Leaving Cambodia, to Bangkok, then Krabi...

I’m currently hiding in an internet cafe from what feels like a semi-monsoon. The clouds started to go dramatically dark and all of a sudden it started. Our first afternoon in Krabi.

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It’s been a long journey to get here. We left Siem Reap (Cambodia) at 6.50am in a taxi, and passed beautiful rice fields and palm trees glowing in the early morning sun. We were well on our way to the border, when in front of us was a long queue of cars. Our driver overtook them and got near the front. It was at this point we found out that the bridge was broken and there was a huge hole, where one of the metal plates had fallen in. Soon after the vehicles had caused gridlock in about three rows of cars on either side of the bridge for as far as you could see, so even if they did mend the bridge we were all blocked in!

It was really hot by this point and lots of people were trying to find shade behind cars. The dirt road covered us all in browny orange dust. Several hours passed and eventually people managed to botch up the bridge and eventually people moved their vehicles to let the other direction through. Some cars from our side tried to go across and it took a further half an hour of arguing before they decided who should go first and we were finally on our way again! I think I should be thankful that it was only five and a half hours to the border and not longer, considering what chaos the bridge was.

We passed through the border after a lot of queuing, and only just made the 1.30pm bus to Bangkok. We arrived at six and were in quite a hurry to get to the train station for 7.15pm. We must have looked confused but were very thankful when a German guy offered to translate for us and got us on the right bus to the nearest metro. From there it was another twenty minutes to Hualamphong station and we just made in time to buy food before the journey and get on the train!

I put my earplugs in and slept really well in the train. I woke about six am, and the bunks were made into seats. Soon after it got light and we started passing dramatic scenery with forests and limestone crags. From Surat Thani we got a coach to Krabi bus station, which was a further three hours, and finally a songthaw to our hotel.

It was really hot when we arrived here. After a lunch of fried noodles, veg and chicken we walked down to the river, from where the boats go to the Railey beaches. It doesn’t look to bad, and tomorrow we’re hoping to make a trip out to the beaches. Unfortunately there’s thundery showers forecast for the next day or so, and then its sunny when we go back home! I like the feel of Krabi, the atmosphere here is relaxed and quite different from other parts of Thailand.