August 11, 1997

SURAT THANI, THAILAND

As a change of pace I boarded a train from Pedang, Malaysia to Surat Thani, Thailand. The journey chugged along some 11 hrs to arrive at 1:30 am in another strange place. That's when I realized the train station over four hours back had unloaded my bicycle and gear. This became a problem because, the other station was closed and I speak no Thai. After struggling for an hour I realized that I would have to hope for the best and wait until morning. Then I spent the night in a horrible shack of a hotel across from the station.

Tuesday: August 12, 1997

Woke up an had to deal with the missing bike issue. Luckily they located my bike and gear and stated that it would arrive that evening. To my surprise everything was still intact. However, I had my doubts throughout the day. I would rather be lucky than good.