Kristina's Thailand Trip Report-Nine Days of Fun and Food; Sun and Scuba, Cooking Class and Culinary (Mis)adventures
Apr 22nd, 2006, 08:55 PM
#44
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kristina,
The Andaman White Beach Resort looks close to the airport. Weree you bothered by airplane noise? Also,was the hotel really so far off the beaten path that you had trouble going off property for dinner?
The Andaman White Beach Resort looks close to the airport. Weree you bothered by airplane noise? Also,was the hotel really so far off the beaten path that you had trouble going off property for dinner?
Apr 23rd, 2006, 08:10 AM
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
afields-
No, we weren't bothered by airplane noise at all. In fact, I don't think I ever saw any flying overhead.
Yes, it is very isolated. There are no cheap taxis waiting, only expensive ones (I've heard it referred to as the "taxi mafia" there).
We only ate at the property, unless we were out for the day. There are no little markets or restaurants close by. The closest thing is Nai Thon Beach, which doesn't look that far on a map, but in reality is separated from the Andaman by a rather large hill and a winding road. Add to that high temps and high humidity and it just wasn't worth it to walk there. I certainly wouldn't walk it in the dark as there is no shoulder and it could be dangerous to walk on the road.
All that said, the food at the resort was excellent, albeit expensive for Thailand standards, not expenive for US resort standards. We spent about $25 on dinner for two, usually having two or three dishes, plus bottled water and beer. They have a decent wine list but it's very expensive and when it's that hot, I never want wine. Their Thai menu is varied, but after the 4th day, I was ready for something else and glad to be leaving. The Italian food there is good too, as the General Manager is from Italy.
I'll have a lot more to say about the hotel in the next couple of days as I continue with my report.
No, we weren't bothered by airplane noise at all. In fact, I don't think I ever saw any flying overhead.
Yes, it is very isolated. There are no cheap taxis waiting, only expensive ones (I've heard it referred to as the "taxi mafia" there).
We only ate at the property, unless we were out for the day. There are no little markets or restaurants close by. The closest thing is Nai Thon Beach, which doesn't look that far on a map, but in reality is separated from the Andaman by a rather large hill and a winding road. Add to that high temps and high humidity and it just wasn't worth it to walk there. I certainly wouldn't walk it in the dark as there is no shoulder and it could be dangerous to walk on the road.
All that said, the food at the resort was excellent, albeit expensive for Thailand standards, not expenive for US resort standards. We spent about $25 on dinner for two, usually having two or three dishes, plus bottled water and beer. They have a decent wine list but it's very expensive and when it's that hot, I never want wine. Their Thai menu is varied, but after the 4th day, I was ready for something else and glad to be leaving. The Italian food there is good too, as the General Manager is from Italy.
I'll have a lot more to say about the hotel in the next couple of days as I continue with my report.
Apr 23rd, 2006, 05:39 PM
#47
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think many vendors that you deal with don't think that you're stupid, but simply cheap. That's the feeling I get when I hear some of you squabbling over 5 or 10 baht. Let it go and enjoy yourselves there instead of conciously looking for things to complain about, or waiting for them to happen. No insult intended!
Apr 24th, 2006, 07:49 AM
#50
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kristina.
I guess my response was really more toward others that I hear constantly complaining/rejoicing about 5 or 10 baht difference in paying. Sorry for misunderstanding. Glad you had a nice trip!
Kurt
I guess my response was really more toward others that I hear constantly complaining/rejoicing about 5 or 10 baht difference in paying. Sorry for misunderstanding. Glad you had a nice trip!
Kurt
Apr 24th, 2006, 08:08 AM
#51
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Therein lies the difficulty. How does a Farang distinguish between appropriate bargaining and riduculous penny-pinching. I try to keep everything as light as possible. To do so, I make sure I NEVER get emotionally caught up in the process. Plus it gives me great opportunity to observe other Farangs caught up in minute haggling. It's great to see people wearing $150 shoes chiselling for 50 Baht.
Apr 24th, 2006, 12:11 PM
#52
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
G- I hear you! I've heard of tourists actually haggling on sub-5 baht amounts.
