Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’

29th August
2012
written by bob

After 3 weeks in Bangkok, we decided it was time for a little side trip. Where? Well…from everything we have heard from friends, it sounds like Phuket & Ko Phi Phi Don Island is a tropical paradise not to miss. So, a couple of plane tickets later on Thai Airways, we booked 3 days at the Westin Siray Bay in Phuket and another 3 days at the Holiday Inn Phi Phi Resort.

We arrived late on a Thursday evening after an uneventful flight (which is exactly how we like to fly). After a good night’s sleep we awoke for breakfast and figured we’d do a little resort exploring. Unfortunately, we discovered that breakfast ended at 1030h and us late risers missed our chance. We didn’t have to wait long for lunch through and once finished we were off to don our suits and hit the negative edge pool & pool bar! While mommy and daddy sipped a cocktail sitting in the pool Miss G swam/floated around like a little duck with her water wings on. There was no getting her out of the pool, she loves the water!

G lounging at the pool in Bangkok.

G lounging at the pool in Bangkok.

And then, it rained. Wow, did it POUR! It totally reminded us of the monsoon season in Arizona. Ok, so a “little” rain got Miss G out of the pool albeit only for a brief moment. After the short downpour and within 20 minutes we were back out in the pool once again looking out at the bay and enjoying the view of the islands. That night for dinner, we took G to her first sushi dinner. We love sushi and and soon discovered so does G! It was hit! She has such a palette; eats all kinds of things I would never touch as child; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and spinach. Not only that but she loves fish, lentils, smoked salmon, red pepper hummus, and seaweed sheet snacks (from Thailand). The great thing is, she’ll try everything once and that’s all we ask. If she doesn’t like it, just leave it BUT at least just try it.

Three days flew by and we were on a ferry ride to Ko Phi Phi Don Island for a few more days of serene sun and beach bliss. The weather was clear, sunny and warm; a perfect day for a boat ride! It was a calm 1-hour ride to Tonsai Pier with a view of numerous islands along the way. After a brief 20 min docking, we were on our way to the northern-western tip for our stay at the Holiday Inn. Approaching our resort, we noticed that there was no dock for the ferry. Turns out that long boats come out to the ferry and taxi people into shore. Once on shore, we were greeted with fresh tropical drinks while we waited for check-in completion.

Time for some relaxation. The next 3 days were all about spending time sunbathing on the beach, building sandcastles with Miss G, and swimming in the Andaman Sea. The weather for the next couple of days was amazing! Hot and sunny with clear skies wasn’t a bad forecast to have when you are in tropical paradise, right? Could you relax here?

Mommy and MIss G enjoying the serene beaches of Phi Phi Island.

Mommy and Miss G enjoying the serene beaches of Phi Phi Island.

We explored quite a bit of the beach and walked along the shore past a couple other resorts taking in periodic swims and some seashell searching along the way. On the walk back, we figured we could plan an excursion to a couple of the nearby islands? In talking to the concierge, we wanted to spend some time at Monkey Island where “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Unfortunately, due to the time of year and the rough seas on that side of the island, our boat visit wasn’t going to happen. In the end, we had to cancel our half day excursion to Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island due to rain. The problem was the rain kept coming. It hadn’t stopped since last evening as today was our island departure date to head back to Bangkok for one last week of relaxation. Once packed and checked out, we headed down to the beach where we waited for the ferry to arrive. It began to rain harder. Long boats shuttled us out to the ferry. It was raining quite heavily and the wind was very strong. We were receiving the tail end of the typhoon that was slamming Korea! I didn’t have a good feeling about this. With everyone aboard, the captain headed for Tonsai Pier to pickup passengers there before making the 1-hr trek back to mainland, Phuket. The 20 minute boat ride to Tonsai took 40 mins and the waves were only getting larger. Not good. Fortunately, when we boarded we asked the deckhand where a good spot to sit was. He directed us to have seat in a spot where sea-sickness would be at a minimum. Perfect choice, not that we get sea-sick BUT, as I mentioned, the waves were HUGE and…you never know!

Passengers in Tonsai boarded. And boarded…and boarded. People just kept getting on! Then, it happened; “THE” thought. You know…the one that all of a sudden makes all the ferry capsizing stories in the news make sense? Yep, that ONE! I never really completely understood how I could read in the news that all these ferries had capsized in places such as this. It was now WAY TOO clear. Did I mentioned in a previous Thailand post that safety seems to be a secondary concern here? It is. Just check out the wiring strung across building fronts, no seat belts in taxis, etc.

