Trip Report - Just Back From BKK and Beyond
Apr 25th, 2008, 08:59 AM
#21
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Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We are with one of Tong's guides for a day in BKK and then (hopefully) Tong for the Floating Market, Toger Temple, and River Kwai.
Given that it was as hot as you say in April, I guess we'd better start gearing up for unbearably hot in June
! Looking forward to the rest of your report.
Given that it was as hot as you say in April, I guess we'd better start gearing up for unbearably hot in June
! Looking forward to the rest of your report.
Apr 25th, 2008, 01:55 PM
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I couldn't agree more about Coconut Palm. While we were still early in our trip and liked the spicy prawn dish (we had asked for it extra spicy), the entire meal was just average. We ended up making it to Chote Chitr on our very last day of the trip and think it's a much better choice!
I don't remember reading about Coconut Palm before we left, but I definitely notice it now. Oh well.
I don't remember reading about Coconut Palm before we left, but I definitely notice it now. Oh well.
Apr 25th, 2008, 02:08 PM
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rhkkmk-
I liked Ayutthaya, but I wouldn't do it unless you've already covered everything on your wishlist or you just happen to adore ruins. I'm pretty easy to please because I can find something fun in just about anything, but I wouldn't put it on my top ten list.
BTW, have a great time in Bali; that's another place I adore. If by Putu, you mean Putu Arnawa, tell him hello from Susan and Craig - we've used him twice and he took us to his nephew's wedding at the family compound where it rained so much we were all up to our ankles - a real life Monsoon Wedding. We did up a video of the wedding and sent it to them!
I liked Ayutthaya, but I wouldn't do it unless you've already covered everything on your wishlist or you just happen to adore ruins. I'm pretty easy to please because I can find something fun in just about anything, but I wouldn't put it on my top ten list.
BTW, have a great time in Bali; that's another place I adore. If by Putu, you mean Putu Arnawa, tell him hello from Susan and Craig - we've used him twice and he took us to his nephew's wedding at the family compound where it rained so much we were all up to our ankles - a real life Monsoon Wedding. We did up a video of the wedding and sent it to them!
Apr 25th, 2008, 07:57 PM
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DAY FOUR
We debated between taking the skyrain or the metro to the Chatuchak Market and decided to give the metro a try. Very user friendly, clean and COLD especially compared to the very hot day outside. We got off at the Kampaengphet station which took us directly into the market at the far left corner (if you're looking at the Nancy Chandler map). We were there forever, as DH is physically incapable of leaving any aisle unwalked - and the place winds around so much that some aisles got walked several times before one of us noticed that the stalls looked awfully familiar. Finally stopped for a cold beer and had a nice chat with two Irish couples in a really cute and crowded little cafe with a nice fan blowing over us. Bought just a few things and felt like I'd survived relatively unscathed when we came upon a little more upscale section where a standing buddha caught our eye. We are really suckers for buddhas of all sorts. It really didn't look THAT big, so it ended up coming home with us. Well, when we got back to the hotel we found that the buddha had miraculously increased in size. It was definitely not going to fir into our longest dive bag until my own personal McGyver took apart the base and made him fit. From long personal experience we always carry a spare sturdy nylon duffel and it came in handy, because we had to rearrange. But that's the beauty of travel.
That night we decided to walk over to the Pickled Liver and introduce ourselves to Carol's friend Maeng. She was so gracious and sat with us and showed us photos of Carol and family and friends, and introduced us to her business partner. We told how much we'd heard about her cooking, in particular her garlic shrimp. She cooked us that, plus a red curry and a noodle dish. She was surprised that we wanted dineer so early, but we hadn't eaten anything since our big breakfast at Adelphi! It felt very strange being in this British Pub with all these guys watching the Manchester United, while eating Thai food with a lovely Thai lady. What a mix of cultures. Maeng suggested we go hear jzz in the basement of the Landmark (see simpsonc510's posts on that as we were too tired). We wandered around a little checking out some of the seedy lower numbered sois in the Nana district and we were glad that our hotel was in a quieter soi.
