Q: How many people can you fit in a minivan?
A: However many people have bought a ticket.
And they load up the westerners first. This, on the face of it, is annoying, because you get picked up early and then spend up to an hour touring one square mile picking up everyone else. But it means we get the best seats on the bus. Because we’ve paid a lot more than anyone else. Bags, boxes and crates are also included, often dropped off at seemingly random (but most definitely not random) points along the way.
And the air-conditioning kept cutting out. “Why’s it not working?” I asked Natalie. She looked at me, smiled and said, “Because we’re going up hill – not enough umph for the both.” Ah yes. First-world brain moment again. It’s good to be conscious of them – puts our world and lives into perspective.
Liked Kratie as soon as we arrived – even the moto driver who tried to hassle us wasn’t too insistent.
Our lunchtime view:
Then we bought grapes and some fruit that looked like small, spiky sweet pototoes for breakfast. Much of the fruit seems to be in the same ilk: a hard, often spiky shell, with fleshy or opaque fruit, and a central stone. “Same, but different”, as they would say around here.
And then headed to the River Dophin Hotel, as we’d decided to splash out £12 on a room. It was so worth it. I had my first hot shower since Dubai (yes, I know I haven’t mentioned it, but I’m a stoical kinda girl). It was even better than coming out of the wilderness into Yosemite Valley. Maybe I’m just easily pleased 🙂
The coffee shop reminds me what we had in a Malaysia 20-30 years ago. Would be hard pressed to find them in towns and cities in West Peninsular nowadays. Much missed. Glad you’re having a great time! X