Thailand pt 1

Another flight takes us from Katmandu to Kuala Lumpur, then overnight at a hotel near the airport, and another flight from KL to Surat Thani, then a minibus to Krabi and then another minibus to Koh Lanta, a small island off the west coast of Thailand. Sounds like a full day, right? Actually it went like this: flight from Kathmandu to KL, then hotel overnight, then flight from KL to Surat Thani, then a minibus from Surat Thani is supposed to take us to the bus station in Krabi to connect with a bus which will take us to Koh Lanta via two a small ferry across the strait which connects the mainland to Koh Lanta Noi and then a short drive to the other side of Koh Lanta Noi to anther ferry across the strait to Koh Lanta Yai, the island on which we are booked to stay at a truly lovely little place called Soon Treeya, I recommend it highly. instead of the bus station, we are told to get off the minibus if we want to go to Lanta and we are dropped across the street from a tour agency which is suddenly charging an awful lot more money than we were told it would cost. No choice so we think, so we pay the money and get on a fantastically over crowded minibus, which is playing some truly treacly Thai pop videos by some chanteuse who wears a lot of headbands and seems awfully earnest when she sings what seems to be the same song over and over with precisely the same expression on her face throughout. We arrive in Krabi, where we are dropped quite unceremoniously in front of some other guy who seems to be the only option to get to Koh Lanta. clearly the minibus driver and the driver of the rickety van in front of us are in cahoots. We begin talking to a Dutch couple who have been travelling for the last six months, and they flat out refuse the exorbitant rate he's charging, and so we decide to hitch our cart to their star, and start to walk. That's when I notice the Krabi bus station is actually across the street. At this point I start to wonder if the bus station in Surat Thani was actually just across the street from where we were dropped off, and we just got hoodwinked into not even looking around, but I feel marginally better about it because these seasoned travellers like the Dutch couple got taken as well. The Dutch go to a window across from the one we go to to buy our tickets, but we confer with each other about the cost and location of drop off, and decide the window we went to offered the better price for service, so it's on the minibus and off to Koh Lanta. The ferry is a small flat barge designed to carry about 15 cars and trucks, and another 10 or so motorcycles and scooters. Both ferries had me placing a lot of faith in the engineers who designed them and those who skipper them, as it seemed perilous to us, but we get to the island in one piece, and are once again unceremoniously dropped on the middle of nowhere it seems despite the fact that he has been paid to take us to our respective hotels, the sun has set so it's dark, my phone is refusing to operate, and we haven't a clue how to get to the hotel. Well, it is a small island, so we decide to start walking with the hope we can find a restaurant and can get a drink and call the hotel to come pick us up. The problem is that everything closes very early if it opened at all because it's low season, so finding a restaurant that is open at 8 pm is a challenge. We see a lit sign saying "Phet Restaurant" and decide to go there. They are not open and won't be for another month, but they are so kind and generous, they let our son play with their children's toys while they call the hotel to come get us, and even get us bottles of cold water to drink while we wait.  Really, just so nice and kind, I don't know about their food or anything about them personally, but go to Koh Lanta Yai and order something from their restaurant. They're good people and deserve the support.
Anyway the hotel owners come get us and we go to the hotel, get unpacked and decide to go for some dinner. We walk up the footpath to the main road, looking for a restaurant, find one, eat and go to a shop to get some milk for our son and some water for us. We walk back along the pitch black footpath to the hotel. As we walk down the darkest part of the path, a motorcycle comes towards us. I move us over to the side of the path to avoid the bike, with my son on my shoulders. I didn't even notice that Siobhan has been spun around as the biker has grabbed the purse off her shoulder as he rides past, and breaks the strap, riding away with the bag. I hear her shout at him, I spin to see the rider wobble around on the bike, as he wasn't expect the resistance he encountered. I do the dumb thing.  I put Dominic down and chase after the rider shouting "stop him" at the top of my voice. I thought because he was unstable as he rode away, he may have slowed down enough for me to catch him. Instead, all I did was to wake the whole street, and turn around in time to see my poor terrified boy screaming for me and running up the path after me. My heart shatters knowing our feeling of safety has been destroyed, and I have just terrified my baby boy. He spends the next 3 days talking about the naughty motorcycle and how we don't have to run and shout anymore, and I am just looking for man's bag. I want to cry just thinking about how scared he was and it was more my fault than the thief's. The only thing of any value in Siobhan's bag was the bank card I had decided 2 hours earlier that she should carry in case my wallet gets stolen, so I won't have all the cards so we will still have access to money.
 The problem is of course that the card I gave her was for account which has the majority of the money, and the bank that handles that account has draconian security procedures designed to ensure that no one, not even you can touch your money should your card go missing. Anyway, with some clever internet finagling we got access to the money, or most of it, so we are going to be financially fine. Most importantly, a very important wake up call has been had. Yes, we used our heads about what we brought with us when we went out so nothing of value was stolen, but the fact it was stolen at all gives us some pointers about how to be less of a mark. If someone wants your stuff badly enough, they will get it, but you don't have to make it easy for them. Carry your bag on the side facing a wall if you have to bring a strappy purse, but it is really a better idea to bring something sturdier, like a knapsack. If you have access to a safe in you remember like we did, use it. Don't bring what you don't need, and hide the valuables either on your person, or in your room somewhere it would take to work to find. Try to make note of any distinguishing features as the assailant is leaving. I know you will likely be too shaken up to see much if you remember to look at all, but try to give the police something to work with, and don't chase them. Your family needs you more than they do the bag, so comfort them and worry about the bag later.
The rest of the trip was wonderful, with a beautiful beach, cool breezes because it's monsoon season (monsoon actually refers to the wind which frequently carries that rain, not the rainstorms themselves), no one else clogging the streets or beaches because it's low season, swimming pool to take my boy swimming in, he is only three and the sea is a little rough to swim in, but great to let it rush in over your toes on the sand.
We realise we have an early morning flight to Kuala Lumpur from Krabi, so we miss our last night on the island and get a hotel in Krabi, which brings us to this very moment. Dominic is asleep, and I am catching up on my writing, then bed. 5am comes earlier every time I have to see it.