Getting to the school or how to sty awake for 20 hours

Nothing is simple, wise people say. Well, transportation in a foreign country when all the information is a language and alphabet you don't know is everything but simple.

In a perfect world I would wake up at 4am and catch the bus at 6am and be at the school at 13pm. But my world is not perfect.

I woke up at 4am, took a taxi at 5am and already things started to go wrong. The guy didn't turn the meeter on, didn't speak or pretended not to speak English and took me into some dodgy looking street that was completely deserted. Not a good way to start the day. Then he overcharged me but there was nothing I could do.

I had a piece of paper with the name of the town, nothing could go wrong. Except that there are two towns with the same name. I took the wrong bus at 6am and got there at 8am. I walked around and tried to ask where was the school but nobody knew it. That made no sense. Also I was told the bus took 7h, not 2h. After waking up two friends I had the full address, with zip-code and everything. I was in the wrong part of the country. I had to go back to Bangkok.

Two hours later I bought the ticket to the right district. It matched the bus counter and platform I was given by the school. Three hours later the bus stops and it's the end of the line. Great... A lady with no English tried to help m and didn't leave my side until the right person was taking me to a mini-bus that went to my town. I was tired, hungry and confused. I woke up another person in Europe and got the school's number. It was busy. The mobile belonged to a man that didn't speak English. Jesus... In the mini-van office I met someone that works for the school and he helped me out and explained that I didn't take the direct bus so now I had to travel in the mini-van for 4h. My suitcase had to pay a ticket too.

I'm from a curvy island but that was the worse trip ever. I even banged my head on the ceiling... Not taking that bus again, I can assure you. After several motionsickness pills I arrived in Sangkhlaburi. Yay! The director was waiting for me and took me in her motorbike. It was the first time that I rode without a helmet.

I met the other teachers and volunteers, then went to the market to get some fruit and tried some that I had never seen before (again in a usb-less computer, pictures to come soon). To end the evening I talked to my housemates. I went to bed after being up for 20 hours and slept like a log. As soon as I find an usb entry I'll post pictures.

This week celebrates the week when Buddha was dying and had not yet sellected a substitute sort of speak. So some Thai boys enter monkhood for the week alone. Their families pay fortunes (that they dont have) for that privillege. The temple next to our house is preparing the party. There will be noise for the next week I was told and considering that I woke up with the drums calling the monks to medidate, I believe my first week will be agitated.