18th March 2007 - Sue goes 'off on one'

RANONG.

Sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous. Our taxi driver, Jao, picked us up to take us to where the minibuses to Surat Thani left. Sue had checked it out in 'Lonely Planet' and discovered it was next to the Post Office. It was a good day to travel, overcast, not too hot and I was chatting to a nice Canadian guy who turned out to be a musician. He and his wife were off to do the same visa run to Burma that we had done the day before.

"That's funny," said Sue, "this isn't the way to the Post Office."
"Oh well, don't worry," I said, "Jao knows what he's doing".

We arrived at the bus station (logical) and there, in the corner on it's own with nobody in it, stood a decrepit old minibus. There was an office and a few Thai people were sitting around nearby.

Sue - "This isn't the Post Office! This can't be the right bus. Bprai sa nii (Yep! We know the Thai for Post Office), take us to bprai sa nii."
Jao - "Post Office closed today (it was a Sunday)."
Sue - "No, no! Rotbus glai (near) bprai sa nii." (The Thai was really coming in handy.)
Jao turned to me and tried to explain that this was the minibus and it left in 15 minutes (8am). I was a bit surprised that it was leaving so soon as it was empty and we were told that they left when full. Then Sue got back into the taxi and sat down next to the Canadan musicians wife (he was just standing around outside smoking a cigarette and taking it all in).
Sue - "I'm not getting out until you take us to the PostOffice. This isn't the right bus, please take us to the Post Office now!"
A few eyebrows were raised at this point. Jao leaned into the taxi, "Mama (it was madam earlier but things were starting to hot up), please come office."
Sue - "No, no! I'm not getting out."
Jao looked at me for help or something.
I peered into the taxi and recognised instantly the 'look' which said, "Don't mess with me."
Mark - "I think he just wants you to talk to someone with good English, dear."
Sue reluctantly got out.
"Yes, yes," said the lady behind the counter, "this is the bus and yes, it leaves in 15 minutes."
Sue - "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, here are the tickets (waving a pad of tickets about and looking a little irritated), I sell you ticket."
Sue subsided slightly and I bought the tickets.
"Ok!" shouted the lady, and we turned to see all the Thais who had been sitting around piling onto the bus. We followed and got in to be met by a sea of silent faces, wide-eyed all staring at Sue a little nervously. They had left the back seat for us, to keep us as far away from them as possible.
Sue - "You weren't much help."
"Well over the years I have found it best, in situations like that, to just stand back and give you some room."

Off we go, everyone eyes front, avoiding the unpredictable farang in the back.

Off we went (quickly!), the ride was a little bumpy in the back but we made it to Surat Thani in a couple of hours. The driver had obviously done this route so many times that he could overtake without looking and whilst having yet another telephone conversation. He dropped us off right outside the travel agency where Sue had planned for us to buy tickets for the bus and ferry to Ko Samui (Ok, ok Sue it is worth doing some planning ahead). Inside we saw a girl we had been chatting to the evening before. She had caught the 6am bus and had spent a couple of hours hanging around the travel agency. We barely had time to go to the toilet before the bus arrived and we were off. 20 minutes wait for the ferry, straight onto a taxi at the other end and we were at our guest house 7 hours after we left Ranong. The whole thing cost us less than 7 pounds each, Jackson luck again.