clove1

fantastic trip report! i've really enjoyed reading your richly detailed account and cant wait for more..loved the pics of bangkok, especially the street scenes and the great b/w pics of the skytrain stations--they really capture the mood and remind me of all the reasons i need to plan another trip to BKK! thanks kristina

Kristina

Mary-
Let's see, lunch was very basic; wide noodles stir fried with greens, fried spring rolls, and some sliced fruit. Dinner was quite a big spread-hot and sour soup, a whole fried fish, tempura shrimp, vegetables, more fruit, etc. Not too sure about wheat gluten products, or whether things were made with rice flour. You can ask them. One of the teenage girls on the trip was a vegetarian and they made a visible effort for her.
As for the weather, they say they go out rain or shine. It was very overcast the day we went and we had some sprinkles, It kept the temperature down and was only disappointing in that there wasn't a lot of sun for better photos.

Clove-thanks for the nice comments! Glad you liked the photos-I've really been working hard on my photography over the last couple of years. I still have a lot to learn.

Gpanda

Kristina-Did they charge extra for the termites? in room wildlife.

When wrtiting a report on a great trip, I struggle with reporting the little imperfections.
Accuracy seems to demand their inclusion. However, I'm a conscious of the fact that I'm a spoiled Westerner. I try to report everything, but maintain a level of balance about the importance of the particular item. In so doing, I hope I can provide the most information and let the reader judge for herself (Bob, note the shift in neutral gender reference. It's a Cambridge thing.)

Kristina

Gpanda-
No, no extra charge But no discount either.

I struggle with the details too, but that's why I gave both the pros and the cons. Before I booked the trip, I was looking for those types of details to help me decide where to stay. There wasn't a lot out there on that specific resort and I would have appreciated as much info as possible.

Craig

Well this is a great report so far. Like the others, I appreciate the excruciating detail. Keep it coming.

Mango7

Hi Kristina,

Your posts don't bother me! I didn't want to see someone seemingly tormented during their nice vacation (sorry that I was wrong). Being in the service industry makes it understandable!

Kurt

bkk95

Kristina,
I love your trip reports! Your website is fantastic. Great detail to help in our own wanderings. I especially liked your Copan/Roatan adventures as we went there as well and got the same bewildered reactions when my wife and I told people we vacationed there!

Well, here's a tip about Thai immigration lines that I've learned through the years and I have not waited for more than 10 minutes max. When you land, your entire plane seems to go to the nearest immigration counters -- maybe the first 2 to 4 lines. However, I keep walking past these as there are so many other booths, sometimes towards the other end of the immigration area, and I've always found booths with very few or no travelers and go through within 5-10 minutes. I've landed at BKK at all times of the day and this works for me. Maybe I'm just lucky? -- I don't know.

Can't wait to hear more of your recent adventures!

Kristina

Craig-Glad to hear people don't mind the details. Sometimes I wonder if it's too much, but then I figure they'll skip through if it is.

Kurt-I work in the restaurant industry and my company has extremely high standards for service, so I think I'm a bit spoiled. I probably notice things that others don't.

Bkk95-Thanks for the nice comments about my website. It's my labor of love.
As for Thai immigration, we actually did what you just suggested, we went to the far end where the lines were indeed shorter. There were just a lot of people at that time. Plus, now everyone must approach individually and "smile for the camera". It was just one of those days where it moved slowly I guess.

rhkkmk

gpanda---i am still wondering about your gender issue/orientation??

kristina--i must admit that i too thought you over zelous on the criticsm....but i do think that it belongs in every report...especially when it comes to "bed bugs".....

thanks for the detail

MaryW

Thanks Kristina for the info about food. I'll get on to them ahead of time to be sure (can't always tell by looking!) and I don't want to be sick for the rest of the trip - or starve to be careful either.

I love the details and all the negative points as well as the good ones- it always helps me choose a place to know the full story.

