TRIP REPORT PART-I

The dilemma is where to start! When I sit back and try to think the mind goes to yesterday, then day before and such. Or I begin to think what I did 10 days ago, boarding TG316 at midnight. Or I begin to wonder whether the shoals of multicolored fish which swam around me were but a dream. Do I still feel the tang of the Galangal and soothing fragrance of the Kaafir leaves? The orchid flowers that the airhostess gave us on our return flight are still fresh nesting on the small crystal vase on our dining table reminding me of the smiling faces that we have encountered during our stay. The Thai way of greeting with folded hands is the same as we do here. Was it our natural reciprocation that brought out the smile on their faces? Do I still feel the touch of the nimble fingers that had rubbed herbal oils on my tired body at the spa in Phuket? Or it is the spring air in Delhi? The dark tan that Thailand sun imparted on my face will soon fade and people would stop asking me where I had been, I would stop telling them that we had been to Thailand and start telling them what we did and what we saw. The last question is Thailand a land of Sun and Smiles? Look in to my tan man, and peek in to my heart. Don’t you it is YES written all over?

The ramblings above are about what we FELT. Before I go on to chronological reporting let me jot down things that we LEARNED.
1. For a first time family vacation it is better to get a customized package worked out through a travel agent with transfers. We checked out both on-line prices as well as what was offered on arrival at all the hotels we stayed. The agents get huge discounts. The Thai travel agents are very well organized and we had no hassle at all & could make the most of the short time as we had.
2. ATM’s levy charges on money with drawls, at least my account did. Since I had also some fair amount is US$ notes my damage wasn’t much. It is wise to check with your bank.
3. Except beating the peak hour traffic in Bangkok the BTS is frightfully expensive for a family. We paid 160B(40X4) to reach Sukhumvit and paid 98B by taxi on the return leg.
4. In spite of so much bad press about dangers & scams etc. we felt that following the basic travel safety rules which are applicable to anywhere else one can have a safe & comfortable stay.
5. The sun skin screen creams that we normally use here is of no use against the Thai sun on the beaches. We had to junk the one we had carried and buy a super strong stuff of the same brand at a cheaper price.
6. It is no use lugging stuffs like creams, lotions, cosmetics, tissues etc. all the way. All these are available at a cheaper price at the departmental stores all over Thailand.
7. We bought all our water, juices, cold drinks, beers from departmental stores and used the refrigerator provided in the room without using the mini bar, the hotel didn’t mind. It is far cheaper this way. Hard liquor served in the restaurants is pretty pricey.
8. Carry a fruit carving knife or buy one there. Feast on the wonderful melons and pineapples. It is safer & far cheaper than buying cut fruits from the stalls.
9. The immigration process at Bangkok airport is slow, keep enough time and patience. The scene at the counters that lead to the domestic departure terminal is chaotic.
10. At most at all the food bazaars there are one or two stalls where you may find only locals eating. Although they may not have the exotic oysters and lobsters but the food is much better and cheaper.
11. Haggling is the way of life outside the confines of the shopping malls and large stores. We are pretty good about this as this is our way of life too.

Hi Jyo,

So glad to hear that you had a great time and I look forward to your detailed report.
Thailand still remains an AMAZING place for a holiday.Inspite of all the change and development that some complain about it is still 'same-same but different'

__________________
I love Thailand this much

PART-II

23rd Jan:
Delhi is engulfed by dark fog all day long. Our younger daughter was to take the last flight out of Hyderabad and reach Delhi on 22nd. at 11:30 PM. Due to extremely low visibility the flight was almost diverted to Ahmedabad but after a rather risky landing arrived in Delhi at 1:30 AM. The drive from airport to home was terrible in blinding fog but we were quite relieved that she reached Delhi. We couldn’t sleep till late as we had a lot of work including some shopping to do.

The day was soon over and it was dusk. The fog appeared thinner than yesterday. We were ready with our bags packed and travel documents neatly arranged. The cash we were carrying was distributed between four of us. Our dear old driver reported for duty punctually as ever at 7:30 PM. After a light meal of rice, lentil curry & curd we set off at 8:15 PM for the airport. Being Saturday the traffic was much less and reached international terminal by 9 PM. We had almost three hours. These days with many counters immigration went off quickly. We had selected our seats at the time of booking our flight tickets so we had comfortable seats with ample leg space in row no. 47.

To spend time we moved in and out of the duty free shops and made notes on liquor & chocolate prices to compare with prices at Bangkok airport. The daughters bought ice creams, we shared a few spoonfuls. Boarding began at 11:20 PM. By 11:45 boarding was over and the plane took off at midnight, just 10 minutes behind schedule. Soon the commander of the flight informed us that due to a very favourable tail wind we will reach Bangkok before the STA. After takeoff we were served drinks followed by a delicious Thai meal which was unusually good for airline food. Daughters began to watch a movie and I dozed off.

