TRIP REPORT---RHKKMK
 

ok finally i have found time to start the actual thing....i hope no one will be disappointed that it is not as detailed as last year but that was a killer and i think fodors was mad...

some background....we are both 61 and travel frequently....karen is a registered nurse in boston and i am a retired banker...we have 2 grown daughters and 5 grandchildren....we live outside boston, ma----USA...

as many of you have experienced, as soon as the plane takes off from bangkok, you are already planning on when you can return...this was the case with us last june 20 when we left bkk for the 6th time in 10 years....added to that i spend time every day on fodors and that makes me want to return even more....the "regulars" are a fabulous source of constant info for us all and for the "newbies" and we can be thankful for that....not a day goes by that i don't jot down one or two things from fodors for future trips and/or research...

so by august, 2004, i knew that we would be able to return....i just did not know via what means as i really wanted to try another airline, especially a foreign one....we have always flown Northwest which suits us fine except for the 6 AM departure from bkk which is annoying (and the midnight arrival in bkk)...also this time my FF mile bank was slim so i would be paying for the flight...
i did a lot of hunting around and the prices were not great...united's $695 deal was gone...eva air's deluxe coach class looked interesting and we would enjoy a couple of days in taipai, but the arrival back in newark at 11:30PM was not attractive...i hooked up with chip cooper through a fodor's posting ([email protected]) and he offered me some very attractive deals especially one on ANA....but i also wanted the 20,000 FF miles from this trip...so back to N/W it was....next problem...their fares hovered around $1450 for May departures for quite a while, and i thought that was too much...then i remembered that on our first bkk trip we used N/W's world vacations arm to book and saved quite a bit...so i contacted them and sure enough i could save about $250 each and have 3 nites hotel and transfers thrown in as well, and added to the 20M miles is an additional 5M miles for using that group (now 2500)...so that sealed the deal....our flight costs from boston to bkk r.t was $1212 inclusive of taxes...i was pleased with this and the 25000 miles on top...so now to the details..

i will warn you that my spelling is BAD..bear with me...

we knew that we needed to be home for a may 14th wedding at cape cod so i scheduled the trip to commence after that....on the 14th as i packed to spend the nite at a cape motel, i threw out my back...i could hardly walk...in fact karen had to assist me and she arranged for a golf cart to take me around at the hotel where the wedding was to be held...lucky me...i popped tons of pills but by wednesday i was still hurting...i would go to bkk on a stretcher if i had to!!!...so on may 18 (a wesnesday) Hedley picked us up about 9AM...the plane was right on time as we flew out at 11:30 to minneapolis and then transferred to the 747 there with our row 63 seats (there are 4 rows of 2 seats at the back of the plane which we like...they have extra room between window seat and window--both sides)..the first leg to minneapolis was about 2-3 hours, and i was met at the gate with a wheel chair---i could get used to this...chair was too small for a big man...karen had a laugh...another was quickly found...the next 11 hours to narita (toyko) was uneventful but long...food was decent...we had brought ham and cheese sandwiches to eat in minneapolis as there is no food on the first leg...this heaping sandwich stayed with us for quite a time....in japan we were also met with a super small chair (for asian people i guess)...the little girl found another and we were off, but she had to really push hard...and we had quite a ways to go, but we got head of line which i really like...northwest has really improved its gates at narita and it is now a nice experience to go there...
the airline which formerly flew only 747's in asia has now added new airbuses on the inter-asia routes...the seating is 2-4-2...the plane was new and quite nice...the bkk flight was 6 hours and 8 minutes which is a killer after the trans-pacific leg...
at bkk we were again met by a wheel chair and the man pushed me right through immigration to a special desk and he did all the paper work...
he took me down in an elevator to baggage collection, and i tipped him, and sent him on his way, and i hobbled around from there...the bags came right out as they always do in bangkok...cheap labor market with plenty of hands...

AAC taxi/limo was waiting for us outside of the customs hall with a sign...a welcome sight....our r.t fare was a discounted 1440 B to the marriott resort and spa (regular fare is now 800B each way---700 to in town hotels)...we always use them on arrival from home and sometimes on other trips ....

we arrived at the marriott in very quick time as the driver drove like a bat out of hell--very safely however...

we were assigned to the very lucky # 666 room in the wing to the right---previously not our favorite wing...we leaned to like it...the main breakfast room was closed for a few weeks for renovation, and they were using the restaurant in the basement of our wing so that made it very easy each morning....we had a standard room with king bed and the fabulous new wooden floors that have been installed throughout the hotel...the room had full river frontage...

