Well, not only do you have to work in a suit and tie in your office (smile) but you also have to put on your kung-fu outfit and take care of bad guys!! Now get busy!! No more PHB's allowed. You've got work to do.
lol (welcome back to reality)
Carol

Carol's "sympathies" are also held by my co-workers. Their basic opinion is that I spent two 1/2 weeks in paradise, so I deserve whatever jet lag I get. This is not the way of the Panda. Forgiveness and charity towards others are our guidelines.

I can't tell you how much enjoyment I get from putting this stuff on Bob's thread.

Some of think you may be having just a little too much fun, Andy!

No such thing as too much fun. It is the birthright of pandas. One of the reasons we are universally beloved.

Typical pandocrat - thinks he's entitled to everything...

Oh Bob? We know you're still in Asia. This report is lagging. I'll get Ekscrunchy to calculate the penalty.

come on Bob eagerly awaiting an update....

Bob is in search of free WIFI

I actually think he's on the Andaman Sea portion of his sojourn. Phuket (Meridien beach resort0, Krabi (Sheraton) and Khao Lak (Sheraton). He was very proud to have gotten all these with cash and points at a real bargain. Of course it's a bargain. It's the rainy season.

June 8 (cont)


After our swim, we decided that we would go search for a taxi stand to drive us to the airport tomorrow….we found several down near the beach road….800 B plus 60 B for the tolls… They will pick us up at the villa about 1:30 tomorrow afternoon…

Almost next door was a wi-fi place so we did wi-fi for a while and updated fodors and sent a couple of e mails…

One mail was to air asia….While at the K/L airport I had asked about a refund for our one way tickets from bkk to Singapore, as Singapore air has converted their Newark flight to all business class and we got bumped….i did not like their alternatives so I chose to fly ANA to narita, then united via Chicago directly to boston….the supervisor at k/l had suggested there was a good chance they might make the refund if I wrote to their customer service department….so lets see what happens…

From there we took a songran into pattaya to the avenue mall again….i had to have another one of those Arizona chicken sandwiches that I had had a few days ago at au bon pain….delicious….K had California chicken sandwich….

After lunch we headed over to starbucks for some more wifi, but they wanted to charge me so we went across the way to another coffee place and they offered free wifi….so we had ice cream there and worked on sending out our amazing mail cards….www.amazingmail.com (thanks patricia for suggesting this source)….this is a usa outfit that prints up postcards and mails them from the usa….you can use any photo you wish to upload and personalize the cards any way you want….they store your mailing list for free….current cost $1.12 per card….cards arrive in usa addresses in just a few days….so the gpanda speedo postcards are on the way to all fodorites everywhere….watch for them….well unless the US post office destroys them as obscene….

We decided to walk to the royal garden mall from there (attached to the pattaya Marriott)….along the way I twisted my ankle in a sidewalk hole and fell flat down….a few bruises and a crane to help me up and we were back on our way…we stopped at the Marriott lobby and asked for a bandage to fix one knee which was bleeding slightly…we bought some salve in the mall to make sure some of those thai “bugs” did not get into my cut knee….and some better larger bandages….walked around the mall a while, visited the lame jim Thompson outlet there and several other shops but only bought a greeting card….

Had some trouble getting a songran for the price I wanted for our return as I wanted to make two stops….finally found a really nice older man who agreed to my 150 offer and also to our two stops….i wanted a couple of gift certificates to give to gal and cherry as a thank you for hosting us here in pattaya, in addition to the meals I have treated them to
thus far…during the stops the man got out of the cab and talked to Karen, asking all about where we were from and about our family….another really nice thai….

For the rest of the afternoon we hung out reading, etc at the villa….

Gal is picking us up about 7 and we are all going to the fishing village south of here where we will feast on fish directly on the water’s edge….we have been there before and it is fabulous….i will get the name for publishing here later…..

The headquarters for the American fleet in pattaya is at the hard rock hotel so we went there to pick cherry up…..never have I seen so many young and slim kids with short hair…thought I was visiting a mid-west town in the 1950’s….

So off to the village we headed….it is about 2 townships south of jontien….the restaurant name is: Rimhad Seafood in bang saray…..we had a huge snapper fried, fried morning glories, grilled whole large shrimp, yellow curry crab (my favorite), fried rice, and beers and water….WOW…perhaps the best fish/seafood I have had since I was there the last time….so fresh and so well prepared…

We had a lot of fun….we made plans to meet again for Sunday brunch at the Marriott at the end of our trip…..we thanked them for the invite to come to pattaya and for the use of their villa….

Got home about 10:30….





June 9, 2008



Moving day yet again….planned for a leisurely morning as I had arranged for the car to come for us at 1:30PM for our ride to the airport for our 4:30 flight on air asia to phuket…
We sat around all morning after our breakfasts of two types of brown bread toast and coffee/water with jams we had purchased…..honestly we are getting a bit full of food….especially after the fantastic fishing village meal last nite…
Karen swam, I read----almost finished with my autobiography of Katherine Graham….
The packing was all done and we thought maybe we were within the 15 kilo limit each for air asia….almost but not quite as it turns out…
We again left one bag with gal to be redelivered to us at the Marriott at the end of the trip…




I’m having quite a bit of trouble with one little finger from my fall…..it is still quite swollen and hurts sometimes if I bend it one way or another or put pressure on it…my knee seems to be healing quite well and the other bruises are disappearing….i guess I was quite lucky to have not done some real damage….