Kristina

Sorry for nothing new. There is another day of photos posted however, primarily of the Andaman White Beach. Working on John Gray Sea Canoe photos. More to come...

Kristina

Ok, I'm back.
Photos for our day with the John Gray "Hong By Starlight" tour are now online.
http://www.wired2theworld.com

CFW

Kristina, I love your report and your writing style. I think it's great to give all of the details -- the pros & the cons. It's those details that help others in making their trip plans. But I must say that had I read your trip report we would not have gone to Andaman White Beach as we did this February, and we would have missed a great place. Like you we thought the beach and water were exquisite, and the Thai food was the best we had in Thailand. We chose Andaman White Beach because of the beach front villa & I we were luckier with our room than you. We were in room 111 which was near the end of the walkway, so we had much more privacy, and our outdoor shower worked perfectly, so no need to use the indoor shower. Yes there was a window facing front above the bath but we didn't think it was a big deal to keep the shade closed when we were using the bathroom, which by the way was very spacious. The room itself was not large or particularly luxurious, but was very comfortable and we thought just right for a beach resort. King bed was not a Westin "heavenly bed" but was the standard hardness/softness of all the beds we have stayed at in Thailand (Marriott Resort & Spa, Anantara etc). We never watch TV when on vacation so that was not an issue. We loved the large front deck and landscaping around which did give privacy and yet a full beach view. And no termites, which I agree would have been HORRIBLE. All in all I think we would return, but knowing your experience we would specify the same room we had. Also, I agree that the isolation & cost of taxis there was a problem. Next time we might consider renting a car.

CFW

Kristina, Just looked at your website, which is fabulous. Your warm & witty writing style is just great and I loved that you included so much about food & recipes. Like you we love to travel and we "travel with our stomachs." Like you I do all the planning & obsessing and then we do the final tuning & tweaking together. Had planned on going to Chotre Chitre, but just didn't have time to get there. Now that I've seen the pics & read your description, we'll make it a must do for next time. Your phots are also very good. Very clear close-ups. What camera do you use. We're getting a new one for next trip, so I've been asking everyone.

Kristina

CFW-

Thanks for the nice comments. I agree that the AWBR is quite nice, and had we been given room 110 from the start (which is what we got on day 3), I would have had far fewer complaints. That said, the isloation is an issue for me-having a car would certainly allow for much more flexability there. While the food was some of the best we had on our trip, by the end of our time there I was ready for a new menu. I would still recommend the resort, but with revervations.

My camera is a 7.1 Megapixel Nikon Coolpix 7900. It's my second Coolpix and I like the line. I don't think you can go wrong with a Nikon camera.
As I get more into photography as a hobby however, I'm starting to think that a digital SLR will be my next camera. It's really hard to balance the desire for small size and portability with function. I'm discovering the limitations of such a small camera and was frustrated with the shots I got on very overcast days for example.
On the other hand, I love just being able to pull the camera out of my pocket and click away. SLRs are bulkier and I think I'd be less likely to bring it everywhere as I do the pocket-sized camera. Plus, smaller cameras are much less "obvious" when taking candid shots.
Finally, don't underestimate the power of good photo editing. I run all of my photos through Photoshop before I post them. At minimum, all are cropped for maximum impact and most have been color and light adjusted. Sometimes what looks like a bad photo at first, with the right editing, can turn out fantastic.

Kristina

Phuket day 3-

For today, the plan is to do a dive trip with the Dive shop associated with the hotel, Aqua Divers. David will do a 2 tank dive, while I, still a nervous nellie from my bad dive experience in Honduras, will snorkel.

The daily "local" dive trips don't leave until 10 AM, so we have plenty of time to enjoy another yummy breakfast. By now, we've discovered we can order cappuccinos, better than their normal morning coffee. David and I are both hooked on the pancakes, something I rarely eat at home.