When I'm in Thailand I try to be generous--I'm not rich mind you. Imagine working 7 days a week in the staggering heat, humidity, and pollution only to bring home a few bucks a day. But when it comes to someone blatantly trying to rip a person off, I change my view then. Usually my Thai wife takes care of them
Kurt
When I'm in Thailand I try to be generous--I'm not rich mind you. Imagine working 7 days a week in the staggering heat, humidity, and pollution only to bring home a few bucks a day. But when it comes to someone blatantly trying to rip a person off, I change my view then. Usually my Thai wife takes care of them
Kurt
Apr 24th, 2006, 12:44 PM
#53
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
funny you guys mention this, I was just thinking the other day that it's so easy to get caught up in the bargaining process you forget 20B is not $20! There is some souvenirs I didn't buy because of that! How silly!
Apr 24th, 2006, 05:11 PM
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Since we'd missed dinner the night before, David wants a "real" breakfast at the Westin. He gets the buffet for 650 baht and it's not worth the money. The pastries are particularly sad, cold and hard. I order a plate of bacon and eggs which I send back because the eggs are not cooked enough. They are returned without my hash browns. 1100 baht total for breakfast, tax and service included.
The hotel gets us a metered taxi to the airport and we arrive with no problems to the Domestic terminal. The line for Air Asia is long and we must check our roll aboard bags as their weight restrictions are notoriously stingy. We watch as other travelers try to redistribute weight in their gigantic, over sized luggage. Really, how much stuff do you need to bring for a 2 week vacation?
Our boarding passes are printed on heat sensitive receipt paper instead of card stock. I think, "this would be easy to lose". We are bussed out to the plane and because the driver refuses to open the back door to the bus (where we'd boarded) we are the last people on the plane. There is no organized seating, but we manage to find aisle seats one behind the other. The flight is fine, quick and little more than an airborne bus.
We can't find the driver for the Andaman White Beach Resort on arrival. He appears with no comment, just a sign with my name on it after about 10 minutes. The resort is 15 minutes South of the airport, 10 of which are off the main road. The hotel is farther from the village of Nai Thon than I expect. We are welcomed with cold towels and fruit juice and then the girl behind the front desk brings us to our room, a beach front bungalow just off the pool, number 103.
I'm not happy with the location. Some people like to be close to the pool, but I don't like people trooping by looking in our room. I ask if there is anything else available; there is not, all beachfront rooms are full we are told. The room is smaller than expected, but nicely appointed.
But there are little things wrong and over the course of a couple of days they begin the mount up, tarnishing how I feel. There is an outside shower- a lovely concept, but the shower head is so clogged, only about 40% of the nozzle heads work. There's a tiled indoor tub/shower, but it has a window on the front of the room where we must keep the blinds closed or risk really shocking the neighbors. In it, there's a handheld shower which is mounted on the wall, but cannot be used as such because it won't stay in the proper direction. The TV remote does not work, yet all it needs are batteries. The bed is very hard. The air conditioning is really loud and while the rooms face the beach, they also face the public walkways of the resort, so at night become a fishbowl. We have to lower our shades for any privacy. The worst is yet to come...
There are plenty of positives however; many nice amenities in the bathroom, a woven beach bag for our use, and a drying rack for towels and bathing suits outside. We have a big patio with table and chairs, couch, and two padded chaise lounges. The view is stellar, although somewhat obstructed by lush foliage. There's an electric kettle for coffee and tea. and a Sony CD player. Limited TV choices, but as long as I can have CNN I'm happy. Outdoor water fountain which I must adjust lest all the water run out onto the ground. Lots of lighting which is good for reading at night. There are orchids everywhere. Every room has a terracotta basin of water with coconut dipper to wash off your feet at the entrance.
And then there's the beach. It's truely beautiful and belongs 100% to the hotel, bordered at each end with giant rocks, forming a little cove just for us. There are wonderful padded lounge chairs in pairs with towels waiting and big umbrellas strung along the sand like pearls. In the morning, the beach is crowded only with thousands of tiny crabs scuttling about, dropping suddenly into their burrows in the sand. The sea is gently warm like a big bathtub.
The hotel gets us a metered taxi to the airport and we arrive with no problems to the Domestic terminal. The line for Air Asia is long and we must check our roll aboard bags as their weight restrictions are notoriously stingy. We watch as other travelers try to redistribute weight in their gigantic, over sized luggage. Really, how much stuff do you need to bring for a 2 week vacation?