DAY FIVE
Today it looked like it was going to rain. We were set to go to the Tiger Temple, originally with Tong, but since she was sick, she had set us up with Q. He was a sweet young guy who picked us up in a car with a driver. On the way to Kanchanaburi it started to absolutely pour. We saw several accidents on the road! I mean really hard rain.
We had told Tong that we were not very interested in a lot of WWII stuff like the Bridge over the River Kwai and the cemetaries. She had suggested monkey school, which could be amusing, although after the hundreds of monkeys at the secret place, not totally thrilling, especially in this rain. It made the trip much longer as we were driving slower and we stopped at a Tesco-Lotus so Q could buy umbrellas (a good deal BTW, around $2 - $2.50 per umbrella). He said they were cheaper this time of year because it wasn't the rainy season yet. While I thought I had indicated otherwise, Q seemed to be determined that we were going to a museum and he suggested the Thai Burma Railway Centre rather than the JEATH, I think because it's air conditioned. I decided to go along with the program and it actually turned out to be really interesting , though depressing, to see how the Japanese were able to build this very difficult railway through the mountain pass so quickly (and cruelly) in spite of the engineering difficulties. If you are at all interested in WWII history, do go.
By the time we left the museum, it was time for the Tiger Temple. Like many people on this board, I had debated whether it was appropriate to go there, and finally realized that my urge to get that close to a tiger overrode any PC notions. This in spite of the SF Zoo death. I'm glad we went. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast and cool. This actually made the lighting better for photos, we weren't sweltering and neither were the tigers. The staff warned us that because it wasn't as hot the tigers might be a little more lively, but they had just been well exercised and had just eaten. The tigers are really beautiful and while I am no expert, they did not appear drugged. Later in the Tiger Canyon some seemed to be napping while digesting lunch, but the REALLY big one decided to roll over and then stand up to use the nearby tree as a scratching post. Q had bought some milk tablets and was feeding a tiger. Of course, I just had to do that, so he gave me some and the staff instructed me to keep my fingers tight and stretched away from my palm, so the tiger wouldn't eat one for a snack. The tiger would try to lick the tablets out of my palm, but when they got too sticky for him to get anymore, I took my hand away and put more tablets in it to make it easier. I wanted to leave with the same fingers I already had. His tongue was a lot softer than I expected. Less rough than my cat's. The fur was rougher than expected though. The only fatalities of the day were one woman's shirt (she got peed on and luckily she was in front of me!) and another's camera. The staff takes your camera to take photos of you with the tiger and he dropped it. It broke and there was no recourse for her, just an oh, sorry. She was not too happy. So be careful and don't take your very best camera.
The other animals were fun too. We fed Bam Bam (though it was sad to see her in that hard, boring cage), lots of wild boar, deer, and lots of preening male peacocks with their tails full open courting the ladies. Good photo ops!
We ended up staying so long that bathing elephants or any other activity was going to make us very late back to BKK, and frankly, we didn't feel like it would be worth paying overtime for. Besides which, just as we left the Tiger Temple it started raining again. Poor Q never even got to eat lunch, but he had picked up some bags of M&M's. He was very conscientious and sincere, and while we had been told he was not confident about English, we thought he did very well.
That night we decided to eat within walking distance of the hotel and decided to take a look at Cabbages and Condoms, which my parents had gone to many years ago. The outdoor area is very pretty with all the twinkly lights and foliage. And you've gotta love a mannikin wearing an outfit totally made of condoms. And, it's a good cause. But, I didn't the food was terrific.
Finally, it was time for a foot massage. I love these, but for some reason hadn't yet had one. There were 3 places all in a row on the soi. I'd been noticing that two of them never had anyone in them but the third always did, so of course I went where the crowds were. I figured they all couldn't be wrong. It was great! And the lady I had didn't kill me with the wooden dowel, like some people have. I was definitely coming back for more tomorrow. Carol - if you read this, it's the place called Footjoy on Soi 8, and while they aren't always at the same chair, she usually sits at the end one closest to the cashier. Her hands are really strong and the third night in a row that I came in, she gave me an extra long extra nice massage. Try it!
