Change Forum
I'm starting a new thread to be my experiences in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos as my overall Asia thread is getting so long and not everyone wants to read through all of it. But if you do you can go to this thread which is all about China, Hong Kong, and my four days in Kyoto.
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/neopatrick-in-asia-a-report-as-it-happens-sort-of.cfm
Well, I came the closest ever to missing a flight. I had checked in at the Airport Express station downtown Hong Kong and they took my bad and gave me my boarding pass, then I went to lunch, then I took the Express to the airport. On arrival I checked a board and it showed by gate as 19, the same as my boarding pass showed. I had an invite to the Cathay Pacific lounge and there are several of them, but I went to the one at gate 16 and it was on a mezzanine overlooking my gate -- which already had a plane at the jetway and quite a few people gathered but no attendants -- fine, as I had about 2 hours yet before my flight. I showed my boarding pass to the girl at the counter and she said they'd be announcing boarding. So I sat and got caught up on my trip reporting and some emails. Finally I realized it was only about 40 minutes till my flight, but when I looked down and saw that the plane was still there and more people, but still nothing happening at the desk. There are no screens in the lounge, but I gave my boarding pass again to the girl and asked the status of my flight. "it's to be on time, she said". So I sat a little longer. OK, now it was less than 25 minutes and still nothing was happening so I asked again. The girl brought it up on the computer and said, "oh they just had last call. You've got to hurry". So I ran downstairs to the gate and was informed that there had been a gate change -- not gate 22 -- gee, I'm at 19 and it's 22, how bad could that be? Plenty bad-- 23 is in another concourse as that one ends with 19. So I ran, and ran, and ran, finally as I approached the gate an attendant was half running toward me with my flight number on a sign. I said "that's me", and she said I was the one they were looking for, but not to worry. We got to the gate, she took my boarding pass, I got on the plane, they closed the door and we were off -- about 10 minutes early! Why didn't they announce my flight? Well, because it wasn't near the lounge I was in -- but nearer another lounge due to the gate change where they probably DID announce it. So why did the girl look at my boarding pass three times and never note that it had the wrong gate on it? And why don't they have screens in the lounge -- so you don't have to keep leaving the lounge to go check on flights as clearly you have to do so yourself? Anyway, I was a little shaky, but I was on my flight. I'm not sure what lesson I've learned here, unless it's simply to never trust an airport lounge for any information.
Maybe I was just grumpy now because of the almost missed flight, and I know some people LOVE those angled private Business Class compartments like this flight had, but I found it claustrophic. And since it wasn't an overnight flight and I wasn't going to sleep, I really felt like I was entombed in a little box. And then came the food -- I'm not one to complain about airline food as I usually don't expect much, but I've been really happy with American Airlines food, and was astounded how great my filet was on JAL including it's being cooked perfectly rare. But this stuff –overcooked and dried out filet of sole in what tasted like wallpaper taste was really pretty bad. So my first Cathay Pacific flight was not impressive.
But my flight from Hong Kong arrived at BKK at 5:30 PM right on time. Must be a great time to arrive as the airport seemed deserted. I breezed though fast track of immigration and my bag came out as I walked towards the carousel, and I was on my way after acquiring an immediate taxi. I had Centre Point Silom printed out in Thai, along with the address and the driver nodded yes and off we went. But then we hit traffic. I thought the issue was getting through a toll booth as we inched towards one, but once through the traffic was no better. An accident? I don’t know but we inched on the expressway for miles and miles. When we finally exited the expressway, we sat at one point for a full 15 minutes simply waiting for a light to change a few times and for us to get through as traffic was stopped and blocking the intersection. But finally I was seeing “Silom” on signs and before long we pulled up to a big building that said Centre Point on it, but it clearly was not MY Centre Point as I knew what the building looked like. I said no to the driver and he looked at the address again, and muttered something apologetically. Clearly he had the wrong Centre Point – and he pointed at my address and said,”not Silom”. But this one WAS in Silom. At least that’s what I made of it. So now we sat in more traffic on Silom Road – and sat and sat. It was a total of one hour and 45 minutes to my place from the airport, but I’m not sure how much of that was due to his getting off the expressway too early, since the expressway was as dead still as Silom was!
In any case, Centre Point Silom (even if it isn’t really in Silom) was lovely. I opted for the smaller studio which still was to have washer and dryer which ended up being one unit – although 6 hours in the dryer for two polo shirts still couldn’t dry them – and a balcony, not to the river but towards the city and from the 17th floor had a wonderful view. Super comfortable king bed, great air conditioning, free wireless internet, and a nice big marble bath with tub and separate walk in shower. Also a kitchen, which of course I never used except once to make tea for iced tea. The price was 2300 Baht a night on a weekly rate.
I fully unpacked, then headed out to get something to eat. I wasn’t too impressed with the neighborhood. In the lower floor of our building were the usual MacDonald’s, KFC, a pizza place, and a big Robinson’s Dept. Store. And like all of Bangkok there were lots of food wagons and stalls along the street. Right behind us was the Shangrila Hotel, but I didn’t want to do that tonight – just looking for a nice little Thai restaurant to get some Pad Thai or something. So I walked and walked and literally didn’t find anywhere I’d want to eat. Later I’d find the options would have been a little better the other direction. Finally as I was about to return to my apt., I spotted a little Queen of Curry, went in and had some beer and a really good chicken curry. I was happy, went back, and went to bed.
Tuesday morning, I did the free buffet breakfast – what a spread that easily could have been dinner, not breakfast. Each day there were easily 8 or 10 main course dishes, from Beef stroganoff to Chicken , fish, or pork curry, to fettucine alfredo with chicken, to crispy fish with various sauces, and always lots of steamed or stir fried veggie options as well as always noodles and fried rice. Also of course congee, and a daily soup, and a full egg station also with pancakes and French toast, plus lots of fruits and pastries.
So after eating way more than I should (the reason I basically don’t like those buffets as I don’t have great restraint), I headed off by Sky Train to the Jim Thompson house. As I walked the streets I got the usual “tuk-tuk?”, “taxi?”, and tugs on my arm to buy various things. I passed a man just steps from the Jim Thompson House on the right soi and he said, “Jim Thompson House?” so I assumed he wanted to take me somewhere, probably somewhere else or was going to do the “it’s closed” scam. I just said “no, no”, and went on my way. The house was fascinating as is the Jim Thompson story, especially how he went missing without a clue on the year he had been told he would (myth or legend?). On my way back out the alley, a man said, “Tuk-tuk? Where you going?” and I simply said “no, no”. The man I had said that to on my way in was there and he said, “no, no, no, no” and asked if he could tell me something, so I stopped. I then got a friendly scolding that when he had asked Jim Thompson house it was simply to point the way as many people ask. He supposedly lives right there. He then told me that not all Thais are bad people like I seem to suspect and how many just want to help and although I should be careful, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I felt guilty (although later I started suspecting he still might have originally planned to tell me it was closed on go on a shopping spree).
I got some street food, at a place with little tables right on the sidewalk. It was two dishes for 60 Baht($2), and I chose two, but the guy warned me one was spicy. I said that was OK, took them, sat at a table and was aware they were staring at me to see my reaction. OK, it was HOT, but not too hot for me and I struggled not to show my mouth was onfire. But it was good.
I also had a plum smoothie – for 20 Baht I assumed it would be tiny, but it was gigantic. I ended up throwing the last half away, after filling myself with it, really delicious. And I headed into the Cultural Center/Art Gallery next to MBK shopping center. Some very interesting art and handicrafts. I headed back to the hotel for a swim, did some relaxing, and then in the evening headed out to Pandaras Bistro for dinner. Uh-oh. Grid lock on the streets again and because it was pretty far to get to from a sky station or subway, I took a taxi. What should have been 15 minutes was an hour and 15 minutes – no, I’m not exaggerating. This is when I swore I’d never take a taxi again within Bangkok. If it wasn’t near a station, that I’m not going. LOL. Pandaras was nice, but expensive. I had a real drink there (my dry Robroy) which was great, and two dishes which were both simply delicious, but I failed to write down what they were and now I’ve forgotten. It was mainly foreigners though, and the music was way too loud for me. Outside I got a Tuk-tuk to take me to the underground station and then back home.
Wednesday was Grand Palace Day, and after seeing the one express boat pull away from the dock by Taksin – right by my apt – a man appeared offering to take me by long tail boat. I now forget how much he wanted but I got him down to 350 and thought for a private ride on the river -- $10 was worth it. At the Grand Palace I was nearly taken by the oldest scam in Bangkok. I knew about the “Palace is closed, let me take you on a tour” scam, but I wasn’t ready for a uniformed “guard” with big official badge standing at the staff entrance to say to me, “you are going to the Palace” and then telling me “didn’t you see the news last night – there is a parade here today and the king is making an appearance, so the palace won’t open till noon.” I laughed and thanked him, but said I’d heard of that scam before. He insisted that it was wise of me to be careful but he was serious, pointed to his badge and said he works for the ministry of tourism (is there such a thing?) and said I should just get a Tuk Tuk on my own and go to the Golden Mount and some other Wat. He warned me to only take an official Tuk-tuk with the emblem on it and one where the driver wears a blue uniform shirt. At that minute, one just happened to appear and he was immediately asking the driver if he’d take me there and back for 20 Baht. Sure. But by now I was really laughing and said, “maybe after I see the Grand Palace” and started away, only for him to say, “you don’t trust me?” So on my walk to the entrance I suddenly thought of the day before and my scolding and started thinking, “I’m really going to feel terrible if the Palace IS closed.” But of course it wasn’t’, and when I laughingly said to the ticket seller, “so the Kind isn’t coming today and the Palace IS open?” He laughed and said “the king has been in hospital for a year, and no he isn’t coming here”. He then asked if the “guard” told me that. Seems they know all about him, and he isn’t really a guard, but dresses like one. On my way out of the Grand Palace later, I saw him talking with a couple with a map open. I marched right up and said to them, “let me guess. He told you the Palace is closed, right” and they said, “yes”. I then said, “ no he is a liar and the Palace is open.” I then turned to the man and said, “thank you for reminding me that some Thais are dishonest, liars, and cheats.” And walked away. Couldn’t resist.
Anyway the Grand Palace is amazingly beautiful. I suppose some could spend hours studying the miles of murals and listening to the stories – I stopped and evesdropped on one guide talking about some of them, but a little goes a long way with me.
