This morning was a bit tough, first day traveling alone and it was an early start and there was nobody else awake so I walked for about an hour looking for a taxi or a songtaew or gosh even a dump truck would do! I finally found a motorbike taxi and nicely asked the driver to drive carefully and safely. I clambered on bags and all and managed not to fall off but it wasn't a very comfortable ride because I had my pack on my back and my day pack on my front and I had to hold on. But I made it to the pier safely and with a bit of time to spare so I napped for a little while before boarding the ferry bound for Donsak pier, suratthani! The boat ride was fine, I found a shady spot and was able to have a nap and read a bit of my book before we arrived at Donsak and had to wait for our bus. The bus itself look in okay condition but the driver was terrible. I don't think he'd ever driven a manual before, or a bus and I'm even suspicious as to whether he's driven on the road in any kind of vehicle so it was an interesting few hours. It made me giggle a little when we drove past a shop called 'cabbages and condoms' teehee. In Thailand, safety standards don't really exist and my rule of thumb is don't question it until you're safely off the boat/train/bus/taxi so you don't jinx yourself. Our ferry only had one life ring and some rotting rope and our bus had broken or cracked windows. As long as you have a first aid kit and common sense you should be okay. And if you get any cuts or grazes or burns to keep a close eye on them because everything gets infected really quickly because of the climate. But other than that you sort of just have to go with it because you don't really have a choice.