We debated between taking the skyrain or the metro to the Chatuchak Market and decided to give the metro a try. Very user friendly, clean and COLD especially compared to the very hot day outside. We got off at the Kampaengphet station which took us directly into the market at the far left corner (if you're looking at the Nancy Chandler map). We were there forever, as DH is physically incapable of leaving any aisle unwalked - and the place winds around so much that some aisles got walked several times before one of us noticed that the stalls looked awfully familiar. Finally stopped for a cold beer and had a nice chat with two Irish couples in a really cute and crowded little cafe with a nice fan blowing over us. Bought just a few things and felt like I'd survived relatively unscathed when we came upon a little more upscale section where a standing buddha caught our eye. We are really suckers for buddhas of all sorts. It really didn't look THAT big, so it ended up coming home with us. Well, when we got back to the hotel we found that the buddha had miraculously increased in size. It was definitely not going to fir into our longest dive bag until my own personal McGyver took apart the base and made him fit. From long personal experience we always carry a spare sturdy nylon duffel and it came in handy, because we had to rearrange. But that's the beauty of travel.
That night we decided to walk over to the Pickled Liver and introduce ourselves to Carol's friend Maeng. She was so gracious and sat with us and showed us photos of Carol and family and friends, and introduced us to her business partner. We told how much we'd heard about her cooking, in particular her garlic shrimp. She cooked us that, plus a red curry and a noodle dish. She was surprised that we wanted dineer so early, but we hadn't eaten anything since our big breakfast at Adelphi! It felt very strange being in this British Pub with all these guys watching the Manchester United, while eating Thai food with a lovely Thai lady. What a mix of cultures. Maeng suggested we go hear jzz in the basement of the Landmark (see simpsonc510's posts on that as we were too tired). We wandered around a little checking out some of the seedy lower numbered sois in the Nana district and we were glad that our hotel was in a quieter soi.
DAY FIVE
Today it looked like it was going to rain. We were set to go to the Tiger Temple, originally with Tong, but since she was sick, she had set us up with Q. He was a sweet young guy who picked us up in a car with a driver. On the way to Kanchanaburi it started to absolutely pour. We saw several accidents on the road! I mean really hard rain.
We had told Tong that we were not very interested in a lot of WWII stuff like the Bridge over the River Kwai and the cemetaries. She had suggested monkey school, which could be amusing, although after the hundreds of monkeys at the secret place, not totally thrilling, especially in this rain. It made the trip much longer as we were driving slower and we stopped at a Tesco-Lotus so Q could buy umbrellas (a good deal BTW, around $2 - $2.50 per umbrella). He said they were cheaper this time of year because it wasn't the rainy season yet. While I thought I had indicated otherwise, Q seemed to be determined that we were going to a museum and he suggested the Thai Burma Railway Centre rather than the JEATH, I think because it's air conditioned. I decided to go along with the program and it actually turned out to be really interesting , though depressing, to see how the Japanese were able to build this very difficult railway through the mountain pass so quickly (and cruelly) in spite of the engineering difficulties. If you are at all interested in WWII history, do go.
By the time we left the museum, it was time for the Tiger Temple. Like many people on this board, I had debated whether it was appropriate to go there, and finally realized that my urge to get that close to a tiger overrode any PC notions. This in spite of the SF Zoo death. I'm glad we went. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast and cool. This actually made the lighting better for photos, we weren't sweltering and neither were the tigers. The staff warned us that because it wasn't as hot the tigers might be a little more lively, but they had just been well exercised and had just eaten. The tigers are really beautiful and while I am no expert, they did not appear drugged. Later in the Tiger Canyon some seemed to be napping while digesting lunch, but the REALLY big one decided to roll over and then stand up to use the nearby tree as a scratching post. Q had bought some milk tablets and was feeding a tiger. Of course, I just had to do that, so he gave me some and the staff instructed me to keep my fingers tight and stretched away from my palm, so the tiger wouldn't eat one for a snack. The tiger would try to lick the tablets out of my palm, but when they got too sticky for him to get anymore, I took my hand away and put more tablets in it to make it easier. I wanted to leave with the same fingers I already had. His tongue was a lot softer than I expected. Less rough than my cat's. The fur was rougher than expected though. The only fatalities of the day were one woman's shirt (she got peed on and luckily she was in front of me!) and another's camera. The staff takes your camera to take photos of you with the tiger and he dropped it. It broke and there was no recourse for her, just an oh, sorry. She was not too happy. So be careful and don't take your very best camera.