The car arrives for us about 1:15….the security people called from the gate to let us know…the driver is very nice….the car is an older Volvo sedan---like 10 years old, but comfortable with a big trunk…..

The drive to the new airport take about an hour and ½…..the driver drives at a moderate pace which is nice….

Check in is extremely easy as there is no line to speak of…..for domestic flights there is a short cut to the gates so we take that and near to the gate we go into a garden restaurant for some lunch….i have a tuna sandwich and water and K has coke and some spaghetti…..

The plane is there when we get to the gate which is always a good sign….air asia flights load up early and often leave early as was the case with this flight…..the flight was scheduled for 4:30 and we pulled away from the gate at 4:20…fine with us….this time the plane is older, a 737, but equally comfortable to the newer airbuses that they us….all leather seating….we have aisle and window with a free seat in between, just as we have had on each of our flights thus far and this time in row 5 as they have blocked off the first two rows for some odd reason….the flight is uneventful….the pilots waste no time on the runways either….we head out fast to the take off runway and we waste no time getting to the gates upon arrival….its nice to see that in some places this can still be done, plus it saves times and $$ on fuel….

Arrival at phuket is easy….we are at the furthest out gate however….bags come out quite quickly and we head to the taxi stand….many people stop us to ask if we want taxis but we ignore them and keep going to the stand which is all the way to the right at the end of the building as you emerge….

It is here that we encounter our first negative thing on the trip….there is a small ramp allowing you to move smoothly down from the side walk to cross the street to the taxi stand….directly in front of the ramp is a huge trolley full of golf clubs and huge suitcases….sitting on the curb is a blob of a guy…..i ask him if this is his and he says yea in his ozzie accent….what’s the problem….i say you are blocking the ramp…”what’s the problem” he replies in a defiant tone…..i try to explain nicely but he is wayyyyyyyyyy toooooo arrogant to care…..karen warns me to shut up….warns me a couple of times…I expect that he will just slug me and I am dead….he moves it eventually or someone else does and I move across the way…..on the other side of the driveway is a shaved head guy who is the companion of the other ozzie….he is totally drunk and for the next 10 minutes puts on a show….yelling and screaming about wanting to fight everyone in






sight….finally their taxi comes and the one with hair is yelling at the other to get into the f______ car and shut up----over and over….its not looking good for a few minutes….so finally they are off….we figured that by 8PM that they both would have been tossed out of their hotel and would be in jail by the end of the nite….

Our taxi comes along shortly and we have a really nice driver….he explains that the trip will take about 1 hour or more to the Le Meridien…..which in fact takes almost 1 ½ hours….i had forgotten how far it is from the airport….

The Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort is a huge place with about 450 rooms surrounding one of asia’s largest pool complexes….the property takes up one complete bay with a sandy beach…..like all asian hotel complexes there are lots of ups and downs on the property….almost everything is up a few stairs or down a few stairs….where is gene when you need him??? We are upgraded upon arrival to a 6th floor room (top floor) right next to the royal suite (where andy usually stays)…..we have a lovely balcony with great ocean and pool views and because of the 6th floor location we are above most of the tree tops so the view is even nicer…..we are very pleased with this room….it seems small after the villa in pattaya, which had several rooms and open space as well, but we are back to normal hotel living….
I think they have made a mistake on our room rate as they confirm it at points plus $5 per nite…..fine with me….it is a cash and points award rate of 2800 pts and $45 per nite….we will see at check out what they actually charge….

We settle in and decide we are ready to eat yet again….we look at the various restaurants: Japanese, Italian, international, buffet (asian nite today), thai and a couple of bars….we decide on the international…..we are the only people in the inside a/c room….others are outside, but I prefer the a/c when I am tired and eating….
We each chose the nitely special which has a choice of two items in each category and you could have 2 or 3 courses….we chose 3: duck salad, which was rare smoked duck beautifully presented with a small green salad and a balsamic reduction artfully spread around the plate…..for my main I had a medium rare mignon beef: a nice cut of filet, moderately tender, served with a medley of veggies (frozen I think)…..K chose the sweet and sour pork tenderloin with veggies and rice and a decorative salad…..for dessert we both had the single choice of mocha, hazelnut, frozen cream, chocolate cake….again artfully presented with sauce drizzled on the side….i forced all of mine down but K could only eat ½ of hers….it was actually 2 pieces on each plate….she brought the other ½ back to the room to eat later in our stay….

Back to the room and read and watched TV a bit before turning in…..our room is a twin and the beds are very comfortable….the bath is small but adequate….