So afterwards, I walked back towards the boat, and then thought that guy did have one good idea. I think I do want to go the Golden Mount, so I stopped where there were a bunch of Tuk-tuks and bargained with one to take me there for 20 Baht. It wasn’t far and when we got there I was surprised when he said, “I wait for you here.” I said no that I’d get one when I wanted to leave and he said the 20 baht was to take me there and back,which really surprised me. Besides, he wouldn’t take my money but said to pay him when we got back to the boats. Where was my brain when this signal was given? After climbing the “mount”, a circular set of stairs that encircles this odd temple on the outside and seeing the great views (at one time the mount was supposedly the highest point in Bangkok) I headed back down and we were on my way back, but then he stopped in front of a jewelry story. “just take a look” “no, I don’t want to shop and I don’t want anything”. “Please, just for me”. So not wanting to argue, I got out, walked to the door, opened it, stuck my head and half my body inside, looked from left to right, backed out and got back in the Tuk-tuk. He was shocked and said I didn’t look. I fairly angrily said, “told you I don’t want jewelry, they sell jewelry. I just want to go back to the boats.” So a block further he pulls up in front of a tailor store. This time I simply refused to get out. Finally I said, take me back to the boats now or I’ll just go get a taxi. He took me back to the boats and didn’t say a word the whole rest of the way. When I went to pay him, I had to give him a 50, but to my surprise he handed me back 30 and drove off.
I took the express boat back to Taksin, then the sky train to Sala Daeng, where I went to “hole in the wall” place and had a bowl of soup with noodles and chicken drumstick and a fried broad noodle dish – very spicy. It was nice, and I was thinking how clean this simple place looked, but then I went to the bathroom, and went through a small room where a “kid” was squatted on the dirty floor with two dishpans of water, washing dishes and stacking them on the floor. I could have lived without seeing that.
At 6 PM I was to meet a friend of mine from Switzerland who has been living and working in Bangkok for 6 years. He came by after work and we went by taxi to a place called “The View?” which is upriver a mile or two from Taksin, and is a huge outdoor place right on the river, also an open air nightclub. He ordered and we had a whole fish, some great green papaya and shrimp salad, and I don’t remember what else, but it was all simply delicious. He then said he wanted to show me a great spot for a drink and we went to Sirocco atop the State Tower. Wow – amazing views, and a mind boggling feeling that you could step off into space from the 64th floor open air deck. I said, this seems sort of like a place I’m supposed to go called Sky Bar, and he informed me that’s what some people call this place. So once again I found myself at a place I wanted to go by mistake. I paid for the drinks – 1036 for one each! But my Chivas Regal dry Robroy was fabulous and huge. What a grand place. And of course, I think the two drinks had cost more than the dinner!
Thursday, after breakfast I headed to Vimanmek Mansion, going by sky train, then subway, then taxi. I loved this place – a spectaclular “palace” of teak with mostly Victorian furniture. You automatically get an English tour and our guide was super. I asked a lot of specific questions about décor and items and couldn’t stump him (or he was very good at making up answers). I took another taxi back to Siam Paragon, and had a fantastic lunch at Orangery. Crispy fried chicken wings and onion rings with dipping sauces and a sort of pad Thai with seafood. Part of the reason for my going to Paragon was to meet a young long time pen pal of friends of mine in Naples – part of a “learn better English by being a pen pal” program they are involved in. Nic is about 30, a “modern Thai” and apparently from a very wealthy family from things he said. He met me right on time at the appointed spot in Paragon and we walked the mall a bit and asked what I wanted to do. I said that I could do the typical touristy things on my own, so what do real Thai people do. That was a mistake. His idea? See movies. So we did – the worst movie ever made – Piranha 3D – funny and bloody, a sort of spoof of Jaws. But the movie theatres there are fantastic, so I did enjoy the experience. And of course all American movies are shown in English with Thai subtitles. He loves how they subtitle words like ‘asshole’ and the f word into Thai which has totally unrelated meanings –more like “jerk” and “slap your face”. Too funny. Afterwards we ate in a nice Thai restaurant inside the Paragon – among the dozens and dozens of restaurants. He had to get home as he is running his aunt’s business while she is recovering from surgery, and he lives about 20 km out of the city and had to be back by 7 AM the next morning. But he said he’d be free on Sunday and we could do whatever.
Again, an early night, but I took a swim before going to bed. The pool is on the 8th floor and NO ONE is there at night, but you can swim till 10, under the stars with the three carved elephands “spitting” fountains for water into the pool from their trunks.
Friday morning I got a haircut at the apartments. It’s been 5 weeks on this trip now and I was starting to look like a shaggy dog – plus it was just too hot. It cost 250 baht and the young lady who cut it and owns the shop couldn’t have been nicer or done a better job!
Then I took the express boat to Wat Po. I got on the boat and immediately an attractive young Thai woman sat next to me and a young Thai man and an older American guy sat behind me. The three of them were together and we started talking. The American is a newly retired teacher traveling in Asia for a year – and he met the Thai guy at the ministry of education when he went to find out about Thai language classes. The girl was the guy’s sister and she was visiting from Chiang Mai. So when the girl came to sell the tickets, mine was covered – this guy knows the girl and none of us paid. So I was shocked when at the next spot two uniformed officers got on board and started checking tickets – I didn’t have one. The officer and the Thai guy got into a little discussion then the ticket seller came and told the officer who this guy was and suddenly they were all bowing to him and apologizing. So I suspect this guy is pretty important. Well, they were going to Wat Po too, and they had me join them. But like many Thais, they don’t really know much about their own attractions. I mentioned when there that there is apparently a gallery with over 300 Buddahs, and the guy looked at me and said I must be confused. So when we got to that gallery, he looked at me and wanted to know how I knew that. Wouldn’t you know it – Patrick is NOT a picture taker and after just a couple exterior shots and one or two of the reclining Buddah, my battery died. No problem. I put in the spare. Oooops. Hadn’t charged it since it died about a week ago. So this guy started taking pictures of me in front of things and promised to email them to me. But when I made my departure, I suddenly realized we had failed to actually exhange email addresses!
I took a taxi, then sky train to the restaurant Face, which was on my “must” list. It was very quiet at lunch, but a beautiful place in a series of teak stilted building and the food was exquisite! Pretty expensive, but great touches and presentation and fantastic atmosphere. Back to the apartment. Then it started raining, and raining, and raining – lightning and thunder, so I did little all afternoon. But tonight I decided I had to get to the Pickled Liver which I had been putting off all week. First however, I went to the Mandarin Oriental to have a drink at the Bamboo Bar – just seemed like something I needed to do. The place was kind of stuffy and very quiet, but had a nice pianist mainly playing Gershwin and Cole Porter, and I did have a great drink – even if it did cost $30!
Then I took the little hotel boat to Taksin and got the sky train to the Pickled Liver. Found it easy thanks to Carol’s “directions for dummies” and asked for Maeng and said I was a friend of Brad’s and Carol’s. Well, I was like royalty. I ordered a beer. Maeng asked me if I wanted something to eat and I said, “yes, whatever you think I should have”. So they brought me garlic shrimp and then a chicken tika masala that she had apparently whipped up that day, along with some garlic nan. All very good. I didn't stay that long, so put up my umbrella and worked my way back to the skytrain and then home.
Saturday morning I got up and headed to the big weekend market at the end of the Skytrain Line. I thought I'd spend maybe an hour but I ended up being there for maybe three or four hours. Did I mention I lost my pants in Xi'an? Well, I guess that's where it was, as when I reached Guilin in China and got things to take to the laundry, I was missing my great new Patagonia pants – the ones of lighter than air fabric with the zip off legs. Then I realized I was missing a T shirt also, and my new Columbia “fishing” shirt, and a silk print sportshirt. Hmmm. Now I remembered. I hadn't unpacked in Xi'an because I was only there for two nights, but now I remembered taking a couple things out and putting them in a drawer, and when I left, I seemed to be all packed and forgot them there. But I digress, except that I really wanted those pants, so I thought the market would be a great place to find a cheap replacement. They say if you can't find it at that market, you don't need it. Well, I guess I didn't need those pants, because despite looking and looking, the only zip off leg pants I could find were much heavier (and hotter). But I did buy a few trinkets. Six sets of carved wood chopsticks each in it's own silk bag with a “pewter” elephant on it – for about $1.50, and a tie with elephants of course, and some spices for Pad Thai and papaya salad, and some short tan socks. I also got two grilled chicken drumsticks and an iced Japanese almond tea for lunch. And I got a neck and shoulder massage. I hadn't yet had a full Thai massage, but this sounded good. The guy doing it, made the person on each side of him feel the knots in my shoulders and they oohed and aahhed. I may not speak Thai, but I could clearly hear them saying, “this guy has the tightest knots in his neck I've ever felt. An hour and I was like putty.
Finally when I left I took the subway instead of the skytrain and stopped at Sam Yan to find the Tawana Hotel where I'm staying when I come back to Bangkok in two weeks. Found it easily and decided I really could take the new Airport Express and change to the subway as it appears there are escalators or elevators everywhere. I was kind of hungry, so popped in a little cafe near there for some spicy shrimp and noodles and a beer.
Then back to the hotel where I immediately took a nap, a real rarity for me.
About 6 or so, I took a shower and walked over to the Shangrila for a cocktail. I originally asked where the Riverside Lounge is and they sent me all the way through the hotel. Hmmm. The Riverside Bar is a plain indoor lobby bar, not the neat outside bar I had seen a picture of , so all the way back through the hotel and found the delightful outside bar right on the river. My drink here was tiny – but only $10, one third the price at the Oriental. I drank it slow and soaked up the atmosphere, then took a taxi, armed with directions in Thai to Harmonique, since it's been so highly recommended here.
The place was fun, I sat outside in the “garden” adorned with an odd mix of real orchids, plastic red tulips and mums, and wooden parrots. I had steamed fish with lime and garlic and chilis – huge portion and spicy seafood salad which wasn't very spicy at all. I'm convinced when they see American tourists they leave off all the spicy – so I had to get some peppers to doctor it up a bit. Nice place, but I wouldn't see the food was nearly so good as I'd had several other places – although admittedly it was a lot cheaper. The place had been much closer to my “home” than I anticipated so I walked back – not far at all. It was still only about 9, so I headed down to the pool and swam under the stars to just before 10 when the pool closes. Again I was all alone.
