trip report
Jan 7th, 2006 | 06:20 AM
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trip report
On 24 December, at 6h30 we got off a very very long Thai flight. We were picked up by a guide/driver provided by Ratt, her name was Kaew and in the drive to our hotel she seemed nice enough. Big new Toyota SUV and got us to the hotel in very short time.
The Banyan Tree Bangkok gave us our room straight away even though it was only 8am when we checked in. That was nice. They slightly messed up in that the “honeymoon welcome” was not ready when we arrived (had mailed them twice with arrival details) but was arranged in bits and pieces throughout the morning with a bottle of red wine (?) being delivered to our room half an hour after our arrival (at 8:30 am!!!) and then later some fruit, and then later some flowers. Anyway. The room was great. No upgrade but they were pretty full up. We had a post-flight&jetlag massage at 10:00 which was superb though expensive. At any rate by lunchtime we were ready to leave the hotel.
We had lunch at nearby Baan Kahtinka (on corner of Sathong just past the French Embassy) which was packed full of Thais and Japanese and served a spicy spicy curry. After that we set off, in a taxi, to a tailor (Julie across the street from Assumption College near the Oriental Hotel) for the wife to get some trouser-suits made. She brought one with her so making copies in 48 hours was no hassle. She had tow made in wool (at 6000 Bath per suit). After that we took the skytrain to go to Jim Thompson House Museum which was a good start to our Bangkok sightseeing as, by this stage, we were completely jetlagged and tired! The museum is great and the guided visit is a good introduction to Thai English pronunciation!
After that we took the Skytrain back to SalaDeng and whislt walking back to the hotel we stopped off at Ruen Nuad massage parlour (on Convent Road) to have an unscheduled hour long oil massage. At 650 Bath it was a tenth of the Banyan Tree massage in the morning and though clearly a lot more cheap and cheerful possibly better!
Though almost falling asleep by this stage we went back to the hotel, had a shower and then walked over to the Sukhothai hotel for dinner at the Celadon restaurant. The restaurant was lovely and the food was great. A tad bit expensive but hey, first day of honeymoon and Xmas eve!!! As we left the Sukhotai hotel we ran into a wedding reception being held in the courtyards by obviously very wealthy Thais so we wished the happy couple best of luck!!
On 25th December. Xmas day. Am not a practicing man myself but the wife is so we took a taxi down to the Assumption Cathedral which is right next door to the Oriental Hotel. Now I’ve been to mass maybe half a dozen times in my life but the priest’s sermon was a nice touch as was all about caring for others with many references to Tsunami, HIV victims, careworkers etc. Many Xmas carols sung in English and Thai!
After that we walked into the Oriental Hotel and out to the peer to get a longtail boat to take us to Wat Arun and all around Khlong Bangkok (1h30). We only stopped at Wat Arun as we preferred to spend longer time going around the canal. We got back in time for our 13:30 lunch booking at the China House (one of Gloria’s tips!). And for our Xmas lunch we had the Peking Duck. This was superb. The food was excellent and the service outstanding. They kept playing the same three xmas carols which was a little nnerving but the duck was heavenly.
We then took a taxi to Jim Thompson Silk shop and then to nearby Jim Thompson outlet where we but quite a few yards of silk. Then off, by taxi, to Central Childom which was packed full of shoppers and then walked on to a Gayshorn and Erewan shopping malls. Must say I didn’t expect downtown Bangkok to be quite so show-offish in terms of shops. I realize it is a minority of Thais that are wealthy, but man are they wealthy!!!! Luxury shops and luxury prices!!
Anyway by sunset we were exhausted so we took the skytrain back to the Banyan Tree, had a shower and then took a taxi to LeLys for dinner. We spent 45 minutes stuck in the evening traffic which was not so good!! At the LeLys the food was excellent but I must say we were very much underwhelmed by the location and the service!
On 26th we set off, by Taxi, for the Grand Palace. We spent a few hours visiting here lost in the crowds of tourist, the rain (!) and the heat. We then took another taxi all the way to Emporium shopping mall (almost 1 hour in the taxi and still only 120 Bath!). Here we had planned to have lunch in the mall’s food court. But then on the top floor we discovered that past the mall’s food court, past all the separate restaurant, there is a specific food court for the Emporium department store itself, and that within this there is a stand of Indian Food from Face Restaurant. Had hoped to go to Face but no time so very pleased of this surprise turn of events! Food was excellent and quite cheap.
