The way to Samui and out

Monday 22^nd December 2008

I have spent just under ten weeks in Thailand and have three still to go before I return to Europe, all-be-it for a fleeting visit there. I have enjoyed everywhere, although Phuket took me three days to get to appreciate. My favourite place is definitely Bangkok, don't ask me why I like a city of ugly concrete and polluted with traffic, there is such something magical about it for me.

Now this morning, I'm sat at the breakfast table for 8:30am, as Mat smilingly greets me to enquire what I'd like for breakfast, "Two croissants, coffee with milk and orange juice please Mat" I said, "okay, Peter I make for you, five minutes for croissants okay" came his reply. Within two minutes breakfast was delivered to my table, Mat had even got the order correct, although he did have to go back to get the butter. Happily I enjoyed my croissants with butter and blackberry jam, washed down with the resort's wonderful fresh orange juice and two decent cups of coffee.

Olivier met me and said he would take me at 9:15am to meet the minibus taking me to Koh Samui, I made my goodbyes, put my luggage into the back of the SUV and off we went to meet the bus. We arrived at the meeting place and after a good twenty minutes the bus finally turned up. There were already nine people on board, and I took the last remaining seat as we made our way to Surat Thani for the ferry to Samui. Once in Surat Thani one person was dropped off and the minibus continued to meander through the city's street. Suddenly it stopped as the driver made a telephone call, and then we were on our way again, reversing about one hundred metres back and then turning right down this narrow backstreet. The driver then stopped, got out and summoned me to do the same as he went to the rear of the vehicle and placed my suitcases on the street. Before I could say anything the driver had got back onto the bus and drove away as a man, who I came to know as Vit, greeted me. "What's going on", I asked, "I thought the bus was taking me to the ferry". "You have to get another bus, next bus in three hours at two-thirty" said Vit "But I was told I would be in Samui at three o'clock what's going on – why so long" I countered. Vit beckoned me into this single story building with its metal shutter raised and opening the premises to the street, there was no sign outside to say what it was but inside there was a small desk with a pair of old coach seats in front where he beckoned me to sit while telling me "Your bus late, next bus to Samui at two-thirty". There was also a television blaring out and what I presumed to be Vit's family sat around it. I was having a bit of a problem with all this, firstly, I understood that Jae had booked me on a minibus to take me directly to Koh Samui; secondly I couldn't quite understand why I had been dropped off and made to wait three hours in this God-forsaken place. I ensured my luggage was securely locked inside these premises that had been disguised as a travel office and went off to a 7-eleven to get some drink. I returned about half an hour later, my luggage was still secure and intact as Vit sat me down again and tried to sell me tickets for when I depart Samui for Bangkok, I declined his offer, telling him I hadn't finalised my plans but did allow him to sell me a minibus journey to my hotel, with a company called Century, once I got to Samui. That cost me 300 Baht. I decided at this point to spend some time writing my Krabi blog, so I went to my small case, taking out my laptop before zipping up the case again without bothering to lock it because I planned to remain on the premises. I sat on the step facing the street and was about to start the laptop when Vit invited me to sit at a table outside, I tried it but the sun was too bright and so returned to the step to continue my work. After nearly two hours I'd had enough, so closed and returned my laptop to its bag which was in the small suitcase, locking it securely ready for the next leg of the journey.

At 2:30pm, I boarded a pick-up to go and meet the bus. My large suitcase went in the back and the small one stayed with me in the front. Eventually the bus came and my luggage was stowed in a space alongside the steps to up to the seating area. The bus was full; there were already couple of people standing. I stood just at the top of these steps with my luggage in my field of vision for the ninety minutes the bus took to get to the ferry. The ferryboat we were taking turned out to be an old and very basic ship and I had to carry my luggage up some steep and narrow steps to the passenger deck. I was not a happy bunny, this was not the journey I had booked and paid for, I knew somehow there was at least one more problem on this disastrous trip waiting for me. At ten past four, the ferry departed, after an uneventful ride across a calm sea we finally arrived at Koh Samui just before 6pm. The large suitcase clunked its way down the steps, I wasn't going to carry it, and I left the ferry and headed to where the minibuses and taxis were waiting. There I found the driver for Century minibuses, who took me to the bus and loaded the luggage; I breathed a sigh of relief – big mistake! After five minutes the driver asked me if I wanted to go now to my hotel in Chaweng Beach, "Yes" I replied, "bus not going" he said "have a problem, I find you something else". The something else it turned out was a songthaew, "you go free, special for you", declared the bus driver, "Not free, I've already paid 300 Baht for your minibus" came my retort. Just wanting to get to the hotel, take a shower and unwind, I took the songthaew and accepted that this was just a rip-off journey, I wasn't going to repeat again. There were six other passengers with me, one Thai, the others Scandinavian, going to a couple of destinations in Chaweng. On the way, the songthaew picked up and dropped of some other people and finally after an arduous trip, at twenty to eight that evening I was at my hotel, the Baan Rom Mai Resort.