Sunday came and my new friend Nic was to meet me at Taksin at 11. He said he'd do what I wanted and I had told him I wanted to do a canal boat trip. You can join a group tour for an hour and a half at something like 500 Baht per person, or hire a private boat at 1000 Baht per person with a two person mininum. But that's through an “agency”. Since I had a native Thai to bargain for me, I was ready. And although I got mixed advice on Fodors when I asked how much it should be – the first offer was for 3000 baht for the boat for 2 hours. But we were trying to bargain with an individual boat driver at the small docks by the Shangrila. And no one would talk to us. They'd all point to this guy with a clipboard on shore. I guess he's their “pimp”, and he didn't want to bargain much. We got it down to 1600 and that's all there was to it. Meanwhile my faith in Nic's bargaining ability disappeared as he said, “I think that's fair – let's just do it”. We had made a point that we didn't want any stops except at the Royal Barges and we wanted to end up at Wat Arun. But he insisted we should make Arun a stop and he'd bring us back, but agreed to no other stops, so off we went. Then Nick admitted that he doesn't like to bargain and hates things like markets. As he put it, it's very degrading for him to try to argue with someone who is basically pretty poor and not pay them much when you have so much. I guess Nic may lose his “Thai card” for his attitude against bargaining. So off we went and Nic also admitted that this wasn't really his thing – something about “cruising the canals to see how poor people live” he just found kind of insulting. I should mention that Nic became a monk for a year – which is often the case for guys out of high school or college. So maybe that put a damper on the trip, but I found myself sort of agreeing (as I've often felt the same way – both about “visiting poor sections” and about “bargaining” with the locals. There was a fair amount of activity. Yes, lots of people fishing, both with pole and with net, numerous people doing repairs to the pilings or the houses, and two people doing laundry in the dirty canal. But I was more fascinated at the ramshackle house with door on the “porch” open revealing a shiny new automatic washer which was clearly in use with fresh laundry hanging out to dry. We did stop at Wat Arun, but opted not to climb and loved the Royal Barges (where they charge you 100 to get in and another 100 if you take pictures. As a Thai though, Nic got in free as he did at most places. So next thing we knew we were back to our starting point and it had only been an hour and a half – not the two hours they guy made a big deal about. Nic sort of argued with the boat driver, but he insisted it was our own fault because we didn't want the usual stops, and the boats all follow the same basic route. He could show us a couple more canals, but they're all the same – and I had to agree with that (as did Nic, of course) as frankly I felt I had seen enough of the mix of ramshackle houses and nicer new ones mixed. So that was our boat experience. Nic asked if we could go to lunch at his “favorite” place – his treat – so of course I said yes. Guess what it was. Tony Roma's in the Paragon shopping center. I told you Nic was a “modern” Thai. Actually the food was delicious – we had a “feast for 2” with wonderful ribs and chicken and sausages, corn, and cole slaw. As Nic said, he's eaten ribs for years in Bangkok, but the ones at Tony Roma's are so much better than the usual Thai ones. Well, OK.
We spent some time in the mall, he had to take a watch to have the cracked crystal replaced. But I talked him out of going to see another movie. We headed back to my place and laid out by the pool awhile, but he didn't have trunks and couldn't go it, which was fine with him. He had mentioned the boat trip made him nervous also since he can't swim. I wasn't sure how long he was staying – but I said I wanted to go to a “nice Thai” place probably for seafood for dinner and invited him. I particulaly wanted to try curried crab and was surprised they didn't have the previous night at Harmonique. Without hesitation he said yes and suggest Samboon – where he's gone with his family for years. It's a four story high, extremely busy place near the Tawana Hotel in fact. Mainly it's been taken over by the Japanese tourists – that's how good the fish is! We ate curried crab, rice, raw oysters, a huge whole seabass cooked in salt with a couple of sauces he ordered special, and a big hot pot of soup with “four kind seafood” in lemongrass. Somebody can't count because there were at least 7 kinds – clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, squid, crab, and fish. I think this soup was actually the highlight as the seafood was abundant and the broth was simply spectacular. A great meal.
Nic got a taxi to take home and they dropped me off at Centre Point. It was kind of funny as he had to ask three taxis before one would do that. Most want to restart the meter if they drop off one person – and Nic wouldn't go for that.
So Monday (today), I had a 7 AM wake up call, had the usual huge breakfast and got a taxi to the airport for my trip to Siem Reap. I was still nervous about the traffic coming in, so I allowed about an hour and a half to get there for my 2 hour “international” check in. But I think the trip was only about a half hour and everything was quick and efficient so I had well over two hours to wait for my 11:30 flight.
A great week in Bangkok. And now I'm up to date once again.
NeoPatrick in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos
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Let me be the first to say how much I am enjoying "traveling" with you and how pleased I am that it is all working out so well!
If you don't mind--how did you make all of your local contacts--on the net before leaving home?? Thanks and I am sorry if I missed this info earlier on..
It's kind of amazing. For the most part from a large circle of friends --"oh, you're going to be in Bangkok? You must get in touch with my friend. . . "
And a few -- from an internet gay site, but it takes a lot of weeding to figure the ones who are just looking for some quickie. And I don't even meet anyone without a lot of corresponding in advance and who clearly are interested in something other than that.
Thanks! Having a local contact/friend really enhances the visit. I want to repeat again how happy I am that you are treading new ground with gusto--look forward to reading more!!
Loving your reports also.
Can i ask, how did you get to go through fast track at BKK? We normally fly business class and the first year we went throught the new airport there was a special "fast track" for first/Biz class, but i thought that dissappeared in the last few years?
seems like you had a really good time in bkk..... they do have curry crab at harmonique as we have had it several times...odd...
i am surprised at the boat prices... must be 'thai inflation'...
what was the best single meal you had in bkk?
Enjoying your view of all in Bangkok Patrick. Terrible people at the lounge in HKG. I would have definitely lost it with them. How could they not know the plane had changed gates unless they never really checked? Probably just looked at your ticket to see if you were allowed into their lounge, typical.
We also didn't find Harmonique any good at all....food not all that, service was non existent and very tourist oriented imho.....
Where would you rate Bangkok amongst the places you've already visited on this trip,at the top?
but it takes a lot of weeding to figure the ones who are just looking for some quickie
OH BEHAVE
Looking forward to your next stop!
Aloha!
Thanks, Patrick, for sharing your adventures. I can so identify with getting the "grumpies" when things don't go as planned. Sitting for hours in traffic is not my favorite occupation. I'm absorbing all this info in preparation for our first trip to Asia in March '11.
I think the best single meal I had was the lunch at Face. While all the food in Thailand is good and flavorful, there's something about "finer ingredients", more care in preparation, and in presentation that really sets it above. The food at The View though was a close second especially the fish.
The fast track? On Cathay Pacific they gave me a special card as a pass through Fast Track -- and it was a couple lanes further down from the others. But our plane seemed to be the only one coming in then and ours wasn't even one fourth filled in Business class, so it was really deserted.
Hawaiian Traveler I agree about the agents at the CP lounge in HK. For years when I've gone to Admiral's clubs they've always checked the boarding pass and usually even comment about how many minutes it will take to get to that gate from there. But when I specifically said that something was odd as nothing was happening at my gate, and they STILL didn't look at the gate number on my ticket -- well, that's just plain poor.
I am enjoying reading about your trip on this thread as well as on the one concerning HK and China. I have never travelled for more than 5 weeks at a time and I am wondering how it would feel to travel for longer than 5 weeks at a time. I am about your age and I think I would be quite exhausted by the constant boarding of planes and changing hotels. I would love to see all that you have seen and will see, but I do not know that I could keep up the pace for 10 weeks. That is one of the reasons I am so enjoying reading your report-vicarious travel with no jet lag.
Aloha, Patrick. I'm enjoying your report. I'm glad you got to see the Pickled Liver and meet Maeng.
NeoPatrick, have you found the pollution to be a problem for breathing in any of your locations? Hubby & I would love to visit/tour many of your countries/cities/towns choices, but have concerns about the pollution news we always hear.
Thanks, Julie
I can understand why you didn't post while in Bangkok - too much to see, do and eat!
I agree that Face has fabulous food. It's one of our faves.
We ate at Harmonique just a couple of weeks after it first opened and it got raves reviews in the local paper. At that time (years ago) the clientele was almost exclusively Thai. The food was very good then. We continued to eat there over the years. I think the food has declined in quality. The service has always been somewhere between poor and truly awful. Our last few times in Bangkok we haven't gone there, even though it's very close to where we stay. Periodically, some still one pops up here and say they had their best meal in Bangkok there. ANd you are right, Patrick. Almost everywhere they tone down the spice for visitors. I always ask for spicy.
It sounds like a great stay in Bangkok. Reading this makes me yearn to get back!
PS I was stunned that it took an hour and 45 minutes from the airport. Our typical trip time between airport and hotel is 30 minutes or less. But it is Bangkok, and a wrong turn can mire you in traffic forever it seems. The first few time I went to Bangkok was before the expressway from the old airport was built. It always took 1.5. to 2 hours to get to/from the airport - and all on surface streets.
shellyk, my record for traveling is 5 months and I did it several times with my partner before he died. One trick is to incorporate more and more 1 week or even longer stays. I agree that two and three night hotel hops can get pretty old quick, but I still seem to do plenty of those too. With my partner it was always funny. As we neared the time to go home we'd both ask each other if we were ready to go home and both our answers were always, "well, I could still do more".
Regarding Harmonique, I asked the guy at the desk at Centre Point to choose between there and another place on the River well downriver from here -- another place in an old house but has an outdoor terrace on the river -- sorry I forget the three part name in Thai. He knew both of them and said he and his family love Harmonique, but he did say he hadn't been there in a long time.
And the pollution? I have been really surprised to find it NOT the issue I expected. I think I mentioned the incredible "haze" on arrival in Beijing as I expected, but for some reason for the next three days it cleared up to absolutely sunny and very blue skies. And I really wasn't aware of fumes at all -- not nearly so much as in New York for example when big buses go by. Smoking pollution is another matter however. I was amused to see the cigarette packs in Bangkok -- displayed behind the bar in Pickled Liver -- the Marlboros are covered with very horrifying and graphic photos of diseased lungs and cancer scars! But young people sure like to smoke in China!
After the comment from the guy at the desk at Centre Point Silom, I had to check on when Harmonique opened: 2002.
Just caught up on the new thread. Sounds like you really enjoyed BKK. Not my favorite place, but maybe I'll do better next time.
we still love harmonique....we find for the price it serves really good food....one trick is to be ready to order when they come to your table or look out.....the serving of food is the usual thai style....they bring it as it is ready....for that reason in most thai restaurants we order slowly....appetizers first....when they are delivered we order our entrees, etc... it all works out better that way we find..
we are going to visit face again on the upcoming trip....oddly our first meal there, about a year after it opened, was a mixed review.....some was good and a pork dish we had was unedible...none was outstanding....i can't wait to try it again... the indian is also good...
pollution is heavy in most of asia but i never find that it bothers me all that much.....the worst i have ever experienced was in a quiet valley deep in a wooded area in austria.....so it is not always large cities that suffer... china is an exception however..
Thank you for the pollution answers. Julie
Caught up now! I'm really enjoying following along too. Looking forward to hearing what you think of Siem Reap. I'll be there for my 3rd visit in just a few weeks.
A really indulgent way to enjoy Face is scheduling a late afternoon massage, followed by a relaxing light dinner.
The massage is given in an outdoor tent, which alone makes it a bit unusual. I especially enjoyed the treatment where the masseuse pounded you with the aromatic bags of stuff.
They are doing massages in tents now at Face? I've been doing spa there for years, but it's always been in their little teak houses turned into spa rooms.
We usually try to schedule a couple of hours of spa followed by a wonderful Thai meal there.
It could well have been a little outbuilding turned into spa room rather than a tent; I haven't been in at least 2 years. The feeling I recall was that the space was separate from everything else -- not a standard air-con room in a building full of air-con rooms.
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
My flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap was on a smallish plane and very nice, complete with a nice little box lunch and free beer even though it was only a little over an hour's flight. I had booked four flights (well five, counting the one connecting flight) with a Bangkok Airways Discovery Pass. I fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap, from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang (via Pakse, Laos), Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai, and finally Chiang Mai back to Bangkok. The total cost with taxes was $551.
