Room with a view and a bedside table (Feb. 23/09 - Koh Lanta, Thailand)

When we purchased tickets on the daily minibus that runs from Khao Lak to Koh Lanta, we were under the apparently silly assumption that the 200km trip would be short, easy, and direct. We headed south, passing palm oil plantations and even a livestock trick barreling down the highway hauling a pair of elephants in the back, tails flapping in the wind and tusks resting on the roof of the truck's cab. We passed through the town of Phang-nga, a spot where limestone islands similar to those in Halong Bay jut up out of the ocean. Onwards to Krabi, famous for its beaches towered over by those huge limestone cliffs and the rock climbing opportunities they provide. The minibus dropped us for what we thought was a quick break at one of the typical restaurant/booking office places that are everywhere in this part of the world. It became pretty obvious that the stop was souly to get us to book hotels and onwards or return tickets with them so they would be paid a commission. Twenty minutes later, we got back in the van and were driven across town and dumped at another booking office. The driver took off and we were left with no idea what was going on. The staff of course said there were no 'budget' accommodations on Koh Lanta (the guidebook says otherwise), so we just waited until another minivan showed up half an hour later. It drove us about three blocks down the road before pulling into a bus station. Not impressed, we were told this stop was just to switch buses. One was there and ready to leave, but it only had three spots left so the threesom from our bus that was traveling together went first since they told us it would only be a ten minute wait. 45 minutes later, a bus labelled "Koh Lanta" finally showed up. We climbed in, climbed out again to get out of the invisibly claimed seats we originally sat in, then waited another half hour until the driver finally showed up. The ferry over to Koh Lanta was just a short drive from Krabi (thankfully), and we had the driver drop us at a hotel that sounded like it would be within our budget. If the cheap rooms weren't full, it would've been fine - but tonight they only had a 'superior' room for over four times our usual budget. We found out that we could have a cheap room for the next two nights, free breakfast, and a discount on top of it all, which made the whole thing average out to a decent price. For now though, we get to enjoy a dose of luxury that we felt a bit guilty about! Not only did the room have a view of the beach, pool, and treed headland below, but it also had a king sized bed, sheets that were clean (definitely NOT the norm!), a bedside table, satellite tv, granite bathroom counters, and one of those fancy 'monsoon' shower heads! We definitely felt like we didn't belong, but we can probably make due for now!