Night Bus to Bangkok
Momma always said that the road to hell was paved with good intentions.
Well, my intentions after landing in Singapore were to take a night bus to Bangkok.
Why? Was for:
Adventure
The experience of seeing three countries
Getting three stamps on my passport
Once-in-a-lifetime view of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand that one couldn't get from a plane.
The Answer (which won't come as a surprise to those who know me): All Of The Above plus the ticket was ridiculously cheap.
After a less than smooth seven hour flight from Narita International Airport, Courtney and I landed in Singapore, one of the cleanest cities in the world. The only thing is that we were too tired to appreciate the views since our plane arrived into the airport at 12:30 am on Sunday morning.
After
stumbling out of bed early the next day, we braved the heat to bus bus
tickets and explore the Singapore. Needing to play tourist we took
the subway to the water front whipped out our digital camera and almost
died of heat stroke. Of all the observations I could make about
Singapore is that the air is fresh and the place is clean. I'm not
just talking about the streets, it's the building, the air, the water, the
people, the cars, buses and the tress. After being deprived the
sight of trees, the tall trees that lined the streets were a sight for
sore eyes. To be brutally honest, it really makes Chiba City Japan
look like post World War II Poland.
The never-ending journey to Bangkok started at 6:00pm on Sunday and didn't end until 2:00am on Tuesday. We were supposed to have arrived at 7:00pm on Monday. On the way through the very green and deserted country of Malaysia, to the tropical economically depressed Thailand countryside, we endured freezing cold temperatures, being pinned to our seats by the person in fronts reclining seat, rest stops in the middle of Malaysian towns with unbelievable stank holes in the ground for toilets, no toilet paper, and in some cases no faucets..
Bet
you wonder why didn't I use the bathroom on the bus. Well, the
bathroom on the bus was a plastic toilet with a bucket underneath. What
made this all the worse is that I have absolutely no balance and a fear of
insects.
Needless to say there were a lot flying and crawling bugs in the bathroom and in the dining areas of these places.
So much for adventure, I ain't ever doing this again.
Cold, uncomfortable, smelly, and tired we finally arrived in Bangkok only to be conned by the taxi driver that got lost trying to find our hotel. Needless to say these women were hitting the shower as soon as the door closed behind the bellhops uniformed back.
Bangkok is...
hot, humid, cheap for shopping, cheap for eating, cheap for travel (hotel,
bus, train), and
has English signs. All that said I wouldn't want to live here.
To walk around in Bangkok is to be bathed in diesel fumes, to see stray
dogs on street corners, shanty houses on cleared lots, building discolored
with soot, and to feel layer after layer of dirt collect on you face.
On the brighter side, you can go and get a full body massage, facial, mud wrap, manicure and pedicure for under $25. Copies of newly released and CD/DVDs are a dollar, tailor-made clothes for a fraction of the cost, and delicious Thai dinner for less than a Happy Meal.