we took a quick walk around to slow our bodies down and by 2:30AM, we were in bed...the a/c felt so good...it was raining a bit...the bellman of course remembered us which is always a pleasure....that was friday morning when we hit the bed...

the room had been reserved through www.huahin.20m.com (jamesA's wonderful suggestion)....at the moment they were offering 6 nites for the price of 5 or some other perks for lesser stays (room upgrades)...the price had dropped about 300B per nite about a month before we left home and they kindly agreed to reducing my price...it ended up at 4000 B per nite or about $85 when you average out the 6 nites...a very good deal indeed...this includes the service and taxes and a full buffet breakfast....taxes/service, in thailand hotels, amounts to an additional 17.7% so this is a considerable savings, and breakfast is about 450 B per person...i think that puts my room price at about $65 per nite....not bad for a 4 star hotel...its not a 5 star hotel as some suggest...

we both awoke about 7:30 AM...we felt quite good...i think we took another sleeping pill...we had taken one on the trans pacific leg as well....

at 8 AM we threw on some clothes as we were starved....we took the elevator downstairs and were greeted very nicely by the 2 hostesses who also remembered us from previous trips...they were very impressed with our room number---666....our room number became a joke during future stays each morning as i made them use a crystal ball to guess the new number...we all laughed....in the dining room several of the staff greeted us...mr smiley, a nick name, rushed over to greet us and to pat my large stomach....it is a fascination for asians...buddah like....several staffers stopped by our table each morning to greet us...we got lots of looks from other guests---"who are they???"...karen always orders boiled eggs and they have to come from the kitchen, so this is noticed by others as well....they are willingly brought to youl....
the food is fantastic at the morning buffet...the only thing missing is dim sum...there is something for everyone...the best pastry in the world (marriotts are known for that), eggs of all kinds, asian soups, cheese and meat for the germans and me, fruits, breads, juices, coffee, cereals, salads etc, etc...well worth the price!!! of course to us it was free...

after breakfast we ventured out into the pool area....we were immediately greeted by the manager---"big guy" as we refer to him....there was much smiling and presenting of hand gestures...he remembers us each time and wants to know if we want our usual seats under the flowering tree next to the kiddy pool....no, this year we think karen wants more sun...and i want more shade---an umbrella...he spreads out towels for us and watches the lounges until we return after our showers...

we spent the first morning at the pool until about 2:30, as we had planned to do...we had satay and soup and bottled water for lunch at the pool...$17++...

we returned to the room about 2:30 and put most of our packed things away in drawers and i did some paper work related to the trip....

we went down to the free shuttle boat, which runs all day to and from the hotel and taskim pier (end of the skytrain) every 15 minutes...the boat men greet us with smiles...there is a new pier being built at taskim for the 3 hotels to dock at (penn, oriental and marriott)..ROS has no service....
we decide to take the peninsula boat to their hotel...we walk around and it looks as elegant as ever and in perfect condition---contrary to some fodor reports it has not gotten shabby, nor is the lobby bar claustrophobic or smelling of cigar smoke....afternoon tea is underway and a small combo is playing very pleasing music...we sit for a couple of minutes and listen...as we know that the penn boat leaves on the hour for river city we amble out to their pool and sit for a couple of minutes and are served ice water, and then amble back to their pier to be there on the hour....the staff appologize that we have to wait at all...unbelievable...
at river city shopping center, we head for j.s. thai silk on the first floor, opposite the info counter at the sheraton end of the building....we are greeted as old friends by ms yai and "the boss" and ms penny....karen always likes to look around on arrival to see what is new and different that might peak her interest....primarily they create women's clothing from silk and some other fabrics, but mostly silk...they do do some men's shirts but not much...
she found some heavy black silk for pants and several pieces of fabric for blouses....the pant price is still 2200 B she is told....

THE BAHT IS ABOUT 40 TO THE US DOLLAR... it was about 39.5 when we arrived and about 40.85 when we left a month later..

we have a very pleasant visit with them for about an hour and then move on telling them we will be back in a few days after karen thinks about what she has seen....

by this time we are beginning to get a bit tired....we decide to walk down capt. bush road to new road---past gallery cafe (gpanda's favorite) to have an early dinner at harmonique...formerly our favorite thai restaurant in bkk....it is located just next to the general post office on new road on soi 34....soi 34 has a huge colorful arch over it so you can not miss it....the restaurant is down the soi about 150 feet on the right...

we are the only customers there that early....the dotting old folks who own the place greet us and seat us in one of the a/c rooms ....the crazy one seems to be on her medecine so is not flitting around as in the past and taking your order 3 or 4 times....

