How I got to Thailand – ups and downs of 3 days

It’s 6pm on my laptop but no idea about the local time in the place where we are right now. We are somewhere in the air. And I’m just trying to sleep but I only get more headache and neck pain. They should really think of us taller people when building an airplane. Anyway, this is not the biggest down of all of them during the 3 days I needed to get to Thailand.

I left home, Snina, Slovakia at 8.30 pm on Friday the 30th September 2011. That day was already pretty painful. I hate to say goodbyes… I spent most of the day crying, to be honest. Being very senstive can be a negative thing sometimes. The first 30 minutes by car where just speechless, but still fine.

Then it all started. 8 and a half hours on a bus. Without a toilet! And I even had to pay an extra 1 euro for the baggage. But come on, isn’t it logical you will have a baggage on a long distance bus?! A perfect reason to charge for it … First down!

We stopped in the High Tatras in a motorest to take a pee. It was 1.30 am, I just woke up from a very short sleep so rushed out to use the toilet. Another down! I did not have 10 cents to pay for it and they did not have change. Great, another 7 hours to the closest toilet. So I stopped drinking water to survive that time without peeing myself. And obviously, a headache came as I’m used to drink at least 3 liters per day.

The guy behind me was probably having some nightmares as he was permanently kicking into my seat which meant almost no sleep for me.

Finally I got to Brno bus station where I had to change the bus to Olomouc. It was supposed to go from the platform 13, but I found out from the locals it was 11. Anyway, I almost killed some people with my backpack as the driver didn’t offer me to put it down in the hold but had to go to the back of the bus to get the nearest free seat with it and hitting people sitting there. My apologies!

This time it was my fault I didn’t sleep for that 1 hour and a half on the bus. I was just staring outside and watching the sunrise. We got to Olomouc, I had a sandwich jumping at the same place like an idiot as it was really freezing! My nose was all red. I noticed I already had a big bruise on my wrist and two small ones, too. When did it happen?!
Another half an hour to my friend’s house. The first up of the trip. She was lovely and her little daughter and family, too. So I enjoyed the day with them, it was some 27 degrees. I saw for the first time in my life to be so hot on the 1st October. So I couldn’t refuse 3 scopes of ice scream. Shame on me :D But down number-don’t-remember-already, I could not print out my online ticket. It was saying not possible for my leaving airports. Whatever!

We were so tired at 9.30 pm we took a little sleep until midnight. I woke up at least 10 tomes during those 2 hours always scared we fall asleep and I missed my train and flight to Bangkok. But in the end, we did not. My friend took me to the train station so another 30 minutes waiting there in the cold for my train. I got on and planned to sleep 3 hours before I had to get off at Prague train station at 3.40 am. But there was this crazy Slovak girl who just didn’t shut up as she was really excited to meet up at 3.40 am with a guy she did not know properly. But she was cute. I fall asleep for maybe 30 minutes and my head was just about to burst. We got to Prague and there were no taxis at the train station but I had just an hour to get to the Ruzyne airport. All the buses and metro from the train station to the airport start at 5am and I had to be there by that time. Ok, so I found a sleepy taxi driver close by and started dealing about the price. They are bitches, always charging the tourists more. So from 600 Czech crowns he in the end went to 500 as I was not willing to pay more. But at least it was quick and I got to the airport at 4.20 am. All the usual stuff of listening to music and going to toilet and repacking the bag the best way possible to kill time. I tried the manual check-in at 4 different places, still not working. My flights did not appear there at all. Great, I was getting nervous. First, I felt like it was 35 degrees out there, then I was shivering from cold. Oh no, bad sign! Was it not from being nervous, but was I getting sick? Noooo. And just the day I left I told my dad I don’t need to take any medicine with me, as I don’t get sick and don’t like to take pills anyway. Ok, ok …

The gate to check-in showed up at 5.20 am. I was falling asleep with 20 kilograms on my back while standing. Imagine. The check-in went really fine. No additional payments, no shouting :D Probably the second up after 2 days? :)
The third up came, as at all the airports I used a bit of the perfume in a perfumery. Why to waste yours? We need to save money where possible, right backpackers?

Amsterdam city centre

I found out there was free internet connection at the airport for 15 minutes after staring to nowhere for 1 hour and half, just 2 minutes before the boarding started. My fault! But at least I was so looking forward to sleep 1 hour and a half on the plane on the way to Amsterdam. But a family with three children sat next to me, while 2 of them were sick so just didn’t stop crying and screaming for 2 and a half hours. A jacket on my head didn’t help. Why 2 and a half hours instead of 1 and a half which was the time of the flight? Because we were delayed for one hour. Fog, how I hate you! I fall asleep just twice and once hit my head really hard at the window blind. Ok, my clumsiness already got to its highest point. I saw a couple of little scratches on my arms. Don’t ask me how I got them.
The Amsterdam airport is much bigger than I expected it to be! Anyway, I found the way out and book a return train ticket (which is a Euro cheaper if you pay in cash at the ticket office, and not by card in the ticket machines) and took a train to the central station in Amsterdam. To visit the city was a must for me, as I loved it the first time I was there in February 2007. I took a quick stroll around the nicest streets of Amsterdam centre. It was sunny and lovely morning so one more up of the trip :)
It was 12 pm when I got back to the airport. I had a connecting flight to Bangkok at 2 pm. It was there already where I couldn’t swallow at all. OMG, sore throat, high temperature, headache and earache. Probably the worst thing to have while on board. But there was no farmacy anywhere close. It was my first time I was actually sick when travelling. Why?!
Waiting for the security checks was another 30 minutes. Then more than hour until the boarding. But at least 2 sweet faces were sitting close. At least I had where to look at. Shame with this sick face and hair all over. I must have looked really disgusting when trying to swallow and just making faces. I was so hoping to have a free seat next to me at the plane to finally sleep a bit. But it was just not meant to be. Maybe this is some kind of exam to show me and all the people that traveling is not always a pleasure. It can get pretty harsh. My biggest wish was to be in my bed, sleep and then wake up and get a hot tea with fresh orange juice from my mum. But I just have to show I survive anything!
So here I am, with 5 hours without moving already and still another 6 in front of me. Horrible, sore throat and earache … no comments. Get me a cup of tea! And the man next to me is sneezing all the time. Just don’t infect me. I am unable to listen to the movies I have on my laptop because of the strong noise of the plane next to the window. And there is a stupid sci-fi movie on the TV screen which is far away from me anyway.

Finally landed in Bangkok after the never-ending 11 hours. Now just kind of scared about the visa. But it was all much easier than I expected. To get the visa took me 5 minutes. Finding the train to the center was not that easy. No one could understand the simple English words. But somehow I managed to buy the train ticket, got to the center and then the third taxi I stopped on the street finally got me to the destination. It was Monday the 3rd October at 8.10 am.Woohooo.

And these were just the first 3 days out of my next 3-month adventure :)

a Bangkok bridge

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Posted in Asia, budget travel, Czech Republic, Europe, flights, Holland, Slovakia, Thailand, tips, transport Tags: airport, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Czech republic, flights, Netherlands, Olomouc, Prague, taxi, Thailand, train