We set out from Bangkok on our drive to Koh Chang and our sailboat for the next four days.  It takes about 5 hours to get to the ferry, half-hour or so to cross (not including the wait for the ferry which can be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or so), and then roughly 45 minutes to drive to the dock meet our Captain.  So our gracious host had rented a commuter-type van to drive us all down together.

And we took several potty & leg stretching stops along the way, helping us newbies get our feet wet (so to speak) as far as the differences coming at us this week.  The moms who worry about us will be comforted to see the modern gas stations available – though I admit, this was the nicest one we stopped at, I think.

Each gas station had a convenience store of some type – the ubiquitous 7-11 is quite popular, though not quite a western 7-11 – a bathroom (separate quick post about that very soon) and at least a couple of outdoor food stands.

The first thing we availed outselves of was a little coffee shop!  Coffee… oh the happiness…

The one disappointment is that they completely don’t seem to have the “Venti” idea down.  Seriously lady, you seem really nice and all, but I’m going to wrestle you to the ground for that pot right there.  This little 8-12oz hot beverage cup is completely insufficient.

There was a lot of variety on the roadside as we traveled along, so the trip didn’t seem as long as it might sound.  There were a lot of colorful row-house type of buildings:

Questionable wiring choices…

Shockingly overloaded vehicles… Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s safe…

There were many gorgeous, brightly ornate archways and entryways along the road, as well as statues of Buddha.

There were also Thai spirit houses everywhere.  Both set up in yards, in front of businesses, and as far as I can tell here, just along the road.

There are also the occasional roadside spots to purchase your spirit house.

And always, food stands.

And then we found ourselves in line for the ferry, and within sight of Koh Chang.