our dinner was: shrimp spring rolls steamed, mushroom caps stuffed with crab meat, chicken and cashews (our signature tasting dish at all thai restaurants), lemon chicken, fried morning glories, asparagus with chinese mushrooms, 2 beers, and one large h20....delicious.... 815B...too much food really....about $20.50....

karen points out that the crazy woman now has dyed scarlet hair....she is a piece of work....

the male owner hailed a cab for us at the end of the soi as he always does...

as we were about to go over the bridge back to the hotel, the taxi pulled into a gas station---flat tire...just what we wanted while we could hardly keep our eyes open....5 minutes and we were out of there...very quick...by now it was raining...the meter was running, which made me mad....it only went up 11 B however while we were there....

we bought some cake dessert from the bakery in the ground level and ate it in our room....
we tried to stay awake as long as possible but turned in early...

a good start to our vacation...

saturday, we were awake fairly early again, not having slept very well...at 6:30 we were up and watching the river traffic...down to breakfast about 8...
the weekends are very busy at the marriott as lots of residents hang around the pool as there is no work form many people that day and many come in for the weekend...

we had a nice swim after breakfast...my back was much better finally....it started to rain...then it really poured!!!...its the beginning of the rainy season...last year we came to bkk at exactly the same time and had beautiful weather...clouding up about noon most days but little rain...so we decided to repeat our 2004 trip....this year much more rain but it really never interferred with our plans except once or twice...

for lunch we had decided to try a new to us restuarant called Face on soi 38, sukhumvit road....carol (simpson510) had sung its praises...i had looked it up on the internet and had found out that it is housed in old traditional thai houses and that there were both an indian and a thai restaurant on the property as well as a spa and a bar and a pastry shop....we opted for the thai restaurant and made a reservation to return one nite for the indian restaurant...
the spaces were beautiful...there is no name outside, just a gold and black sign with a face profile on it...
the indian rest. is not open for lunch by the way...

our menu: chicken cashew (of course), BBQ'd pork (mostly fat), morning glory vines with garlic, and H2O, plus lemon tart and a passion fruit tart---1385B or $32.---not cheap but quite good...

we were given a tour of the small complex before we left...we learned that they were all new thai houses made of old wood...they are indonesian owned and that they currently have restaurants in bkk, jakarta and shanghai....

from there we took a taxi to the jim thompson outlet on soi 93, sukhumvit rd....one shopping mission we had on this trip was to purchase some additional JT upholstery fabrics for some projects that karen has in mind for our house...

after spending quite a while there karen was able to find several things that she liked...the savings are huge at the outlet if you can find what you want (as much as 80%)...there must be hundreds of choices and all JT quality....in march we took a chair to an upholsterer to be redone and he told us that the JT fabric was the best quality he had worked with in quite a while...we had purchsed that at the main retail shop on suriwong a couple of years ago...karen carries samples of fabrics, wallpapers, etc of all of our rooms which makes choosing things easier...she took samples from JT to think about...

we went onto floor 3 at JT, which is the general merchandise area and spent quite a while there buying placemats, dresses for the grands, jewerly bag gifts, scarfs...etc...

my back was acting up so we called it quits and the doorman got us a taxi..

we returned to the hotel for a late afternoon swim...

we took a taxi to baan khanitha on soi 23, sukhumvit for dinner....we had had a wonderful lunch there last year and wanted to return....we had had a terrible dinner at their other location on ruam rudee and do not suggest it to anyone....we had a wonderful meal...as a starter they present you with a tray of goodies from which you make small bite sized hors d'oeuvres out of several food stuffs and wrap it up in a leaf and eat it in one bite....quite delicious...this was followed by stir fried chicken and young shredded ginger, stir fried shrimp and young coconut, stir fried veggies and rice with shrimp and pineapple with curry served in a pineapple...we had a couple of beers and some H@O followed by mango and sticy rice...all well prepared and beautifully served...a delicious meal....1377 B

they got a taxi for us back to the hotel where 3 weddings were going on...we managed to stay awake until 11...

