Our Thailand Adventure March 2010

[Sideways]

Finally I can start this!!! Been busy working and developing dive pics so cut me some slack!!! I actually started it in the Airport halfway home. I'll try to do installments frequently...it was a loooong trip, and I'm heading to Playa next week, so please bear with me. Hopefully I won't bore you TOO much!!


While the trip isn’t QUITE over yet…. I thought I’d take a stab at trying to remember all the fantastic places we saw, people we met, and experiences we shared. 3 weeks is the longest vacation I’ve ever had, and it’s kinda tough trying to remember back to the start…then again, it could be my oldtimers kicking in..LOL. Right now we’re sitting in Taiwan, doing a lovely 8 hour layover. This comes after a 15 hour layover in Bangkok. All courtesy of the wonderful folks at EVA air. While we’re numb with lack of sleep ATM…I really don’t fault them too much. Our original return legs were disrupted a couple months prior to the trip, when EVA canceled our original Bangkok to Taiwan flight. As a concelation…they gave us access to their VIP lounge here in Taiwan. Free eats, booze, internet access, and nice comfy surroundings has made it bearable. SO!!! … Back to the beginning.



To start, here’s some quick observations…….

** They don’t drink in airports and on planes in this region of the world like we do…LOL. On the flight from LA to Taiwan I asked for a rum and coke…and received a look of shock. I then noticed no one else on this 777 (at least in my general vicinity) was drinking. In Taiwan airport you can not find spirits, only in the Airlines VIP/Elite lounges. In Bangkok airport, we found one foodcourt that had them. All the other flights in the region were similar too the first with the non drinking.

** We were seriously entertained by the misspellings on everything from menu’s, to proffesional brochures and pamphlets. I know it seems silly…but it was pretty funny. For example…Loree’s fav was “Caw sloe” and of course that’s coleslaw Or Loree’s Bacardi “Brezzers”…I’m not knit picking…LOL it was amazing to see proffesionaly, well thought and layed out menus have these.

** They call Thailand “The Land of Smiles” . We found this to be very true. All the folks were very warm and welcoming

** On all the traffic signals, they had timers, like we have on crosswalks in some areas of some cities. So you knew exactly how long you had too make the signal…LOL.

**They LOVE Pizza in Thailand…...and 7-11 convienance stores…they had TONS of both.

** Bidet’s….. that was a new one on me, all the toilets had hoses for ummm…you know.

** The lack of Tourist related folks who spoke any english. I would think, in an area where tourism was the primary source of commerce…..folks would know SOME English. It was deffinatly the common language between different nationalities, but when you have hotel staff who know absolutely NONE? It struck me as a bit Odd. For example, in Mexican tourist regions, locals who work in the tourist trade usually know a bit of english.

** No dresser drawers in any of our 4 hotels….. just a closet with shelves. Made for some serious clutter...LOL

**Lack of local souveniers. Tons of knockoff stuff, but seemed a bit lacking in local products compared to some other countries we’ve been to.





The flight out for the most part was pretty smooth. Being a looooong ordeal (25 hours total including layovers) we survived pretty well. Hmmm…actually Loree had some jetlag, but I seemed to dodge that bullet. Our biggest concern on the flight out, was our layover in Bangkok. It was only 1hr and 50 mins between landing and our flight to Krabi, our first destination. I had received tons of insights, ideas, and thoughts from folks as to whether that amount of time would be sufficient enough to get through Thai immigration, check in at the Thai Airways ticket counter, and make the flight. Luckily, it was easily resolved when we got to Taiwan, and saw a flight to Bangkok an hour earlier. They had availability, so we made the switch free of charge.



Finally……25 hours later, we arrived at our hotel on the very nice beach of Ao Nang in Krabi Province. Coming from chilly SoCal…..the 95 degree heat was very nice. Our hotel, The Phra Nang Inn, was perfectly situated. Our room was roughly 15 feet from the pool, 25 feet to the bar (which overlooked the boardwalk) and a mere 50 more yards to the beach. The hotel was just too cozy, being able to take a dip in the pool……back to the table on the boardwalk for a drink, chat with folks, just people watch and soak it all in. The beach water was of course nice and toasty, and while it looked spectacular, it wasn’t quite the same turquiose as say….Playa

The first thing I noticed coming from the airport was the dramatic mountains, sheer cliffs covered in dense green jungle….simply stunning. Our hotel was also central to the shopping, bars, and restaurants that lined the boardwalk for about a mile. Sorry we didn't get more pics, but hey... when we're relaxing just soaking it in...It doesn't always dawn on me to grab the cam....

[Tlyn]

Wow, Thailand, how cool! Looking forward to more!

[TAPPY]

AWESOME - I have been waiting for this !

[Michele]

OH, I am so excited to read this!! Great use of the wide ap. lens!

[Dan-0]

Wow, Thailand? What a beautiful and exotic place. I don't think my back would endure that 25-hour trip! Great TR and photos so far, looking forward to more.

[jedc53]

I am so excited to read this!! Great use of the wide lens.Thailand is a very nice place.This is very interesting as they are no longer doing the free Thai visas in the UK.I have contacted the Thai Consulate in Hull and Thai Embassy Liverpool.

[Michele]

Next installment please!!

[SUNBABY]

You should think about grabbing that camera more often..you take fabulous pictures and have a talented eye.

Going on a long trip requires taking a notebook to record what you did that day..It's hard to remember everything! And it's fun to go back years later and read it.