After a while in Emporium, buying a few gifts for people back home, we hopped onto the skytrain and went to Siam square. I must say that by now I was all shopped out so we wondered round Siam Discovery in a daze and ended up having a foot massage in Tharn on the top floor which was excellent.
Later that evening we met up with friends who’ve been living in BKK for the past three years and they took us to Mahanaga for dinner which was also excellent. We sat outside so don’t know if any jazz was being played indoors.
On 27th we set of on our “roadtrip”! Kaew (the guide recommended by Ratt) turned up 15 minutes early (good sign) and within only 1 hour we were in Ayuthaya. It was great to get out of Bangkok and out of the chaos! See a bit of countyside made a change. Ayuthaya was great. In retrospect though I see what Gloria meant when she wrote that the countryside outside Bangkok is not that interesting. It isn’t until you get up towards Sukhothai that the scenery gets really interesting. Also when compared to Sukhotai or Sri Satchanalai, the ruins in Ayuthaia tend to pale into insignificance. At any rate, interesting stuff.
Already our first “problems” started with Kaew. She’s not here to defend herself so I won’t insist too much but suffice to say: a) she was presented to us as a guide (she had a badge and often said she usually worked as a guide for larger groups with a drive) but most of the time we had no idea at all what she was saying (must say often tried to listen to what other thai guides were saying for we had major problems understanding Kaew) b) we spend four days battling to get her to turn off of turn down the airconditioning in the car which she liked ice-cold – having asked her maybe five times the first day, five times the second we gave up and wore sweaters in the car which was ridiculous given we were paying c) on two occasions she “refused” to understand what we were saying and took us for lunch in places she decided upon despite our requests to go elsewhere. At any rate, at the time it drove me beserk but now it’s all in the past so who cares. She did always turn up on time, she did take us to the locations we asked for so that was fine. Would have been nice to know what she was saying most of the time (as was the case with other Thais) but never mind….we were on holiday and the sn was shining!!
IN the evening we stayed at the Ananda Museum Gallery outside Sukhothai. We were shown to a groundfloor room with no window (!!!!) and a smell of toilet but when we asked to be moved were shown to a first floor room with balcony so that was quickly sorted. The hotel is nice (if you get the right room!) but is a bit out of the way as it is 15km out of Sukhothai. It has a nice restaurant with outside tables so we were happy enough.
The next day we visited the ruins at Sukhothai and these were outstanding. As I said, Ayuthaia pales in comparison. We had lunch at a small noodle shop near the ruins and then in the afternoon walked around the market in the new town.
On the 29th we drove on to Sri Satchanalai. This was by far the most beautiful and magical historical site on our trip. The old city sprawls across quite a sizeable piece of land so it was good to be in a car. We did a lot of climbing steps; walking in and out of temples and chatting to groups of Thai schoolchildren who were a lot more interested in a very tall farang than in their history lesson!!
Then we drove on to Lampang Luang which is a lovely temple near to Lampang. That evening we stayed at the Lampang River Lodge which I would not recommend. We had a “luxury room” which was nice enough as it overlooked the pond but had no windows (had mosquito net though!) so at night we got very very cold. If you do stay I would suggest you get a standard room (they have glass windows!). We also had the worst meal of our trip and got attacked by mosquitoes during it!
On the 30th we drove on to the National Elephant Institute near Lampang. We had not managed to book the one day training course but as suggested by other Fodorites, we got there early, took a 30 minute elephant ride which was great fun, then saw the elephant bathing at 9:45 and the show at 10:00. We looked out for KimJapan and his 8 year old daughter but didn’t see any Japanese girls or maybe we missed them! Shame. The Insitute makes for a great morning and is definitely a good place to go.
My assessment of the “roadtrip” is that it is great. If I were to do it again though, I would probably fly from Bangkok to Sukhothai or Phitasoulok (spelling?) start the drive from there and skip Ayuthaia.
In the afternoon we got to Chiang Mai where we stayed at the Yaang Come Village. The hotel is great. Some rooms are still being build but we hear no building noise. We had a huge room with a very large bathroom with walk-in shower. The pool is nice and the restaurant serves great food (a superb green curry and tasty pomelo salad!). The manager-lady was always present and ready to answer any query. We so enjoyed the place we spent all afternoon there and failed to visit the nearby shops!!
