The alarm went off at 6am and I made my way to the bus stop, where I believed a coach would take me to the ferry port. However, I soon realised this wouldn’t be such a smooth operation (once again) when a mini bus arrived to pick me and the other people waiting up at 7am. It dropped us off at an office, where we waited another hour for the actual coach to take us to the pier.
I got on the boat at 10 am, choosing to sit on the top deck in the sun, after a few days stuck on transport this was a breath of fresh air. The ferry ride was so welcomed; a few hours in the sun listening to some tunes on my Ipod, I felt relaxed and cheered for my arrival on Koh Samui.
After another short taxi ride once I arrived, I was finally at my hotel, where I wasted no time having a shower and some lunch before making my way to the beach.
And the moral of my tale is: it’s all completely worth it. The grimy and tiring road trips only make the treks through the jungle, or walking along the Mekong more pleasurable. Lying on the beach on a beautiful Thai Island feels out of this world, but it feels even more unreal and worthwhile after travelling for forty hours to get there.
Rule number one: try not to moan and winge because, while some aspects of it might not be ideal, you are still experiencing and exploring some of the most breathtaking parts of our small planet. And that it something to be extremely grateful for.
I don’t know when I will go back to Thailand, but when I do my attitude will be exactly the same. Appreciate every minute, even if that minute is spent sitting on the floor of a filthy train station surrounded by rats, because some people will never even experience that. Let alone all the other amazing, and wonderful things I did while I was in South East Asia.