After hemming and hawing for several days about where I would go for Christmas, I finally decided that I would go to Koh Chang for the weekend. I went to Bangkok Thursday night and did all my favorite Bangkok things: a bookstore, a nice "western" supper at Au Bon Pain, and a 1.5 hour massage.
My life is never without its peculiar troubles and this trip did not prove to be the exception. My "woes" started Friday morning when I tried to make reservations for my motel in Koh Chang. I called Siam Hut and talked with a pleasant man, but I think we had some communication problems.
The conversation went as follows.
Me: I would like to reserve a motel.
Him: A bungalow?
Me: Yes.
Him: On the beach?
Me: Yes.
Him: What time?
Me: 5:00 pm please.
Him: Silence.
Me: Ummmm…Don’t you need my name?
Him: More silence.
Me: Uh…are you sure you don’t need my name?
Him: My name is Nom.
Me: Okay.
Me: Silence.
After this conversation I called several hours later.
We had the following conversation.
Me: I would like to reserve a motel.
Him: Would you like a motel room or bungalow?
Me: Bungalow.
Him: On the beach or off the beach?
Me: On the beach please.
Him: What time will you be arriving?
Me: At 5:00 pm.
Him: Silence.
Me: Ummmmmmmm....Don't you need my name?
Him: More silence.
Me: Okay, goodbye.
I had a pleasant bus trip down to Koh Chang but I couldn't help wondering what would happen if I showed up at Siam Hut. Would I say, "I'm the foreigner who made two reservations at your motel? Look me up under--"no name, bungalow-on-the-beach" The bus company dropped us off at a station. I wouldn't really call it a station. It was a building owned by the bus company where they sold you ferry tickets and motel rooms if you wanted. Even though I was slightly annoyed that I was being not dropped off at the regular station, I decided that I would reserve a real room through this company since the fear of arriving on the island and going from motel to motel looking for a place to stay made me nervous. I looked at some pictures on the wall and I said, "I would like to reserve a room at White Sand Resort." At least I think that is what I said.
A forty minute ferry ride and twenty minute songtow ride later, I got to the beach where my motel was located. I walked along the beach looking for my motel which was (according to the sign on the road) 200 meters down the beach. The sun was setting and I was happy. I couldn't believe my good fortune to be just walking relishing the sunset on the beach. I walked and walked . I walked some more and thought about how though I did not speak the metric it seemed like a lot more than 200 meters. I passed motel after motel and finally (sigh) after I had passed ALL the motels I saw my motel--The White Sand Resort. The resort was beautiful.
I thought to myself, "For 500 baht this place is quite nice." I went to the clerk and handed them my receipt and then filled out the forms. Soon I would be relaxing my bungalow near the water. After a few minutes the clerk said, "You did not reserve a room at this motel. He handed me my receipt and it said, 'The Island.' Ah...fool that I was...I never checked the receipt. The clerk gave me a map of the motels on the island and I sat down in the nice lobby to look at it. I studied the map intently but didn't see my motel. A man, who worked for the motel, came and sat down beside me. He set his can of Singha Beer down on the coffee table and stared at the same map I was looking at. He stared at the map for several minutes and announced, "Your motel is not on this map." He made several phone calls and discovered (actually much to my relief) that my motel existed. He then offered me a ride there.
I looked at the beer he was drinking, I thought about being in a truck with a man I didn't know, I thought about what my dad would say about all of this, and then I thought about the 30 minute walk back to the road and I agreed to go with him. It was a brilliant cost-benefit analysis. Personal safety vs. A Long Walk with personal safety losing out (and I might add the realization that I didn't know where my motel was). He went to get the keys from the staff and gulp he grabbed another beer (gulp) and we drove up a long windy road through the jungle to the main street. Ten minutes later I was at my motel The Island--a run down kind of place up the hill from a construction site. It had a bed, a fan, and a cold shower. It was worth every baht I paid for it.
I went to bed early that night. I was too tired to go eat anything and I was just happy to be in my little room. The next day I got up and watched the sunrise, then slept for a couple of hours, then lounged on the beach, then went back to my room for an afternoon nap, then on the beach again until sunset. There was not much (thankfully) I could say about that day. It was just full of all the peace and relaxation that I needed.
After sunset I met up with Marlise and Daniel (thanks to Laura posting my phone number on their blog--I hadn't gotten the number from them when they told me to call them when I got there). We had Indian food and talked until almost 11:00 pm.
I caught the ferry, then bus, then van back to MC the next day and thus ended my very very short Christmas getaway.