This ferry had too many people on it. There was not enough seats for everyone and people were standing wherever they could find a spot. My stomach was churning one big knot. I mentioned to Katherine that we need to know where the life jackets are and be able to get them on quickly “IF” anything were to happen on the boat ride back. Fortunately, every seat had a life jacket on it. Unfortunately, all the jackets were snapped closed from behind the seat! I’m quite sure there were not enough life jackets for everyone. We departed Tonsai and less than 15 mins into the ride back the staff were handing out puke bags. In fact, people were requesting them and not for the “just-in-case” BUT for the NOW. The sea was THAT rough! Sadly, the only thing that kept going through my mind was our escape route. If something happened, I was making sure we were getting off this boat. The waves were so large now that the port holes that normally come with a great view of the sea are now just consumed by crashing waves on the glass. The swells were higher than the main deck of the ferry! I praised the captain for having the brains to NOT go full throttle back to the mainland. It would suck to miss our flight but there were others.

I am not kidding when I say this…during the boat ride I was scared like I have never been scared in my life. I feared for Katheine’s and G’s lives as well as my own. I prayed the ENTIRE way back on the boat. For the next 2 hrs, I prayed…and prayed…and PRAYED. I prayed that we make it safely back to Phuket. I prayed that this ferry did not become a headline like you read in the news, “Ferry Capsizes in the Andaman Sea”. I now have a full understanding of how ferry capsizing can happen! AND…I’m SOOOOOO thankful we made it back to Phuket safely without issue.

I have never been so thankful to reach mainland and if we didn’t have a taxi waiting for us at the dock to whisk us off to the airport, I probably would have kissed the ground! Normally that ferry ride takes 1 hr and a bit BUT the storm made our trip 2.5 hrs AND I was okay with that. Fortunately we made our flight with a few minutes to spare. Our flight was uneventful, thankfully!

Regardless of the ferry experience, I still love Thailand!

Au revoir, mes amis!

20th August
2012
written by bob

A few observations from our month long stay in Bangkok as compared to France, our current home:

Driving – traffic is a “bit” crazy! Taxis, tuk-tuks may try to rip you off but this usually only amounts to $1-2USD. Meanwhile, taxis “ass-rape” you in the Cote d’Azur. Think I’m kidding? Try coming here and taking a 20 minute (15km) cab ride. It will cost you about 80€-90€ (about $105 USD)!

People & Attitude – The Thai are generally very happy people especially when you visit their country. Unlike the French, with the Thai, trust is given, not earned. They are very much like Canadians in that respect. (No wonder I liked them so much!) Respect is always shown from a Thai native.

Shoes at the Door – Thai people never enter a place of dwelling with shoes on. Shoes are left outside the door. ALWAYS! Even the housekeeping staff at our hotel never entered our room with their shoes/sandals on. The French seem to walk into a house and keep their shoes on. (Considering the amount of dog crap on the sidewalks, I’m not sure that is a good idea.)

Sacred Body – The head is considered of the highest order. The feet are the lowest and considered dirty. Never step over someone’s head with your feet and NEVER, EVER point your feet toward Buddha.

Money – Never step on money to stop coins from rolling or bills from blowing away. This is considered an insult to the Queen, her family, and the Thai people.

Customer Service – was “unbelievably superior” to anywhere I have ever been! Thai people open doors for you – malls, taxis, hotels, etc. They are EXTREMELY courteous and polite. The French, have no idea what customer service is. PERIOD. If you ever “want” to feel like Royalty, visit Thailand and enjoy their unbelievable hospitality. They are amazing people!

Safety – In all the taxis we rode, there wasn’t one that had seatbelts readily available to use. We had to dig them out from behind the backseat. Seatbelts are the law in France as safety is taken seriously. (Unless you ride a moto then you can ride with a kid that is at least 5 years old. Ummm, what? Darwinism, that’s all I’m saying. I feel bad for the kids!)

Speed Limits – In Thailand, speed limits are a mere suggestion. On the other hand, speed cameras will nab you in France.

In Thailand there are free roaming Monitor lizards. Very cool! In France, well, there are lots of free roaming Romanian gypsies. Not cool, EVER!

Au revoir, mes amis!

20th August
2012
written by bob

So one of the recommended things to do when in Bangkok is to visit the Floating Markets. There are a few to travel to that are only about an hour or so from Bangkok. We have heard as well as read quite a few reviews/sites indicating the Damnoen Saduak Floating market is extremely touristy. While it is probably quite exciting to see, we were recommended by a fellow colleague to instead travel to the floating market in Amphawa.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

Two Thai boys taking their "pet" elephant out for a walk.

One major difference between the 2 floating markets is that the Amphawa starts at 1500h and shuts down at 2100h whereas Damnoen Saduak only operates from 0700h to 1300h. So after a little research, we booked a place to stay, we were off to Amphawa for an overnight stay at The Legend Maeklong.

