Silly Ori Travels - Chronology & Squiggle Maps - 01/2016 thru probably 01/2018

Where I've Been So Far
Date From To How TotalCost TravelTime
2015_12_30 Austin, Texas, USA Houston, Texas, USA Via U-Haul and after overcoming much Inertia. 3 hours with stops
2016_01_06 Bush Int'l Airport, Houston, Texas, USA Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand I flew the first leg with United Airlines (9.5 hours). The layover in Heathrow Airport, London, UK was about 5 hours. The 2nd leg was with Thai Airways (10.5 hours). -- I had awoken at 9am on January 6th and gone to sleep at 1am on January 8th (all Houston times), and since sleeping on planes/buses isn't restful to me, I consider myself to have been (mostly) awake for 40 hours. Free (frequent flyer mileage) 25 hours
2016_01_08 Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand Pattaya, Thailand The bus from the airport (on level 1, door 8) actually dropped me off in Jomtien (a section of Pattaya). Uncle Ed met me there and we took a songthaew to his condo, stopping briefly for a lunch. 125 baht,
~US$3.50
2 hours
2016_02_06 Pattaya, Thailand Battambang, Cambodia Hoo boy. This one involves 5 vehicles and 2 Italians. ~995 baht,
~US$28.50
9 hours
2016_02_13 Siem Reap, Cambodia Via an easy bus ride. -- I had bought a ticket at a corner shop on the previous day. The morning of, a shuttle took me from that corner shop to the main bus stop. We were dropped off in Siem Reap on a busy main road, not close to anything. Tuk-tuks were there to shuttle us away. US$5 4 hours
2016_03_06 Pattaya, Thailand This tale starts out with a moto-scooter driver with 3 cell phones. US$13 11 hours
2016_03_08 Bangkok, Thailand I took a songthaew to the bus station on Pattaya Nua and caught a bus to Ekkamai Station, which is near the Ekkamai BTS, though I took a cheap metered-taxi to my hotel. Easy. Buses leave every few minutes from Pattaya Nua station. 108? baht,
~US$3
2 hours
2016_03_31 Langkawi, Malaysia On 2016_03_30 14:45, I took an overnight train (upper sleeping bunk, 855 baht, ~US$24.50, buy the ticket the day before) to Hat Yai. It arrived around 7:40am. From the train station I took a private songthaew (4km, 60 baht, ~US$1.75) to the bus station where I caught a regular bus (time?, 63 baht, ~US$1.80) to Satun. I don't know where I was dropped off, but after a while I took another (mostly) private songthaew (10km, 100 baht, ~US$2.85) to the Tammalang ferry terminal. The ferry to Langkawi cost 300 baht (~US$8.50) and takes about an hour. Immigration controls are in the ferry terminals. Once in Langkawi, taxis are a fixed 30 ringgit (~US$7.5) to Pantai Cenang. I believe (unsure) that I arrived at the guesthouse around 2pm. [Time change: +1 hour] 1378 baht + 30 ringgit,
~US$46.85
23 hours
2016_06_17 Georgetown (Penang Island), Malaysia Taxi to Kuah from Pantai Cenang (30 minutes, 30 ringgit, ~US$7.5) and then via the Kuah-Georgetown ferry. (3 hours, 70 ringgit, ~US$17.50) This ferry terminal (in Georgetown there are several) is not too far from the many hotels and is walkable, if one has light backpack. However, I, having a heavy backpack and not knowing how close the hotels were, took a taxi. Idiotically, I didn't ask the guy to set the meter and instead negotiated for 15 ringgit (~US$3.75). I hadn't pre-booked and had to stop at a few different hotels and ended up giving the taxi driver another 15 ringgit. 130 ringgit,
~US$32.50
3.5 hours
2016_06_28 Ao Nang, Thailand At 8:15am I took a minibus (60 ringgit, ~US$15) from Georgetown (via the bridge, no ferry) all the way to Krabi Town (including the border crossing), then a taxi (15 minutes, 200 baht, ~US$5.75), at night, to Ao Nang. (A bus goes from Krabi Town to Ao Nang for 60 baht {~US$1.75} during the day.) This journey should have taken 8-9 hours, but due to all the small stops along the way, it took about 12 hours. Georgetown to the border took about 2.5 hours. I had acquired a 2-month visa at the Thai embassy in Georgetown. I was unaware that I had to show 20,000 baht to the border agent. Luckily there was an ATM nearby. [Time change: -1 hour] 60 ringgit + 200 baht,
~US$20.75
8-12 hours