For dinner we went to the Gallery which we were very unhappy with. Service was slow and food so so. We ended up canceling our main course order (1 hour wait!!) and walked away having only had salad. We took a TukTuk (having avoided them in Bangkok we took one in Chiang Mai!!) to the night Bazaar and walked around a little. Mused on all the antiques we could have bought and mailed home had we not busted all our money on a honeymoon!
The next morning at 7:30 we were picked up by Itthiphon (Pom). A different guide I’d read about in a posting on tripadvisor. I’ve posted about him already but he was great. He’s 24 but as he was a monk in Chiang Mai from ages 12 to 22 he knows a LOT about Chiang Mai, its temples and – interestingly – knows a lot about Buddhism and religious traditions. He took us up to Doi Suthep which was crowded with Thais out to worship and then on to two other temples in town. We finished our tour with a walk around the main fruit/veg/flower/meat market which was great fun.
In the afternoon we relaxed by the pool at Yaang Come before heading off to the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi for our new year’s eve celebrations!!
The Dhara Dhevi is just something else. The setting is astonishing! We had a cocktail at the Rice Terrace bar which is just magical…. The service is amazing and everyting, even down to the toilets (!) is just incredible. We then had dinner at the Grand Lanna. The setting is, again, amazing. As it was new year’s eve they had a buffet. The food was good but not excellent (often the case with buffets) but the setting was incedible. After that we went on to the new year countdown party on the main lawn at the Dhara Dhevi and again it was like a fairytale. They had dancers, fireeaters, drummers, the lot (sadly they also had a fairly cheesy bad playing!). To top it all off, just after midnight, they had us all set off the paper lanterns into the sky. A lovely lovely place and many brownie points for me!!
On 1 January we took a thai flight direct from Chiang Mai to Phuket. At Phuket airport (no rain!!) we were met by a chauffer from our hotel (www.slh.com/zeavola) who took us to a speedboat to ferry us over to Koh Phi Phi. On arrival on the beach were met by staff with parasols, cold drinks and wet towels. Great stuff.
The beach on Phi Phi was lovely (on the opposite side of where Ton Say bay is and where the Tsunami hit – Zeavola is on the same side as the Phi Phi island village which others have posted on). So far only 20 of the 52 villas are complete and only one of the two restaurants is operational but then that is why we got pre-opening prices. We had no problem at all with building work or noise. The villas were superb – they are made to look simple and rural when in fact they have all mod-cons including dvd, cd player, electric bamboo blinds, outside/inside bathrooms, 24h room service etc. It is a five-star and the official prices are very much five star but has a very Robinson Crusoe feel to it. The service is sometimes lacking (45 minute wait fro breakfast with only si guests present!!) but ever so friendly and smiley. The owner was there the day we arrived. He’s obviouslt doing his homework because I’ve read abot Zeavola in a dozen or so publications (from CN Traveler, to Time, to the Herald Tribune to Harpers Bazaar and Vogue!!) but he might want to spend a little more time training his staff to be of five-star level!! We loved our stay at Zeavola. We wee day five days and it was quite, relaxing and lovely but they need to pull up their socks is they want to compete with the big boys on Pukhet!
On one day we took a longtail boat trip to PhiPhi Lee and May Bay (of “the beach” fame) which was lovely albeit crowded. On the way back we stopped at Ton Say the main built up area on Phi Phi which was completely destroyed by the Tsunami. It is completely up and running again. Full of backpacker B&Bs, diveshops, tourist shops etc. Has quite a seedy feel to it but am told it was like this before Tsunami so guess things are back to normal. At any rate was completely packed with backpackers.
Yesterday January 6th, we left PhiPhi and were sad to leave our days of rest at Zeavola. We took the speedboat back to Phuket. As we had four hours to wait for our flight we went to the Amanpuri for lunch. Now I understand this is the most expensive hotel on Phuket. Possibly one of the most expensive in Thailand, voted amongst the best in CN traveler awards etc. etc. The setting is lovely but after the laid back feel of Zeavola on Phi Phi I must say that the Amanpuri felt a bit like a condominium with a pool!! Having said that the meal we had was the very best thai food we had during our trip!