How to Get to Amphawa?
Despite where you may be staying in Bangkok, you “should” be able to make your way to “Victory Monument”. We ventured there by taxi for a cost of 80 baht (by the meter). One thing we learn in the first couple days was to ALWAYS ask a taxi driver to travel by the meter. If they refuse, trust us, there will be another one in 2 minutes. There is NO SHORTAGE of taxis in Bangkok! You can also get to Victory Monument via the SkyTrain which is very quick and easy to use. This is an especially great option (and highly recommended) if you do NOT want to sit in traffic! Once at Victory Monument, find the location for the Mini-bus (Toyota van) to Amphawa, another 80 baht per person. If you aren’t sure, just ask one of the local vendors for “Amphawa” and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Once on the minibus from Victory Monument, you are on your way directly to Amphawa.

After an hour and a bit minibus ride, we arrived in Amphawa at the drop point. It seemed like when asking the locals where or how to get to “The Legend Maeklong”, no one knew what we were talking about. One local man graciously called the small resort for us. We soon discovered that we should have gotten dropped off Maeklong, the stop 10 minutes prior to Amphawa. A tuk-tuk was called to transport us to Maeklong that is, until we learned the driver wanted 200 baht for a 10 mins ride. Ummmm, no! First of all, we have a safety concern for our daughter in such a vehicle with no doors or seatbelts and secondly, it ONLY cost us 80 baht each to travel from Bangkok to Amphawa! After speaking with Kanita at the “Legend”, she informed us that we could take a long boat, water taxi, directly to the Legend’s dock on the river. Sweet! It was more costly than the tuk-tuk BUT it was VERY COOL and the river view was AWESOME!

During our 15 min water taxi ride to the resort, we had the opportunity to observe the floating market in its active and very lively state. There were people everywhere and, honestly, very few tourists – well…white tourists, anyway. Along the way we captured some pretty cool photos of the old wooden teak houses that local people rent out to tourists. Literally, a Thai family will take you in for your stay in Amphawa if you like. How great and hospitable is that? (Did I mention the Thai’s are incredibly polite and courteous?)

Arriving at The Legend Maeklong, we were greeting by Kanita and her staff. Unbeknownst to us but we were upgraded to a sweet room at the back of the 100+ year old Colonial home which is an amazing and the main house at the resort. Kanita and her staff were amazing! They greeted us dockside, welcoming us with friendly smiles and open arms. Our bags were shuttled off to our room to settle in and get ready for dinner. After dinner Kanita arranged for us to take another private long boat taxi to the night market for some sight-seeing and shopping. The night market was AWESOME! Lots and lots of cool things to look at; both souvenirs and edibles. We saw some worms, beetles, and other bugs that were available to snack on BUT…ultimately settled for a couple of handmade watches. On the way home, our taxi captain took us to an area that was quite dark with the only real light being that of the moon. As we approached, we were able to see a lot, and I mean A LOT, A LOT of fire flys sitting in the trees. The entire tree was literally lit up like a Christmas tree! It was VERY COOL! Miss G loved it!

As always, enjoy the slide show by clicking on the picture!

BKK Airport

Au revoir, mes amis!

20th August
2012
written by bob

Over the past few weeks, G and Daddy have ventured out into the lively Bangkok streets and managed to discover one of the largest malls in Bangkok, Central World. Let’s just say NINE STORIES of shopping! WHAT? It was crazy, awesome! Each floor is for someone or something different. Floor 1 is Jewelers, watches, some clothes, etc where, say, floor 2 and 3 is women’s shopping and men’s shopping, respectively. Floor 4 was more my speed with electronics whereas floor 6 was more G’s thing with kid’s clothes and play areas, or as G likes to say, “play or-eas”. Back by the Toys ‘R Us there is a huge play area and kids zone where kids can run around and jump, play, go on rides, and just be kids. There are also lots of shops for things like kids painting, a clay store, tutoring, and, well what mall wouldn’t be complete without a “Build-A-Bear” store?

Sid is now born!

Another great attraction for kids is the Dusit Zoo. What a great place to see some amazing animals! On the cab ride over we travelled past the Royal Palace where the Queen of Thailand and her family resides. We also saw the Thai Parliament buildings in the same viscinity. It was fairly “hot & humid” the day we decided to head to take in the zoo but, then again, everyday has been like that so far while here. Upon entry to the zoo, there was a tram that we could ride around the entire campus and jump on and off as desired to visit and take in the different sights and areas. First up, the giraffes and zebras. Then we were off to see the monkeys, penguins, hippos, and the “big” cats (bobcat, lion, tigers – bengals and white bengals, cheetah, leopard). We saw camels, bears, crocs, and other reptiles. Toward the end of the day, it began to rain but that didn’t stop us from feeding the elephants, visiting the lemur & squirrel monkeys, and finally seeing some parrots and flamingos to end our FUN day!