As andy had told us, we would be very happy here….
They were closed for 8 months after the tsunami….they had limited damage, but I guess the pools were completely filled with debris….only one person from the staff died and that happened as he was driving to work that morning….

June 10, 2008


Up late….sat out on our balcony and had coffee/tea…..talked to our kids at home….i wrote this section of the report…..

About 10 we went down for the buffet breakfast….the buffet was 650 B ($20) but was the least nice of those we have experienced on this trip….pastry was almost stale and there were none with fruit….we were quite disappointed overall and decided we would give it a pass for the rest of our stay…. It id have some dim sum, which I love but they were all stuck together…

Retunred to the room and Karen got her stuff to go out by the pool/beach…..i stayed in the room….our intent was to skip lunch and to have dinner in town later….

The pool area at the hotel is very lovely as is the beach….its actually a very large recreation area…..there are a number of pools but one main one which is simply huge….there are palms between the pools and the beach with grass and tons of lounges all over the place…..if you leave them for 2 hours you have lost your place….note to AO….we are very pleased with the hotel as gpanda said we would be….(2)—insider joke…the hotel takes up the whole bay, except for some wooded area on both sides…

Karen returned to the room about 3:30….the day had been overcast so she was safe from the intense sun…. just before she returned the baby elephant visited the pool….it is very cute….in fact I could see it from our balcony….

We made a reservation for the 5PM shuttle into town….100B per person….how do you say rip-off….

As we approached the lobby area, there was quite a crowd gathered….some work was being done near the roof of the 3 story high lobby….one of the workers had fallen off of the bamboo scaffolding, or it had failed in some way, and he lay hurt and bleeding on the ground….he was loaded onto a gurney and taken to the arrival area where he was put into the back of a station wagon for the 20+ minute ride to the hospital….i asked the manager why no ambulance…his was response was that this is way quicker…. He also made a few remarks about how they use bamboo instead of steel here in thailand and that in our





country and his (Germany or Switzerland ??) this would not be allowed… he thanked us for our concern….



We were dropped off in front of the police station on the beach road….we walked back along the beach road as far as the Holiday Inn, the site of where we had inspected the damage from the tsunami on our last visit (6 months after the flood)….we cut down the side street where the tailor shop was which we were trying to track down for a fodorite from Canada….i think it has reopened in the same spot btw….

We cut through to the back street and walked back to a new marketplace which has



opened up in hopes of finding something appealing for dinner…..jung celyon…..finding nothing we returned to the beach road after having bought our breakfast for the next morning at au bon pain….yum yum….why are we doing this….#1 I should not eat a huge buffet….#2 the buffet here was only so so…..#3 it cost $47 for the two of us….i’m not an attorney you know who just bills an extra hour here or there to eat out all the time….

BTW---FLASH….KAREN IS JUST READING THE BANGKOK POST AND SEES AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THERE WILL BE A “MADE IN THAILAND SALE”
AGAIN FROM NOV 28 TO DEC 7 FOR ANY OF YOU IN BKK AT THAT TIME….IN THE PAST THEY HAVE BEEN HELD AT IMPACT OR AT THE QUEEN’S EXHIBITION CENTER DOWN FROM ASOKE….

On the beach road we decided on Papaya Restaurant in the Patong Beach Hotel complex….very good thai food….we had a large singha, pineapple fried rice with chicken and shrimp, yellow curry chicken (huge pieces of white meat chicken), fried morning glories, prawn with tamarind sauce…..1800 B…..

We continue along beach road in search of ice cream….found haagan das (sp)…should have kept on going….1 scoop 130 B or $4---and it was a skimpy scoop and not very tasty….i know what do you expect in a sex beach tourist trap….

Songran back to the hotel….asking price 300 B, paid 150 B…..thai mafia…..

Bed by 11…..btw, I finally finished K Graham…..amazing woman….






June 11, 2008




Slow to get up again…both of us….i even got up first….very grey day outside….we had some pastry out on our balcony and watched the resort open up for the day….it too was a bit slow…


We read for a while on the balcony and by mid-morning decided to go down to the beach for a couple of hours…..walked in the waves and they were quite big today….swam in the pool….read for a while…

Btw, this is the nicest beach we have seen in thailand….wide, clean and small sand granules…..most beaches we have visited in the past have been either dirty, small, coarse sand or all of the above….the Le Meridien does a very nice job of keeping the whole place clean and neat….i have to admit that the hotel is very western in many ways but there are thai accents everywhere….often western equals comfort, imo….now service that is another thing….asia has the whole world beat in the service it provides!!!!