Now we’re back home. Temperature is -2C as opposed to +32C yesterday. It’s snowing… We’re longing to go back already but maybe a trip to Laos and/or Cambodia before a new trip to Thailand!!
Happy travels.
The Banyan Tree Bangkok gave us our room straight away even though it was only 8am when we checked in. That was nice. They slightly messed up in that the “honeymoon welcome” was not ready when we arrived (had mailed them twice with arrival details) but was arranged in bits and pieces throughout the morning with a bottle of red wine (?) being delivered to our room half an hour after our arrival (at 8:30 am!!!) and then later some fruit, and then later some flowers. Anyway. The room was great. No upgrade but they were pretty full up. We had a post-flight&jetlag massage at 10:00 which was superb though expensive. At any rate by lunchtime we were ready to leave the hotel.
We had lunch at nearby Baan Kahtinka (on corner of Sathong just past the French Embassy) which was packed full of Thais and Japanese and served a spicy spicy curry. After that we set off, in a taxi, to a tailor (Julie across the street from Assumption College near the Oriental Hotel) for the wife to get some trouser-suits made. She brought one with her so making copies in 48 hours was no hassle. She had tow made in wool (at 6000 Bath per suit). After that we took the skytrain to go to Jim Thompson House Museum which was a good start to our Bangkok sightseeing as, by this stage, we were completely jetlagged and tired! The museum is great and the guided visit is a good introduction to Thai English pronunciation!
After that we took the Skytrain back to SalaDeng and whislt walking back to the hotel we stopped off at Ruen Nuad massage parlour (on Convent Road) to have an unscheduled hour long oil massage. At 650 Bath it was a tenth of the Banyan Tree massage in the morning and though clearly a lot more cheap and cheerful possibly better!
Though almost falling asleep by this stage we went back to the hotel, had a shower and then walked over to the Sukhothai hotel for dinner at the Celadon restaurant. The restaurant was lovely and the food was great. A tad bit expensive but hey, first day of honeymoon and Xmas eve!!! As we left the Sukhotai hotel we ran into a wedding reception being held in the courtyards by obviously very wealthy Thais so we wished the happy couple best of luck!!
On 25th December. Xmas day. Am not a practicing man myself but the wife is so we took a taxi down to the Assumption Cathedral which is right next door to the Oriental Hotel. Now I’ve been to mass maybe half a dozen times in my life but the priest’s sermon was a nice touch as was all about caring for others with many references to Tsunami, HIV victims, careworkers etc. Many Xmas carols sung in English and Thai!
After that we walked into the Oriental Hotel and out to the peer to get a longtail boat to take us to Wat Arun and all around Khlong Bangkok (1h30). We only stopped at Wat Arun as we preferred to spend longer time going around the canal. We got back in time for our 13:30 lunch booking at the China House (one of Gloria’s tips!). And for our Xmas lunch we had the Peking Duck. This was superb. The food was excellent and the service outstanding. They kept playing the same three xmas carols which was a little nnerving but the duck was heavenly.
We then took a taxi to Jim Thompson Silk shop and then to nearby Jim Thompson outlet where we but quite a few yards of silk. Then off, by taxi, to Central Childom which was packed full of shoppers and then walked on to a Gayshorn and Erewan shopping malls. Must say I didn’t expect downtown Bangkok to be quite so show-offish in terms of shops. I realize it is a minority of Thais that are wealthy, but man are they wealthy!!!! Luxury shops and luxury prices!!
Anyway by sunset we were exhausted so we took the skytrain back to the Banyan Tree, had a shower and then took a taxi to LeLys for dinner. We spent 45 minutes stuck in the evening traffic which was not so good!! At the LeLys the food was excellent but I must say we were very much underwhelmed by the location and the service!
On 26th we set off, by Taxi, for the Grand Palace. We spent a few hours visiting here lost in the crowds of tourist, the rain (!) and the heat. We then took another taxi all the way to Emporium shopping mall (almost 1 hour in the taxi and still only 120 Bath!). Here we had planned to have lunch in the mall’s food court. But then on the top floor we discovered that past the mall’s food court, past all the separate restaurant, there is a specific food court for the Emporium department store itself, and that within this there is a stand of Indian Food from Face Restaurant. Had hoped to go to Face but no time so very pleased of this surprise turn of events! Food was excellent and quite cheap.
