What exciting days I have had behind me. Let me try to put everything together:
(If you don't want to know how my journey from Bangkok to Koh Tao went, but are more interested in what it's like on Koh Tao, just skip to point 4 😊)
1. Bangkok: On Friday evening, I walked two hours before the departure of my bus to the 'Lomprayah Office' in Bangkok. It was crowded, with lots of backpackers in the already busy street in front of the office. The staff pushed me towards the check-in counter, but before that, I had to throw my big backpack onto an even bigger pile of backpacks. At check-in, I received my ticket for the catamaran, a sticker with the bus and seat number for my t-shirt, and a wristband with the destination (Koh Tao) for my backpack. I had just attached this wristband to the loop of my backpack when a very anxious staff member rushed up to me and shouted, looking at my sticker with the bus number: 'Bus one, bus one, you have to go - now, now, now!' I was completely confused, it was only 7 pm and my bus wasn't supposed to leave until 9 pm. Nevertheless, I followed a group of backpackers to my bus. The bus was huge, the seats reclined far back, and you even got a blanket, so you could have slept wonderfully - in theory. I was incredibly tired and exhausted, but I was only able to close my eyes for a maximum of one hour during the whole eight-hour journey.
2. Chumphon: We arrived at the pier in Chumphon around 3 am, from where our catamaran was supposed to depart towards Koh Tao. While booking my trip, I thought: 'Oh Karo, travel overnight, so you save the cost of a hostel,' but I bitterly regretted this thought in the night, as the catamaran was not scheduled to depart until 7 am. Another sleepless night of waiting awaited me. So, I got off the bus and the staff gradually unloaded the backpacks. Mine was not among them, but I was also on the first bus, so I didn't find it too surprising. I sat down on a bench like the other backpackers and waited. There was nothing else to do there at night! 😅 When the second bus arrived and my backpack was still not there, I started to get suspicious, especially since the passengers on the bus went straight to the pile of luggage and retrieved their backpack. That was when I first thought that maybe I should have brought my backpack to the bus myself. 😅 And that's exactly what I should have done. Maybe it was due to miscommunication, maybe it was due to my tiredness, maybe I was just too naive about the whole thing - but somehow I assumed that the staff would take care of the luggage because they explicitly asked me to throw my backpack there. So, I walked up to the check-in counter for the catamaran and asked what I should do if my backpack was still in Bangkok. The staff said: Wait. So, I waited. For all twelve buses. My backpack was nowhere to be found. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who left their backpack behind, so I found a fellow sufferer in Ming. Ming was 36 years old, originally from China, had been living in Malaysia for a while, and fortunately spoke English very well. We laughed about our absentmindedness and were just glad that we didn't have to go through it alone. Around 5:30 am, we asked the staff at the check-in counter to call their colleagues in Bangkok, and behold: Our luggage was still there at the office. I was greatly relieved - at least I knew it was still there. They assured us that it would be brought to Koh Tao on the same day and that we could pick it up at the island's pier at around 4 pm. Somewhat relieved, we lay down on a bench for another hour until we finally boarded the catamaran at 8 am, with a one-hour delay.
3. Koh Tao: I knew from numerous forums that the catamaran ride could be very rocky, but since I had my motion sickness tablets in my big backpack, I had no choice but to rely on my stomach. You can't imagine how long 1.5 hours can feel. I was so relieved when the ride finally ended. I was not only exhausted and tired but also felt very nauseous. I was picked up at the pier by a pickup truck from my diving school and taken to the resort. After checking in, I quickly went to my room and slept for two hours.
At around 2 pm, I went to the pier again and waited a total of two more hours for my backpack, but it didn't arrive. I annoyed the on-site staff so much until they finally called their colleagues in Chumphon and Bangkok and assured me that my backpack would definitely arrive on Sunday (today). After all the talking, I won't keep you in suspense any longer:
I HAVE IT AGAIN!!! 😊😊😊 (Had to use a black and white filter, still tired! 😄🙈)
Although I wished for an adventure - now I'm really looking forward to the vacation part of my trip!
4. Ban's Diving Resort: After all the uncertainty with my backpack, today I explored the island a bit on foot. I'm so happy to be here! The 21km² island is located off the southeast coast of Thailand, and my diving school is located at Sairee Beach. I haven't taken many photos yet (don't want to constantly come across as a tourist 😄) but I'm sure I'll get to it in the next few days.
I hope you're doing well and having a nice last day of the year 2017! I'm now going to the beach and looking forward to 2018. For me, it's already six hours ahead of you! 😊 HAPPY NEW YEAR!