Our boarding passes are printed on heat sensitive receipt paper instead of card stock. I think, "this would be easy to lose". We are bussed out to the plane and because the driver refuses to open the back door to the bus (where we'd boarded) we are the last people on the plane. There is no organized seating, but we manage to find aisle seats one behind the other. The flight is fine, quick and little more than an airborne bus.
We can't find the driver for the Andaman White Beach Resort on arrival. He appears with no comment, just a sign with my name on it after about 10 minutes. The resort is 15 minutes South of the airport, 10 of which are off the main road. The hotel is farther from the village of Nai Thon than I expect. We are welcomed with cold towels and fruit juice and then the girl behind the front desk brings us to our room, a beach front bungalow just off the pool, number 103.
I'm not happy with the location. Some people like to be close to the pool, but I don't like people trooping by looking in our room. I ask if there is anything else available; there is not, all beachfront rooms are full we are told. The room is smaller than expected, but nicely appointed.
But there are little things wrong and over the course of a couple of days they begin the mount up, tarnishing how I feel. There is an outside shower- a lovely concept, but the shower head is so clogged, only about 40% of the nozzle heads work. There's a tiled indoor tub/shower, but it has a window on the front of the room where we must keep the blinds closed or risk really shocking the neighbors. In it, there's a handheld shower which is mounted on the wall, but cannot be used as such because it won't stay in the proper direction. The TV remote does not work, yet all it needs are batteries. The bed is very hard. The air conditioning is really loud and while the rooms face the beach, they also face the public walkways of the resort, so at night become a fishbowl. We have to lower our shades for any privacy. The worst is yet to come...
There are plenty of positives however; many nice amenities in the bathroom, a woven beach bag for our use, and a drying rack for towels and bathing suits outside. We have a big patio with table and chairs, couch, and two padded chaise lounges. The view is stellar, although somewhat obstructed by lush foliage. There's an electric kettle for coffee and tea. and a Sony CD player. Limited TV choices, but as long as I can have CNN I'm happy. Outdoor water fountain which I must adjust lest all the water run out onto the ground. Lots of lighting which is good for reading at night. There are orchids everywhere. Every room has a terracotta basin of water with coconut dipper to wash off your feet at the entrance.
And then there's the beach. It's truely beautiful and belongs 100% to the hotel, bordered at each end with giant rocks, forming a little cove just for us. There are wonderful padded lounge chairs in pairs with towels waiting and big umbrellas strung along the sand like pearls. In the morning, the beach is crowded only with thousands of tiny crabs scuttling about, dropping suddenly into their burrows in the sand. The sea is gently warm like a big bathtub.
Apr 24th, 2006, 05:29 PM
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For some reasons, my corrections and changes are not sticking after previewing my replies. Sorry about any typos...
It's lunchtime and we're hungry. We go to check out the restaurants. The two up top are only open for dinner; Thai in an open air pavilion, and Italian in a glass enclosed air conditioned room. Poolside there is a casual restaurant on a multilevel deck, and on the beach, a bar serving pizzas (only during the day).
We check out the dive center on the beach and speak at length to Caroline, it's manager. She's an enthusiastic German woman with an infectiously happy way about her. She tells us she's canceled the afternoon dive because conditions are too rough and and she won't dive in anything under 30 degrees with the thermoclines out there. She outlines our options for day trips and we tell her we'll come back later with our decision.
We settle on the poolside restaurant and I order a club sandwich and David, the spicy beef salad. I go up to reception to ask them to help me call to confirm our John Gray sea canoe trip for the next day and the cooking class for Wednesday. When I return to our table the food has still not arrived. It finally appears and my sandwich is tasty, though I think I've been given precisely 10 short french fries in a little cup. David's spicy beef salad is really good. Our waiter is the same kid who picked us up from the airport.
Down on the beach two enterprising Thai women have set up a massage platform with mats on it. For 300 baht each we get a massage under a palm tree with only the sound of the surf pounding to our right and the fountain into the pool to our left. The hotel also has a "Spa" and massages there are 1000 baht and up.
After a rest, we go up for dinner in Thai restaurant. We order pomelo salad with crab, duck with red curry and pineapple, and pad thai with large head-on prawns. Everything is fantastic and I'm really impressed with the food. I can't stop eating the duck curry. All of that with a big bottle of water was 1100 baht including tax and service. A much better deal (and better food I think) than the 850++ each (2000 baht for two inclusive) we could have had at their poolside dinner buffet. The Italian restaurant sits empty.