2016_08_26 Langkawi, Malaysia Via a minibus direct from the hotel in Ao Nang, through Trang, we were dropped off in Satun. A songthaew (included in the original fare of 900 baht, ~US$25.75) took us to the Tammalang ferry terminal. The ferry ride is also included in the original fare. The bus ride was from 7:30am to 2pm. The ferry ride, which left at 4pm, takes about an hour. Immigration controls are in the ferry terminals. From the Langkawi terminal, I took a taxi to my guesthouse on Pantai Cenang (30 minutes, 30 ringgit, ~US$7.5). [Time change: +1 hour] 900 baht + 30 ringgit,
~US$33.25
10 hours
2016_10_07 Kuala Perlis, Malaysia I took a taxi from Pantai Cenang to the Kuah ferry terminal (30 minutes, 30 ringgit, ~US7.50) and then hopped to the mainland (peninsula) via the Kuah-Kuala Perlis ferry (<1 hour, 18 ringgit, ~US$4.50). I DO NOT recommend going to Kuala Perlis. There is nothing there. 48 ringgit,
~US$12
1.5 hours
2016_10_08 Georgetown (Penang Island), Malaysia The story of this route is a bit too lengthy for this table. 21.20 ringgit,
~US$5
4.5 hours
2016_10_25 Teluk Nipah (Pangkor Island), Malaysia In Georgetown, at 9:30am, I took the CAT (free shuttle) to the rapidPenang bus station by the Butterworth ferry terminal and caught the ferry (free towards Butterworth). The Georgetown terminal has a long ramp and the Butterworth terminal has quite a few stairs. I was early to the bus station by about an hour. The bus to Lumut left at 11:45am (3 hours, 18 ringgit, ~US$4.50). I arrived in the Lumut bus station at 2:45pm and, after a short walk to the ferry terminal, I caught the ferry to Pulau Pangkor (20 minutes, 10 ringgit round trip, keep the ticket, ~US$2.50). There are many taxis waiting to go to Teluk Nipah, which is on the other side of the island from Pangkor Town (10 minutes, 15 ringgit, ~US$3.75). 43 ringgit,
~US$10.75
4 hours
2016_11_08 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I took a taxi (10 minutes, 15 ringgit, ~US$3.75) to the Pangkor Town jeti, where I caught the ferry (return trip included in previously purchased ticket) to Lumut. The bas (bus) station is walking distance from the ferry terminal. I caught a 1pm bus (4 hours, 27 ringgit, ~US$6.75) to a large bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur. The ride actually took over 5 hours due to rainy day rush hour jams in KL. In KL I took a bajet (budget) taxi to my hotel (19 ringgit, ~US$4.75), though had I known the way, I would have taken the Metro (train). 61 ringgit,
~US$15.25
4 hours
2016_11_24 Bangkok, Thailand My hotel was located very close to KL Sentral (Metro train) station, which is also a bus station. I took a bus from there to KLIA2 airport (1 hour, 12 ringgit, ~US$3). I had booked an AirAsia ticket online (2.75 hours, US$50.42) for 1:45pm. Airport procedures were the usual, simple stuff and the international flight was easy. I flew into Bangkok's Don Mueang airport. From the airport (domestic) departures exit I took the A1 bus (30 minutes, 30 baht, ~US$0.85) to the Chatuchak Park Metro station (connected to the Mo Chit BTS station). I rode the Metro to the Hua Lamphong station (30-40 minutes, 42 baht, ~US$1.20, keep the token to exit). From there I was able to walk to my hotel, arriving around 6pm-ish. [Time change: -1 hour] ~US$57 6 hours
2016_11_30 Krabi Town, Thailand I did the reverse of Don Mueang-to-hotel (see Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok) to get to the airport (1 hour, 72 baht, ~US$2). I had booked an AirAsia ticket online (1.5 hours, US$33.13) for 11:45am. Airport procedures were the usual, simple stuff and the domestic flight was easy. The bus from Krabi airport into Krabi Town picks up right outside the terminal (30 minutes, 90 baht, ~US$2.50). My hotel was a few meters from the bus mini-station. (The mini-station on Chao Fah Rd. is not the same as the main Krabi bus station. The bus from the airport also goes to the main Krabi bus station, upon request. Normally, the bus from the airport continues to Ao Nang (for another 150 baht, ~US$4.25.) ~US$37.50 3 hours
2016_12_03 Langkawi, Malaysia A friend is coming to visit me for two weeks in Thailand in December. I want our visas to be synchronized so I won't have to make a visa run later. A border crossing was necessary. Why not go to ol' Langkawi, a place I know and love, for a couple of weeks. Well, if everything went smoothly one time, it probably won't next time. [Time change: +1 hour] 895 baht + 20 ringgit,
~US$30.50
7.75 hours
