Flov

11 years ago

flov

male

 

What an intense experience it can be to hitchhike in a country where you don't speak the spoken language. I chose to hitchhike over the three hour bus for this. The first ride was awesome, a rider who spoke good enough english, but this ride was gonna hit my nerves. A big bus with blackened window stops. The bus has room for 11 people and inside sit three teens with their parents. "PAI??? Cha Cha! Come in!" They didn't speak english and I didn't speak Thai and so our conversation was limited, but they tried it. It was a pity and made it so apparent to me once again, that the ability to communicate is what makes us understand and respect each other.

11 years ago

flov

male

 

I arrived by boat from satun and decided to take one of those little taxis to get a little bit out of town. I tried to explain the driver with the help of a map and my body language that I want to go out of town to hitchhike and NOT to the bus station. Of course he drove me to the bus station. I repeatedly tried to explain him that I want to go out of town and he drove me at least to the street which leads to Krabi.

Bus full of children picks me up. But unfortunately only for 5 minutes

11 years ago

flov

male

 

From Singapore I took the bus to the border (see hitchwiki for details) and walked over the bridge towards Malaysia. There's a very nice spot for the cars to stop in the middle of the bridge, but it's kind of difficult to hitchhike through Johor Bahru from the border because all cars are going into Johor Bahru and not going anywhere else. If you try it make a sign! About 8 cars stopped, but none was going out of Johor Bahru so I accepted one into Johor Bahru and he drove me to the bus terminal

11 years ago

flov

male

 

Took the Bemo out of town, which cost me 5000 rs, so not really a real hitchhike

Hitchhiking in Java works! Once you are on the main road which leads to the main cities like Surabaya, Yogyakarta or Jakarta, you easily find good cars, which have space to take you. It took me about 15 minutes to get picked up from just behind where the ferry is stopping from Java, but in those 15 minutes I needed to get rid of about 10 bemos and several motor cyclists offering their services as a taxi to drive me to the bus terminal. This was so annoying that I only put my thumb out once I saw a good car and hid for the rest of the time pretending to wait for someone :)

11 years ago

flov

male

 

Aboriginal guy who told us about the lost generation in Australia

11 years ago

flov

male

 

Jim, a very well travelled gentleman in his 60s picked me up. He told me about his adventures and his tour around the world in the 70s in which he also hitchhiked from Europe to India through India and Afghanistan. Talking to him was like talking to a 40 years older version of myself. Even though his destination was about 20 kms before Byron Bay, he insisted on driving me all the way to Byron Bay. I offered him money for the petrol that he would need to drive these 40 kms but he refused, not even for the fuel! His encounter will brand my hitchhiking experiences. I miss him already