From Koh Tao via Chumpon to Bangkok, Thailand
Reviews > Asia > Thailand > Bangkok > From Koh Tao via Chumpon to Bangkok
The last few days on Koh Tao were beautiful. We met some nice people there, a transvestite who was doing Maria's hair and gave Irina a face mask and manicure. Some nice people we met over at our favorite restaurant and some people we met while being out at night. The most fun part was probably our quad, a four-wheel-drive that we rented out. It's awesome to drive across the island with those things and you have access to most places that you can't go to with a regular car. The roads to some of the beaches are only made from dirt and you have some 3 feet deep cracks in them that are created by the corrosion. We have not had many rainy days but still when it rains occasionally, it pours down at you like it's the end of days.
Anyhow, the quad was awesome and we were able to do some awesome snorkleing at some awesome beaches.
We left Koh Tao last afternoon. We took the express boat which is quite convenient. I even saw some flying fish which was quite cool. We arrived in Chumpon around 6pm and I was once again amazed by the maze of a harbor you see there. It's full of fishing boats and there is a stink in the air that makes you want to throw up, but the rather interesting site keeps you out on deck observing the ever changing scenes.
Once we were off the boat, we took one of these little pick up trucks, quite fun... The driver simply yelled " chiildren and women first... everybody else Spiderman!", that said, the women and children occupied the inside of the truck and the guys were standing on a little desk in the back outside the truck and holidng on to the roof. This is a very common way of traveling here, and it's fun. We definitely had the best view and always fresh air during the 20min drive into the city. After arriving in the city we stopped at a travel agency where everybody was redirected to taxis, trains, buses etc. I had not booked a train ticket nor a bus ticket, because the good buses that have the best seats (like 1st class airplane seats) are not bookable anywhere but locally. We got our seats and then went off to walk around on the night market a little. We had awesome food... a Pork salad, Mango Salad, Intestine Soup, Catfish, some drinks and more food...
After dinner we briefly stopped at a place that is manufacturing china. We bought a pretty tea set and left. Chumpon is not a touristy place and people treat you just nicely... they are very polite and always help out, something I cannot claim anymore about the islands:(We even received gifts at the china manufacturing factory. At the restaurant strangers talked to us, wished us luck and were simply curious to ask questions.
The bus ride back to Bangkok was nasty and tiring, even though the bus was really good, the roads really blew all comnfort away. Yikes, I did not sleep at all and we arrived in Bangkok around 5am and could not check into our hotel until 10am. We still went to our hotel left our luggage and went off to the city which I will write about later...
Things about Bangkok you may be interested in
1. Aug 18, 2007 Arriving back to Bangkok (Bangkok) (

2. Aug 19, 2007 A little more of Bangkok (Bangkok) (

3. Aug 20, 2007 Still in Bangkok (Bangkok) (

4. Aug 21, 2007 Adventures in Ao Nang (Muang Krabi) (

5. Aug 22, 2007 Railay Beach - Nice Place (Ban Khlong Yang) (

6. Aug 23, 2007 The best beaches and islands of Thailand (Krabi) (

7. Aug 24, 2007 A quick stop and great food in Surat (Surat) (

8. Aug 25, 2007 Koh Tao - My favorite Thai island (Ko Phangan) (

9. Sep 4, 2007 From Koh Tao via Chumpon to Bangkok (Bangkok) (

10. Sep 5, 2007 Back again in Bangkok (Bangkok) (

11. Sep 9, 2007 Traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia (Siem Reap)
12. Sep 10, 2007 Siem Reap, like in the tales (Siem Reap) (

13. Sep 12, 2007 Experiencing Angkor Wat (Puok) (

14. Sep 13, 2007 Great days in Phnom Penh (Phnom Penh) (

15. Sep 14, 2007 Adventurous vacation in Sianoukville (Sihanoukville) (

Start from beginning | 1 - 15 Journal overview
Read about Bangkok in our travel-guide
Still in BangkokBack again in Bangkok
Recommended Bangkok Guide
Bangkok History
After the Ayutthaya Empire lost to the Burmese Kingdom in 1767, Taksin was declared king. Taksin established a new capital in the area which was then called Bangkok. The place was later known as Thonburi. After Taksin's reign ended in 1782, the capital was reconstructed on the east bank of the river by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke and the city. The reigns of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn brought about an improvement in the infrastructure of the city. The city saw array of development and modernization since then. It has become the economic hub of Thailand. The city was then given the formal name which became shortened to its current... Read more »
Recent reviews for Bangkok
Back again in Bangkok - Sep 10, 2007, by MadSuh
Arriving in Bangkok felt really good, especially because our VIP 24 seat bus ride didn’t really turn out that great. I could barely sleep because we were sitting in the back and the road was quite bumpy. Anyhow, we got to our hotel... Read more »
The amazing Bangkok - Dec 15, 2008, by MadSuh
One of the best places to visit. Bangkok is cultural, diverse, interesting, amazing, friendly, and really lots of fun. Make sure you stay away from the bad places though... There are beautiful sights for those who want to admire the Thai... Read more »
Alle über Bangkok - Jun 27, 2009, by mary
Wo liegt Bagkok? Bangkok ist die große Hauptstadt Thailands und heißt Übersetzt „Die Stadt der Engel“. Ca. 6.859 Millionen Einwohner wohnen dort. Die Jahresdurchschnittstemperatur beträgt ca. 28, 4 Grad... Read more »
Still in Bangkok - Aug 24, 2007, by MadSuh
So I picked up my Irina and Maria at the airport and then we headed for the first culture shock. I guess we did stop at our hotel first, where we took a quick nap. I also had to run back to my old hotel where I had left my airplane tickets... Read more »
Arriving back to Bangkok - Aug 18, 2007, by MadSuh
Finally I am back in Bangkok. My trip was alright, I was flying with LTU and it turned our to be very convenient. One thing that was funny was that now they charge €60 for the Emergency seats, how funny. "Would you like an upgrade... Read more »
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