograph opportunities.
The following day when The Kunt finally decides to grace me with his presence, things rapidly go from bad to downright insufferable. I wont bore you with all the details, but 2 days of bickering and exchanging insults eventually culminates in the mother of all fights (we definitely woke up every single neighbour) where he lists a few reasons why I am just not good enough for him. Obviously I'm not pertaining to be entirely blameless in all of this, but his behaviour is REPELLENT so I plan an early escape. It's all rather a shame, because there is absolutely nothing salvageable here; no relationship, no friendship, nothing. Not even the money I've already paid for the accommodation. Sometimes it's better to walk away.
So I leave feeling foolish and heavy-hearted and just want to go home and get a cuddle from my mummy and greet in to my pillow, listening to depressing music and watching The Notebook. But with that out of the question, I do the next best thing. I find the only guest house on the mainland that can accommodate me over the new year period, and throw myself a 4 day pity-party, drinking homemade tequila with an old Thai man called Mr Long a reggae bar in the very toursity resort of Ao Nang and watching programmes about homeless drug-addicts in Russia on YouTube. And by new year, I am feeling good again.
Chapter over - I promise you won't hear about this again!
My time in Thailand is drawing to a close, and it's been a real mixed bag. I have definitely preferred the northern parts of the country more, where the people are nicer and more genuine, the scenery is much more striking and the general atmosphere is more welcoming. Thailand has been really surprising for me; I arrived expecting Eastern promise and exotic people, and instead was met with Western development and about as much spirituality as my big toe. Don't get me wrong - I haven't dislike any of it, but it's certainly not a country that I am dying to return to.
So...next stop, Cambodia!
Visa Run
Chiang Mai to Myannmar (Burma). Takes around 8 hours altogether, with 1 hour allowed for exiting and then re-entering Thailand. Loads of companies in Chiang Mai offer this service (in a dedicated mini-van) for around 500-600 baht, transport only.
The cost of entering Burma is $10, or you can pay in Thai baht, but it is much cheaper to pay in dollars. $10 is roughly the equivalent to 300 baht, whereas the fee to cross in baht is 500. It's a no-brainer. Pay in dollars and save 200 baht. There are people at the border who will change you baht in to dollars before you cross, at a good rate. Tried and failed to find a single place in Chinag Mai to exchange my baht to dollars.
Crossing back in to Thailand there is no fee, and you are automatically given another 15 days visa stamp (15 days is the standard visa for an overland arrival).
Be careful of market sellers when you cross in to Burma. A tempting as it might be to buy 4000 fake Marlboros for $2, you probably won't be allowed back in to Thailand with them.
Also - don't lose your Thai departure card (issued when you arrive in the country). The "fee" for that all important new piece of paper is around $3.
Another word of warning about the night buses in Thailand: NEVER leave a bag unattended and wear a money belt if possible. Even leaving your bag at your feet is not advisable. I may sound paranoid but being robbed is a horrible feeling.
Arriving in Krabi the following morning, I hop on the boat for Koh Jum, fully expecting that The Kunt is also going to be there, as there is only 1 boat per day. But he isn't, so already we're off to a bad start. The island itself is tiny but picturesque, and has pretty much avoided all development...no 7-11's, no ATM's, and no consistent electricity or internet. Which is lovely- in theory. But the prospect of spending 10 days here with an ex is slowly filling me with dread. And if course he is in fact a day late, so my first day on Koh Jum is rather uneventful bar being chased by a hostile and probably rabid monkey as I am walking through the forest to my bungalow. I spot it sitting in the trees around the complex and do my best to totally ignore it, but it has other plans and leaps down from the branch it is perched on and makes chase. Hideous! Having decided a rabies injection (or any other medication/injections/disease prevention) is absolutely unnecessary while travelling, this could be Russian (Asian?) roulette.
And now I have to keep a small supply of stones on me at all times, just in case...
Thankfully Koh Jum has some beautiful scenery to keep me amused, and plenty of sunset-photograph opportunities.
The following day when The Kunt finally decides to grace me with his presence, things rapidly go from bad to downright insufferable. I wont bore you with all the details, but 2 days of bickering and exchanging insults eventually culminates in the mother of all fights (we definitely woke up every single neighbour) where he lists a few reasons why I am just not good enough for him. Obviously I'm not pertaining to be entirely blameless in all of this, but his behaviour is REPELLENT so I plan an early escape. It's all rather a shame, because there is absolutely nothing salvageable here; no relationship, no friendship, nothing. Not even the money I've already paid for the accommodation. Sometimes it's better to walk away.
So I leave feeling foolish and heavy-hearted and just want to go home and get a cuddle from my mummy and greet in to my pillow, listening to depressing music and watching The Notebook. But with that out of the question, I do the next best thing. I find the only guest house on the mainland that can accommodate me over the new year period, and throw myself a 4 day pity-party, drinking homemade tequila with an old Thai man called Mr Long a reggae bar in the very toursity resort of Ao Nang and watching programmes about homeless drug-addicts in Russia on YouTube. And by new year, I am feeling good again.
Chapter over - I promise you won't hear about this again!
My time in Thailand is drawing to a close, and it's been a real mixed bag. I have definitely preferred the northern parts of the country more, where the people are nicer and more genuine, the scenery is much more striking and the general atmosphere is more welcoming. Thailand has been really surprising for me; I arrived expecting Eastern promise and exotic people, and instead was met with Western development and about as much spirituality as my big toe. Don't get me wrong - I haven't dislike any of it, but it's certainly not a country that I am dying to return to.
So...next stop, Cambodia!
Visa Run
Chiang Mai to Myannmar (Burma). Takes around 8 hours altogether, with 1 hour allowed for exiting and then re-entering Thailand. Loads of companies in Chiang Mai offer this service (in a dedicated mini-van) for around 500-600 baht, transport only.
The cost of entering Burma is $10, or you can pay in Thai baht, but it is much cheaper to pay in dollars. $10 is roughly the equivalent to 300 baht, whereas the fee to cross in baht is 500. It's a no-brainer. Pay in dollars and save 200 baht. There are people at the border who will change you baht in to dollars before you cross, at a good rate. Tried and failed to find a single place in Chinag Mai to exchange my baht to dollars.
Crossing back in to Thailand there is no fee, and you are automatically given another 15 days visa stamp (15 days is the standard visa for an overland arrival).
Be careful of market sellers when you cross in to Burma. A tempting as it might be to buy 4000 fake Marlboros for $2, you probably won't be allowed back in to Thailand with them.
Also - don't lose your Thai departure card (issued when you arrive in the country). The "fee" for that all important new piece of paper is around $3.
Another word of warning about the night buses in Thailand: NEVER leave a bag unattended and wear a money belt if possible. Even leaving your bag at your feet is not advisable. I may sound paranoid but being robbed is a horrible feeling.