We landed in Bangkok at 5 AM local time and our onward flight to Phuket was scheduled at 7:30 AM. Since we had obtained visa in India our luggage had been through checked to Phuket so we didn’t have to spend time on baggage claim and proceeded straight for immigration counters that lead to the domestic departure wing. The scene was absolutely chaotic with confusing queues and the immigration officials taking too long to stamp the passports. We helplessly watched as our departure time approached. At this point a Thai airways staff came calling passengers bound for this flight. We were escorted by the staff breaking the long queues and still spent another 15 minutes to get our passports stamped and hurried to the boarding gate. On boarding we were surprised to find the aircraft to be a Boeing 747 jumbo plying on this domestic sector, later on we found that this aircraft had come from Australia or some other country.

At 8:45 AM the plane touched down at Phuket. The sight of the blue waters lifted our spirits. Since the huge plane was full retrieving our luggage took some time. As we came out of the airport we found our driver standing with a placard bearing my name. I waved to him and he came over and greeted us. He went off to fetch his van and in a few minutes he was there with his aircon Toyota van. We left Phuket airport at around 9:30 AM. We felt the landscape to be quite similar to what we have in Goa. Small hills and canals, swaying coconut trees and lush green vegetation. We reached our hotel Royal Paradise Hotel & Spa at 10:20 AM. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road especially near Phuket town.

The check in at the hotel was quick and the smiling lady informed as that although check in time is at 2 PM but our rooms were ready and we could go to our rooms straight away. We were very much relieved. The rooms were quite good with a great view of the beach and had all the amenities. There was not much to unpack. So after an hour or so we were on the main street Bangla road. There were two 7/11 stores very close to the hotel from where we bought water, a few tetra packs of fruit juice and cans of Shingha beers. I brought these up to our room and put in the fridge. Next we went to the supermarket called Jungcylon where we bought some shorts and my daughters picked up some fancy caps. We were not particularly hungry so bought one burger each from the Burgerking outlet next to the supermarket. On our way back we picked up a ripe watermelon from a vendor. It was now getting quite hot in the sun particularly after cold Delhi. We had a relaxing bath in the hotel and had our lunch of burger & luscious water melon.

My elder daughter had booked a spa session at a place called Let’s relax a short walk away from our hotel on the main road for aroma therapy. We were lucky to have booked our session two weeks prior as we watched hordes of tourists turned away as all the sessions till 10 PM were booked. We were served a soothing herbal drink before being escorted by the staff to therapy chambers on the 3rd. floor. We were shown in to 2 rooms one for me & my wife and the other for our daughters. We were told to undress and wear the soft cotton briefs and wait for the therapist. The therapists appeared with a tray bearing vials of oil and were asked to choose one. After we chose our oil the therapists began their work of massaging our tired bodies. The semi dark cool room and subdued soft music and the magic of their trained hands began to take hold of us. Soon I was drifting in & out of pleasant sleep. It was an experience almost out of the world. At the end of our one hour session we were completely rejuvenated. We were offered cups of hot green tea and cookies and told not to wash off the oil before two hours. This experience came for a cost of 1200B per head, certainly worth the price.

We then strolled on the street and lanes looking at the myriad things on sale. I picked up a DVD of Jimi Hendrix at Isle of Weight concert at 80B after haggling. The bars on the lanes leading to the beach were quite packed although it was late afternoon. Loud music blared out of the bars. We walked to the beach to take some photographs and relax for a while. Vendors selling things like coconut water surrounded us. There was big crowd on the beach and people were taking part in various water sports. We sat down in a relatively less crowded zone. It had been a very long time that we all four had come together. With the back drop of aquamarine sea and soft breeze we began to relax and chat. Soon the sky began to take on orange hue as the Sun was about to set. We got up and made our way to our hotel. The prescribed two hours were over and we soaked ourselves in luke warm water in the tub. After our bath we gathered on the balcony of our room to watch the spectacular sunset sipping chilled beers.

We decided to have an early dinner as were to be picked up at 8:15 AM next day for our Phi Phi island excursion. Bang opposite to our hotel on the main road was a big seafood court with half a dozen establishments. We chose 99 seafood and sat down for our first Thai seafood dinner. We chose two lobsters and some big squids. These were weighed and we paid by the weight. While we waited sipping beers the lobsters and the squids were cooked and brought to our table. It was a heavenly dinner and we polished off everything down to the last piece of noodle in no time. Complete satiation made our eyelids heavy with sleep. We returned to our rooms and instantly fell asleep.

Thus ended our first day in Thailand.

Fabulous ! I love it and can't wait for the rest you tell a good story and the reader is transported there.

__________________
Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

I loved it too so keep going.