I was met by the hotel for a free transfer -- staying at Steung Siem Reap (originally from the name I guessed this was a German owned hotel -- not knowing that Steung is the name of the river in Siem Reap -- DUH!) It was a nice hotel and I had a huge room with three little balconies and outside shutter to close along with double French Windows for a quiet night's sleep. The cost was $60 a day including the free transfers and full breakfast buffet -- and I loved it mainly because it's right on the edge of the old quarter so I could just walk out my door and immediately be in the "chaos" that I tend to like.
I walked through town a bit, had a nice ice cream at Blue Pumpkin, then came back for a relaxing swim in the deserted but very nice pool. A little later I headed to Linga for a cocktail and "taught" them to make me a Johnnie Walker Red dry robroy, but the guy made it then added "Hey, this is a Scotch martini" Yea -- exactly. The nice touch was a rolled lemongrass straw. I had a couple of them and chatted with the very friendly staff -- it was quiet as much to early for their "crowd". I then wandered off to the off recommended Khymer Kitchen where I had some good broad fried noodles with beef, and some great "summer rolls". They offered Angkor beer -- a large bottle for $3.50, a small bottle for $2.50, or a glass of draft for $1. I opted for the latter expecting it to be small but it was a full pint.
Afterwards I headed back to Linga and chatted with a local guy who works at Raffles Hotel and before long we discovered we had much in common. He had moved to New Zealand with his older partner about 5 years ago, but one day a year ago his partner dropped dead with a heart attack, so he moved back to Siem Reap. We ended up consoling each other and crying a little in our drinks. I bought his drinks (under protest) and he asked if I'd be back the next night and we made plans to meet at 7:30.
At 9 AM on Tuesday, my prearranged guide who came highly recommended appeared. His name is Pilu and he's one of those ambitious young men who is going to University, working as a guide, and also working for a travel agency whenever he has a free day. His website is www.affinityangkor.com
He was great. I had told him I don't like a lot of detail and that I was totally unprepared for the local attractions as I hadn't studied up. And I put myself in his hands for two days. We had a nice young driver with a very clean leather upholstery Camry with super AC. We did the Angkor Thom, Prohm (Jungle Temple) and Preah Khan before lunch. We went to his favorite lunch place where they treat him like a God and ate upstairs under fans. I invited him to join me for lunch, which he usually doesn't do, as it was so nice to have a companion for lunch for a change. I had chicken Amok in a coconut. He ate steamed vegetables and soup -- I tasted the soup and it was wonderful. Pilu gave me several options. They would take me back to the hotel for a few hours to relax and swim then meet me again later, or we could keep going. I said I'd rather just keep going and head back earlier. Once I cooled off and swam it would be harder to get going again. So that's what we did. Yes, it was really hot -- particularly in the sun -- but I am from south Florida and used to it. And there were nice breezes in the shade. I was surprised how "comfortable" the Jungle Temple was. We went to Angkor Wat at 1:30 -- just what a lot of people say NOT to do, but he was right. As he said there is almost no one there then as the tour groups all go to lunch then, and others avoid it in the heat of the day. We entered from the back and almost had the place to ourselves. Pilu often asked if I wanted more information as he described carvings, etc. and usually I said no. He appreciated my honesty and said many people want to hear the whole stories, but he sees their eyes glazing over as it's often too much information for most people to absorb. He also made it clear to tell him to leave me alone if I wanted to wander on my own. He was the perfect guide for me.
So we were there for about 2 hours, then they took me back to my hotel. Sure enough, after a nice long solo swim, then a shower, I was like jelly.
But I got dressed and headed to Linga to meet my new "friend" for cocktails. He insisted he was taking me to dinner and off we went to Viroth's, which he said all the people that Raffles sends there love it. This was kind of funny because I read less than stellar reviews on Fodors. So I hopped on the back of his motorcycle and off we went. But as we went over the bridge, he said "uh-oh" as he realized we had just run out of gas. We coasted into a little store and I found out those old litre bottles of Pepsi and Whiskey that looked like old diluted soft drinks are actually gas that many stores sell for Tuk tuks and motorcycles. I enjoyed Viroth's. We had a steamed fish in curry dish that was very good, but had a "tropical pork" dish that was superb. And I loved the atmosphere and the huge spaces between tables. He dropped me off back at my hotel after a nightcap at the fun Miss Wong's, and he told me he might have to work the next night -- but took my email to let me know for sure. Yes, in fact the next day I got an email that he would be working until 11 PM -- he is a personal assistant to VIPs at Raffles.
Wednesday morning, Pilu arrived and off we went to Pre Rup (the brick temple), Banteay Samre (the water temple, I called it) and Banteay Srey (the ladies temple). At one point, we ran over a small board on the road which the driver couldn't dodge as a bus was coming the other way. He stopped and sure enough there was a huge nail in the tire, but we coasted to our next stop and while Pilu and I explored, he changed the tire. Then a stop at the Land Mine Museum as I requested. He does not go into the Land Mine Museum and it upsets him to do so -- as it upset me, but certainly worth seeing. One of the saddest things of the entire area is how many missing limps you see and how many armless or legless beggers there are.
We returned to the same place as yesterday for lunch -- and I had really good spicy fish and vegetables. Then we set off for Lake Tonle Sap. We boarded our own boat with a driver who looked like he was 14, but he insisted to Pilu that he is 19. This was a good time to visit, as the lake is pretty high, but not at full height as it will be later this month or the first of October. Still it is a little unsettling, particularly the constant "attacks" by toddlers with huge snakes around their necks being brought up to your boat by a parent. The idea is to take their picture and give them a dollar or so. I declined. It just seemed so exploitive to me. As Pilu said the area is still very much a working and living village, but is quicly becoming more of tourist thing as several big restaurants have now opened for stops and for tourists. When we stopped at one of these and then got ready to go, the boat wouldn't move. The driver discovered the propeller had "fallen off". Luckily he had another, and he put it on and we were on our way. What is it about me? Flat tire -- propeller falling off?
Back to the hotel about 4 for another swim and cooling off period. I had been lucky as there had been no rain at all during my stay -- I arrived just after a huge thunderstorm on late Monday morning, and it had rained all day hard on Sunday. Pilu wanted to take me to a very small, uncleared "jungle type" temple or ruin, and we went there but couldn't do it as it was completely surrounded by water from the recent rains.
I returned to Linga for drinks, then went to dinner at Malaraun (?) a fairly large, mostly outdoor restaurant on a corner. I didn't have great expectations but the menu appealed -- mostly French. I had a country salad of lettuces, chicken gizzards, smoked duck breast, and fried potatoes -- that topped similar salads I've had in French many times. And I had twin filets of beef, perfectly cooked with a side of peppercorn sauce, great potatoes augratin, and steamed vegetables and a nice glass of Bordeaux. This place was really good, and as I said I was especially surprised as I really expected it to be a sort of tourist 'trap'. Total cost was $24.50, a little pricy for local standards particularly in that area, but still a great bargain for its quality.
This morning (Thursday) I thought about going to the museum, or going to visit Wat Bo, but just felt like taking it easy. I did walk through the old market -- wow, is that an eye (and nose opener) especially with all the hacking of fish going on everywhere. And had a super coffee at Blue Pumpkin. It's now just before noon and the hotel is taking me at 12:30 to the airport to catch my flight to Luang Prabang.
So I actually liked the chaos of the old quarter and am really glad I stayed where I did. I thought my timing was perfect. I know some would stay for days and days studying the temples. I loved what I saw, but even though they are all somewhat different, they were starting to look alike and I really don't think I could take another day of temple hopping. Two full days was perfect for me. I did get tired of the constant cries of little kids begging you to buy their books, postcards, and miscellaneous junk. It's all so sad and hard to turn them away. And I can only take so much of the third world type poverty and begging. But at least, while it was a constand cry of "Tuk-tuk?" in town, they were never overly aggressive. And I found the locals -- those I met in the hotel and in the bar generally warm and friendly -- more so than anywhere else I've been on this trip.
Aloha, Patrick. Thanks for checking in with your continuing report. I think I would be like you... a couple of days of temples would be fine. After that, it would be overkill for me. I'm glad you found a new friend, and got to spend some time having meals together. Travelling solo, as much as I love to do it, is pretty quiet and mealtime unless you have someone (like my friend Maeng in BKK) to visit with.
Carol(on the big island at Waikoloa now)
Patrick- I like your style. I too can only take a few hours of temple viewing and then they all begin to look alike. Its like cathedral watching in Europe - only so much then they all look alike! And yes I also don't want to hear all the details, just a little info is fine. I also like to wander on my own as well.
It sounds like a marverlous time in Siem Reap! And while a week was too little for me, you knew what your level of interest was in the temples and timed your stay accordingly.
I'm really enjoying following along with you. One of the delights of traveling alone, in my experience, is meeting people you likely wouldn't meet if you were traveling with someone.
the guide looks like he would be fantastic and i like his traditional pricing....those are the prices from a few years ago and seem just right for the situation....
please do a special thread on him alone so that folks can find this new wonderful english speaker... it should be a boom for him and a real plus for fodorites to find someone new
Thanks for the tip,we will be in SR in November (yay jst confirmed all my Cambodia flights)and i am starting to think about a guide. Like you i want the details but not ALL the details. Your 2 days sound perfect,I will contact him. anything you would change? we have 5 nights in SR but there is no way Muffin would do 3 or 4 days of temples!! How did you hear abot him?
I am loving your report from the road, Patrick! Cambodia is just about my favorite place I've been in my travels. I, too, found the Cambodian people to be so friendly and warm-definitely part of the reason I enjoyed my time there so much. I'm glad you had a good time! I am desperate to return there!
LUANG PRABANG, LAOS:
A few months ago I had never heard of this place, but when several Fodorites said that I “must” go there, I started looking and thought it did indeed sound interesting. As I’ve often said, I’m not one to relax well when traveling, but here is an ideal place to do just that.
My flight from Siem Reap with a stop (no change of plane) in Pakse on Lao Airlines (part of my Discovery Pass) went without a hitch, although the hot dog baked in dough served with a single cold crinkle cut French Fry was a bit strange. I was to be met on arrival at 6:30 by my hotel (free transfer) and they had confirmed. But our plane left Siem Reap 35 minutes EARLY, and we only stayed on the ground in Pakse 10 minutes or so instead of the 40 it stated, so we actually arrived in Luang Prabang a full hour early! A little while after I arrived (others were waiting for their missing rides also) my hotel rep showed up very apologetic. They had called to see if the plane would arrive on time to be told it was already there.