Loving your report and taking notes. Welcome home Bob!
Aloha!

i was looking forward to sunday...as a foodie sunday is a good day in bkk...most hotels put on large spreads...my favorite is the indian buffet at the rembrandt hotel and we had a reservation made via the internet...

we were up early and down to breakfast...the room had changed for that weekend to another room....

we swam for a couple of hours and then took a taxi to the rembrandt on soi 18, sukhumvit rd....their rang mahal restaurant on the 26th floor has a wonderful view over bangkok....they had a fabulous table reserved for us in a large window that jutted out from the building...we had a fabulous view...there is an indian band that plays appropriate music in another room and there is a very festive attitude always in this restaurant....there is a very good representation of indian food available as well as limited western foods...they make crepes at a staion as well and there are fabulous western and indian desserts as well as fruit smoothies and custom made eggs....there are fish and meat dishes as well and delicious nam breads...the rooms are loaded with indian families, so you know that the food is good...

as there was little traffic we arrived at the hotel early so went to the internet cafe next door and caught up on things for the first time of our stay...

the buffet is 575 B per person --$14.50...a bargain...
the view is excellent....

after lunch we asked to see a room as this hotel is often mentioned on fodors...the room was a bit small but quite nice....i think it is about $75 er nite....the location is fabulous....there are wonderful restaurants in the hotel and all around this area...

from there we asked for their free tuk tuk ride to the end of the soi at sukhumvit....we walked down to the sheraton grande and went in to cool off and decided to ask to see a room there....the rooms are fantastic, very lux and well appointed....far better than it's sister the royal orchid sheraton, which is neither royal or lux....sorry kathie/gpanda, i had to put my dig in....the pool area was crowded on a sunday and is not very large being up several floors, but offers quite a bit of shade under large trees....we were told that they have a fantastic long stay (14+days) rate for anyone interested....the location is wonderful right on sukhumvit and near to the skytrain...

the rooms have a real thai feeling with lots of thai silk being used for decoration...

from there we went across the street as lyndie had asked me to check out the westin hotel....it is very modern and sleek....it however has more of a convention feeling to it...the rooms are very modern and sleek with glass and chrome and a bit minimalistic...it was decent....its a priceline award often at about $75....

from there we took the skytrain to taskim and the boat to the hotel...

we went out front to visit my tailor, jack...he owns monet il sarto in the mini mall attached to the marriott resort...he is on the 2nd floor overlooking the parking lot....i have had great luck with his stuff...his prices are fair and his quality very decent...
i found some shirt fabric that suited me...although i had previously decided that i could open my own shirt shop...

his current promotion is 6 shirts for $80--all cotton...

karen decided on a channel styled jacket in a thai heather fabric of wool and silk---amazing at $37....

from there we went down for a swim having agreed on a fitting visit...

after the swim we got a taxi to the gallery cafe near to the ROS hotel...we had a rushed meal there last year and it was delicious and we wanted to return to give it a better look...it was delicious and there was excellent service...they have quite a large shop there and a massage room upstairs...

our menu:: cashew chicken, sweet and sour shrimp and baby corns and mushroom in an oyster sauce plus rice...this was followed by mango and sticky rice...all very delicious...
karen had a cappichino....1154 B....

taxi back to the hotel,,,,karen did some personal laundry and we were in bed by 10:30...

by the way this was day 2 of a national budist holiday...

that's all for tonight....

bob

Bob-keep it coming-all that food talk is making me crazy! Gotta rush a whip a thai curry for dinner!

don't whip it just eat it....

Bob--I love the detail. I'm writing down the restaurants and addresses for next year's visit. I can't wait to hear the rest.

Bob--just curious, you say Harmonique was formerly your favorite. What's your favorite now?

Bob - really appreciate the extent of your report - I love to know the nitty gritty like how much things are at the moment. Am making notes for out trip at the end of July. Even when you know a city quite well, there is nothing like up to the minute info. I'm particularly interested in Prasart when you get to it. Thanks - Mary

roberto; you seemed very nimble to me as you jumped on the escalator at the emporium. never thought you had any mobility problems. glad to see you had recovered.

fun report.

Bob - thoroughly enjoying the report!

I want to read more:)

Thanks
Mystic

Loving your report. Makes me want to get on a plane right now. Isn't it wonderful how when you return to a hotel or a shop you feel like you're seeing old friends? So different from this country.

Mary-- Prasart is wonderful. A must do for fodorites who have visited thailand before and want to do something very special. If you do a search you'll see my comments on it from last Jan.

Looking forward to reading more and glad your back improved early!

Good morning Bob. I'm sitting here with my coffee, laptop in my lap, reading your report. It's wonderfully detailed. Keep it coming. So glad you enjoyed Face. Thank you for the description of the place, as my son did not tell me very much, other than how wonderful it is.

Can't wait to read more. I'm also curious about your new favorite restaurant in BKK, now that Harmonique has dropped to #2.

Carol

Bob-- does Monet il Sarto have a better selection of wools than the other stores? I may want a wool suit made next trip and have been wondering where to go for interesting fabrics (i.e. not solids). The one Karen bought sounds gorgeous and a silk/wool combination would be perfect for me.

