#10: It's time to say goodbye again

25.01.2020

Saying goodbye is always difficult, but especially when you have lived by the sea and have woken up to the sound of monkeys. We really enjoyed our stay in Hua Hin. But it's time to move on! We are heading to Thailand's wild north, where the jungle and even more animals await us. To do this, we plan to take a four-hour bus ride to Bangkok and spend a night in a three-star hotel there. Then on Sunday, we will take a bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which will take about ten hours.

The bus in Hua Hin leaves quite late at 9:00 a.m. However, since we still need to pack and walk to the bus, the alarm clock is already ringing at half past 7. The bus ride on Saturday is very uneventful. We are on time for the bus, have a decent seat, and arrive in Bangkok on time. However, unexpectedly, the bus does not drop us off at the designated bus stop, but 20 minutes away. So we have to take a taxi to the hotel.

Our hotel is located in the north of Bangkok, near the bus stop from which we want to travel to Chiang Mai. However, the area is 'rustic': everything is made of concrete, the road is used as a trash can, and you can both smell and taste the air. Tourists are nowhere to be found, and walking around with an obviously expensive camera seems like a bad idea to us. Unfortunately, the hotel itself is a big disappointment. The hotel, advertised as a three-star hotel and rated 8.0 on booking.com, is unfortunately quite dirty, has ants in the bathroom, and has about 30-year-old furnishings. But it should be fine for one night.

Since the bus leaves tomorrow Sunday at 6:00 a.m., we decide to check in at the bus station and look for our bus gate. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the walk to the bus station looks much more pleasant on the map than it actually is, and we quickly regret not taking a taxi. After about 40 minutes of sightseeing and crossing a four-lane main road, we finally reach our destination. There seems to be a huge chaos with lots of people, taxis, buses, counters, and security personnel. But it seems to work. After we have done everything, we make sure to take a taxi back to the hotel.

We fill up our supplies for tomorrow at the 7-eleven around the corner and have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Then it's off to bed.