The Mekong Riverview Hotel couldn’t have been a better choice. This was a place built with great local style just a few years ago by a Swedish hotel owner named Urban who has resettled in LP after falling in love with it on a vacation. It’s presently only 8 rooms, with 6 more to open in a month or so. In fact the 6 units in a new building next door were under construction from 8 to 5 daily and Urban apologized profusely for the noise (which didn’t bother me in the least) and then on the second day I received a note that due to the inconvenience of the delayed construction the room price – normally $90 was being reduced to $45. Wow. What a deal. The young all male staffr couldn’t have been more accommodating, taking you on a golf cart if you didn’t want to walk, although I found the 5 or 10 minute walk to the center perfectly charming. The hotel is located at the very northern point of the small peninsula that forms the old town, which is all a Unesco Heritage site and strictly controlled by them. As one person said, it’s one of the few places Unesco got to before it was too late. The hotel is on the point where the Nam River flows into the broad Mekong and the views are wonderful (albeit obstructed by gorgeous palms and lots of lush tropical vegetation). The offered me choice of rooms, one was quite a bit larger, but I’d only have it for two nights and would need to move to a different room for the third night – or a smaller room that was quite lovely – so I decided to take the smaller room and not move. The rooms are rather dark with lots of wood and wonderful wide board polished wood floors. The beds are remote controlled if you want something other than reclining. There is a small frig with beer, soft drinks, and lots of bottled water – all complimentary, and a separate water closet from the bath area with a nice wood vanity and a large walk in rain shower. The new rooms (and two suites they are building are supposedly even more luxurious) but this room had lots of charm and style – and each two rooms share a balcony facing the river, but with two sets of tables and chairs. They will happily serve you breakfast there if you like instead of on the downstairs porch or inside. Breakfast was a small but nice buffet with numerous complimentary things to choose from besides – omelettes and banana pancakes for example. I really can’t recommend this hotel enough. It was just perfect, never mind that I got it at an incredible price in the end.
http://www.mekongriverview.com/
After unpacking and settling in, and having a glass of wine with the owner and a couple from Germany, the only other guests for the night, one of the boys took me in the golf cart to l’Elephant for dinner. But I needed to stop at an ATM on the way to get Kip, the local currency. Well, we hit 5 non-working ATMS before the 6th one which did work, and to my surprise it was one that allows a million KIP per withdrawal as opposed to the 700,000 most of the others have. That’s only about $87 so when you have to pay about $4 to the local bank and another $5 to BofA – that’s over a 10% charge. Signs in town of 3 to 4% extra charge for credit cards were actually kind of welcoming as that was a big savings over using ATM currency. I've never worried too much about ATM charges as I use partner banks when I can and BofA gives me two free non partner withdrawals per month, but I'd used those up. If I were doing a lot of travel in Laos, I'd seriously consider another bank. The search for ATMs took me through the night market on the main street – a sleepy kind of market of handicrafts and goods where most of the sellers were snoozing on pads.
Dinner was wonderful, but I opted for French food – a great pork loin with tons of chanterelle mushrooms in sauce, potatoes au gratin, and grilled vegetables, and a nice glass of Bordeaux. It was a lovely place. I walked back to the hotel along the river bank, where casual cafes were serving dinner thinking what a charming town this was.
I should mention that I hadn’t been feeling well since getting up my last morning in Siem Reap. I had a horrible cough, a headache, and was feeling very stuffed up and slightly feverish. Why would I be getting a cold? Tylenol didn’t help the headache even, and by the time I reached LP, my throat was sore from all the coughing. I mentioned it to Urban, the hotel owner who immediately asked if I was on malaria meds and I said yes but I’d now been taking them for a full week so doubted if it was a reaction it would take that long, but he seemed to think these were common side effects. I went online and did some googling of Malarone and decided that yes, that’s probably what it is and that often people don’t get a reaction for a week or even more – but the cough is a real standard one.
So on Friday, I really felt lousy. After breakfast I felt really tired despite a pretty good long sleep in spite of the coughing. I went upstairs, lay on the bed, and suddenly woke up at 11. Wow. So I walked into town, had a wonderful light lunch of Larb, a minced chicken specialty of LP, and a salad at Blue Lagoon, and then climbed the “mount” in the center of town – some 300 plus steps up – to a little shrine and great views of the countryside. I casually popped in and out of shops and had a wonderful fruit smoothie. Then headed back to the hotel and actually took another nap. At about 7, I walked into town, and on the main street went to Arisai, a Meditteranean restaurant I’d read about. I ordered roast chicken with herbs, and then added an antipasta platter. The platter came out and what was I thinking – despite its $6 price it was designed to feed a small army. I tacked the wonderful cold squid salad, the proscuitto and salamis, the grilled eggplant and peppers, the assorted olives and was just thinking that’s all I should have for dinner. Then without warning I felt very sick to my stomach. I was sitting on the sidewalk, and I jumped up ran across the street and threw up in the dirt under a tree – I knew there was no time to find a restroom! Immediately I felt better. I know it wasn’t the food – it was this other thing getting to me. So I sat back down and the waiter asked if I wanted dessert. I was surprised and asked him about the chicken. What luck. He misunderstood and thought when I added the antipasta that’s what I wanted instead of the chicken. So I paid for the antipasta and headed up, actually feeling good right now. But I went to bed at 9:30. When I told the guys at the desk about my getting sick (and they had been hearing me coughing all day), they decided I should have a cup of tea, so they made me one. Then soon after I took it to my room there was a knock on the door. They made me a whole pot of tea for whenever I'd wake up during the night – and gave me a little pot of honey – for my throat. Nice touch, but I didn't touch the honey. And all the tea I drank made me get up to pee too many times. LOL
Saturday morning I felt great. I hadn’t coughed all night, my headache was gone, my head was clear. So if it was the Malarone causing the issues, it seemed to all be gone now. Or maybe it was that miraculous Laos green tea. I walked along the main street of town again, relaxed with a super coffee on a patio, and just as a sudden downpour came, I popped into a cute little French bistro for chicken fricasee and chantarelle mushrooms on fettucine. It was delicious, and just as I finished eating the rain stopped and I headed back to the hotel. I had arranged with the hotel for a boat to take me up the Mekong to the “buddah” caves – where there are either a couple hundred or 10,000 buddahs inside two natural caves facing the river. I didn’t count, but I think the latter estimate is closer to the fact.
I didn’t want to join one of the group tours which sounded like they incorporated too much other stuff including seeing rice wine made and visiting a handicraft village. So there I was on a very long boat that holds up to 20 people. Just me and a delightful driver who spoke some English. It’s a good hour and a half upriver to the cave, slightly less coming back with the current, so he planned on 2 to 6 PM – or 4 hours. The driver was surprised how little time I spent at the caves – hey, I saw it and took pictures, what else? So he asked if I wanted to stop at a village and I agreed. Ooops. There it was, sampling the rice wine and feeling VERY obligated to buy some – especially being the only one there. And I walked the sad little village which may be “real” but mainly exists with all the women setting up their wares of hand woven silks or other handicrafts in the streets. As we departed, all the kids of the village were assembling on the banks to take a swim in the muddy Mekong -- their daily bath. Yeeccchhh.
The cost of this whole tour with the private boat was 300,000 KIP, about $37. On the way back though we stopped at a little secluded island in the river. There is an old pavilion there that was built for the king when he traveled on the river, but it is all grown up with weeds and there are no loading platforms there. My driver pulled up the boat and put out a gangplank onto the slightly drying mud. The river is now down about 6 or 8 feet from its highest stage, and I carefully made my way across the fairly soft mud and through the weeds up to the pavilion which now has a buddah in it. Meanwhile the driver was happily gathering some wild weeds that he was taking home to make soup from. He was very excited, as these particular “weeds” are hard to find.
I got back before 6, took a shower and joined the others for wine in the lobby. Now there were two young ladies from Montreal, and two British couples who are friends – one couple now live in Kuala Lumpur and the four of them were traveling Laos together.
Then I got a ride from the boy on the golf cart to dinner at Blue Lagoon. My dinner of chicken satay followed by a stir fry of beef, chantarelle mushrooms, lemongrass, peppers, onions, and various spices with sticky rice was wonderful. And then I ordered dessert something a rarely do – but the flambe bananas on vanilla bean ice cream with mango coulis was just calling to me. Wow, delicious – no wonder my glucose was the highest of the whole trip this morning! They had said to have the host at Blue Lagoon call the hotel and they'd come pick me up, but it was too nice a night – I love how it cools off beautifully in the evenings here – so I walked back enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the town.
I slept until after 8. If I did anything in LP, it was get plenty of rest. I had breakfast on the front porch (more chantarelle mushrooms along with some great cheese in an omelette – chantarelle mushrooms must really be big or in season there). Then I packed up for my complimentary shuttle to the airport for my 1:00 flight to Chiang Mai.
I think this is the first place I've been on this trip that I can say I truly LOVED. It just seemed so unique – while focused on tourism, it didn't have any of that plastic or phony tourist glitz going. And the people everywhere were charming. Even the tuk tuk drivers would simply say gently “tuk-tuk?” or “waterfall?” and if you said no, they just let you go. No pressure – no one tugging on your arm to buy things, just smiles and pleasantness. What a great place to go for a week or even more and just hang out. I didn't do any of the usual stuff – didn't go to the waterfalls, didn't take advantage of the free bikes the hotel has, and didn't go to the elephant camp. But who cares? I just loved it. So thanks to those Fodorites who suggested it in the first place. Someone, I can't remember who, specifically said knowing me they thought it would be my kind of place and it was!
Oh i truly LOVED LP too, your days there sound lovely (apart from you feeling ill of course)so glad you enjoyed it.
Looking forward to hearing about CM.
great reporting yet again
Great report. I am going to LP in January and you make it sound like just my kind of place too. Cant wait. Looking forward to more of your report.
NeoPatrick, your malarone experience is not atypical. This is one reason why I suggest using deet and covering up rather than taking prophylactics. Prophylactics do nothing against the far more common Dengue fever anyway. A good lesson to be learned for the posters on this site who push anti malaria meds.
Sorry, NeoPatrick is not currently available -- he has floated away in the mud, floods, landslides, and downpours in Northern Thailand this week. Only joking, but barely. Who posted recently asking about the rainy season in Northern Thailand? I await my driver today in Chiang Mai -- all our previous plans for hiking and rafting are definitely off. And right now it is pouring so hard I can hardly see out my windows.
By the way, my reaction to the malarone seemed to only last two to three days. It seems a small price to pay compared to having malaria. And of course, it depends on WHERE specifically you're going, although further reading made me feel more and more that malaria is virtually NO problem anywhere I'm going to be. I wonder if anyone who did get malaria would agree that one shouldn't take the anti-malaria drugs?
Patrick, I'm so glad you loved LP!
I'm sorry the weather in Northern Thailand hasn't cooperated.
my wife got sick on those hot dog things on the airplane and it lasted a couple of days....i bet that was your problem
Wow just saw the newscast about the flooding in N Thailand. Water flooding over cars, it looks like a mess.
We should have warned you about the hot dogs and sandwiches on the plane. I got sick with what tasted like a tuna and cucumber sandwich on Bangkok air. Stay dry, a dry rob roy would go nicely right now.....
