Thailand forum

Err... nevermind. Despite what some of the guest house staff said, there was a bus to the train station that ran right past the front. If you ever want to know about bus routes in Thailand, cross reference the opinions of about 3-4 locals.

@SBE - They didn't tell this little white farang about that! It seemed like you either hung around at the wharf and got the 9 hour overnight bus to Bangkok, which would have turned me into a zombie, or you were on your own in the middle of nowhere.

I did kind of just leg it out of there after the boat arrived since I never wanted to see the sea again at that point (the boat stalled twice in the Gulf of Thailand between Ko Tao and Chumphon, without so much as a peep out of the PA system to tell us what was going on/how long we'd be aimlessly adrift).

This was my first semi-long boat trip in Thailand, and I found the Thai have even found a way to drive recklessly ON WATER! I thought the boat was going to capsize for sure about half a dozen times, and I'd say there were only about three people on board, out of 12, that didn't feel sea sick the whole way.

Anyway, after walking around with 20kgs worth of backpack on my back, and stopping off to charge my iPhone in some no frills girlie bar with Burmese imports, I waved my little white flag and trudged back to the wharf, begging for mercy. They said there was a guesthouse nearby that would pick me up and cart my weary bones back to 2 star luxury. Just 4 times the price of the cheapie joints in town, it turned out. It was totally worth it - I have never enjoyed a hot shower and clean sheets more than I did that night.

Anyway, the staff there said the only way to get to the train station was to catch a 200thb taxi to 'the market' and get the bus from there. Luckily I asked someone else who had a clue about public transport and alerted me to the local bus that passed the front door.

THAT is how I came to be marooned 3km from the wharf.