Those who saw my submission for 2014 Travel Writing Scholarship would know what happened to me the day after Songkran. Yes, overslept and missed the minivan at 6am.
Well, we were so damn sure that we would wake up on time. I had a few alarms set and Nan had a few alarms set too. But nope, we still couldn't wake up. Opened my eyes and realized it's already 8:45am. Looked over to Nan and he's sound asleep so I woke him up and told him that we overslept. Guess what, he knew. He woke up at around 7am and tried to wake me up but I couldn't wake up. I guess we were too relaxed the night before. Since we missed the minivan, might as well just take it easy, right? Woke up and washed up and checked out. Asked the reception if she know of any minivans that were heading towards Hat Yai from Ao Nang. She told us the safest bet would be from Krabi Town since we've missed the 2 morning minivans already. Too broke to catch a cab, so a tuktuk will do! Even though we were in a rush, we stayed calm the entire time. It was scorching hot and we walked a lot, trying to find agencies with minivans leaving on that day itself but to no avail. So we decided to grab lunch first since we were so hungry and after that, we managed to actually find an agency with a minivan leaving at 3pm. We booked it even though it cost more than we thought it should be. Hung out for about an hour before the minivan came and off we go! Close to 5 hours ride to Hat Yai and oh dear, it was such a bumpy ride as compared to the ride from Hat Yai to Ao Nang. Made me feel like peeing the entire time so I kept hoping for pitstops, which they had for quite a few times so I was thankful for that. Reached Hat Yai at about 8pm and definitely headed off for dinner first. Almost everyone in Hat Yai are able to converse in Malay which was really good but the accent is really thick, but I'm glad I could still understand and catch what they are trying to say. We stopped near the Bus Terminal so we ate somewhere there and thankfully there's an agency which has a coach going straight to Singapore the next day. Once again, the price was more than we thought it was but we booked it since both of us had to get back to work in a couple of days! Trust me, we were so broke. So damn broke.
My pay have yet to come in and my parents' were broke too so I couldn't borrow any cash from anyone because my closest buddies were tight in the financial department too. Luckily, Nan still had some money left and I have some left and tha got us through. We booked the coach tickets and we even booked a room in that building itself which was opposite the Bus Terminal because we were just so exhausted to even find a decent proper hostel/hotel to stay in.
It was a little uncomfortable at first, I have to admit. But in a way I felt like I was home, because back at home I don't have a proper bed, I sleep on the mattress. My mind was running wild, like what if there are spiders in the closet or whatnot. It's silly, I know. The bathroom was a shared bathroom so at night I asked Nan to accompany me. Like what I said, I was a little uncomfortable. Surprisingly, I fell asleep first. I woke up at 8am, even though the coach was leaving at 11am. I just didn't want to risk anything. I felt comfortable with the room and the bathroom already that I decided to go alone. That's when I know, and I'm glad to still know that I am still the person who adapts to environment easily. Nan woke up slightly later and then we decided to grab breakfast before checking out.
At 10:50am, we checked out and the reception told us to wait for the motorbikes to take us to the other agency. There's where the coach will be at. Nan and I was separated for a while and I did have a good conversation with the motorcyclist. He asked about my stay in Thailand and I told him the places that I intend to visit. Finally arrived at the other agency and Nan was behind me and he said that he was pretty worried that we might end up in different buses. Waited for another hour before the bus arrive.
It was a long journey back to Singapore, I slept most of the time. But let me tell you something, I saw the most beautiful sunset while I was in the bus, I think we were somewhere in Kedah if I'm not wrong. But oh my, it was beautiful. It's too bad that I didn't capture it on my camera because in a way I regretted not capturing it but you know, some things are just meant to be captured up in your mind and I can deal with that. There were plenty of pitstops but I was just too tired to even eat much. Like what I said, I slept a lot.
Nan stopped in Johor Checkpoint because he stays in Pulai while I countinued my journey into Singapore and stopped at Singapore Checkpoint and shared a cab ride back home with a fellow traveler who was in the same coach since he stayed around my neighbourhood.
This incident also made me realized that my parents' definitely trust me at being independent no matter who I'm with or where I'm at. And even if I'm dead broke, they trust me enough to go through it and find my own means and ways to get back to where I should be. It was a comforting realization. Though a part of me felt a little scared at the fact that they are in a way letting me go. My dad knows how much I love traveling and he wants me to know that shit happens and that I have to get out of the situation by hook or by crook and he trust me and my travel buddies to be able to do so as and when the time comes.
I've been busy working and saving up since I'm already itching to travel again, hopefully sometime in September or October.
