My then girlfriend and I took an overnight bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani (and back) en route to Koh Samui in 1987. It was a hellish trip. Surat Thani was then as you describe. I got into a friendly "spat" with an agent as well in ST and never stood a chance. To make matters worse, I was bitten by two mosquitos at a predawn rest stop on the way down and came down with Dengue Fever once back in Bangkok a week later. But we had a phenomenal time on Koh Samui in between. The island was isolated and undeveloped and magical.
Couchfish: You’re doing it wrong
My then girlfriend and I took an overnight bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani (and back) en route to Koh Samui in 1987. It was a hellish trip. Surat Thani was then as you describe. I got into a friendly "spat" with an agent as well in ST and never stood a chance. To make matters worse, I was bitten by two mosquitos at a predawn rest stop on the way down and came down with Dengue Fever once back in Bangkok a week later. But we had a phenomenal time on Koh Samui in between. The island was isolated and undeveloped and magical.
Great read, Stuart, and fair when you needed to be fair, and cruel when you needed to be cruel, like the Romans...
Haha! I read the bus part out to my wife and we both had a good laugh! The miserable trip was worth the great story.