Aloha!
"my wife got sick on those hot dog things on the airplane and it lasted a couple of days....i bet that was your problem"
A hacking cough is more likely a symptom of eating a bad hot dog than it is the known side effect from taking Malarone?
Loving your report. I was especially eager to read about your Bangkok and Chiang Mai experiences since I'll be there in March!
Patrick, I just emailed your guide in Siem Reap for my visit in November. He seems great!
I always hate recommending someone. He and I really clicked. Hope you do as well. At least he smiles all day and you have to remain happy with all that smiling.
Quote Neopatrick: "I wonder if anyone who did get malaria would agree that one shouldn't take the anti-malaria drugs?"
I certainly agree with that, but the fact of the matter is that there are no recorded cases of short time tourists getting malaria. Locals, yes, especially in hill areas. There are plenty of cases of tourists getting dengue, however.
VB says: "there are no recorded cases of short time tourists getting malaria."
I'd be interested in the published source of your data. Can you give us a citation?
Sure, a Vientiane Times article about 2 weeks ago showing the breakdown of malaria and dengue throughout Laos this wet season specifically mentioned this, Kathie. Perhaps you could point us to evidence to the contrary if you doubt that source?
I'm curious about how anyone can claim that no tourists have been infected. Malaria may not show up until the patient has returned home, in which case how would a hospital in Laos count that case? Also, many travelers visit several countries during their trip, making it impossible to determine which country they contracted malaria in. Since Laos certainly has malaria, what would prevent a tourist from getting it? Mosquitos can't discriminate between locals and tourists. And with more tourists venturing off the beaten path it seems irresponsible to advise against anti-malarial medication so broadly.
Patrick, this summer I got quite sick in Siem Reap with sore throat, fever, hacking cough, stuffy nose and upset stomach. I visited the hospital there and was told that they had been seeing a lot of that and it was likely due to air quality,with air full of particles from exhaust and burning, my riding a tuk tuk a lot, and bacteria getting trapped in my lungs/bronchi. I was not taking Malarone, but I have taken it before and never got a cough. Did get a headache and loss of appetite, but neither was troublesome enough to stop the Malarone.
I'm also curious about your statement about dengue being far mor common than malaria. The WHO says there are 96.9 cases of dengue per 100,000 people and 292 cases of malaria per 100,000. Malaria seems much more prevalent if you look at the numbers and anecdote.http://www.wpro.who.int/countries/2009/lao/health_situation.htm
I searched the Vientiane Times for the article you referred to and couldn't find anything that said there were no cases of malaria in tourists. Perhaps you could post a link.
Patrick I plan to contact your guide also for Nov (hope it doesn't clash with MCB's dates)
The only article I see is about dengue prevention, nothing in the last two weeks about malaria. Am I missing something Vientianeboy?
http://www.vientianetimes.com/Headlines.html
Dengue is certainly a problem through out SE Asia. I have not looked at the data on that, but Kim cites a reliable source.
I've found lots of data on malaria incidence. Laos has made progress in the area of malaria (mostly through the use of insecticide-impregnanted bed nets), so the data I see indicates a decline in the number of reported cases of malaria per year.
www.globalhealthfacts.org cites 21,809 cases in 2006, this agrees with the WHO data for that year. In 2008, WHO reports 18,566 reported cases.
www.nationmaster.com ranks Laos as having the 38th highest incidence (number of cases per 100 people) of malaria in the world and gives the stat as 759 cases per 100,000 people. I'm guessing that must be older data than WHO's.
I have seen data on cases of malaria diagnosed in returning travelers by county (or countries visited) but cannot put my finger on that data right now. I will look for it when I have more time.
Kathie, as I said, it was about 2 weeks ago, I don't keep old n/p just so I can cite an exact date, so accept it or not. Unless you subscribe to Vte Times on line you cannot see many articles anyway.Dengue is now a major source of concern, not just here in Laos, but throughout SEA. According to the medical staff here, it is the worst outbreak ever. Local authorities in the villages in Vientiane are going around and spraying, and this is the first time they have ever done this.
By the way, I do agree with KimJapan about symptoms occuring when a traveller returns home. This year according to The Vt Times, no tourist has been admitted to hospital in Vienetiane with malaria. This is further backed up by anecdotal evidence from the class of medicos/nurses etc from various hospitals here to whom I teach English/.
There have been a small number of cases of Vientiane citizens contracting malaria this year, but this is nearly always dafter an extended visit to the family in remote areas.
The Mother-Child hospital, on the other hand, is absolutely full of infants who have contracted dengue. I know of at least 3 cases among acquaintance, and it is a major health issue now.
By the way, I am not downplaying the seriousness of malaria; both my parents contracted malaria after an extended visit to New Guinea many years ago. What I am saying is that prevention in terms of using a repellent, covering up at midday when the "tiger" mosquito is on the prowl and at night is more sensible than stuffing chemicals which may have very nasty side effects into your body. These chemicals do nothing to prevent dengue anyway.
Kathie, one of these times when you are in BKK, you MUST meet Dr Jack, who specializes in strange jungle medicine. He is called in on some very strange cases in BKK, and can usually help diagnose diseases that other doctors don't catch. He is probably the most interesting person I know in BKK. I think you two could have a great conversation about meds/diseases.
I'm glad to know that in Laos simply covering up (I assume everything from the tip of your nose to your fingers) will actually prevent a mosquito from biting. And the sound of mosquitos in Alaska laughing at my covering myself with Deet was almost deafening. Other places I've been in the world, they seem to find a way no matter how small the "option". All it takes is one mosquito bite, am I correct?
Neo Patrick-When do you start your OAT tour of Vietnam? I am thinking of signing up for it (I know I can do it myself) and I wonder what you think of the hotels and guides. I need to make a decision in a week or so, so would appreciate your impressions if you have started that tour.
Funny you should ask. I arrived back in Bangkok today and am the Tawana Hotel, the first of the OAT tour and we fly tomorrow to Hanoi. I'll be sure to let you know. In fact, as soon as I finish this thread, I intend to start another one just for the OAT Vietnam tour.
When you say you know you can do it yourself, I was thinking I might have to do that when it looked like there might not be enough people for them to do mine. But they ended up with 14, more than they needed. And when I was looking at "doing it myself" there was no way I could begin to match it for the same price -- partly due to the no single supplement, which cuts all the hotel bills in half or even more from what I'd have had to pay booking them on my own.
The "no single supplement" is not a draw for me because I am travelling with my DH. There won't be any cost saving for me to take the tour over the cost of DIY for both of us. I do not mind being with a group, unlike some others on this board, so it is just a matter of whether the tour guide and hotels are good. If they are not, then I will plan my own trip. I am happy to be able to have the benefit of your impressions before I make my decision.
Patrick, you are correct. All it takes is one bite.
Unfortunately, while the itinerary and hotels would probably (but not definitely) be the same, the guide might well not be. I hope NeoP is lucky, but my guide with OAT in Thailand was awful (and a friend who took the same tour more recently also had an awful guide).
OOh I had a super OAT guide in Thailand. Her name was Lin. Must be a different guide than yours.
And to confuse things even more, I now see that OAT is doing the tour slightly differently in 2011 from 2010 by flying US to Saigon to Hanoi where the tour begins. I am going to check to see if the hotels are different. The only OAT tour I have ever taken was last Feb to Tunisia and the guide was excellent. To me, a good guide is very important to my enjoyment of a tour. I know the guides can be different, but I still would like to hear NeoPatrick's take on his tour.
i would also add that what one person sees as a good guide can be what another person sees as totally unacceptable... too much info, too little info... warm and fuzzy or not warm and fuzzy, etc...
My number 1 priority for a guide is someone who speaks understandable English and knows what he/she is talking about. Unfortunately, there are some guides who have neither quality. And although I am perfectly capable of winging it with a guidebook (I have a history and political science background) I do prefer to hear it from a good guide who knows the right amount of information to impart.
I've never fully understood the problem with "too much or too little information". As others have suggested in other threads if a guide starts getting too detailed, merely wander away to enjoy the site on your own for awhile (explaining first or later that you do that because you aren't interested in so much information). And if he doesn't offer enough, then simply ask for more or ask a lot of questions.
Regarding hotels on the OAT tour, actually a couple of ours have been changed from what it showed on the itinerary, as they always mention they may do. I haven't checked but I wouldn't be surprised if our "new" hotels -- particularly both in Hanoi and in Saigon are the ones they show for next year's tour.
Kathie, it's one bite for dengue as well. What are you going to do about that? Stay home?
Patrick
Just to let you know Pilu has responded and we are now working on a touring schedule to suit! Thanks for the recommendation! I'll let you know how we get on.
"And if he doesn't offer enough, then simply ask for more or ask a lot of questions" - doesn't always work. When we asked the guide in Thailand questions he didn't want to or couldn't answer his English suddenly got much worse - not that it was great to begin with.
Patrick-The hotels listed in the 2011 brochure are as follows-Asian Ruby Hotel-HMC, Thang Long Opera Hotel or Star View Hotel-Hanoi, Canellia Hotel-Hue, Phuoc An Hotel-Hoi An, Huang Dang Hotel-Nha Trang and Mercure Dalat-Dalat. Are any of these where you are scheduled to stay? I have concerns about the Dalat Hotel and am wondering if maybe they changed that one for your trip. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the OAT trip.
Smeagol: I've also received a reply from Pilu. However, he can't guarantee he will be guiding me himself. It will be him or his friend. When will you be in Siem Reap? I'll be there from November 10th to 13th. Also, the prices he quoted me are higher than those on his website...
what price did he quote you
MCB - yes he did say either him or his friend, i gave him my dates and have asked him if he could guide me, we shall see.
I had a variety of prices but they all seem very reasonable. I have given him a list of my wishlist places and will see what he comes up with! We are in SR towards the end of November.
I think his prices are still reasonable. I will go ahead and book with him. I'm just not sure what tours I should book. On my first day, I land at 8am so I don't think if I'll be able to tour on that day. Here's the list of available tours:
All options include guide, car, gas, driver, max. 3 Pax unless otherwise stated. Each option is a day trip.
1 Small Loop –Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon and Ta Phrom etc… $50 highly recommended
2 Beng Melea , Kompong Pluk/Tonle Sap $80 highly recommended
3 Phnom Kulen, Land Mine Musuem $80 highly recommended
5 Benteay Srei, Benteay Samrei , Tonle Sap $60 highly recommended
4 Big Loop - Preak Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, Eest Mebon, Pre Rup etc.. $55
6 Siem Reap vicinity $50
7 Tonle Sap, Angkor Thom & Ta Phrom/ Angkor Wat $50
8 West Baray, Angkor Thom & Ta Phrom /Angkor Wat $50
9 Benteay Srei , Benteay Kadei , Kbal Spean $80
10 Beng Melea + Chau Srei Vibol $80
11 Beng Melea + Tonle Sap $80
12 Beng Melea + Kompong Pluk $80
13 Phnom Kulen + Pre Rup + Kraven $80
14 Preah Vihear $145
15 Kor Kea $125
mcbg, do you have a copy of Dawn Rooney's book yet? Do get it so you can decide what you want to see.