The other animals were fun too. We fed Bam Bam (though it was sad to see her in that hard, boring cage), lots of wild boar, deer, and lots of preening male peacocks with their tails full open courting the ladies. Good photo ops!
We ended up staying so long that bathing elephants or any other activity was going to make us very late back to BKK, and frankly, we didn't feel like it would be worth paying overtime for. Besides which, just as we left the Tiger Temple it started raining again. Poor Q never even got to eat lunch, but he had picked up some bags of M&M's. He was very conscientious and sincere, and while we had been told he was not confident about English, we thought he did very well.
That night we decided to eat within walking distance of the hotel and decided to take a look at Cabbages and Condoms, which my parents had gone to many years ago. The outdoor area is very pretty with all the twinkly lights and foliage. And you've gotta love a mannikin wearing an outfit totally made of condoms. And, it's a good cause. But, I didn't the food was terrific.
Finally, it was time for a foot massage. I love these, but for some reason hadn't yet had one. There were 3 places all in a row on the soi. I'd been noticing that two of them never had anyone in them but the third always did, so of course I went where the crowds were. I figured they all couldn't be wrong. It was great! And the lady I had didn't kill me with the wooden dowel, like some people have. I was definitely coming back for more tomorrow. Carol - if you read this, it's the place called Footjoy on Soi 8, and while they aren't always at the same chair, she usually sits at the end one closest to the cashier. Her hands are really strong and the third night in a row that I came in, she gave me an extra long extra nice massage. Try it!
Apr 26th, 2008, 12:23 PM
#28
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I didn't really think about it either! Perhaps using a disposable camera that day would be a good idea.
jgg - Did you get good photos of yourselves with the tigers? The ones the staff took were just okay, but DH got some really good ones. He also got some terrific shots of the peacock's tail, It would make a great abstract screensaver.
jgg - Did you get good photos of yourselves with the tigers? The ones the staff took were just okay, but DH got some really good ones. He also got some terrific shots of the peacock's tail, It would make a great abstract screensaver.
Apr 26th, 2008, 04:56 PM
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DAY SIX
This was the first day of no real plan and we thought we would take the skytrain and wander around some of Sukhumvit, try out MBK, etc. I had thought that a cycling tour would be good to do the next day, so we decided to check out one of the tour companies, ABC or Spice Road or CoVanKessel. It was just luck of the draw that we ended up at the office of Spice Road. It turned out to be a much longer and much hotter walk from the Skytrain than it looked on a map, so I wouldn't suggest it. A phone call would have worked. I had thought that either their trip to Koh Kret or the Bangkok Jungle would work, but it turns out that they only do Koh Kret on Wed., and the "jungle" every afternoon. As long as we were there we picked out our bikes and got them properly adjusted for our height.
Since Face Spa was right back near the skytrain station, I thought it would be good to take a look, and I can see why people like it so much. It was totally empty and too hot for a massage and then to get back in the same clothes so we decided to stop for a cold drink. One of the owners was there and gave us a tour around, including a beautiful room they rent out for parties (those of you doing a GTG in Bangkok should look at that!), done in lovely Thai style with old reused bords for quite a unique floor. Standing buddhas and huge floral arrangements added to the ambience. It was a nice rest stop, but what I really wanted by now was a shower. Back to the hotel to freshen up and then off to MBK.