On the advice of Caroline at the dive shop, I search out the General Manager of the hotel, Luciano, to tell him of the termite problem. I can't find him, but I find his assistant, and explain the problem yet again. Luciano finds me at the dive shop right before we are to depart and I take him back to our room so he can hear the crunching. He tells me he can't hear them, but says he believes me and will see if he can find us another room.

Five minutes later, he takes me over to room 110, on the other side of the restaurant next to the pool, and says we can have it when we return later in the day.

The long tail boat arrives from the other Aqua Diver shop with 3 more divers and extra tanks. Because there is no dock, we have to swim out to the boat, about 100 yards. The first dive site turns out to be a little rocky island we can see from the beach. I am the only snorkeler, so it's a bit lonely. It's overcast, and there's not a lot of sun, but I do see lots of Parrot and Angel fish, big blue starfish, and some interesting coral. I get bored after about 1/2 an hour (because I don't want to go to far from the boat by myself) and get back on the boat just as it begins to rain.

The boat captain and I wait, he smoking, and fishing with a single line wrapped around a piece of wood and me, sitting wishing I smoked and fished so I'd have something to do. The rocking of the boat makes it impossible to read without getting seasick. Finally, the divers come back up and David says he's had a good time and seen lots of fish, sea cucumbers, and a big clam.

The next dive spot does not have snorkeling, so the boat drops me in the water back in front of the beach and I swim back to shore. David calls to me from the boat, "When you see the boat come back, order a pizza!"

I go back to our first room to clean up and pack so we can move. As I exit the outdoor shower back into the bathroom, which can be seen from the far side of the bed, I realize there are people in the room talking.
"Hello?..."
It's the GM showing one of the maintenance workers the termites.
"Sorry, sorry" he calls out.
There are frosted glass doors into the bathroom area so it's conceivable if they were in the middle of the room, they might not have seen me.
Still I can help but think, "Couldn't you at least buy me dinner before you see me naked?"

Finally, about 2 PM, they tell me I can change rooms. Room 110 turns out to be lot nicer than the previous room; it seems bigger and brighter (the ceiling does not dip down like the other room) and both the indoor and outdoor shower work perfectly. The added bonus is that there are no termites crunching next to my head as I try to sleep.

I make it down to the pizzeria just in time to order lunch when David arrives back from his 2nd dive. The pizza is very with a good thin crisp crust, and I can't help but think that all the Italian influence here is due to Luciano as we have seen no Italian guests, mostly Brits and Germans. We have dinner in Thai Restaurant again; David orders Italian (a perfect al dente pasta) and I have Penang beef which is spicy and flavorful.

CFW

We also chatted with Luciano when we were there. He is very accessible and came by to say hello one day when we were having lunch. We complimented him on the delicious Thai food and said we thought his chef was a real find. We never tried the Italian food because we have delicious Italian restaurants at home but the Thai restaurants in our area are at best mediocre -- just can't get the ingrediants. Anyway, he mentioned that he was sending the chef to Italy during the rainy season to apprentice in a micheline starred restaurant & also at a country restaurant to develop his skills.

Kristina

CFW- Yes, I really didn't want to eat Italian either. I tried to eat Thai as much as possible even though we have plenty of authentic Thai food where I live.

Photos of Phuket day 3 now on my website.

MaryW

Kristina - just a note on cameras - we have an older but good nikon coolpix which I love - good pics good size for taking about etc. Last year my husband wanted to go for a digital SLR and we bought a Nikon D70 - its bigger of course but the pictures are really great - and when I get a go - its incredibly easy to use. We carted both around Laos last year and just didn't use the small one much at all! We had been to Laos the year before too using just the old camera - what were good picts then were not so good when you saw them in comparison to the new ones. We also run them through a lot of editing to finish them up.

I'm sure you wouldn't regret a SLR and the D70 is wonderful.

Kristina

Sorry I haven't added anything new this week, I've been really sick. I plan on working on more this weekend.

I'm wondering why this post was bumped up yesterday, yet there's no new post.

Anyone know if there was something rude posted and then deleted by the editors?