After a while in Emporium, buying a few gifts for people back home, we hopped onto the skytrain and went to Siam square. I must say that by now I was all shopped out so we wondered round Siam Discovery in a daze and ended up having a foot massage in Tharn on the top floor which was excellent.
Later that evening we met up with friends who’ve been living in BKK for the past three years and they took us to Mahanaga for dinner which was also excellent. We sat outside so don’t know if any jazz was being played indoors.
On 27th we set of on our “roadtrip”! Kaew (the guide recommended by Ratt) turned up 15 minutes early (good sign) and within only 1 hour we were in Ayuthaya. It was great to get out of Bangkok and out of the chaos! See a bit of countyside made a change. Ayuthaya was great. In retrospect though I see what Gloria meant when she wrote that the countryside outside Bangkok is not that interesting. It isn’t until you get up towards Sukhothai that the scenery gets really interesting. Also when compared to Sukhotai or Sri Satchanalai, the ruins in Ayuthaia tend to pale into insignificance. At any rate, interesting stuff.
Already our first “problems” started with Kaew. She’s not here to defend herself so I won’t insist too much but suffice to say: a) she was presented to us as a guide (she had a badge and often said she usually worked as a guide for larger groups with a drive) but most of the time we had no idea at all what she was saying (must say often tried to listen to what other thai guides were saying for we had major problems understanding Kaew) b) we spend four days battling to get her to turn off of turn down the airconditioning in the car which she liked ice-cold – having asked her maybe five times the first day, five times the second we gave up and wore sweaters in the car which was ridiculous given we were paying c) on two occasions she “refused” to understand what we were saying and took us for lunch in places she decided upon despite our requests to go elsewhere. At any rate, at the time it drove me beserk but now it’s all in the past so who cares. She did always turn up on time, she did take us to the locations we asked for so that was fine. Would have been nice to know what she was saying most of the time (as was the case with other Thais) but never mind….we were on holiday and the sn was shining!!
IN the evening we stayed at the Ananda Museum Gallery outside Sukhothai. We were shown to a groundfloor room with no window (!!!!) and a smell of toilet but when we asked to be moved were shown to a first floor room with balcony so that was quickly sorted. The hotel is nice (if you get the right room!) but is a bit out of the way as it is 15km out of Sukhothai. It has a nice restaurant with outside tables so we were happy enough.
The next day we visited the ruins at Sukhothai and these were outstanding. As I said, Ayuthaia pales in comparison. We had lunch at a small noodle shop near the ruins and then in the afternoon walked around the market in the new town.
On the 29th we drove on to Sri Satchanalai. This was by far the most beautiful and magical historical site on our trip. The old city sprawls across quite a sizeable piece of land so it was good to be in a car. We did a lot of climbing steps; walking in and out of temples and chatting to groups of Thai schoolchildren who were a lot more interested in a very tall farang than in their history lesson!!
Then we drove on to Lampang Luang which is a lovely temple near to Lampang. That evening we stayed at the Lampang River Lodge which I would not recommend. We had a “luxury room” which was nice enough as it overlooked the pond but had no windows (had mosquito net though!) so at night we got very very cold. If you do stay I would suggest you get a standard room (they have glass windows!). We also had the worst meal of our trip and got attacked by mosquitoes during it!
On the 30th we drove on to the National Elephant Institute near Lampang. We had not managed to book the one day training course but as suggested by other Fodorites, we got there early, took a 30 minute elephant ride which was great fun, then saw the elephant bathing at 9:45 and the show at 10:00. We looked out for KimJapan and his 8 year old daughter but didn’t see any Japanese girls or maybe we missed them! Shame. The Insitute makes for a great morning and is definitely a good place to go.
My assessment of the “roadtrip” is that it is great. If I were to do it again though, I would probably fly from Bangkok to Sukhothai or Phitasoulok (spelling?) start the drive from there and skip Ayuthaia.
In the afternoon we got to Chiang Mai where we stayed at the Yaang Come Village. The hotel is great. Some rooms are still being build but we hear no building noise. We had a huge room with a very large bathroom with walk-in shower. The pool is nice and the restaurant serves great food (a superb green curry and tasty pomelo salad!). The manager-lady was always present and ready to answer any query. We so enjoyed the place we spent all afternoon there and failed to visit the nearby shops!!
