Our first day back in Bangkok we just relaxed in the Khao San Road area, not doing very much. The following day Sarah just relaxed there again, but I fancied getting out and exploring a bit. I also wanted to check out the Government buses to the Cambodian border (the tourist buses from Khao San Road are all notorious rip-off merchants).
So I hopped on a local bus to the SkyTrain, got a train to Mo Chit and started walking towards the bus station. It all looked very straightforward on the map, but turned out to be a major hike - I really shouldn't have even tried it. But of course, once I started I wasn't going to quit, and after wandering around for ages, I eventually arrived at the bus station (and one big consolation was that I spotted a huge, fat 6-foot long snake right in front of me as I strolled though the park - and this was right beside people's family homes). So I got the information about buses to the border, and then strolled back to the SkyTrain, but this time took the metro to Sukhumvit (the subway is new, and very like the one in Hong Kong, all extremely modern, clean, slick and air-conditioned).
So I strolled about Sukhumvit, checking out Cheap Charlies, the historic Atlanta Hotel, and the famous Cabbages and Condoms restaurant. Had to wait nearly 30 minutes for a bus back to Sarah, so when I got back we just popped outside to the street stalls for a quick dinner (eaten under tarps as torential rain came down, but only briefly of course). Next morning we got up early and both got taxi's to different bus stations - I was heading to Cambodia while Sarah headed to Koh Chang.
The Cambodian visa takes up a full passport page, and Sarah's passport is almost completely full, with no blank pages at all. I had tried 5 or 6 times to get an online visa for her, but every time the website was down, or would report an error during the application process. This is the third time I've tried to get to Cambodia, so we decided that I'd just head there on my own (my passport has plenty of space), while Sarah would head to Koh Chang and wait for me to catch up with her there.
So I got to my bus station at 6:29am, and as I get to the counter the girl asks if I want a seat on the 6:30am bus. I ask her if I have time, and she says 'Sure!', and so I get the ticket, run around the corner and hop on the bus. Literally 2 minutes later it's pulling out and off I go towards the Cambodian border in cheap, air-conditioned and rip-off-free comfort.
The Cambodian visa takes up a full passport page, and Sarah's passport is almost completely full, with no blank pages at all. I had tried 5 or 6 times to get an online visa for her, but every time the website was down, or would report an error during the application process. This is the third time I've tried to get to Cambodia, so we decided that I'd just head there on my own (my passport has plenty of space), while Sarah would head to Koh Chang and wait for me to catch up with her there.
So I got to my bus station at 6:29am, and as I get to the counter the girl asks if I want a seat on the 6:30am bus. I ask her if I have time, and she says 'Sure!', and so I get the ticket, run around the corner and hop on the bus. Literally 2 minutes later it's pulling out and off I go towards the Cambodian border in cheap, air-conditioned and rip-off-free comfort.
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