On odd thing happens however. When we arrive, we are asked if we have a reservation and since we don't, we are seated in an empty room/patio away from the other diners. We are told that the other room is for reservations only. Why, is it special? There are 5 empty tables, 4 of them tables for two which never get sat our entire time there. We discover the next day when asking for a dinner reservation that guests get to pick their actual table when making reservations, and thus it belongs to them until they arrive.
It's lunchtime and we're hungry. We go to check out the restaurants. The two up top are only open for dinner; Thai in an open air pavilion, and Italian in a glass enclosed air conditioned room. Poolside there is a casual restaurant on a multilevel deck, and on the beach, a bar serving pizzas (only during the day).
We check out the dive center on the beach and speak at length to Caroline, it's manager. She's an enthusiastic German woman with an infectiously happy way about her. She tells us she's canceled the afternoon dive because conditions are too rough and and she won't dive in anything under 30 degrees with the thermoclines out there. She outlines our options for day trips and we tell her we'll come back later with our decision.
We settle on the poolside restaurant and I order a club sandwich and David, the spicy beef salad. I go up to reception to ask them to help me call to confirm our John Gray sea canoe trip for the next day and the cooking class for Wednesday. When I return to our table the food has still not arrived. It finally appears and my sandwich is tasty, though I think I've been given precisely 10 short french fries in a little cup. David's spicy beef salad is really good. Our waiter is the same kid who picked us up from the airport.
Down on the beach two enterprising Thai women have set up a massage platform with mats on it. For 300 baht each we get a massage under a palm tree with only the sound of the surf pounding to our right and the fountain into the pool to our left. The hotel also has a "Spa" and massages there are 1000 baht and up.
After a rest, we go up for dinner in Thai restaurant. We order pomelo salad with crab, duck with red curry and pineapple, and pad thai with large head-on prawns. Everything is fantastic and I'm really impressed with the food. I can't stop eating the duck curry. All of that with a big bottle of water was 1100 baht including tax and service. A much better deal (and better food I think) than the 850++ each (2000 baht for two inclusive) we could have had at their poolside dinner buffet. The Italian restaurant sits empty.
On odd thing happens however. When we arrive, we are asked if we have a reservation and since we don't, we are seated in an empty room/patio away from the other diners. We are told that the other room is for reservations only. Why, is it special? There are 5 empty tables, 4 of them tables for two which never get sat our entire time there. We discover the next day when asking for a dinner reservation that guests get to pick their actual table when making reservations, and thus it belongs to them until they arrive.
Apr 24th, 2006, 08:15 PM
#56
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kim-
No insult intended but it seems that you are conciously looking for problems on your vacations. I realize you like to have a handle on things, but it seems that you are much too preoccupied with the outcome of minor events. Again, I am not criticizing you but would like to see you enjoy yourself more on your vacations. Mai pen rai!
I would just be happy to be in a beautiful and cool country such as Thailand. Hope you know I wasn't trying to be critical. Take care,
Kurt
No insult intended but it seems that you are conciously looking for problems on your vacations. I realize you like to have a handle on things, but it seems that you are much too preoccupied with the outcome of minor events. Again, I am not criticizing you but would like to see you enjoy yourself more on your vacations. Mai pen rai!
I would just be happy to be in a beautiful and cool country such as Thailand. Hope you know I wasn't trying to be critical. Take care,
Kurt
Apr 24th, 2006, 08:31 PM
#57
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kurt-
Actually, my name is Kristina, not Kim.
I had a great vacation and I enjoyed myself very much, thank you.
I realized when I wrote this that some might think I was being overly critical about the Andaman resort, but my purpose was rather to give as much info about it for those thinking of going there.
There's not been a lot written about it online and since I've been back there have been two very negative reviews on Tripadvisor.
I really wasn't disappointed with my stay there. However, had I been paying full price, $250 per night, I would have been. There is only so much one can let go at those rates.
I don't think I'm consciously looking for problems. I work in a service industry however, so I think I might be more attune to those issues than other people. I have high standards.
Anyway, thanks for your opinions. If my writing style or observations bother you, I suggest you don't read further, because there will be more, both good and bad.
