Thai Rhapsody. Song One
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Docking in Doha was only an hour and a half. The airport is quite big. But we made it without any problems. The next plane was a little bigger and more abruptly than the previous one. Monitors are touch sensitive. Here I have already figured out how to watch the movie. In addition to blankets and pillows, we were also given individual sets, which included earplugs, a sleep mask, a tiny tube of cocoa butter for lips, a toothbrush with the same tiny toothpaste, and disposable socks. All this household was packed in pretty bags with the image of different places. I got Red Square, Verka got some kind of indistinct Europe, and lucky Vadik got the Maldives.
This time the plane was packed, so I couldn't lie down. And it would be nice, because the night was coming. After dinner, I tried to sleep sitting up, but I could not do it well. Nevertheless, at 7 in the morning I was already galloping like a young grasshopper - a short docking, at 1 hour 15 minutes, was obligatory. Bangkok airport was even bigger than Doha. We had to overcome about a kilometer. It is good that the process of movement was somewhat accelerated by "treadmills" - escalators. Yes, and passport control. But we passed it without the slightest delay. And still need to change the bucks. But a normal course could only be obtained at the lower level. There were special exchange machines, the rate of which was 29.97. And on the upper floors - only 28.35. On a five-dollar bucks, a big savings turned out! Departure was from the 4th floor.
We didn't get any window seats on the third plane, which made me unspeakably upset. I really wanted to see Krabi from the air. Here we were given only some water and some sandwich with a strange green filling. There were no Slavs on the plane at all.
Upon arrival at the gangway, no bus met us, and we had to walk to the airport building. True, there, nevertheless, they tried to shove us into the bus. The employee who was standing at the door to the building did not want to let us in for some reason and sent us to the bus. I did not immediately understand what kind of bus it was. But at the entrance to it, another uncle demanded to show the tickets. We have shown. But we were not allowed on the bus either. Because it was a bus to the plane. We had tickets for the wrong plane. Apparently, that first uncle decided that we were too tanned for new arrivals, and wanted to send us home already.
On the second attempt, we managed to get into the station building. There we found a ticket office where we bought tickets to Ao Nang for 150 baht per person. We were seated in a mikrik, already almost full by that time, after asking in advance which hotel to take us to. Since I did not know how to read the name of the hotel where I planned to stay, I wrote it on a piece of paper. The driver didn't know where it was. Then I told him to drop us off near the mosque, from where, as I saw on the map, not far from our future shelter. I learned the word “mosque” in English in advance, listened carefully to how it sounds, and learned how to pronounce it correctly. At least that's how it seemed to me. The driver didn't understand me. I repeated again: “Mosk”. Not hello! “Yer church, ” I say. Does not understand. I was about to sing "Allah Akbar", but changed my mind and said the name of the first large hotel that came to mind nearby - "Ibis Style". Oh ya! Ibis Style! (Kemska volost) I finally understood.
I was sitting on the last seat. Behind me was a mountain of chumodans and backpacks. One of the chumodans rested at an angle against my knee. The rest of the mountain, with sharp turns, threatened to bury me under it. When we drove past the mosque, I started yelling for us to be parachuted. But, apparently, my gentle voice was not loud enough to reach the ears of the driver from the back seat. And we raced past. Okay, let's go.
After dropping off all the other passengers near such decent-looking hotels, we went to look for where to drop us off. I told him that I would show him where to stop. As it turned out, it was not the same mosque at all. We made a circle, driving along the street parallel to the main street of Ao Nang, the embankment, and leaving on the main street of Ao Nang. Near the already correct mosque, I asked to be dropped off.
The correct mosque
Checking Maps Me every second, we started chasing along the lane that was supposed to lead us to the coveted housing. It was warm. The hotel was supposed to be around here somewhere, but it wasn't. Everyone else was, but this was not. The gadish map showed that he was here, but in fact there were taverns there. Leaving Verka with backpacks on the porch of a house, we went around to a parallel street. It was absolutely impossible to go directly. On a parallel street, we finally found a sign with the right name.
Turn to our hotel
Collapsed. They came. Well, nothing like that, picturesque!
At the reception, I rang the bell, and a sweetly smiling Muslim girl came out to us. After making sure that she had free bungalows and finding out the price, I sent Vadik to fetch Verka and things, while I myself stayed to arrange. I rented two bungalows for 350 baht per night. The baht is somewhat cheaper than the hryvnia, so I later counted one to one. In dollars, it cost about 12 per night with a bungalow.
So, what were we offered for this money? Bed with good mattress. White bedding with a pleasant smell of freshness. Mosquito net. Small fridge freezer. Dressing table, hanger, dryer. A simple bathroom, but with a good Japanese heater. Toilet paper, shower gel, bottle of water. Wi-fi in the cabins, not just at the reception. And a fan. What else is needed for happiness? Houses with a conder were offered twice as expensive. I told the hostess that I would think it might be cold, and paid for 3 nights to start.
Our hut (sorry for the mess)
Verka, seeing the room, said that the three of us would fit in it quite well. I considered this moment appropriate and expressed, finally, to her everything that was boiling. About her nisvetnizaryashnye rustling, snoring and so on. 12 bucks is almost nothing. Can afford. If we had booked a triple room, it would have cost her about the same. I swallowed it.
After taking a shower, we went for a walk and lunch. We reached the Verkin embankment in 20 minutes.
Suspicious that it was already low tide, they didn't even take swimsuits. On the street I looked at the exchange rate. Everywhere different. As a rule, below the airport. But one of them was higher! For 5 kopecks, but still!
Walking along the embankment, we walked a little up the parallel street, believing that there were cheaper cafes. We landed in one of them. I ordered Tom Yam, Vadik - tomato soup, and Verka something else. The cafe was Muslim, so only juices were poured there. I chose from lychee. Lots of ice and some chopped lychee. Bullshit for 80 baht. The soup is also not ice. I ate better in Sri Lanka.
Tom yum with sea food for 180 baht
After dinner I wanted a beer, but what an ambush! In the period from 14 to 17, alcohol is not sold in stores. However, it was already almost 5. Verka went to rest after an unbearable meal, and we stayed to wait for X hour. We walked up the street for now. But then it began to rain, which quickly turned into a heavy downpour. We rushed to the next 7/11. Fortunately, the cuckoo has already crowed 17 times, and the coveted refrigerator was open.
At the cash desk stood a tall, slender girl in a short, tight red dress and a sparse stubble on her chin. And the voice was right. So that's what you are, reindeer! I've only seen transsexuals on TV. Squatting under the canopy of the store drinking beer, watching the downpour.
While finished drinking, it ended. The sky was filled with a rainbow. Beauty!
We wanted to buy rum, but it was only 0.3 liters. Well, that should be enough for today. The day was not easy. And tomorrow threatened to be no easier. "I decided. Chinchilla! " (c)
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