Our rental car from Pure Car Rent (www.purecarrent.com) was delivered about 2PM….we have a toyota vios for 9 days….it will carry us from phuket to krabi to khao lak and back to phuket…..1100 B per day inclusive….~ $34….car is in good shape, except for the usual scrapes on the paint…it is clean, powerful enough and comfortable with a/c, electric windows and locks…..we will return the car at the airport…

After the car inspection we drove immediately south through karon beach and kata beach….we visited the mom’s tri kitchen restaurant and villa royale to make dinner reservations for tomorrow nite…we see why you like it carol…. We continued south and got out at the observation post and continued to rawai beach and the southernmost point of phuket before starting north again on the east side of phuket….we stopped at Chalong Pier for dinner at Kan Eang Restaurant complex…..it was very highly rated in a number of places….at best it was ok….the site is beautiful but the food was ordinary at best and lacked much flavor….combo appetizer plate…..whole fried white snapper with garlic and pepper, combo veggie plate, pineapple fried rice, fried shrimp with tamarind sauce…..1495 B…..we had much better food at the sidewalk place in patong last nite… we had so wanted to have really fresh fish, but…..

After dinner (6PM) we continued our drive northward passing through parts of phuket town….we eventually stopped at the Central Mall….we went to Swenson’s for some ice cream and to au bon pain and bought their last pastries for our breakfast tomorrow…




It had rained a bit on and off all day so I drove defensively all the way….afraid it might be slippery….plus the motor bikes dart in and out….traffic was moderate to light….

Returned to the hotel before turn down service had even been done….we are both tired…WHY??

Phew. I'm relieved he likes the Meridien. Recommending some place to Bob is always a risk. He does have a flare for the critical.

Horror of all horrors. Beth read this entire report yeaterday and said she really liked it.

Bob & Karen,

Forget Au Bon Pain - my very favourite breakfast from Southern Thailand, for people with cast iron stomach, is the Khanom Jean Nam Ya Gai. Delicious and I'm sure your hotel can arrange some for you.

When will you be back in BKK? We just won, from AMEX, an all expense paid for trip to Chiang Mai staying at the brand new posh Veranda hotel. Hope it doesn't clash with our dinner!

Let's understand what's happening here. Hanuman, who has already been burdened with Bob's presence once in the last month was faced with the uncomfortable prospect of another endless dinner with him. In a stroke of genius, Hanuman concocts this preposterous story about winning a free vacation from AMEX (has this happened to anyone else?). He's hoping that there's a conflict with the Bob dinner. Otherwise, he will be forced to spend several weeks in Chiang Mai hiding out.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive.

Brilliant Pook. I'm in awe of such creativity.

Glad to see you back on line, Bob. I thought maybe you had fallen off the face of the earth!

You needed Thai foot massage after your ankle twister/fall. That's exactly what I did. Uneven pavement, twisted ankle (but I don't remember falling/only stumbling)...

Enjoy your time in the south. Nine days is plenty of time to enjoy it all.

Enjoy your Mom Tri's Kitchen dinner!! I'll be anxious to hear your report.

Carol

Bob,
Sorry to hear about your foot, and your fall. Based on your prior postings - are you sure Andy wasn't nearby and gave you a small shove?

Now, if you had had a good lawyer nearby, I'm thinking after a little lawsuit you could have owned that nice corner store in Pattaya......

Have fun.
Tengo

Fantastic i am in BKK when that sale is on!!! has anyone been to it previously, is it worth i going?

Alas! We're going to miss the sale. Somehow, no matter when we go, we miss the sale...

Glad you and karen are having a fine time. Too bad about your run-in with a Thai sidewalk.

I too will miss it. I'll be in BKK from the 17th Dec to Jan 7, and in Europe prior to that.

Carol

Bob in my rush of joy at discovering the sale is on when Muffin and i will be town i forgot to say i hope your foot gets better soon....

Ooooou - We got a post card today with a very handsome couple against a Balinese sunset - the wonders of technology perhaps? Thanks anyway for thinking of us.

Craig and Jeane

i have tons more to post but they will not let me hitch up here...maybe in a day or so...

my foot and ankle are fine, the knee is almost all healed, but my little finger is still not right...swollen and a bit stiff

in ao nang writing this

meet fodorites for dinner last nite--tons of fun

The internet providers in Asia have banned together to censor this report. "I'm sorry sir, we can't help you." is the catch phrase.

Bob

I cant WAIT to hear more. Hope the finger gets better soon
N
x

Most of us are fully capable of waiting a very long time.

Andy - you are too cruel (and i suspect eagrly awiting updates too)


Are you sure you can't make BKK in November? Muffin and i have firm dates (and flights) we would love to catch up with you and Beth.

June 12, 2008




Woke up to pouring rain….so bad that Karen could not sit on the covered balcony at first… shortly the rain stopped and we had our breakfast out on the balcony…..we lazed around a bit after breakfast and then decided to go down for a swim as the sun was beginning to peak out….the pools were full of kids today for some reason….no bother to us….we did not stay long…

We returned to the room and by that time it was almost 1 PM so we headed into town to the new mall to buy breakfast for tomorrow at au bon pain and also to have a sandwich….i had my 3rd arizona chicken sandwich….i just can’t get enough of them and K had a chicken club (made with deli meat---mine is fresh chicken pieces)….after finishing there we went next door to ‘crème and fudge’ where there is free wi-fi to catch up on things including fodors trip report….we had an ice cream while there so as not to be totally free loaders---andy never would have had anything, just used the wi-fi….