Another new day and new adventure. This day we decided to check a place called the “Fun-Aruim”. It was very similar to Boomiland and Fun City back in the Cote d’Azur. These are a two of G’s favourite places! It was a total kids’ playland and G took full advantage of an unbusy afternoon of kids. She played for 3+ hours with a half hour lunch break staggered in there! One of the coolest things Miss G found was a ball pit where you can feed balls into 2 tubes (hooked up to a giant vacuum-like device) that suck them up to a plastic holding box overhead. Once a substantial amount of balls are collected, the vacuum will shut off and the balls will dump out all over the kids. Everytime this occurred, G would laugh her head off! I got a good chuckle out of the kids that, instead of putting balls in the tubes to be sucked up, sat there and allowed their hair to be sucked into the tubes. Of course, the kids themselves thought this was quite hilarious too! Despite this place not being as big as Fun City in France, i have to say that I was quite impressed with the quality of food in the restaurant. For the fact that France takes their food so seriously, I’m quite sure that the Thai’s took this category hands down!

Traffic in Bangkok is a little crazy to say in the least. Then again, I thought that of France when we moved there too! However, today we ended up heading back to the hotel during rush hour traffic. Definitely NOT ideal! In the end it turned out that our taxi driver didn’t really know exactly where our hotel was. Seriously, isn’t that why I hired you? Good thing I paid attention to the route we took to get to Fun-Arium and had a “rough” idea of how to get home and after an hour in the cab, we were back at the hotel. Safe and sound.

Here is a picture slideshow of our adventure out. Click to enjoy!

Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand

Au revoir, mes amis!

7th August
2012
written by bob

After a LONG couple of days of travel, we arrived in Bangkok, Thailand! Wow, what an amazing place so far although we have only been here 2 days. We are looking forward to exploring this amazing city over the next month! Yes, that’s right 1 “entire” month. Personally, I have never had 4 weeks of vacation but I’m certainly not going to turn it down! While Katherine’s time here is work and vacation, Miss G and myself will be on 100% vacation trekking through the city locating the zoo & aquarium for starters. First observation is that Bangkok is pretty Westernized; good and bad. Albeit, it’s nice to see a few familiar things when out and about!

BKK, here we come!

Upon arrival at BKK, it was literally impossible NOT to notice the politeness, courtesy, and the superior level of customer service that the Thai people provide! UNBELIEVABLE! France, you REALLY need to take some lessons in Customer Service from the Thai. The Thai are extremely willing to help you. We were greeted as soon as we stepped off the airplane and with radio in hand, a BKK rep tried to get G’s stroller up from baggage hold. Too bad we she was unsuccessful BUT it was due to fact that one load of bags had already been sent to Baggage Claim. Talk about fast! Shit, when we left France we were on a “restricted airspace delay” due to ground workers being on roving strike. Not all, just some. And, who knows, they were probably striking because their coffee machine was broken or had been removed from their breakroom! WTF is that? (no further comment.)

While filling out our visa card for entry to Thailand, a second BKK rep approached us and directed us to use the priority lane since we had a toddler traveller with us. REALLY? We don’t have to wait in that LONG-ASS line with the other 2000 people that just arrived?!? Thank you, sir for pointing that out! After a little bit of a wait in the priority line where we think the one and only Mr. Grumpy “Thai” dude was working, we finally had our visas processed. Not one smile from this gentleman nor did he speak during the entire process; he just pointed to what he wanted or wanted us to do. BUT alas, Miss G made Mr. Grumpy smile! As we were processed through and on our way to pick up our bags, G stopped to tell him, “thank you” and he leaned over where G promptly offered up a “high five” and proceeded on her way! He smiled and chuckled. We are pretty sure Miss G “made” his day!

Bags claimed. Now transportation needed which was pre-arranged with our hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel wasn’t there at the time BUT another hotel driver offered to call our hotel and let them know we were ready for pick-up. Unheard of! We don’t even think we get that kind of service in North America! Within 5 minutes our driver arrived. Just when we thought that was all, Mr. Non-Hotel-Driver took all our bags to the van AND assisted our driver with loading them. WHAT? Unbelievable customer service, AGAIN!

Asia, I know we just arrived but…we think we love you!. More to come BUT we’ll leave you with our first Bangkok gallery of pics. Enjoy the slideshow by clicking this pic below!

BKK Airport

Au revoir, mes amis!