Actually, my name is Kristina, not Kim.
I had a great vacation and I enjoyed myself very much, thank you.
I realized when I wrote this that some might think I was being overly critical about the Andaman resort, but my purpose was rather to give as much info about it for those thinking of going there.
There's not been a lot written about it online and since I've been back there have been two very negative reviews on Tripadvisor.
I really wasn't disappointed with my stay there. However, had I been paying full price, $250 per night, I would have been. There is only so much one can let go at those rates.
I don't think I'm consciously looking for problems. I work in a service industry however, so I think I might be more attune to those issues than other people. I have high standards.
Anyway, thanks for your opinions. If my writing style or observations bother you, I suggest you don't read further, because there will be more, both good and bad.
Apr 24th, 2006, 08:38 PM
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Awake again at 5 am. Breakfast starts at 7am so I make coffee in the room, write some and go out onto the beach as the sun comes up.
It's beautiful and quiet except for my own giggling at the crabs when they scurry helter-skelter as I walk by.
Breakfast is served in the pool side restaurant and the food is buffet, but cooked to order. Everything is really good, especially the excellent pastries still warm from the oven. There's a large variety of fruits, yogurts, meats, and the pancakes are fluffy bits o' heaven.
"Snap. Crackle. Pop."
No, it's not breakfast cereal. No it's not my knees. It's a very subtle noise I'm hearing as I sit on the little couch next to the bed to read. It's raining out and we have until noon which we will be picked up for the John Gray Sea Canoe adventure. I hear the noise again. Crackle. Crackle.
No, not crackle, it's more like a crunch....crunch...oh my God, I realize what it is.
Our bed has termites!
Well, not exactly our bed, but the built in headboard/shelf behind it. I can see evidence of the terminte damage and poor repair along the base of the unit. I sigh. How am I going to explain this to the front desk without sounding crazy (<i>there are little bugs in my bed, eating the wood. But you can't see them, you can only hear them.</i> Yeah, right).
I go up to reception and ask if there are other rooms available for us to move into today. I'm told all rooms of our type are full. I take a deep breath and sit down and say, "we have a problem with our room."
I try to explain what it is and the lovely girl behind the desk, furrows her brow and indeed looks at me as if I'm crazy. She then tells me she will send someone down to look into it. They do not come before we leave at noon. When we come back at 9PM the crunching is still there. It's too late to deal with this so we just decide to wait until morning.
It's beautiful and quiet except for my own giggling at the crabs when they scurry helter-skelter as I walk by.
Breakfast is served in the pool side restaurant and the food is buffet, but cooked to order. Everything is really good, especially the excellent pastries still warm from the oven. There's a large variety of fruits, yogurts, meats, and the pancakes are fluffy bits o' heaven.
"Snap. Crackle. Pop."
No, it's not breakfast cereal. No it's not my knees. It's a very subtle noise I'm hearing as I sit on the little couch next to the bed to read. It's raining out and we have until noon which we will be picked up for the John Gray Sea Canoe adventure. I hear the noise again. Crackle. Crackle.
No, not crackle, it's more like a crunch....crunch...oh my God, I realize what it is.
Our bed has termites!
Well, not exactly our bed, but the built in headboard/shelf behind it. I can see evidence of the terminte damage and poor repair along the base of the unit. I sigh. How am I going to explain this to the front desk without sounding crazy (<i>there are little bugs in my bed, eating the wood. But you can't see them, you can only hear them.</i> Yeah, right).
I go up to reception and ask if there are other rooms available for us to move into today. I'm told all rooms of our type are full. I take a deep breath and sit down and say, "we have a problem with our room."
I try to explain what it is and the lovely girl behind the desk, furrows her brow and indeed looks at me as if I'm crazy. She then tells me she will send someone down to look into it. They do not come before we leave at noon. When we come back at 9PM the crunching is still there. It's too late to deal with this so we just decide to wait until morning.
Apr 24th, 2006, 09:09 PM
#59
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
John Gray Sea Canoe.
This is a great trip. We're picked up promptly at noon in a new toyota camry and driven across the island to a rickety but picturesque pier where we wait for everyone else to arrive. There are about a dozen people on the boat with us, plus 6 paddlers.