Having finished that we went back to the garage in the basement and got the car---free parking with any purchase btw….on the way we charged up the phone with 600 B more…

We decided to drive north a ways to see the ‘Laguna’ area where some of the lux hotels are located….the streets are very narrow, but we did see 2 new Marriott courtyard hotels (conversions---Palms looks lovely), in addition to the refurbished one next door to the Holiday Inn in Patong, which makes 3 new Courtyards---check them out…back to the other hotels….we never did find the Sheraton Grande…there are lots of twisting streets in that area and very poor signage….we did see the chedi however….As we had an 8PM res for dinner we decided to return to our hotel to relax and change for dinner…..

On carol simpson’s and others’ suggestions we made res for the mom’s tri kitchen for dinner….it is one part of several businesses owned by this family south of kata beach at kata noi on a ridge overlooking the ocean and a nearby beach, where the kata thani hotel, that jamesA often suggests is located….KT looks like it has expanded recently and is now on both sides of this dead end road….the property is compact but quite lovely….the restaurant was about ½ full….the table we had reserved in a covered area was available, but the waiter we had spoken with yesterday wanted us to sit outside near the ocean breezes where it would be cooler….out table turned out to be fantastic…the menu is varied with tons of choices and also many specials….





We had not been there long when the chef appeared and introduced himself and said that he had seen us at the Le Meridien last nite….he was there for a special wine tasting….he made no suggestions for dinner but did say if there is anything you want or have a comment on, either good or bad, he would be very interested….

We began the meal with two good spreads: ground olives and mashed garlic….the breads were warm….K had a Riesling and I had a Singha….next was a special appetizer of a single mussel with a cheese/cream sauce each with the chef’s compliments…..karen ordered a mussel appetizer with two styles of sauce: tomato and au gratin….i had a stuffed and rolled aubergine plate with sauce reduction and ½ cherry tomatoes, which was one of the best things I have ever eaten---there were pine nuts and raisins in the tiny rolls…smooth as butter, rich feta cheese cubes were on the hybrid lettuces in the center….
Our main courses were: sea bass filets pan fried with pancetta and anise with seasonal veggies….i had a pork tenderloin pan fried wrapped in proschutto (sp) and a green lettuce like substance which I was unable to identify….this was presented on top of puree of potato with some herb and cherry tomatoes again…..
For dessert K had a brulee stack with two crusts in between layers of pudding, and I had a lime tart with fruit topping (ugh---I don’t like fruit---not mentioned on menu)…
The dinner was excellent and the location can not be beat….the service was friendly and unrushed….we highly rec. it…..thanks carol el al….bill about $100….

Drove back to the hotel….a message from one of our kids was under the door….Urgent, call home….K’s dad was rushed to the hospital last nite….was operated on….he was scheduled for one operation on july 8 but with the new problem (he’s 87) they did both at the same time….when one of our kids called a bit later k was able to speak with him in ICU and he seems to be doing ok thus far….for now we will continue with our trip as planned as her two sisters will arrive in needham by the end of the day to take charge….plus our kids will assist with organization etc….

With elderly parents this is always a worry….we had talked at length about this while planning the trip…..you have to go on with your life and deal with things as they are presented to you…..afterall we were successful in dealing with gpanda for a couple of weeks and lived through it…..when I fell last week in pattaya I believe he pushed me actually….

Tomorrow is moving day again….we leave here in the AM, earlier than we anticipated because the whole section of phuket where the hotel is located is going to be without power from 9AM to 5PM, so we will get out of here while the getting is cool….
Our next stop is the Sheraton Krabi, about a 3 hour drive I am told…








June 13, 2008 Friday


We spoke again with the family this morning and K’s dad is doing well….he had a ruptured appendix, maybe partially caused by the bowel hernia that he already knew about, but not the two or three other hernias that they found when they went in there…so he had major surgery at BI Deaconess medical center in boston by the doc who was scheduled to do hernia #1 on july 8…..he was very lucky for a guy in his 80’s….karen’s sisters flew in from DC and MI so they are in charge and our kids are backing them up…all that is missing is K giving her usual orders to everyone….she can still do this by telephone, and she will….we will continue our trip for now anyways….

We did not get up until about 8 even though we had been on the phone until midnight….we wanted to get moving as the power would be off starting at 9….thus no a/c…they do have an emergency power generator which runs the elevators and one or two lites in each room and in the public areas….we ate on the balcony again enjoying our fabulous sea view for the last time….the waves were crashing on the nearby rocks and making tons of noise….it was a cloudy morning so not many people were around…the power went out about 9:15 and by 9:30 we were out of the room and checked out….we were on the road before 10…..our goal was a leisurely day drive to Krabi---3 hours without stops…

Well it took us 6 hours with several stops and a lunch break as well…

ONE INTERESTING CONVERSATION WE HAD AS WE DROVE OUT OF PATTONG….KAREN SAID OF ALL THE PLACES IN THE WORLD THIS IS ONE I WILL NOT MISS OR WISH TO RETURN TO… she was generally referring to phuket…we loved the hotel but we only tolerated the rest of phuket….the town areas are junky stores and ½ way decent restaurants at inflated prices…..we decided that hua hin is far nicer in every way….