For dinner we went to the Gallery which we were very unhappy with. Service was slow and food so so. We ended up canceling our main course order (1 hour wait!!) and walked away having only had salad. We took a TukTuk (having avoided them in Bangkok we took one in Chiang Mai!!) to the night Bazaar and walked around a little. Mused on all the antiques we could have bought and mailed home had we not busted all our money on a honeymoon!
The next morning at 7:30 we were picked up by Itthiphon (Pom). A different guide I’d read about in a posting on tripadvisor. I’ve posted about him already but he was great. He’s 24 but as he was a monk in Chiang Mai from ages 12 to 22 he knows a LOT about Chiang Mai, its temples and – interestingly – knows a lot about Buddhism and religious traditions. He took us up to Doi Suthep which was crowded with Thais out to worship and then on to two other temples in town. We finished our tour with a walk around the main fruit/veg/flower/meat market which was great fun.
In the afternoon we relaxed by the pool at Yaang Come before heading off to the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi for our new year’s eve celebrations!!
The Dhara Dhevi is just something else. The setting is astonishing! We had a cocktail at the Rice Terrace bar which is just magical…. The service is amazing and everyting, even down to the toilets (!) is just incredible. We then had dinner at the Grand Lanna. The setting is, again, amazing. As it was new year’s eve they had a buffet. The food was good but not excellent (often the case with buffets) but the setting was incedible. After that we went on to the new year countdown party on the main lawn at the Dhara Dhevi and again it was like a fairytale. They had dancers, fireeaters, drummers, the lot (sadly they also had a fairly cheesy bad playing!). To top it all off, just after midnight, they had us all set off the paper lanterns into the sky. A lovely lovely place and many brownie points for me!!
On 1 January we took a thai flight direct from Chiang Mai to Phuket. At Phuket airport (no rain!!) we were met by a chauffer from our hotel (www.slh.com/zeavola) who took us to a speedboat to ferry us over to Koh Phi Phi. On arrival on the beach were met by staff with parasols, cold drinks and wet towels. Great stuff.
The beach on Phi Phi was lovely (on the opposite side of where Ton Say bay is and where the Tsunami hit – Zeavola is on the same side as the Phi Phi island village which others have posted on). So far only 20 of the 52 villas are complete and only one of the two restaurants is operational but then that is why we got pre-opening prices. We had no problem at all with building work or noise. The villas were superb – they are made to look simple and rural when in fact they have all mod-cons including dvd, cd player, electric bamboo blinds, outside/inside bathrooms, 24h room service etc. It is a five-star and the official prices are very much five star but has a very Robinson Crusoe feel to it. The service is sometimes lacking (45 minute wait fro breakfast with only si guests present!!) but ever so friendly and smiley. The owner was there the day we arrived. He’s obviouslt doing his homework because I’ve read abot Zeavola in a dozen or so publications (from CN Traveler, to Time, to the Herald Tribune to Harpers Bazaar and Vogue!!) but he might want to spend a little more time training his staff to be of five-star level!! We loved our stay at Zeavola. We wee day five days and it was quite, relaxing and lovely but they need to pull up their socks is they want to compete with the big boys on Pukhet!
On one day we took a longtail boat trip to PhiPhi Lee and May Bay (of “the beach” fame) which was lovely albeit crowded. On the way back we stopped at Ton Say the main built up area on Phi Phi which was completely destroyed by the Tsunami. It is completely up and running again. Full of backpacker B&Bs, diveshops, tourist shops etc. Has quite a seedy feel to it but am told it was like this before Tsunami so guess things are back to normal. At any rate was completely packed with backpackers.
Yesterday January 6th, we left PhiPhi and were sad to leave our days of rest at Zeavola. We took the speedboat back to Phuket. As we had four hours to wait for our flight we went to the Amanpuri for lunch. Now I understand this is the most expensive hotel on Phuket. Possibly one of the most expensive in Thailand, voted amongst the best in CN traveler awards etc. etc. The setting is lovely but after the laid back feel of Zeavola on Phi Phi I must say that the Amanpuri felt a bit like a condominium with a pool!! Having said that the meal we had was the very best thai food we had during our trip!
