Tuesday 14 January 2014

Yet another mix up

I am met at my lovely guest house at 9:00am as planned by the volunteer coordinator Mui.  A lovely lady with a gorgeous smile and sparkling eyes.

We drive to the pier and catch a long boat to Koh Klang, a 10 minute ride along the river.  On one side mangroves, green as green, on some other island.  On the other side we have Koh (meaning island) Klang.  Signs of a village with stilt houses perched over the river and people milling around.  We arrive at our stop and haul ourselves over the front of the long boat onto the pier.  Walking a short way through the village, a few shops on the way and quite a few people, we arrive at a lovley looking school.  About 8 classrooms, a lovely playground with some stone animals that are rather worse for wear and a pile of spotlessly dressed kids.  It is break time 9:15am so they are playing and like all children full of the joys of spring, some of the girls in veils, some not, but all the white blouses were pristine white, ironed and gorgeous.  How do they do it when they live in the homes they do, under the circumstances they do?  Our kids are not so well dressed and so clean. But maybe our kids arent as hungry for an education.  The school is a primary school but has a kindergarten attached. I didn't see the wee ones.

Mui introduces me to the deputy principal.  We wai.  They have a great conversation and many wrinkled brows along the way.  When the woman leaves Mui explains........... On the 16th is teacher only day.  So no teaching.  No problem a day to explore.

And on the 27th they are being assessed by the Ministry so don't have time to have a volunteer there over the next two weeks.  Can I change my program and come back another time?  The answer a resounding no!  Mui explains that they arel upset that they cannot have me there teaching and feelas though   they have let me down, feeling bad about it.  Here we go again!  I explain that, no I cant just change everything like that especially now that I am already here and have paid for everything.  My hotels are all non refundable (the norm down here) so I am, like it or not, here for two weeks.  Had it been a nicer, less smelly place with things to do I might have flagged it and just hung out but cant do that.  The only thing to do is to take trips, with a squillion other tourists to the islands, one maybe yes, but everyday no way.

So we settle on me coming to the school each day (except the 16th) and doing whatever they want.  I will not teach, but I have said I will just hang out there and maybe visit on the island.  Nothing like I wanted, nothing like I have spent a large amount of money on but I have to make the most of a bad situation.  The island is very pretty so I might just hang out with the locals, keep out of the city, and rest up.  I am not at all happy with the outcome but have limited options and will word a nice wee email to the General Manager of the volunteer organisation when I get to my room.  I'm not sure where the stuff up has occurred but surely someone confirmed with the school and told them I was coming?  Hello! 

We return to Krabi on a longboat and I go for a wander, settle in to the institutional Marks and May and salivate over the thought of toasted sour dough bread ( they are the only place in SE Asia that makes it) for breakfast.  Oh no we dont have any sour dough!  I am told.  Bugger, so I settle on pad thai and an espresso.  The pad thai is more tofu than anything else, the noodles are stuck together and overcooked, it is cold and it has no taste whatsoever.  Serves me right for coming to a place that caters just to tourists.  Their menu includes dishes from all over the world, the recipes given to them by their tourist customers but also included a thai section.  I am the only one here eating local food... Says it all.

The lousy food didn't help my demeanour at all.  I walk through the smelly streets taking in the sights.  Weirdest traffic lights I have ever seen.  They are the major tourist attraction of the city.  Says it all.

                            

I get to the hotel and there I lose the plot.  Just one more thing that makes me want to get the hell away from here.  I think about staying on.  Yes I would like to hang out on the island, maybe for a day.  Then what!  I look for flights home.  Nothing works with connections to Krabi. Each stumble makes me more upset.

I ring my insurers tell them I need to get out before they have to rescue me from a nut house.  They give me some ideas, none of which are covered under the policy but it helped me sort out my brain.  I cancel all hotels.  Irrespective of whether I manage to leave I do not want to be in Krabi or AoNang.  I would rather be in Bangkok and that's saying something.  Bangkok is closed down with the protests so I could only go there to transit.  I look at flying to Cambodia, might as well see more there while I am in the region.  I do the sums and it works out better if I just cut my losses now and go home. And so I spend the afternoon checking out flights.  I can't get from Krabi to Bangkok in time to make any of the  connections   an din any case therevare no Thai air flights available prior to my exitsing booking on the 25th and go into a flap.  I call the insurance lady again.  She calms me down and suggests I try gettig a fly from Phuket.  Bingo.  A relatively good price with my favourite airline, SingaporeAir, and going through Singapore.  Yay.  Phuket is only a few hours ago so I checked the bus timing an dall organised.  I leave for home tomorrow.

I go into the township for dinner.  Sit at a wee western style restaurant and have another tasteless Penang with rice.  On the way back I pass the night market along the riverside.  Bugger, lots,of food stalls cooking lovley looking food as you order.  Exactly what I should have had.  It was too early when I walked past on my way to town.  Oh well.  Another dissappointment in a long line of them. 

On the way home I have to walk past the smelly bits.  With shawl over my nose I pass, gingerly, but not before I have taken pics of the elephants and the hand.  The hand, from what I understand will form part of the worlds biggest Avatokitesvara Bodhisattva Guan Yin 84 metre high statue.  Guan Yin is the 
Bodhisattva of mercy and loving kindness.  They advertise that anyone who pays homage will be protected from all kinds of danger and alongside the hand are people lined up to take your donation!

                                                

Not sure where the elephants come into it but they look pretty, as does the Shrine of the Secred Pillar just nearby.

 

                                                                  


Krabi, you smell, are ugly and the few meals I have had here have been pretty awful.  The few people that I have had dealings with have been lovely, and that is the only nice thing I can say about you.



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