So as we drove north we diverted into the Laguna area again….we really had missed it yesterday---had not gone quite far enough on the main road….it is an area much like nusa dua in bali….an enclave of lux hotels and time shares and lux condos….we thought the hotels looked quite lovely but very isolated for the rest of town with very little chance for outside restaurant usage without a decent ride to get there…I would not stay there without a car at my disposal…the area is more wooded than nusa dua and less commercial looking….there is no mall there that we saw….




Our next stop as we drove north was the JW Marriott where we had stayed last year….wow is it isolated…I had forgotten…it must take over 45 minutes to get to patong from there….i can’t imagine what the cost would be based on what we paid to go from the meridian (100B each for a 8 minute ride)….K needed the ladies room already and she thought we might not find a decent place for lunch----and she was right….

We ate in the Marriott café and I had a burger and fries and she had a Caesar salad… that was about a 50 minute stop….btw, they are building a new Anantara hotel right next to the JW….that should be a great addition….it is to be ready this year…..

We continued north and then east towards krabi….the roads were excellent and there was very little traffic (Michael I had no problem at all----you must have lived in bkk tooooo long)…we made two or 3 detours from the main road to view the magnificent rock formations that jut out of the water in that area….we also saw a huge group of boats at one town pier that take tourists out to view them closely and the boats were jammed with people….it was raining…no thanks to that…we saw plenty….

I had a choice of roads as the road narrowed from a 4 lane (2 each way) to about ¾ of a lane each way as we chose the “scenic road”…what that meant is that I was driving hair pin turns going up and down some of these mini mountains….on these roads there was no traffic---I wonder why….it slowed us way down….we did see lots of nice rock formations however….it misted most of the time which added to the danger in the drive—I was afraid of skidding… the area we drove through is what I would term tropical rain forest….the sides of the road were heavily overgrown with all kinds of green plants and trees, so dense that you could not even see the ground once your eyes passed the edge of the pavement….when you could see off one side of the road from a cliff all you were able to see there was more green and the rock formations protruding from the tops where a formation rose dramatically making a very intense sight….it was an interesting drive, but ‘been there done that’ for the future…on our way back I will take the less scenic road….

In the future I will remember that “scenic” means difficulty and stress for the driver….

Eventually we were finished with the scenic road and back on a good road and the krabi area was not far…we finally saw a sign for the Sheraton Krabi which must be at least 15 miles out of the town….there are a number of lux resorts in this beach area…we also were looking for a laundry….found one but no one was there so we will go later….checked in to the hotel and I was in a snit for some reason…tired I guess….

The hotel lobby is again an open air affair and quite minimalist….stark but attractive… check in was easy as we were the only people in the lobby….we were taken by golf cart to our room, two buildings away from the lobby area… the place seems deserted…

The room is ok on the ground floor overlooking the garden area and one of the two pools…if we were on a higher floor we would be able to see the ocean…what do you



expect for 1600 starwood points and $30++ per day….it will be just fine….the place is almost empty however which is odd….but it is low season…

Karen suggested that we go for a swim to see if that would change my mood and it did….we were the only people in that huge pool which looked over the beach…we did see perhaps 10 other guests walking around the huge open area, which has streams running through it and palms here and there and lush vegetation in other places…the property is part of a mangrove which the hotel hopes to save---a natural eco-system….there is lots of green plants everywhere, some trimmed, some wild…not a lot of flowers, but I suspect the timing is just wrong for seeing that….

The staff is not as friendly here as in some other thai places we have been….i guess that is the function of a big hotel attitude at a resort….not everyone speaks to you which I find odd in thailand…some just walk past… others are friendly…I do not mean to point out that the staff is unfriendly however…they are mostly just sort of neutral….

We are going out across the street tonight for dinner at the joint gpanda suggested to us…I saw they had a fresh crop of bamboo out front….




On our way to dinner we went looking for a laundry again….went back to the one we stopped at this afternoon and this time some one was there…..they do it by weight and we had 5.5 kilos of laundry for 360 B---ready tomorrow nite…

The restaurant is called the Terrace…they also have one in samui….we had cashew chicken, one large singha, water, yellow curry shrimp, steamed rice and yellow curry veggies….stuck on the yellow curry tonight….it was all good, but not delicious….but the best part was our dessert, the fried pineapple with dipping honey---absolutely delicious… 770 B
The restaurant is directly across the street from the hotel entrance…

While finishing dinner Karin Long from fodors called us to set up a meeting for tomorrow nite…a mini GTG…..she is here with her family at the amari vogue, just down the road… we are looking forward to it….

Spoke to karen’s mother tonight to check on the patient….he seems to be doing fine

June 14, 2008



Up about 8:30…karen did some personal laundry in the sink and hung it out between our terrace chairs with our trusty expandable clothes line….btw, I was giving this clothes line in 1965 for my first trip to Europe----ok I know that was before many of you were born…it has lasted well…only last year did one end of it deteriorate a bit….