Calling various routes "tours" obscures the fact that you should be able to choose where to go and which temples to see each day.
All of the Angkor guides who get recommended on forums may have too many people asking for their services on any given day. This has been the source of much dissatisfaction for many travelers: you make an agreement that Mr.X will guide you and when you get there, it's Mr.Y whose English isn't nearly as good.
Your hotel can also set you up with a driver and guide.
Let me also encourage you to consider whether you want/need a guide. We chose not to have a guide, just a driver, and it was exactly right for us.
This list and idea of tours doesn't sound at all like Pilu. I was very open and honest in telling him up front that I really wasn't prepared to make the decisions of where to go, but he gave me options and descriptions as we went along and it was great as we improvised an itinerary as we went along. He also gave me the option of going back to my hotel at noon or after and then picking me up again a few hours later -- but I said if I cooled off I wouldn't want to go out again so we kept going, which worked for us. The only mention of someone else was if I wanted to do a sunset he'd need to get someone else for that as he has University classes most nights at 5:30 or 6:00, and I think he mentioned that the driver we had could do that without a guide if I didn't want one -- our driver spoke a pretty good amount of English.
I used the link and emailed affinityangkor@hotmail.com is that the one you used Patrick?. The list MCB has posted is the same as the one he sent me, but he said we could go wherever we wanted and just to let him know dates/times to suit, i have asked him for opinions based on my wish list i have now sent him , so i will be tailor making my days with him, which i assume he is ok with.
MCB i am sure you could cut and paste "tours" to suit your own wish list
I have however asked him if he could confirm he would be guiding me the 2 days i have requested.
For me i have no desire to see Angkor without a guide, yes i am sure i could do it with the help of guide books but i don't choose to.
M - i will keep you posted how i get on with arrangements.
the prices seem high to me, but not different from what some people have noted...
last week i saw prices of $25 each for guide and driver, which is what i paid several years ago, or maybe i paid $20...
$50 for local SR seems quite high...
is this 3 hours both morning and afternoon or all day?
All day is the impression i got (if you wanted it to be). Although $50 for a driver & guide all day sounds like good value to me...things has moved up in price Bob!!! (when i first saw that i thought that was each but no it's $50 for up to 3 people)
I think $50 is the going rate for the tour guide plus a car and driver for the sites closest to town. So yes, that's $25 each so not high. Sites out of town usually have an extra charge.
BTW MCB i figured out why you thought his prices seem different to his web. On his web his prices are for guideing only as you scroll down he lists transportation costs etc which you add on top.
I also checked on Tales of Asia and Pilu's prices seem about inline with what is mentioned there.
CHIANG MAI and CHIANG RAI:
The flight from Luang Prabang was nice but we arrived in Chiang Mai to a light rain – this was to be an omen. I ignored the usual cluster of guys at arrivals asking “taxi? taxi?” and headed outside to find the regular taxi line. There was none. I hadn’t read about this, but I saw a couple of fairly young girls who saw me and informed me (one has been to Chiang Mai several times) that the only way you get a metered taxi is to go to the booth in the terminal and pay them 50 baht to get one. Then they call the next one whish is slightly off property to come pick you up – they give you the number of the taxi, it is metered and you pay them. The meter was only another 65 baht or so, so the total paid was about 115 baht, cheap enough. My hotel which I had booked for just one night was the Vieng Mantra, a rather new small Lanna style hotel that was only about $50 a night by prebooking with them. It was just off the walking street and the taxi knew it, but when we turned into the little soi, he had to get out and move bicycles to get through. Then we drove by the dumpsters of the bigger hotel in front of it. In other words, the approach was pretty dismal. Still the rooms were nice, the pool which it was built around was lovely – but it all looked so – well, cheaply done – what did I expect for $50.
I was to meet another internet friend here – a professor of biochemistry at the University Medical School. He had received his PHD at Austin, Texas in a 5 year stint back in the 90’s, and he spoke great English with a bit of a Texas twang. He came to my hotel at 6 and we went off to do the Sunday night market. The rain had stopped and we snacked on a couple street foods and walked along, and he showed me a couple of temples, including a wonderful all teak one. I had also mentioned that I had already found another hotel for my three day weekend return – De Naga – which was just a couple blocks away. On Agoda they were offering a three night stay for $53 a night (reduced price plus a third night free with two nights’ booking). So we went to look at it. Thegrounds and lobby were lovely but my friend, Oui, insisted we look at a room, which we did. Even more lovely and elegant in traditional style. The girl also should us the one premier suite which was almost like a little house in the center of the small complex (I think there were about 55 rooms total). I checked on rates – but it was more than double the Agoda special, so I went back and later booked it on Agoda.
In any case, after about an hour at Sunday market, it started raining. When I say rain, I don’t mean a shower – I mean a downpour that just started out of nowhere. People scattered and ran for shelter and of course all the sellers were scrambling to save their goods. We happened to be right outside a foot massage place that Oui knows, so we popped in – great idea. We got places, but within minutes there was a long line outside. Everybody thought it was a good thing to do in the rain. I had a male for the first time, who was really strong and brutal on my feet. Wow. What pain for the first 20 minutes, but it soon became tolerable and eventually even pleasurable. An hour later it was still pouring rain, so we ran across the street to a place called The Garden – a bar and restaurant with entertainment, basically outdoors but all covered. It was busy, and the music was simply great. A real international group – a Black guy about 50 from Chicago with 2 foot dreds as the lead and playing sax or flute for most numbers, an Indian guy on guitar, a Thai young woman on drums who was really super, a Japanese guitarist who looked like he was stoned the whole night, and a young Thai guy who played various traditional Thai instruments. Over all the sound was sort of traditional American jazz – but all had this vague Thai sound added with the extra instruments. It was a great group. After them came a group of two men about 60 from Australia and a much younger one whom I think was the son of one of the others, playing “fossil” rock – lots of Stones, Dire Straits, Led Zeplin – you name it. Pretty good actually. Anyway, we stayed and drank and ate (Thai food was pretty good) for about 3 hours, and eventually Oui said he had to get going – he had classes to teach the next morning. We ran in the rain and through flooded streets to his car he had parked nearby at a temple (he has a special permit and seems to be able to park anywhere he wants) and he dropped me off at the hotel. It was a fun night despite the rain.
Monday morning I was to take the bus to Chiang Rai. The girl at the hotel said no point in getting the ticket early, it’s slow and I can get the air conditioned bus (which I took to mean the first class one) at any hour. I ended up getting to the bus station by Tuk-tuk at 9:15 to be told the next “first class or VIP” bus wasn’t until 1 PM, but there was an air-conditioned bus leaving at 9:30 so I bought one of the last three tickets, next to last row. The bus was air conditioned but pretty dismal – and my seat was on top of a wheel well with no place for my feet, but luckily they never sold the seat next to me, so I could sit sideways. It was a long 3 plus hours and a bumpy one as well, mostly in the rain.
I got a tuk-tuk in Chiang Rai to my hotel, the Starbright, right by the night market. Never believe pictures on a website. The place was fine, but again realllly cheaply built, although new and sort of unfinished. Like there was an open shaft for an elevator, but no elevator. It was dark, but of course probably due in large part to the almost night like atmosphere outside in the rain. But it was clean, the bed was decent, and it would do (again for 900 baht a night (less than $30) what did I expect. Oh, and the breakfast wasn’t a buffet, it was all cooked to order – but the most tasteless ham, bacon, or sausage I’ve ever seen – I tried one on each of my three days. How can bacon have no taste at all?
I didn’t do much, but walked around town a bit, and then went to the night market, where I immediately ran into the German couple who had been staying at the same hotel in Luang Prabang and had just arrive in CR by boat from LP. I joined them for a while – they were having a beer and listening to the music in the covered pavilion. I looked at the food stalls, but ended up going across the street to Ayr’s (?) a rather nice place where I had a Thai dish – can’t remember what and listened to the live music. There were about three of us in the entire restaurant. Things were really quiet in CR – partially due to the rain.
I had checked the weather on internet and it suggested that Tuesday was to be 90% rain, but Wednesday would be about 20 to 30%, so I opted to save my hired driver and car to the Golden Triangle for Wednesday. But when I got up on Tuesday and looked again, they had totally reversed the forecast and it looked pretty clear out. So I went next door to a little car rental and tour office and asked about a car and driver. Within minutes a driver appeared – a bit of a character dressed ala Rambo, with camouflage long shorts, hiking boots, black long sleeve t shirt under tank top, and even gloves on his hands with the fingers removed. He had a fu Manchu mustache and numerous tattoos. He’d drive me for the day including the car for 1300 baht plus gas (which ended up being 600). He spoke really good English, so off we went. We did the villa and gardens fo the King’s mother at Doi Tung – it was a lovely house built in the 80’s by her when she was in her 80’s, and the gardens were truly lovely – with a tiny bit of drizzle a couple times while I walked with umbrella. But otherwise the only rain we had all day was some while driving. It seemed to clear up whenever we stopped. We went to the border with Burma and he drove me up a little hill for a splendid view over the town, but I opted not to walk across the bridge to Burma – there seemed to be no point. I wandered the tacky little stalls and stores for awhile then we were off to the Golden Triangle. Ooops. The road he usually takes got muddier and muddier and finally he stopped and asked to find out it was now impassable due to the rains. So we had to make a rather long circular detour. At the Golden Triangle I had a great lunch at a little place he suggested, but he refused to eat with me despite my offer to treat, saying he wasn’t hungry. I did the Opium Museum, we visited the other usual near by towns and temples, and finally returned to CR about 5 PM. It was a great day after all.
I went for a foot massage, a totally different one, as this woman used a small wooden “stick” and did all the pressure points in my feet, including pressing hard inside between the toes and at the tips of my toes almost under the nail. Again, it was excrutiating, but by the end was actually pleasurable. She also did herbal wraps on my feet and legs while she worked on the other one, and used lots of aromatic oils on my feet. It was a great hour and a half for about $7! Then I walked over to the night market – oh did I mention it had now been raining solid since just after my return at 5? I ate tempura from a stall at the market – there were lots of them. This Japanese style tempura surprised me but it seemed to be the main thing there. I had a platter of 6 huge shrimp, and lots of various vegetables for 50 Baht – that’s well under $2 – amazing! An early night to bed.