I am not the greatest shopper and I admire those of you who can navigate your way through Thai mega-malls. We found it totally overwhelming. WOW! I've never seen so many cell phones in my life. Fry's electronics will look like a little mom & pop store after this. It was fascinating and bewildering, and I was getting hungry. We had thought we'd try the food court, but visions of Chote Chitr were dancing in my head. I had had the hotel write down the intersection of Tanao and Kanlayana Matri in Thai, so I could show it to a taxi driver. Outside MBK we finally found a taxi who would use a meter and was willing to go there. We had a wild ride as he was in the far right lane and I was trying to get across to him that we wanted to turn left on Tanao! We managed to wind our way over 4 lanes with a lot of screaming Aaaaahh, and we were on our way. I knew I could find the restaurant if I could just get to that intersection, but we raced right past it before I noticed. I had him pull a u-turn and he looked like he thought I was totally crazy! Anyway, we found it and I was surprised at how cheap the taxi was for the distance. I can see why it's so important to get them to use the meter.
CHOTE CHITR REDUX
This time around we were really hungry, so we debated various dishes with the owner and ended up with mee grob, eggplant salad (I wanted those again) and added banana flower salad and a red curry with duck. I really enjoyed it, but found that you need to eat the mee grob first. If you save any for the end, the taste changes and it's not as good. The owner agreed and said definitely eat it first.
We took a taxi back to MBK, had some ice cream to cool off DH's burning mouth and then went off to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. While we were in BKK it looked like the market could once again be at its end, but was still open when we left, though I've read some articles indicating its imminent demise. Anyone know the latest on this? We wondered around and bought a few things, but I totally forgot that one of the things I had wanted to do was to check out the Joe Lewis Puppet Theatre. Has anyone gone to it, and if so, how was it?
Once we were good and tired, we went back to the hotel and I revisited Footjoy and got another great massage from the same lady. At first I asked if she was too tired to do one, as she was working on someone else, but the cashier said, no, she wanted me to wait for her and that "she had the power'. and she did! It was great.
This was the first day of no real plan and we thought we would take the skytrain and wander around some of Sukhumvit, try out MBK, etc. I had thought that a cycling tour would be good to do the next day, so we decided to check out one of the tour companies, ABC or Spice Road or CoVanKessel. It was just luck of the draw that we ended up at the office of Spice Road. It turned out to be a much longer and much hotter walk from the Skytrain than it looked on a map, so I wouldn't suggest it. A phone call would have worked. I had thought that either their trip to Koh Kret or the Bangkok Jungle would work, but it turns out that they only do Koh Kret on Wed., and the "jungle" every afternoon. As long as we were there we picked out our bikes and got them properly adjusted for our height.
Since Face Spa was right back near the skytrain station, I thought it would be good to take a look, and I can see why people like it so much. It was totally empty and too hot for a massage and then to get back in the same clothes so we decided to stop for a cold drink. One of the owners was there and gave us a tour around, including a beautiful room they rent out for parties (those of you doing a GTG in Bangkok should look at that!), done in lovely Thai style with old reused bords for quite a unique floor. Standing buddhas and huge floral arrangements added to the ambience. It was a nice rest stop, but what I really wanted by now was a shower. Back to the hotel to freshen up and then off to MBK.
I am not the greatest shopper and I admire those of you who can navigate your way through Thai mega-malls. We found it totally overwhelming. WOW! I've never seen so many cell phones in my life. Fry's electronics will look like a little mom & pop store after this. It was fascinating and bewildering, and I was getting hungry. We had thought we'd try the food court, but visions of Chote Chitr were dancing in my head. I had had the hotel write down the intersection of Tanao and Kanlayana Matri in Thai, so I could show it to a taxi driver. Outside MBK we finally found a taxi who would use a meter and was willing to go there. We had a wild ride as he was in the far right lane and I was trying to get across to him that we wanted to turn left on Tanao! We managed to wind our way over 4 lanes with a lot of screaming Aaaaahh, and we were on our way. I knew I could find the restaurant if I could just get to that intersection, but we raced right past it before I noticed. I had him pull a u-turn and he looked like he thought I was totally crazy! Anyway, we found it and I was surprised at how cheap the taxi was for the distance. I can see why it's so important to get them to use the meter.