Thanks

gloria....jack (monet) does not have a vast collection of wools really... we just happened to see that piece of nubbly tweed like textured material...jack said the fabric is very cheap as it is locally "grown" so karen thought she would try it and a jacket for $37 is unbelievable...cheaper than a blouse...

our new favoirite for those of you wondering is tongue thai directly in back of oriental place....small, intimate, attractive and delicious food....it is good thai without all the craziness of harmonique....we still love harmonique and went there twice on this trip...on our next to last nite i had harmonique scheduled for a 3rd visit and i asked karen where she would prefer to go and she said tongue thai over all of the potential restuarants in bkk....i gladly agreed...

gpanda has suggested that we champion it here on fodors and that is what i shall do....only possible negetive is that the food tends to be very hot but they will adjust that also...

monday, may 23----up about 7...because of the 3rd day of the buddist holiday we knew that traffic would be slight which was to our benefit, but also some shops would again be closed....downstairs to breakfast and then out to the pool, where are lounges were already laid out for us....but some asian guests decided that they were for them and took them...no problem...we found a new spot..

after a nice swim we took a taxi to river city shopping center....formerly the marriott ran boats to river city...since the skytrain, they have stopped this practice, so it is slightly more difficult to get there easily...you can hop other hotel boats or take the choa payra express boats or walk but we usually opt for a taxi....
karen ordered her clothing for js thai silk...: a black and white patterned silk blouse with a greek key sort of design with black buttons and nice details--1500B; kimono style silk shirt in a black, white and gray plaid with covered buttons--1800B; and black heavy silk dressy slacks---usually 2500B, but specially priced for karen at 2200 B....this is a start as undobutably other things will be ordered....they have such wonderful looking fancy things, but we never "dress" any more so we just look at them...a fitting is scheduled as they always are...although we do note someone's complaint about js's work when no fitting was requested or required....still find this hard to believe...

we took a taxi to the Conrad Hotel on Wireless Road near the American Embassy...this newish hotel is very nicely situated "in town" and only opened a couple of years ago...it is attached to a small upscale mall and office building that i think is called all seasons place....
we love the dim sum lunch at the liu restaurant on the 3rd floor....

we were seated at a large table, the same table in fact that we sat at last year and we were greeted by a very nice waiter/manager who had assisted us last year....we remembered him and think that he also remembered us...the menu is fantastic....you order from a small menu that has about 40 items on it, each with a small description...the meal is a set price of 600B each and you may order as much as you wish...it comes with a soup, and shark's fin soup is an additional charge...we do not request the shark's fin so am unable to speak to it...the hot and sour soup is wonderful and is freshly made for each customer and comes in the middle of your meal....the choices are unuaual, as well, as some of our normal dim sum favorites....karen's favoirite is a puffy egg white cloud stuffed with a sweet yellow egg mixture...WE HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS DAILY LUNCH OFFERING...we went twice...our final bill was 1500 B...
karen records that the mall was a bit boring as we walked around there after our lunch...we did not know how to get from the hotel to the mall and asked a staff member and she personally took us there....this is so typical of thai service personnel...

from there we took a taxi to the Pratunam Market---carol, simpson510 has sung its praises... we lucked out as it was not very busy because of the holiday...

the market is a wild affair...it is a series of narrow passageways some of which are inside buildings and some outside....they sell mostly clothing related items....most of the items are too small for the western frame, but we did buy some children's clothing, some bedded evening bags (a carol favorite) at $5 each, and a few other items...you have never seen so much merchandise in your life..
the market is a fairly large area and we spent perhaps an hour and 1/2 there....it is far more managable than the weekend market is...some areas have limited a/c as well which makes it comfortable or at least tolerable...

from there we took another taxi to the jim thompson outlet on suriwong....this is at the opposite end of suriwong from the JT main store...in this shop it is 99% fabric...karen took some upholstery samples to think about...

taxi back to the hotel....

we went out front to see jack and to do a fitting on our items...my shirts and karen's jacket...

for dinner i had selected another favorite...Crepes and Co on soi 12, sukhumvit....this swiss owned restaurant offers both interior and exterior service...it is directly next door to cabbages and condoms, whose food we find to be only fair, but cheap...
crepes is not just a crepiere...they offer middle eastern tid bits and tapas as well as crepes of every sort possible...they are open 7 days per week and quite late as well, and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner...we love their meals...great place for a full meal or just a crepe dessert...our full dinner with main course of crepes (4 seasons for me which is a wild combo of ham, eggs, cheese, veggies and for karen the casa blanca) and for dessert karen had a pineapple caramel crepe and i had a danish crepe (ice cream, chocolate sauce and nuts)---1100 B with only water to drink and one glass of wine for karen...1100 B...

