15.8.15 Bangkok Oldtown

A difficult day today after a noisy, cold night (yes, cold!). The Oldtown Hostel I booked online through Booking.com was different to my first experienced at Hua Hin with shared dorm ok but shared showers/toilets for a floor. And mine was at the other end of corridor!

Looking good at Hua Hin dorm (errmmm??!?!)

The air con turned on and off all night, right above me and no-one seems to question it. At least in the other we could control it.  It was freezing!

Then it was on a busy road so traffic all night – sounded like I was on the street with them!!! The mattresses is quite hard but the pillow too last night, so better in that respect!

My bed-mate on the top bunk was within three feet of me so very friendly!

All in all, I couldn’t stay again. Then as I as I was first up and didn’t want to disturb the lads still sleeping (how??!!) the other girl was outside sorting her bag, and I dragged mine out to do the same.  Rattling my plastic flat pack bags to fit in my rucksack was noisy, along with my huffing and puffing and here in the hall, where needed, no air con!!!!  Hot, sweaty and frustrated, as well as tired from sorting bag there and then, I hauled it down stairs.

The hostel itself was nice and a few facilities, but not really for me.

As I was able to leave my bag and come back later, for the Internet and air con downstairs too, I can sit down before going back to the station.

After days of hearing and reading about trains being hard to book to Chiang Mai I looked at options and almost booked an expensive temple tour, hotel tonight in BKK and then train from Auythetya there, and another hotel of their choosing when I was taken there by a tuk tuk.  I was sent there for advice by a school teacher who saw me lost and indecisive on the street and could speak English – however, these are touts for customers lost and confused, easy targets for charging well over the odds for things.  But after trying my card and then sending me off with someone to get the cash I drew the line!

In ‘bed’ on the train…

All I wanted was to see and go on the river but I never actually got there!!! Another taxi took me to a boat booking pier but I had already done it for less and that was over the odds!!!

Another taxi from Thonburi station, across the river, he didn’t know the way through the one ways so dropped me again, and without directions from a local would have wandered around, as I did earlier today, for hours!!!!  People are generally very helpful!  I know the locals have to earn a living too, and tourism is ‘it’ but still irritating when it’s you being dumped in a place you don’t know, hot sun beating down and pushed to buy things too pricey that you don’t really want!  Glad I got past that this time!

Difficult, to say the least, but I know I’ve been lucky so far… one bad day amongst so many good ones can’t be bad!

Bangkok roads from the Skytrain …