The next morning we took the ferry out of Koh Samui, went to the Surat Thani airport and caught a flight to Bangkok. It was already evening by the time we landed, and not having any good ideas about what to do next, took a taxi to the one place we knew well - Khao San Road, only to have the greatest disappointment of our trip :(

As soon as the taxi slowed to a stop near our destination, the driver hurriedly asked us to get out. He couldn’t wait for us to finish paying, and practically pushed us out of the cab. He said he couldn’t stop there as the police would fine him. This was despite the fact there were several taxies standing right in front of us. This should have raised alarm bells in our heads, but we just assumed he was an eccentric guy and ignored him. The taxi sped away into the night almost as soon as we were out of it.

It was only then that Kini realised his camera was missing. Kini was sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver with the camera in his pocket. It had most likely fallen out and the wily cab driver had noticed it. In hindsight, his eagerness to get rid of us before any of us thought about the camera made perfect sense.

We went to the closest police station and reported the theft, but without a licence plate number, there wasn’t much the police could do. The camera was lost, and with it almost ALL our Thailand snaps. Kini’s camera was the primary one, with VMK’s camera being used only once in a while. This meant that more than 90% of our total pictures were gone for good.

We decided to drown our sorrows in one of the many establishments that the neighbourhood of Khao San road offers for those looking to drown their sorrows in, and as usual somehow found ourselves in our beds the next morning.

By now, we had had enough of Bangkok’s nightlife so we let Kini persuade us to go shopping at the Chatuchak weekend market. This turned out to be a really good idea, as it was a whole new side of Bangkok that we had no idea about. A lot of things were bought at the market, which meant a lot of re-shuffling of our bags was needed. The guys also agreed to take several of my belongings back with them to India so that I wouldn’t need to carry anything that I didn’t need.

Never missing a chance to update the blog

Thailand makes it easy to click decent pictures...

...even if one isn't a skilled photographer

Last minute reshuffling of bags so whatever I don't need can go back to India

Late in the evening, we walked to the main road, from where the others would hop onto a taxi to the airport. We clicked a few last snaps together, and after a big round of hugs and slaps on the back and words of encouragement, the guys got into a cab and were gone. I was all alone for the first time since the start of my trip.

Our last picture together before I'm left all alone

I had decided to stay in Bangkok for a few more days in order to apply for a visa to Mexico. Through couchsurfing, I had found someone who was willing to host me for a couple of nights, so I picked up my backpack, and got into one of the local Bangkok buses that would take me to my host’s place. My host, Tomi, turned out to be a nice guy from Indonesia. As it so happens, he’s also totally new in Bangkok, and had just managed to find a room to rent. He was having me as a guest on just his second day in his new home.

Tomi's small but comfortable pad