I checked in, had to pay the total balance due and was taken to my room. Now I've stayed in better accommodation in Chiang Mai for well under half what this was costing a night, two weeks of this – I don't know if I can stand it, were my very thoughts but at least it was clean. I unpacked my clothes, took a shower and did some ironing, then went off to find something to eat. There were Italian restaurants, Japanese, Brazilian, South African, Australian, Irish, French, Indian but no Thai, except a couple of very overpriced places. I settled on an Indian restaurant, which was okay but that was all and when the bill came, I had just eaten my second most expensive meal in over two months in Thailand. I wandered around for a bit before returning to my room, it was then that I was to realise the full horror of my journey.

I decided to go online with my laptop, to my dismay there was no Wi-Fi available so I went to reception to enquire but no one was there. I didn't want to hang around so I thought I'd use my sim card modem. I went to my small case but couldn't find it, I cursed myself, thinking I must have left it behind in Krabi. After a few minutes, I decided to find my Spanish Nokia phone, which I'd been unable to use the past week as it had been out of service, couldn't find that either, I turned everything out of the case, including my laptop bag, which was stored inside it, every pocket was checked but there was nothing to be found. Nothing, nothing, I suddenly realised, hey my Bluetooth adaptor, what about my memory stick and hold on - where is my 250 gigabyte portable hard drive, I even checked the big suitcase, everything was emptied out onto the bed, linings were checked but absolutely nothing, even my comfy flip flops and my Remington beard trimmer were missing. I'd been scammed and robbed in that shit hole of a place in Surat Thani. I remembered that while my back was turned away, using my laptop, Vit suddenly came over and distracted me with some irrelevant conversation and I thought he was just being friendly when all the time my case was probably being riffled. It was midnight, too late to take any action before morning, I eventually went to sleep.

Just after 9am, I phoned Le Passe Temps to enquire if anything had been left in my room. Olivier checked with housekeeping and told me, no nothing was left behind. I then obtained from him details of the minibus company that had brought me here the previous day and went off to see the police. After a twenty minute walk, I got to the Tourist Police office, only to find it was closed and ended up going on a motorbike taxi to the office in Bo Phut.

Once here I filled in details of what had happened, gave them Vit's telephone number as well as the numbers of the bus operator and Le Passe Temps and let the police do their work. A short while later, three French girls turned up, they had made the exact same journey as me from Krabi, except they took the minibus one hour later at 10:30. I remember seeing them arrive at the office but they never stayed long before being moved on. Anyway, one of the girls had six hundred euros, her passport, iPod and iTouch taken, we compared notes and decided it was the same scam.

I've obtained police report and notified the Insurance Company, I don't expect to see my things again but the police have my mobile number and email just in case. Now I'm stuck on this god-forsaken island, a pretentious place full of hideous tourists like nowhere else I've been to in Thailand. I've booked a ticket back to Bangkok for 30^th December, I am not going anywhere near Surat Thani but instead will be taking the catamaran to Chumporn, then boarding an air-conditioned coach direct to Bangkok, where I'll arrive just after 8pm. I'll spend New Year in Bangkok – oh happy days!

As for Koh Samui, well the beaches are unpleasantly crowded, yesterday was cloudy with a couple of light showers, today, Christmas Day, it's thunder and lighting and pouring with rain. I detect not a jot of sincerity in the Thais here and the prices are extortionate, maybe I'm being cynical, maybe I don't like islands – Mauritius and Mykonos being the exceptions. Take me to Krabi, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, ah Bangkok, but just get me out of here!