Just one observation... whenever we have flown straight through to Phuket via BKK we have always cleared immigration at Phuket as it's an International Airport. We are given a little sticker to show we are transit passengers and ushered into a transit lounge.

Looking forward to the next installment.

Cheers Geri

PART-III Section-A

24 JAN

Author's note: This day would be the high light of our trip and activities of this day would extend till evening so I have divided PART-III in to two sections.

My old faithful alarm clock unfailingly woke me up at 6:15 AM. I got up from the bed and stepped out to the balcony. On my left hand side over the hills the sky was lighting up. A half moon lingered on the sky as if reluctant to set. On my right hand side stretched a tranquil placid sea, on which some boats bobbed slowly. The Bangla road appeared deserted, like a ghost of itself. The seafood court was empty with chairs piled up on the tables. Everything around looked empty and wore a tired look. On the street below some workers walked around. A lady came out her place to light a bunch of incense sticks and make offering at a small road side shrine. I kept looking at her as she prayed. Then I too prayed…”Om Jabakusum o shankasam Kashyapeo maha dootim….” Oh the one as red as the hibiscus flower, the brilliantly radiant son of Kashyapa, the annihilator of darkness and sins, please accept my humble prayers. The morning came while we both prayed.

I came in to the room and started making tea which would be my wife’s walk up call. I handed over her cup to her and she too went out to the balcony. I remained in the room as I wanted my first glimpse of the morning to remain forever. By now there would be more people on the street. Vendors would be on their rounds. The bunch of incense sticks would be half burnt.

After finishing my tea I lighted my first cigarette and started packing for our excursion. Not much to pack any way. We have been told that water, soft drinks and fresh fruits will be provided all throughout the tour. Towels, sun screen, an extra pair of shorts were all that we needed. After packing I took a quick shower and changed to swim wear and shorts and a cotton T-shirt. My wife looked at me and decided that she would not accompany me for the breakfast. I tried to explain to her that this is Thailand and not just Thailand but Patong. By profession I am a logical person with a strong personality which doesn’t yield to any force except temptation. But veterans will agree that in such situation in the morning hours, giving in after a mild argument & just a hint of stubbornness is the most logical strategy. I took off my shorts and reached for my jeans. While she went to have her bath a “properly attired” me went out to face a challenging time of waking up my daughters and coaxing them to get ready.

The breakfast buffet spread was excellent with all types of food and heaps of fruit. We liberally helped ourselves. I watched the technique that the chef used to make my omelet. It started like making scrambled eggs, then with a few deft strokes of the spatula the mass was brought to the side of the pan and folded in to the shape of an omelet. So much to learn I mused as I delivered the first forkful of ham & cheese omelet in to my mouth. The bacons were slightly thick and fried to perfection. I have noted over all the years that chocolates and rich confectionaries either find my wife or she finds them. So it was no surprise to find her plate groaning under the weight of things like Danish pastries, éclairs, cakes and what not. I knew there would be howls of protests and admonition by the daughters when they returned to the table with their plates full of “healthy” food. This morning the healthy food came in the avatar of Sushi. Let me admit that Sushi is one thing that I simply can not eat. The other thing that I can eat but do not like is Caviar. I have friends who spend recklessly on Caviar. At their do’s I am forced to fake orgasmic delight after swallowing a spoonful of their prized Caviar just to please them. One must not forget that the guy serving Caviar is also serving the bubbly.

Exactly at 8:10 AM we came to the lobby to wait for the pick up. The van arrived at the portico in time and we got in to the van and moved out of the hotel. Three couples were picked up from different hotels, one Dutch, one Italian and another Indian. After this the van sped off towards Phuket town. Soon we faced heavy traffic on the road and it went on like this till we reached Rasida pier. Our tour operator’s rep came over and stuck stickers bearing No.3 on our T-shirts. Tea and coffee was being served and the tin shaded waiting enclosure was getting filled with people. By now it was getting quite warm in spite of a breeze. The air smelt of fish and heavy with ozone. There were rows of speed boats lined up and large boats anchored off the pier. After the people with No.1 & No.2 stickers left it was our turn to board the speed boat. A man was standing near the boat with a camera and started taking pictures posing as if it was a part of the regulation. We have seen this before and knew that sooner or later our photos will be pasted on something and would be offered to us for a price. We occupied the front portion of the boat along with the Dutch and the Italian couples. The boatman steered the boat gently out of the harbor and pulled the throttle after hitting the open sea. The boat lurched forward and sped as people shouted and screeched.

Here is the view from our hotel in Patong.

Attached Images

evening shadow.jpg (89.1 KB, 28 views)

Here is our first dinner in Thailand.

Attached Images

first dinner.jpg (90.1 KB, 22 views)

wonderful. thanks for posting

__________________
Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

This is for the foodies like mr. Curt.

Attached Images

lobster thermidor.jpg (93.1 KB, 15 views)