Now we’re back home. Temperature is -2C as opposed to +32C yesterday. It’s snowing… We’re longing to go back already but maybe a trip to Laos and/or Cambodia before a new trip to Thailand!!
Happy travels.
Jan 7th, 2006 | 06:46 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
Forgot about the weather.
It rained on us in Bangkok and Ayuthaya the morning of the 27th. After that sunshine all the way until 1/1 except pretty cool at night in Lampang and Chiang Mai.
In Koh PhiPhi it rained almost every day but usually only for 45 minutes early in the morning. We had sunshine most of the other time (very powerful sun!!!)
It rained on us in Bangkok and Ayuthaya the morning of the 27th. After that sunshine all the way until 1/1 except pretty cool at night in Lampang and Chiang Mai.
In Koh PhiPhi it rained almost every day but usually only for 45 minutes early in the morning. We had sunshine most of the other time (very powerful sun!!!)
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Jan 7th, 2006 | 05:52 PM
#10
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
Having now slept for seven hours I've just re-read my post and am stunned by the amount of typos and spelling mistakes! I put it down to jetlag and the fact that we'd been travelling for 29 hours solid from PhiPhi to Phuket to Bangkok to Europe....
Gosh if Kim is not Japanese then I suspect we did see her daughter! Rather we did see a young girl at the Elephant show - in fact she was more or less running the show!! Very confident!
Bob, I did write to Ratt with our views on the guide (in fact feel a little guilty about it... but as you say she needs feedback).
Now am trying to work our why Stitchintime - when she wrote to our excellent guide in Chiang Mai - got that wierd message back from an unknown gentleman...
all the best
Gosh if Kim is not Japanese then I suspect we did see her daughter! Rather we did see a young girl at the Elephant show - in fact she was more or less running the show!! Very confident!
Bob, I did write to Ratt with our views on the guide (in fact feel a little guilty about it... but as you say she needs feedback).
Now am trying to work our why Stitchintime - when she wrote to our excellent guide in Chiang Mai - got that wierd message back from an unknown gentleman...
all the best
Jan 8th, 2006 | 12:35 AM
#14
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
Bella,
i'd say it might be dooable if you leave very early in the morning (probably about 2h drive each way) but you'd be more relaxed if you spent the night somewhere near there or along the way (for example spend the night in Lampang on the way back so to get to Elephant insistute nice and early the next day before getting back to ChiangMai)
i'd say it might be dooable if you leave very early in the morning (probably about 2h drive each way) but you'd be more relaxed if you spent the night somewhere near there or along the way (for example spend the night in Lampang on the way back so to get to Elephant insistute nice and early the next day before getting back to ChiangMai)
Jan 8th, 2006 | 12:00 PM
#16
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
aloha brussels....
great report...isnt phi phi island an amazing get away...the real paradise island. i even liked ton sai and its
seedy feel...lots of fun.
we did a similar road trip but departing from chiang mai to the golden triangle, day trip to burma, to lampang,
sukhothai, ayyuthuya to bangkok with ratts sister poon. i agree that the ruins and historical sites of sukhothai (sp) were incredible. we chose hotels enroute..no reservations and had many interesting experiences.
reading your trip report was like revisiting the areas...great job.
great report...isnt phi phi island an amazing get away...the real paradise island. i even liked ton sai and its
seedy feel...lots of fun.
we did a similar road trip but departing from chiang mai to the golden triangle, day trip to burma, to lampang,
sukhothai, ayyuthuya to bangkok with ratts sister poon. i agree that the ruins and historical sites of sukhothai (sp) were incredible. we chose hotels enroute..no reservations and had many interesting experiences.
reading your trip report was like revisiting the areas...great job.
Jan 8th, 2006 | 03:57 PM
#18
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 0
Great report. fuyll of the little details that make them so interesting. Curious that wqe were in BKk on dec. 26 and did not get any rain. My son was at the Grand Palace in the morning and did not get any there. I guess it's very localized weather.
Jan 8th, 2006 | 11:40 PM
#19
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
Gpanda, on the 26th it "dribbled" a little once or twice but as am sure you saw, it poured on the morning of the 27th (as we were leaving Bangkok) so much so that it was the main news item on the tv news that evening!
DiveDiva - PhiPhi was indeed a great place to R&R and chill out.
DiveDiva - PhiPhi was indeed a great place to R&R and chill out.