We decided to try the buffet breakfast---620? B ++---it was good with good variety but not as nice as the Marriott in bkk or other bkk hotels…all the usual items and finally some good fresh pastry…..good bacon as well…. We do not need that much to eat however….we will have a smoothie for lunch or something similar and look forward to out dinner with the Long’s tonight….we do not see any club rooms here, but there must be some???

Speaking of club rooms, those of you who enjoy the ROS (Kathie et al), I read in the starwoods magazine last nite that the ‘towers’ suites and rooms, etc have all be revamped recently and provide even more lux than in the past….the club has also had an overhaul and they have instituted their new internet lifestyle system in the lounge….it looks quite nice…maybe Kathie was their consultant….??

We got a ride back to our room…a huge pharmaceutical group is checking in for a 2 day conference so it will not be so quiet the next few days…

Karen went out to the pool for the rest of the morning and I have stayed behind to continue reading my new book (an old one) a composite of the autobiographies of Eleanor Roosevelt……I guess for this trip my theme is strong liberal women…


Karen returned to the room about 2:30….we decided to head into krabi town to check it out….its about a 35 minute ride….the front desk had told Karen about a bakery near the main big shop in the town…..we wanted to get pastry for our breakfast…..the scenery to krabi was very lovely with lots of monoliths all along the way…it made for a very dramatic drive….the road is fabulous…..we found the bakery easily and bought a few things from their limited offerings….i guess French pastry is not a main stay of the thai diet….

We gassed the car up…1450 B…about $43 or so for driving about 250 miles….we made a couple of detours on the way back….we went to the fossil beach, but they wanted 200 B each to go down onto it so of course I refused….we also drove through ao nang to see




what it is all about….we shall return there tomorrow in the late afternoon to look around and to have dinner there…




We returned to the hotel about 5:15 for a quick shower before meeting Fodorites Karin and Gil Long and their two daughters Amanda and Meredith (both 20ish)….on the way to the Amari Vogue Resort, about 5 miles from our hotel, we stopped to pick up our laundry and to drop some more off….

The setting of the Amari is an excellent one right on the beach….there are several other new hotels along the same beach….this is a very special hotel….it has about 50 rooms…Karin will tell you more in her report I hope…the hotel is built into the side of the hill rising up from the beach….no place for AO….there are a million steps but they are surrounded by wonderful thai decorations, water and the thai architecture of the hotel units…

Karin and Gil escorted us down from the lovely lobby to the Italian Restaurant near to the beach where we had a delicious dinner and drinks and hors, al fresco…..the ‘girls’ are both very charming and joined right in with their thai impressions and travel experiences…..we hit it off immediately with K & G…they are both charming as well….we arrived at 6 and did not leave until about 11:15…..our dinner was delicious and the Long’s company was equally fun and delightful….another fodor’s match with positive results….

For anyone looking for a unique lux thai experience at a true boutique hotel I would highly suggest that you take a look at this hotel….only drawback might be the location as it is relatively isolated as are all the hotels in this area of Krabi….another good chill location…

Kathie this is a place for you!!! Gives off vibes like qunci but oozes thai…Cheryl could spend a few days just taking pics of the fantastic thai angles and décor…..














June 15, 2008 Sunday


Up about 8…..breakfast in the room of our delicious thai pastry purchased yesterday in krabi….spoke to one daughter and to karen’s mother on the phone… all going well at home….

Morning will be spent at the pool and having a visit with Ra Ra, sheraton’s resident baby elephant….
Out to the “new” pool (5 months old)….when we got there we could see that Ra Ra the “baby” elephant was out showing off nearby….so we walked over there and had her all to ourselves for about ½ hour….we fed her….she led both of us around by our hands…she squealed at us, she sat down for us and generally performed….she is quite fun….she did not ask for gpanda however….she remembers that as a bad dream….she was also glad to see that I was respectful enough not to wear a Speedo as well….
We took a ton of pictures…

We went back to our lounges in a sala away from the sun, for now…..into the pool…I stayed in for the longest time hiding out in the shade of the waterfall shower….while there I met a guy from Pakistan who was vacationing here with his family….he had attended college in PA…..we had a lovely time talking for an hour or so and then Karen joined us….it was time for some refreshment so we swam over to the bar and I ordered a berry smoothie and Karen had a mango one….this would be our lunch…..

Karen stayed at the pool and I returned to the room and read…

When she returned we decided we would ride over to ao nang for internet, to top up the phone yet again and to have dinner….its about a 20 minute ride….

Phone was easy as there are 7/11’s everywhere….put another 1000 B into the phone…
Finding an internet place with air conditioning was impossible….we finally found one that looked like it might have a/c but there was a lock on the door…there was an irish pub next door and they said the woman would be back shortly so we stopped for a beer and by the time we were finished she was back….she would not let me connect my computer to her line so we just used her computers so you have to wait longer for this report segment…..i imagine you loose sleep over this delay….no a/c btw….it was dark by the time we finished---112 B for two computers for about 1 hour….