we took a taxi back to the hotel...

on past trips we have always tried to use the yellow and green taxis only, when possible...they are owner driven...they are more reliable, speak some english and generally know the city better....this year while we always opted for the same, we did take some red and blue taxis with both good and bad results...also we used some of the new brightly colored taxis, like solid orange or blue with good results...we did have plenty of taxis that had no springs and were in poor shape but most are decent and all are clean in the back sitting area...unlike boston...we were taken for 2 joy rides which made me very mad and both involved using the toll road to "avoid traffic" and once the driver was going to use the high bridge next to the marriott on our return which would have put us way out of the way and into a huge traffic jam...this was avoided at the last minute when i told him to take the lower road, saving us both time and money....he just was unsure of his way...

at 35 B for a beginning fare and trips as long as one hour only costing $5, you have to say they are a bargain...this year we had no a/c problems---lack of....in past years this was sometimes a problem...

at the early part of our trip we did everything via taxi because my back was still bothering me and i always sat up front with the driver for ease of getting in and out...we also did have at least one driver who was high on drugs and another who had a sort of Tourettes Syndrome---both very scarey rides....

as we have been to bkk so many times our report will not contain much info on the sites available in bkk of which there are many, but will concentrate on shopping, eating and everyday life of the city....

if you have specific questions i would be glad to answer if i know the info....just ask away...

more later...have to go see the grand kids this PM who we haven't seen since mid-may....gift time too....

Bob, after so many trips to BKK, what sort of gifts do you now bring home? Just curious. You mentioned childrens clothing for the grandchildren. What for adults and others?
Carol

(must try tongue thai on my next trip!)

Bob, Does Jack do women's as well as men's clothes? If not, would you recommend somebody who does both? Thanks.

I can hardly wait for the next chapter...
How about a ranking of Bangkok restaurants by area?

aloha Bob....
i hate to jump ahead of your travelogue
but we are trying to decide where to stay in luang prabang in october. 3-4 nites, hopefully in town with a pool
but under $75 a nite if possible.

also, we want to go see the irrawady dolphins and 4000 islands. did you do this???

i semi patiently await you response.
thanks again

SAounds great so far Bob! Cant wait to hear about Barali!!!!!!!!
CCC, my wife had some stuff made by jack last november.

dive--i know nothing of the dolphins or the islands you mention...
$75 in LP is probably stingy for a top quality place...i would go for 3 nites only....we did not do the caves or the waterfalls and were there 4 nites which was too much...watch my report about caves, etc...

craig...will rate restaurants at a later date...too time consumming at this time--my report waits...

ccc: jack does womens clothes as well as mans...my wife has had a jacket made by him as well as tailored shirts...he will do other things as well...for silk and cotton we prefer: js thai silk at river city shopping center and cotton house in oriental place...

carol---for adults we purchased a few things this trip: father in law--jack made him a robe and 2 JT shirts from the outlet; stainless steel items from 5th element (watch for my report--near the end of my report); from gifted hands karen purchased lapel pins and speciality pins made of beads and silver (on next street to soi 23 in back of rasi sayan)--this is a great shop/house for you to visit carol---right up your alley....;stamps for a friend; silk scarfs; jewerly, ties....and other things i cannot think of right now

Tuesday---up at a more reasonable hour...at breakfast, we ran into a german woman whom we had met the day before at river city and asked her to join us for breakfast....it was an interesting meal.... mostly we talked about shopping...

for about an hour, after breakfast, we were at the pool...then a bit of repacking as we were leaving most of our luggage at the marriott while we went of to Laos for 4 days the next day....

we took a taxi to jim thompson's main store on suriwong rd...we checked out each floor including the decorating areas. we planned to have lunch at the cafe on the 2nd floor which is always excellent, as are all the JT restaurants around town... karen had spagetti with chopped onions, olives, bacon (ham), parma cheese and olive oil...i had the same....we sharred a banana/apricot tart for dessert and had 2 waters...400 B...cheap and good...
as we left the restaurant, the electricity went out...it was on again in a minute....a few minutes later it went out again...no emergency lites...it came on in a couple of minutes...candles and battery lamps appeared around on the sales floor...it was very eery...we thought a perfect set up for a robbery...

from there we took a taxi to soi 4, sukhumvit to do internet and to stop by our jewerler with any results of e mails we had sent home about jewerly...