CHOTE CHITR REDUX
This time around we were really hungry, so we debated various dishes with the owner and ended up with mee grob, eggplant salad (I wanted those again) and added banana flower salad and a red curry with duck. I really enjoyed it, but found that you need to eat the mee grob first. If you save any for the end, the taste changes and it's not as good. The owner agreed and said definitely eat it first.
We took a taxi back to MBK, had some ice cream to cool off DH's burning mouth and then went off to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. While we were in BKK it looked like the market could once again be at its end, but was still open when we left, though I've read some articles indicating its imminent demise. Anyone know the latest on this? We wondered around and bought a few things, but I totally forgot that one of the things I had wanted to do was to check out the Joe Lewis Puppet Theatre. Has anyone gone to it, and if so, how was it?
Once we were good and tired, we went back to the hotel and I revisited Footjoy and got another great massage from the same lady. At first I asked if she was too tired to do one, as she was working on someone else, but the cashier said, no, she wanted me to wait for her and that "she had the power'. and she did! It was great.
Apr 26th, 2008, 08:43 PM
#31
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LAST DAY IN BKK
Our last day we did the 1/2 day bike tour starting at 1:00pm. We were to meet at the Tesco-Lotus parking lot near Rama IV Road. It's sort like a Wal-Mart and we got there by skytrain and taxi. Since we had a little time, we went in and found some good bargains on things we were looking for anyway - a certain kind of insect repellent made in Belgium that we've only seen in Thailand. It comes in a roll-on bottle and seems to work prtty well. It's called Jaico and this was the cheapest we'd seen it, but it's still expensive compared to most.
The bike tour requires two people and we were it, though a second private group with another guide were also going the same route. As the Nancy Chandler map points out, you have to be a bit adventurous. As we soon found out, that's a wild understatement. The first kilometer before you get to the quiet rural part, is through HUGE BKK streets, 4 lanes in each direction and you have to cross all 4 lanes and make a right turn across 4 more lanes full of trucks, cars, tuktuks, motorscooters, and tons of exhaust!!! Boy, was that scary; I thought I was going to die.
That took us right to the Klong Toey area where we were catching a cross river boat to Bang Kra Jao, just a few minutes from the crowded streets we just left, but all of a sudden you're in the countryside. To see what it looks like, go to this link:
http:www.spiceroads.com
Our last day we did the 1/2 day bike tour starting at 1:00pm. We were to meet at the Tesco-Lotus parking lot near Rama IV Road. It's sort like a Wal-Mart and we got there by skytrain and taxi. Since we had a little time, we went in and found some good bargains on things we were looking for anyway - a certain kind of insect repellent made in Belgium that we've only seen in Thailand. It comes in a roll-on bottle and seems to work prtty well. It's called Jaico and this was the cheapest we'd seen it, but it's still expensive compared to most.
The bike tour requires two people and we were it, though a second private group with another guide were also going the same route. As the Nancy Chandler map points out, you have to be a bit adventurous. As we soon found out, that's a wild understatement. The first kilometer before you get to the quiet rural part, is through HUGE BKK streets, 4 lanes in each direction and you have to cross all 4 lanes and make a right turn across 4 more lanes full of trucks, cars, tuktuks, motorscooters, and tons of exhaust!!! Boy, was that scary; I thought I was going to die.
That took us right to the Klong Toey area where we were catching a cross river boat to Bang Kra Jao, just a few minutes from the crowded streets we just left, but all of a sudden you're in the countryside. To see what it looks like, go to this link:
http:www.spiceroads.com
Apr 26th, 2008, 09:12 PM
#32
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Oops! I did something wrong there and cut myself off.
Anyway, once on that link look at Thailand destinations and go to bangkok jungle. The 3rd photo down gives you a good idea of what you're facing - very narrow concrete paths mostly with no railings and about 10' above the lush green marshy ground. Really beautiful. Really scary. We did see some great sights. Two little boys covered in mud who posed for us with their catches of prawns and fish.