Wednesday I awoke to rain – heavy rain. After breakfast I sat in the rain trying to decide what to do. Finally I grabbed my umbrella and headed out to see the various temples is town. I got drenched. Streets were flooding with the downpour and I kept stepping off curbs into deep puddles, and then a car would go by and splash me with a wall of water. I didn't find much of great interest, but wandered the huge local indoor market for a while as at least it was dry. I walked by one of those “open garage door” places with a few formica tables and a woman cooking soup up front. I saw a man in a suit eating a big bowl of noodle soup that looked good so tried to tell the woman I wanted that, but she wasn't getting it. Finally the man asked if I needed help, I asked what he was having and he told me (in Thai) but said it had pork, and then he told the woman that's what I wanted. She motioned me to sit down and she went into action making my soup. A few minutes later she brought it to my table – this was a one-woman operation. This was perhaps the BEST meal I've had to date. It had coconut milk in the broth, was fairly spicey with chilis and cooled with lemon, and had huge chunks of boneless chicken in it, plus mushrooms, green vegetables, and perfectly cooked yellow noodles. It was topped with crispy fried chow mein noodles. Two people have told me since what this is called and they refer to it as “what used to be a very popular dish” but I have no idea why it still wouldn't be. Anyway, when I was done I opened my wallet having no idea how much this was, and as I pulled out a 50 Baht, she quickly grabbed it and handed me back 25. This mean was 25 Baht -- well under $2. I loved this place. While much street food had been “good”, I woudn't call much of it amazing, but this truly was.
Anyway, I spent all afternoon in my room listening the rain (it was really dark out), catching up on emails, and watching CNN, and feeling sorry for myself – I guess it was just the being alone that was getting to me. I also took a nice long nap and felt better.
In the evening I walked over to the night market as usual – it was only a light drizzle now, ate at Ayr's again – this time having a good T-Bone steak cooked on the grill out front with baked potato and corn on the cob and I had them make me a dry robroy which actually came out pretty good. It was an American break which I really enjoyed.
Then I walked over to the Coffee Hub – right on the corner by the gaudy clock tower.
At 9 PM (and every hour, I guess) it does a light show with music and it becomes even gaudier. It was fun and I drank a really good tall mojito. Then to bed.
Thursday was actually clear – well, of course – I was leaving. I took a tuk-tuk, then the very nice VIP bus to Chiang Mai. Rain off and on along the way.
In Chiang Rai, I actually bargained with the tuk-tuk driver who wanted 100 baht to take me to the hotel. I walked away and he followed me after I said I'd just pay him 80. He finally agreed. Then I felt guilty because we got stuck in lots of traffic, so I ended up giving him a full 100 anyway. I guess I just feel silly holding back 60 cents as if it meant something to me, when it probably does mean something to him.
The DeNaga Hotel was lovely, and despite the fantastic deal on Agoda, they upgraded me to a larger and nicer room. I headed out and went looking for a number of restaurants reommended in the Fodors guide. Well, all that I looked for were either closed or gone. I spotted a lovely little garden (did I mention it actually wasn't raining at the time?) and they had a blackboard special which said in English “wide homemade noodles with mushrooms and smoked pork”. MMM, sounded good, but it wasn't till after I sat down that I realized it was basically an Italian restaurant and the menu showed it as Pappardelle with porcini and speck. Anyway it really was delicious.
I spent most of the afternoon revisiting a couple of the temples we had walked by on Sunday night, and picking up brochures along the way. My new friend, Oui, on Sunday and given me the name of a friend of his who does guiding and driving as a “sideline”, speaks great English, and we had been emailing during the week. This guy, Wiwat, had suggested some mild hikes in the National park to waterfalls, and also talked about a bamboo raft ride on one of the smaller rivers. Well, when I talked to him by phone that evening he informed me that most of that was off. The paths in the mountains were all mud, there were even some mudslides and it was all too dangerous to attempt. The rivers? Forget it, they were all at flood stage. So he said he'd meet me at my hotel at 9 with a new plan. That evening (Thursday) I simply went to the night market then ate some decent Pad Thai at a street place. I stopped at John's Place, a popular ex-pat type bar right by my hotel for a few drinks.
Wiwat appeared at 9. He was great. We went to the king's summer palace and gardens and to the golden pagoda overlooking the city, and a couple other things filling up the full morning. Then he said he'd take me to a “special place” for lunch but he had to call to make sure they were open. They were. It was in a beautiful valley behind the mountain with the Golden Pagoda on it. It was a private home with a small restaurant with spectacular views on the roof. The wife teaches cooking school in town and they run this little place sort of when they feel like it. We had a unique green papaya salad in that the papaya had been cut into shoestrings and deep fried into sort of patties, and then you ate the rest of the salad on top of it. We had a seafood dish including squid, shrimp, and crab, an omelette with minced pork, and special mushrooms sauteed with sugar snap peas. Great meal. Afterwards we simply did a long drive to the west and through a couple of valleys. We did stop in one small village and visited the market there, and also stopped at a flower farm where he knew the people. In the winter they grow strawberries and the summer they grow flowers. Meanwhile I found out that Wiwat who was about 50 retired two years ago after being the front desk manager of the Four Seasons Resort for about 7 or 9 years. So we stopped there and he gave me a tour of the place and entertained me with stories about demanding rich travelers who did things like call in the middle of the night to say “I'm not paying all this money to listen to all this noise. What are you going to do about it” referring to the sound of the cicadas in the trees.
He dropped me back at the hotel where I had a brief swim, and then took a tuk-tuk to the riverside restaurants. He gave me the names of several of his favorites, but most were very crowded and very loud with music, but I popped into Brasserie was delightfully quiet – although they started some nice light live jazz a little after I got there. It's a funky garden like place right on the river. Apparently normally there are a bunch of steps that go right down to the river, but now the floor was just two steps above the river, pretty much in flood stage. When I left I noticed there was now only one step, so the river had risen about 6 inches or so just while I was there. Kind of eerie to be sitting there with this river rapidly moving past. I felt like I was on a boat. I mistakenly ordered a whole steamed fish with lemon and chilis because I saw one at another table and it didn't look very large. Mine came out HUGE, but delicious. And I also had some more spicey papaya and shrimp salad – more traditional this time as opposed to the lunch version. It was a nice night and I returned by Tuk-tuk.
The next day Wiwat was busy, but he contacted a friend of his – a regular taxi driver and negotiated with her to take me to the Maesa Elephant Camp and wait for me and then take me to the Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens. The elephant thing was of course kind of touristy/hoaky, especially the show, but the elephants painting pictures like recognizable vases of flowers was pretty amazing. Then I had a one hour ride through the mud on an elephant. My guide didn't speak English but he did tell me that my elephant which wasn't very big was a “baby” and that the much bigger elephant right in front was his “mama”. But unless female elephants have tusks and large penises, I'm sure he was wrong about that!
The Botanic Gardens are very nice, particularly the green houses each organized with a type of plant, but when I came out of those it started pouring rain so I headed to the waiting taxi and just headed back into town, arriving back about 2 in the afternoon.
My friend Oui had planned to spend the afternoon and evening with me, I called him and he picked me up about a half hour later. He normally gets a massage on Saturday afternoons, so I joined him. We went to massage school (all I know is it was next to a big driving range). It was very busy (due to the rain, I suppose) and we'd have to wait nearly an hour, but if we did 2 hour massages (we were going to do 1 and a half hour ones) we could also use the herbal steam room free – so we did. Of course we had to rent “shorts” to wear in the steam room – Thais are remarkably shy – I was even surprised when in the locker room, men wrap the towel around them to remove their pants from underneath. And no one would ever go naked into a steam room, Oui told me. The steam room was very hot, and I could only take a few minutes at a time, but each time I re-entered it had a different herbal smell.
Then I had the two hour full body oil massage. It was wonderful! I was like jelly at the end thanks to both the steam room and the massage. Then we drove out near the zoo for dinner overlooking the city at the outdoor Palaad Tawanron. We ordered too much food (so I was glad that even Thais do that). We had fried seafood and veggies, a huge pot of coconut/lemon/chicken soup, spicy papaya salad, fried rice, and nice cocktails.
Sunday the hotel booked me a taxi to the airport (200 Baht) which ended up being the concierge driving me in the hotel car. The flight to Bangkok was right on time, and I took the city line rail link into the city to connect with the subway to SamYan then walk to the Tawana Hotel, booked by OAT tour – the Vietnam tour I was joining. I took a walk into Patapong and had a souvlaki platter at a small Greek place run by Australians.
Didn't do much all afternoon, except some walking. Then in the evening had a couple drinks, then went to Mango Tree for dinner – spicey chicken in coconut soup and fried noodle with shrimp. I sat outside in the lovely garden with nice live Thai music.
So that completes my Thailand stay and I will start a new thread for my “Inside Vietnam Adventure” with OAT.
Patrick...
Thanks for writing about your stay in Thailand. I've gotten some great tips here for my trip. Looking forward to reading about your time in Vietnam as I will be there too, in the spring!
Wonderful, i really enjoyed reading that. I have done some of the things you mentioned (the elephant show is a bit cheesy isn't it?)
Am very much looking forward to your Vietnam adventure.
Thanks for a great report, Patrick. I was fun to go along with you to CM and CR, it was easy to imagine the rain from here in Seattle.
You really did a great job of planning this trip, and good for you that you utilized your internet friends to get a more local experience in each place!
Gee, I really liked the elephant show. Maybe because they could paint and play soccer better than I. Great report Patrick. I am looking forward to the report of your OAT trip to Vietnam.
Thank you for the details. I'm really enjoying this report.
I think on your OAT tour you will not be lonely, my experience is that your fellow travelers will be very friendly and interesting. Can't wait to hear all about it.
Patrick-Any thoughts on your OAT trip so far would be appreciated. I need to make a decision soon. Just a recommend/do not recommend indication would be great until you do your detailed trip report.
great report...looking forward to your vn adventure and to getting some restaurant names from you for my november visit.
loving your report -- so many great ideas and tips. Looking forward to VN.
Patrick,
Did you book your flights using the Bangkok Discovery Pass before you left the US? Thanks for clarifying how it works.
Yes, I booked them all online. I sent an email to them asking a couple questions and they sent me back a proposal with all my flights listed and I booked it with them online.
Thanks Patrick. How do you specify a river viewcroom at center Point Silom?
ask for it
Yea, I think rhkkmk has it right. I didn't though as I believe they were considerably more expensive.
neo---where next??
On July 31 I'll be flying to St. Petersburg, Russia for three weeks there, Moscow, and Kiev. Then to Barcelona where I'll be joined by a friend and also doing Amsterdam, Brugge, and Paris together. Then I'll go to London for a week. Another One World Pass for me. But I'll be spending the month of May in an NYC apartment and spending June and July in Lambertville, NJ. Ah, escaping Florida for the summer this year.
I cant wait to hear your report on St. Petersburg. My DH has decided that we will go there in Spring 2012 so starting my research now.
What a nice life you have!
i have a fantastic guide in st pete if you want to contact him....good english and comfortable autos.... much more reasonable than any of the others we found on the internet....
let me know at rhkonthailand@msn.com and i will send you his contact info...
bob
you can also read my trip report of the baltic area by clicking on my name...
a visit to tallinn is well worth it as a side trip...
Patrick:
I envy your summer travel plans. I've been to Lambertville, don't know if there's enough there to keep one interested for 2 months.
Shanghainese, without getting too personal here, trust me -- there IS! Lambertville was not chosen at random.
Enjoy!