i see that i neglected to mention that on saturday we had made a stop at the jewerler. this is the Thai Stone Jewerly Co in the lobby of the very grotty Nana Hotel on soi 4, Sukhumvit Rd...we have been dealing with this family run company for 10 years and really like the service and products we purchase from them....we do mostly custom work with them as well as repairs....both are very reasonable...we traditionally deal with Amporn (porn) but the last two years have spent quite a bit of time with Mr Lee as well...they are very accomodating...they have a small amount of ready made items available and deal in loose stones as well as custom made jewerly....they have another shop at the weekend market...
we had left several things to be repaired, for us and for friends, and had gotten quotes on a few new things for one daughter and some of her friends, and for one co-worker of karen's..
in any case we did receive some responses on the internet so we were able to give the go ahead for the work to be done...
i decided to order a braclet for karen for an early xmas gift, if she wanted it: garnets (her birth stone) and small diamonds set in yellow gold--sort of a tennis braclet type item...

while packing that AM i had discovered that we had forgotten at home the passport pictures we had made, so after the jewerler we went across the street to a camera shop i know of and had new pics taken, as we would need them the next day entering laos for our visa...--about $4 each

from there we took a taxi, but not without difficulty, to peninsula plaza next to the four seasons...i say "not without trouble" because it is difficult to get a taxi to use a meter in this neighborhood as they are so used to dealing with the foreign guys who hang around with the thai girls and who agree to pay a flat fee for their rides...i think it took 3 tries and then we walked over to the jw marriott and got a taxi from there...

the reason to go to this very upscale plaza was to visit the prasart shop on the 2nd or 3rd floor...i needed to get a map for driving instructions for our driver a week or so later when we would be visiting the private Prasart Museum, outside of bkk...

rush hour and a long taxi ride back to the marriott along silom road---terrible traffic most of the time at its lower end...long bkk traffic lites...sometimes as long as 5 minutes...

i went out of the hotel to a local laundry shop which we like and to do some more internet...just to the right of the marriott and about 2 blocks away is a small internet shop...they charge 25 B per hour and the computers are quite fast....the hotel charges 195 B for 15 minutes and their computers are not all that great...karen stayed in the room and did the final repacking and she took a white shirt to the marriott laundry in the basement of the mini mall garage...this laundry outlet is run by the hotel and is at least 50% cheaper than having laundry done from your room--next day service..
we met at 6:30 at jack's for another fitting...

jack had been married last fall...we had sent him a small gift...he wanted us to see his wedding pictures which were contained on a cd or two....it took quite a while...the wedding took 2 or 3 days i believe...imagine how many pics that is....??

it had now started to rain and it was too late to go out anyplace for dinner so we decided just to have dinner in the uno restaurant/bakery on the ground floor...we each had a marriott burger and fries and we took 2 desserts to the room from the bakery..

wednesday was moving day...we were heading to Luang Prabang, Laos on a bangkok airways fligt which i had arranged months ago from home....i contacted bkk air via telephone and purchased the required 3 legs of air travel for the discovery air pass...domestic legs are $50 and some international legs are $80 which included LP....this was about a 40-50% savings...

we were up early and down to breakfast as AAC limo was coming by for us at 9..it took 50 minutes to get to the airport from the marriott with two substantial traffic jams...not bad...

we utizled the bkk air mini lounge in the international area of termonal 2 to wait for our flight...they offer small snacks and free internet...

the flight from the bus gate was about 1.5 hours to LP...it was prop service...the LP airport is one short runway with a compact building...the plane takes the whole runway to land.. we were the only plane there at arrival so things moved quite quickly...

we were to do visa on arrival...stand in one line, then stand in the next line and pay $30 US cash each..10 minutes at the most and we were 2rd in line...there was lots of paper work and tons of rubber stamping... there were some computers...

i had arranged a hotel pick-up for an additional $6 per person...we were booked at the Pansea Hotel, now called La Residence Phou Vao...the hotel is located on the edge of the town, about a 7 minute ride into the center and a 10-15 minute ride from the airport...it is on a small hill overlooking some of the valley...the hotel is very pleasant and the #1 hotel in town...there are only 34 rooms and 2 suites...it is a quality operation...the grounds are well tended and quite large...there are only 2 hotels with pools in town and this is one of them....we find a pool necessary in SE Asia...

we were assigned room 101 which is right next to the pool and across from the main building...we were very pleased with this convenient room...

the room is very large and has all shiny hardwood teak flooring....there is a huge bathroom which is an L off of the main room...there is a toilet room as well...there are two balconies overlooking the valley...the bed is king and has a huge mosquito net over it....LP is a malaria prone area so one must be careful...

we had a quick snickers bar for a late lunch and then out to the pool to cool off....it seems hoter here than in bkk...

about 4 PM we took the hotel van into town...this is complimentary at any time during the day on request and by a schedule after 5:30 PM...it takes you to the post office...

