I was warned that Thailand tends to become very busy around Christmas\/New Years and indeed this is the case. It was very hard to find train tickets from Surat Thani back to Bangkok and I ended up taking the last train which leaves at 11:30pm and arrives around 10:30am the next day. It involved some wait at the origin but it is perfect to get to the hotels around check-out time and have more options. Up until now the Thais have been extremely punctual, but unfortunately the train was about 3 hours late so I got very little sleep, arrived late to Khao San but manged to find a decent place after all. Knowing how CalTrain is back in SF I can’t actually complain because they are even worse… The sleeper car was pretty nice and clean, and they even serve breakfast in bed!<\/p>\n
In case you don’t know, Khao San road is the backpackers street in Bangkok. If you’ve been to Delhi then think \u201cmain bazaar\u201d. It is quite a sharp change from the calm and soothing time at Monte Vista Healing Center back in Koh Phangan. I had an awesome time there and the staff & other guests were really nice and professional. We had a yoga class every morning and I really got into it. After 5 days I could clearly see an improvement in my flexibility and genral well being. Since I am totally out of shape right now I think I will try to keep the routine going and dedicate 30 minutes in the morning to do some exercises and get my body in gear for the tracking that’s ahead. I even got a yoga mat so I have no excuses, although I hope that carrying it won’t become too much of a burden. Friends, please slap me if I EVER become a yoga elitist snob<\/strong> (sorry to offend, but you know exactly what I mean \u263a<\/span>).<\/p>\n So back to Khao San, if I though it was busy when I first got here 2 weeks ago then now it’s really crazy and packed to the rim. At least I am getting more adapt at travel life and have more confidence eating on the streets and chatting with the Thais. I even feel qualified to help other travelers that just landed… All this \u201checticness\u201d has forced me to have firm plans for the upcoming weeks. Tomorrow I am flying to Singapore where I will spend 9 days. I’ll then fly back to Bangkok and immediately take a train and boat to Koh Tao (booked). There I have signed up for a diving class and will stay on the island until past New Years. By then I hope that the holidays travelers will dissipate and it will be less crowded. I’m still not sure where I want to go afterwards and I’m thinking maybe Myanmar (Burma) and Bhutan.<\/p>\n Some of you have asked for more pictures. They are coming very soon, please bear with me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was warned that Thailand tends to become very busy around Christmas\/New Years and indeed this is the case. It was very hard to find train tickets from Surat Thani back to Bangkok and I ended up taking the last … Continue reading