Our guide/paddler "Mario" is a character who likes to crack jokes and speak to us in Italian (he learns we speak a couple different languages so he tries out all the words he knows on us). He does a fantastic job paddling us through some rough seas at times. We are always the last ones in the water and the last out which means we get some great opportunities to be the only ones inside the "hongs".
The trip starts with lunch on the boat and a short instruction on how to behave in the caves (low voices, no touching the walls, etc.) The limestone formations and caves are stunning and we go though one that's loaded with fruit bats (quite stinky in there!). We see very few other tourists during the trip except for a couple on a "private" trip which mirrors ours exactly, including sharing the kitchen of our boat. Although we do not get to paddle ourselves, we are given the opportunity to try it ot take a swim at one of the stops. David paddles himself around a cove while I go in the water.
We see all sorts of wildlife. Brown and white eagles follow the boat like seagulls as Mario throws raw chicken pieces to them. Blue crabs cling to rocks and pull jellyfish out of the water. Bright blue sea birds with long black bills. Mudskippers stranded by low tide. Big lizards. The only thing we do not see are monkeys, but we're told this is a very rare occurrence now.
At night, we make krathongs, floating offerings made out of palm leaves, flowers, candles and incense. We're told to "make a wish" and instead of blowing out the candles, we launch them inside a cave where we also see incredible bioluminescence. On the way back out of the cave we pick up our krathongs so as not to litter and my candles burn all the way back to the boat.
Before we dock, we're given photo cds filled with pictures from prior trips and I buy David a souvenir t-shirt. We give Mario a big tip and thank him profusely for a great time. The driver is at the dock waiting for us. An exhausting, but satisfying day.
My only recommendation is to make sure you bring a change of clothes for the trip. Much of the trip is spent getting in and out of the canoes, so you spend most of the time (about 6 of the 8 hours) sitting in a puddle. It was nice once the sun is down and we were done with the cave to change into dry clothes.
This is a great trip. We're picked up promptly at noon in a new toyota camry and driven across the island to a rickety but picturesque pier where we wait for everyone else to arrive. There are about a dozen people on the boat with us, plus 6 paddlers.
Our guide/paddler "Mario" is a character who likes to crack jokes and speak to us in Italian (he learns we speak a couple different languages so he tries out all the words he knows on us). He does a fantastic job paddling us through some rough seas at times. We are always the last ones in the water and the last out which means we get some great opportunities to be the only ones inside the "hongs".
The trip starts with lunch on the boat and a short instruction on how to behave in the caves (low voices, no touching the walls, etc.) The limestone formations and caves are stunning and we go though one that's loaded with fruit bats (quite stinky in there!). We see very few other tourists during the trip except for a couple on a "private" trip which mirrors ours exactly, including sharing the kitchen of our boat. Although we do not get to paddle ourselves, we are given the opportunity to try it ot take a swim at one of the stops. David paddles himself around a cove while I go in the water.
We see all sorts of wildlife. Brown and white eagles follow the boat like seagulls as Mario throws raw chicken pieces to them. Blue crabs cling to rocks and pull jellyfish out of the water. Bright blue sea birds with long black bills. Mudskippers stranded by low tide. Big lizards. The only thing we do not see are monkeys, but we're told this is a very rare occurrence now.
At night, we make krathongs, floating offerings made out of palm leaves, flowers, candles and incense. We're told to "make a wish" and instead of blowing out the candles, we launch them inside a cave where we also see incredible bioluminescence. On the way back out of the cave we pick up our krathongs so as not to litter and my candles burn all the way back to the boat.
Before we dock, we're given photo cds filled with pictures from prior trips and I buy David a souvenir t-shirt. We give Mario a big tip and thank him profusely for a great time. The driver is at the dock waiting for us. An exhausting, but satisfying day.
My only recommendation is to make sure you bring a change of clothes for the trip. Much of the trip is spent getting in and out of the canoes, so you spend most of the time (about 6 of the 8 hours) sitting in a puddle. It was nice once the sun is down and we were done with the cave to change into dry clothes.
Apr 25th, 2006, 12:08 AM
#60
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 834
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wonderful report Kristina. May I ask a question about John Grey canoes. What was the food like - I know its not super important as its about the hongs etc - but as I can't eat Gluten (wheat) I'd just like an idea of the food - in case I need to take something suitable for myself. We are going in August so hope the weather won't prevent a trip.