The day before we had seen the restaurant called Blue Mango and it looked quite nice so we returned there to give it a try……Perfect…..we ordered: chicken cashew, massaman chicken, steamed rice, and wide rice thai noodles, fried with shrimp…singha and water




One home made apple pie for dessert….this is a sweedish restaurant and also has sweedish specials and other western food…880 B….

Drove back to the hotel….along the way we hardly saw any cars, it was all motor bikes, some with lights and some not….




June 16, 2008



I stayed in bed until 9 this morning….just like home…breakfast in the room….as I had an unwanted sunburn from my time at the pool yesterday, I decided to stay around the room most of the day and to read and spring for the hotel internet---690 B which just drives me over the edge….so here I am….i will join Karen at the pool about 1:30 for another smoothie like we had yesterday at mid-day---no lunch….

nikki...he hangs on my every word...he has never had an original thought of his own and relies on me to even plan and in some cases execute his own trips...

poor beth is more than a saint...he is simply pathetic!!!

nikki---how come you can come to the usa to miami of all places but can't come to boston, the hub of the nation...??

tell roger you want to spend some time at one of his nantucket places....then we can visit...

assume miami is business??

AFTER 6 WEEKS, I AM ALMOST OUT OF CASH....PLEASE SEND CASH, CHECKS, UNNEEDED SECURITIES, FOOD.....

Who would have guessed that Bob would be in a snit? He lives in a snit. His residence is listed as Needham, Snit.

If one were to hang on Bob's words, one would have no fear of death. The words are short and not very strong. Of course, there is death by boredom.

So it appears that Phuket may be a Bob-free zone in the future. This can only lead to more runaway building and expansion.

and to more visits by non-imaginitive pandas...

Imagine a trip during which you only spoke to half the GM's at your hotels. Imagine a trip where you never ate chicken with cashews. Imagine a trip without a snit. Pretty hard to do, eh? Now, who lacks imagination?

Imagine a world without pandas. A bleak and barren prospect. To horrible to even contemplate.

Say "Hi" to my buddy Ra Ra.

Boston is not the hub of the nation. It is the Hub of the Universe.

Bob
Your comments about the discussion with Karen... re: Phuket... and overpriced meals... is this in reference to Mom Tri's Kitchen? I was hoping you would enjoy it. Your comment right after having dined there was that you would reco it. Did you change your mind?

The Kata Thani is, indeed, on both sides of the road there at Kata Noi. I've not seen the hotel rooms across the road, having only stayed beach front. But this is a really great resort!

Did you note that I'm going back to BKK for the last two weeks in Aug, staying at the Adelphi once again? This hopefully will be a solo trip (I can't seem to get away to BKK without the "boys" these days... )

What's up with the damaged finger? Glad the ankle is doing better.

Carol

no, carol....we loved mom's tri kitchen in every way....it was expensive, but it was quality all around: staff and service, food and most of all the location...

it is in general about phuket....it is far more expensive than is bkk...and even more than here or hua hin....bottle of regular water at restaurants and hotels from $5-8....

we look forward to our return to bkk at the end of the week...tomorrow we move on to khao lak for 3 nites....then fly back to bkk on friday...

we hope to be able to hook up with hanuman again and also cherry and gal and we have tong for a day's adventure around bkk....off the beaten track...

Whew... I thought maybe you were putting a black eye on Mom Tri's. Thanks for the reco. I really do think it's one of the best places on Phuket. In general, yes, Phuket is more expensive than BKK, but we will hopefully be there for the New Years holiday anyway. Tickets for BKK are purchased, but nothing yet for Phuket. Will maybe wait until we get to BKK as we will be there in early December and can be flexible in our flying dates. I am certain we will not be able to get a villa at Villa Royale but maybe something in a new location for us?

Have fun on your return to BKK. Say hello to Tong (from a lot of us). What do you plan to do on your adventure with her? You two have seen all the attractions, pretty much. Will you be seeing the exhibit of the King's treasures while in BKK? Brad and our friends from Germany truly enjoyed it. I wish I had been there also, but had to head back to the US before German friends returned to FRA.

If you happen to swing by the Pickled Liver, please check in on Maeng. I'm concerned about her. She usually responds to my emails fairly quickly, but she has not replied in weeks. She had a small surgical procedure done right after I left BKK and I'm hoping and praying it didn't lead to something more ominous...

When do you return to BOS? You've been gone a long time! Even longer than DS, who usually tries to squeeze out 6 weeks at a time.

Carol

we come home on june 27....

we did visit the national treasurers display when we were first in bkk....very worthwhile...the building itself is worth as much as are the articles..

give air asia a try to phuket....its fantastic...just make sure you do express boarding...

Carol,

I talked to Maeng the other day, still trying to arrange a pickup of your gift, and she seems find. We keep different hours as she doesn't get home until 5 in the morning and that's when I get up! Next time we talk I'll tell her you're concerned and to email you.