Sunday, January 22, 2012

Woke up still sick. Decided to skip the dive class so I wouldn’t miss the west coast. Packed my gear and bought a ticket for Phuket. Quickly reserved a bed at a hostel before I left the hostel. Walked to the ferry pier and bought some snacks at the 7-11 along the way. Arrived at the boat just in time, sweat pouring down my face. Fortunately, the boat had air con. Read my guidebook about Ko Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, and the Krabi area, and listened to a podcast. The ferry stopped at Ko Samui, then continued on to Surat Thani. I got off there and transferred to a bus. It was only me and a girl my age named Dean on this huge bus. We chatted the whole time. The bus unexpectedly stopped in Surat Thani and we were told we would transfer to a minibus when six others arrived. We waited for over two hours. We bought ice cream, chips, and instant soup to eat for dinner while waiting. Fortunately, the minibus had air con too. I listened to podcasts and watched a thunderstorm brew on the horizon the whole way. The driver offered to drive us beyond Phuket Town for outrageous prices, but fortunately I was going to Phuket Town. Got off the bus, said goodbye to the other backpackers, then took a motorbike taxi two blocks to my hostel. Checked in, unpacked, and found that my pack had been rifled through despite the lock I had on it. Fortunately, my laptop/precious was still there. They must not have been able to get it out through the zippers and the lock. I couldn’t figure out when they had had time to do it. Dismayed, I repacked it all neatly and went to bed as soon as possible, feeling exhausted.