2016_12_21 Krabi Town, Thailand all-encompassing ticket (taxi, late ferry, car, minibus? -- see notes [Time change: -1 hour]
2016_12_23 Bangkok, Thailand airport bus/shuttle, plane, bus, metro, walking
2016_12_28 Laem Sok, Thailand walkin, metro, bus, rip-off? taxi
2016_12_29 Ko Kut, Thailand ferry, island songthaew (included)
2017_01_05 Bangkok, Thailand all-encompassing, sort of, island sonthaew, ferry, no onward ticket to trat nor bangkok, free bus ride to bangkok, metro, walking
2017_01_08 Pattaya, Thailand walking, metro, bus, songthaew
2017_01_11 Bangkok, Thailand songthaew, bus, metro, wlaking
2017_01_19 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam walking, metro, bus, plane, rip-off taxi
2017_03_05 Phan Thiet, Ham Tien, Mui Ne, Vietnam taxi, bus, taxi
2017_03_07 Hoi An, Vietnam bus, local bus, plane, long-distance taxi
2017_03_11 Da Nang, Vietnam super special taxi, including Marble Mountain
2017_03_22 Hanoi, Vietnam taxi, plane, rip-off taxi US$41.15 (plane only) 1:15 hours
2017_04_05 Cat Ba, Vietnam This trip was so easy that I barely noticed it happening. I bought an all-encompassing motorbike-bus-boat-bus ticket from my hotel. I chose the 10:30am bus to avoid getting up early, even though it cost 50,000 dong (~US$2.20) more than the departures before and after. From my hotel, around 10:50am, a guy on a scooter picked me up along with my two backpacks, the small one in front of the driver and the big one still on my back. We rode 5 minutes to some shop and then I was led, walking, around the corner to a busy street. The bus picked me up around 11am. We rode for an hour then stopped to let everyone pee. We continued on for another hour to a makeshift port. (It appears that the area is being dredged to make a "real" port.) The ferry ride lasted about 45 minutes, I think. The bus ride on Cat Ba Island, to Cat Ba Town, where all the hotels are, also lasted about 45 minutes. I was dropped off on the main road, by the harbor, in front of all the hotels. 350,000 dong,
~US$15.50
4 hours
2017_04_17 Hanoi, Vietnam shuttle, boat, bus, walk to hotel w/ bags on, not too bad 250,000 dong
2017_04_18 Rehovot, Israel 300,000 dong taxi (~US$13.21) + $780.85 flight paid by ima/abba [Time change: -4 hours] $794.06
2017_05_18 Nottingham, England [Time change: -2 hours] $166.36 ~5 hours
2017_06_22 @ Reus, Spain taxi 26 Pounds, plane, bus 3.50 Euros [Time change: +1 hour]
2017_07_11 Barcelona, Spain bus 16.90 Euros
2017_07_18 London, England [Time change: -1 hour]
2017_07_22 Dublin, Ireland $166.36 ~5 hours
@ = current location


My Squiggle Maps (in reverse-ish order):
Ireland
England 2
Spain
England 1
Israel
Vietnam
Thailand 5
--Kuah to: xxxx Island
Malaysia 3*
--Krabi Town to: Ao Nang, by bus and also by songthaew/taxi (satellite view)
--Bangkok to: Bang Pa-In Royal Palace and Ayutthaya, by taxi (satellite view)
Thailand 4
Malaysia 2*
--Ao Nang to: Tonsai, Railay, and Phra Nang beaches, by long-tail boat (satellite view)
--Ao Nang to: Bamboo and Ko Phi Phi islands, by speedboat tour (satellite view)
--Ao Nang to: Nopparat Thara, Ao Nang, and Pai Plong beaches, by foot (satellite view)
Thailand 3
Malaysia 1*
Thailand 2
--Siem Reap to: Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, Phnom Bok, by tuk-tuk
--Siem Reap to: Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdei & Srah Srang, Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chao Say Tevoda, Ta Prohm, by self-driven electric moto-scooter
--Siem Reap to: Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Preah Palilay, Tep Pranam, T. Leper, T. Elephants; Preah Khan, by self-driven electric moto-scooter and walking
--Siem Reap to: Phnom Bakheng, Baksei Chamkrong, Prasat Bei; South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, by tuk-tuk and walking
--Siem Reap to: Phnom Krom; (Roluos) Preah Ko, Bakong, Prei Monti, all by self-driven gas-powered moto-scooter
--Siem Reap to: Angkor Wat, by tuk-tuk
--Battambang to: Phnom Banan, Sneung, and Phnom Sampow, all on the back of a moto-taxi
--Battambang to: Ek Phnom and the Well of Shadows, by tuk-tuk
Cambodia
Thailand 1

* = some routes not highlighted due to a path-completion "error" on Google's part. (Or maybe I'm using GoogleMaps wrongly.)

Maybe you're looking for my travel blog? Or, because you're immensely curious, you'd care to see which other countries I've visited?