It is possible to get picked up at your hotel at a higher price and I'm guessing they take you directly to the pier without going through the heavy traffic. Had we but known.
Our guide told us that there's a free shuttle bus from Tesco to the skytrain, so we jumped on that and went back to the hotel. After the long ride and since we needed to pack we went back to Via Vai across the street for an Italian dinner and then I got my last foot massage (which was a total misnomer as it pretty much covered everything but my torso). It was extra long and extra good.
The next morning we flew to Phuket and met up with the rest of the dive group, staying in the Holiday Inn at Patong Beach. It's always been nice, but they've remodeled the main wing since the tsunami and they did a good job. It has a HUGE buffet breakfast and especially good is the espresso machine that instantly makes you a cappucino or whatever. They've also put in a new large shopping mall just a few blocks from the hotel.
We had a day or so before getting on the dive boat,and most everyone went on the John Gray sea canoe trip. We didn't go this time as we've been twice before, but we heard that they've now built a long pier for the boat to come in. This is really good news because in the past, if you came back at low tide you had to slog through the mud! It sounded like a good trip; John was aboard with the group again and he's quite a character.
Finally, it was time for the next adventure, 10 days on the Ocean Rover diving 5 days Burma, 4 days Thailand. Good manta ray, leopard shark and octopus encounters and loads of fishes. It was over too fast.
Thanks again for all the help from various Fodorites. I'll be asking for your advice again soon as I plan the next land excursion for our next dive trip - Banda Sea in Indonesia. We might being going through Jakarta and I know many of you know that area well!
Happy travelling to all.
Anyway, once on that link look at Thailand destinations and go to bangkok jungle. The 3rd photo down gives you a good idea of what you're facing - very narrow concrete paths mostly with no railings and about 10' above the lush green marshy ground. Really beautiful. Really scary. We did see some great sights. Two little boys covered in mud who posed for us with their catches of prawns and fish.
It is possible to get picked up at your hotel at a higher price and I'm guessing they take you directly to the pier without going through the heavy traffic. Had we but known.
Our guide told us that there's a free shuttle bus from Tesco to the skytrain, so we jumped on that and went back to the hotel. After the long ride and since we needed to pack we went back to Via Vai across the street for an Italian dinner and then I got my last foot massage (which was a total misnomer as it pretty much covered everything but my torso). It was extra long and extra good.
The next morning we flew to Phuket and met up with the rest of the dive group, staying in the Holiday Inn at Patong Beach. It's always been nice, but they've remodeled the main wing since the tsunami and they did a good job. It has a HUGE buffet breakfast and especially good is the espresso machine that instantly makes you a cappucino or whatever. They've also put in a new large shopping mall just a few blocks from the hotel.
We had a day or so before getting on the dive boat,and most everyone went on the John Gray sea canoe trip. We didn't go this time as we've been twice before, but we heard that they've now built a long pier for the boat to come in. This is really good news because in the past, if you came back at low tide you had to slog through the mud! It sounded like a good trip; John was aboard with the group again and he's quite a character.
Finally, it was time for the next adventure, 10 days on the Ocean Rover diving 5 days Burma, 4 days Thailand. Good manta ray, leopard shark and octopus encounters and loads of fishes. It was over too fast.
Thanks again for all the help from various Fodorites. I'll be asking for your advice again soon as I plan the next land excursion for our next dive trip - Banda Sea in Indonesia. We might being going through Jakarta and I know many of you know that area well!
Happy travelling to all.
Apr 27th, 2008, 11:09 AM
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rhkkmk- Have a great time in Bali! I am so jealous. My dream is to rent a villa in Ubud for 6 months and relax there between jaunts going diving all over Indonesia. DH is unfortunately not on board with this plan but I'm working on him. Can't wait to hear how your trip goes.
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marthagrif
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Jan 23rd, 2006 06:59 PM
