Another Travel Horror Story

April 10, 2006. Siem Reap to Ko Chang

Premise: To go to Ko Chang from Siem Reap, I originally planned to bus south to Phnom Penh, then bus/boat west to cross the border to Hat Lek, then cross the border to Trat and ferry to Ko Chang. But when I found out that I can buy a combo bus-ferry ticket from Siem Reap to Ko Chang, I jumped at the chance for something a bit more simple. I was to be picked up at my guest house at 7:20am, bused to Trat and ferried across to Ko Chang on the 7:30pm boat. Simplicity is relative.

6:20am.
Knock at my door. Guesthouse receptionist woke me up and asked whether Pallavi or I was going to Bangkok. We said no. But then I thought, hmm, maybe Ko Chang is on the way to Bangkok, so I told him that I'm going to Ko Chang. I was informed that the car was here to pick me up. Yes, 1 hour ahead of schedule. Thank goodness I packed the night before, or I would've been screwed.

8:30am.
After 2 hours of picking up other passengers, changing 3 buses and playing the waiting game, I was finally off. I totally could've had more sleep.

9:00am - 1:30pm.
The road east from Siem Reap to Poipet was hell. It was as bad as African roads. Dirt with a lot of big rocks. The paved parts had more pot holes than pavement. Going 30 km took 2.5 hours. 2.5 hours of a VERY bumpy ride. The only source of amusement were the catfish. A truck in front of us dropped 2 catfish on the road and some guy in my van picked them up and put them on the floor of the van. One of the catfish moved halfway down the van and tried to jump in my shoes.

1:45pm.
Crossing the Cambodian/Thai border was relatively "easy". I only had to change buses twice and walk through an outdoor market to find where I was supposed to board the car down to Trat.

2:45pm.
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for 3 other passengers to Ko Chang. Car would not leave without them. Note: It takes about 3-4 hours to drive down to Trat. The last ferry leaves at 7pm.

3:30pm.
We finally left. Only 2 other passengers showed up. We should make it to the ferry on time; as long as everything goes according to plan.

4:00pm.
We were back at the bus station. Seems like the last passenger finally showed up. What the heck took her so long? And why did we have to come back for her?! She was late! We asked the driver whether we would make the ferry. He smiled. Uh oh.

4:00pm --
The drive was fine. Our van was passed by a number of cars on the highway. Slightly concerned, but we seemed to be going at a good speed.

6:45pm.
We arrived in Trat! Van slowed but headed towards pier.

7:00pm.
Past 2 piers. WTH?!?!!

7:15pm.
Van arrived at a Tour Office. Man from office informed us that we missed the boat and that we must stay the night at a 200baht/night hotel. (Standard rates in the area is 100b/night) Or hire a boat for 2000B to get to the island. Argument ensued for 40 minutes. We were totally cheated! WTH? The driver didn't even bring us to the pier to show us the departed boat!! This is not even funny!!! The driver clearly made a commission for "missing" the damn boat!

8:00pm.
Arrived at hotel. There were no towels nor toilet paper. Nothing. Because I was sharing a room with another girl, we asked for 2 beds. We were told they didn't have any more rooms with 2 beds. GRRRRRRR. F__K it. It had been too long of a day. We shared the bed. Our driver told us that he would pick us up at 8am.

April 11, 2006.
7:55am.
When we walked outside, we found out that the room next our ours had 2 beds and was available last night.

8:15am.
No drivers in sight. We got a ride to the ferry. Ferry left 15minutes late. Yes, 15. Standard Thai operating procedure. Always at least 15minutes late. (If you look back at the timeline -- yes, that's right, we probably could've made the ferry even at 7:15pm!)

Why why why?

Damn them for lying.
Damn them for cheating.
Damn them for making side money and screwing us over along the way.

• I would have been okay if the driver told us that we would miss the boat.
• If he told me honestly that he would make a small commission if we stayed at that hotel, I would've stayed there with no complaints. It was not that much more money.
• He could even have said "I will not be giving you a ride to the ferry tomorrow." and I would've been okay with it.

But NOOO, he didn't do any of that. Why do these people insist on lying and cheating us?

Note: Apparently, some travel agencies in Siem Reap stopped selling Siem Reap - Ko Chang tickets because the bus company that is in charge of transport on the Thai side is known for not getting passengers to their end destination. Why can't they have a better business bureau or something like that?!?