karen's record says i was complaining about it being hot--"a real PIA"...no place to sit either...

no store had a/c either for relief, save one...

we decided that we would stay in town now and have an early dinner...we walked the main street, aka "farang way"...the street was starting to close down to traffic as after 5 it becomes a night market with the locals selling their wares...handi crafts, silk item and cotton hand work from blankets placed on the street and sidewalk...they have make shift lighting....

we stopped at the villa santi hotel for a cool beer in their inner court yard...we were seeking out a dinner place...most were of the back packing group fare...we knew that L'elephant was the #1 place so when we saw an attractive two story house with the name elephant on it we decided to eat there even after passing up the 3 naggas...almost every thing that we ordered was not available...what's the problem...staff spent more time fixing lite fixtures than they did serving the customers....we saw a menu notice that mentioned their moving recently???
the meal was not memorable...the restaurant name is three elephants, not L'Elephant...we were to later learn that this take-off name is causing some problems in town... the meal was only $12 however...

mostly american cash is used in LP for your transactions, although you get change in KIP (about 10,000 to the $1 US) and you can use kip as well...the drivers (taxi/songren--modified motor bikes with a pick-up truck back area with benches for riders) quote you in dollars but want to be paid in KIP...

after the meal, we walked the total length of the night market---several blocks...we thought that the items looked very repetitive...not a lot that we were interested in....one young couple was buying a large (double bed size) hand sewn comforter cover---very nice for $22...

both sides of this main street have shops, travel agents and restaurants for maybe 4 blocks or so...an occasional hotel is thrown in...not too impressive on first look...

as we were too early for the shuttle we decided to hire a ride for $1 each back to the hotel...rides are quoted per person usually...

we climbed into bed and figured out how the net worked...the staff had done turn-down service so it was nicely fixed but we had to decide how to climb in and not disturb things too much....i did not really like sleeping in the net...a good nites sleep was in store...

more tomorrow...

Bob, Eric and I made the same mistake with L'Elephant vs. Three Elephants! It was not our favorite meal either. Looking forward to the next installment.

Bob-- how do you keep such detailed notes? Do you write things out every night, dictate into something? I'd love to be able to do such detail on my next trip.

I loved (and can relate to) the part about Thais rubbing your belly.

As another Western man of size, I was taken back a bit the first couple of times that a Thai man or woman would just come up to me an rub my belly, always smiling. I was thinking of charging 20 baht for the privilege...

Keep it coming, Bob. This is great reading with my morning coffee. Makes me soooooo want to get on a plane and go back right now!
Carol

I have printed this thread out and will read it on my bus ride home tonight.

gloria---karen takes a bound notebook with her....she writes each nite in it so as to not forget anything....we find it very valuable as a tool for remembering just what we did as well as where we went, exact names, costs, etc....we often refer back to it...i now use it to assist with my fodors posts as well...its easy to do and helps you focus on the day just completed as well...

Sorry to jump in here, but I also keep travel records as I sometimes will write newspaper articles on my travels.

I write in a travel journal on every trip. I buy small lined notebooks (not spiral) of about 70pp that will fit in the outside pocket of my purse so they are always handy. I keep a pen clipped inside the pages. That way I can easily write down menu items and prices at restaurants.

I also sketch room plans from hotels and keep track of favorite room numbers, etc. I keep details of flights and itineraries. I also write down weather details everyday and also all meals eaten and where.

I have friends who like to read my travel journals as they find them to be informative. I have very specific ways of "doing" the pages, always using the right side for my "diary" and the left side for the other info. If we meet in BOS sometime, I'll try to remember to bring along several of my journals, in case anyone would like to see how I keep my records. They are absolutely invaluable at later times when I need to reread something about a hotel or restaurant or tourist site.

Carol

THURSDAY--MAY 26..
up and out of the room for breakfast...i should note here that we arranged for this room at the pansea through chip cooper ([email protected])...he is NY based and very knowledgeable about asia and other places....we paid $109 per nite all inclusive including breakfast...the hotel had quoted me $130++...

breakfast is served in the main dining area which is an open air restaurant in the main building overlooking the swimming pool....there is a small menu from which you choose your breakfast...very adequate and very delicious---all western style...the pastry was fresh which is not always the case in asia...the fruit was particularily nice...

after our breakfast we just lazed around reading and planning what we would want to do in LP...we took a swim in the infinity pool for about an hour...the sun is very hot...the plantings around the pool area are lovely and it was very quiet...the staff are doing maintenance on the property as this is the low season...lots of painting, etc, but it did not interfere with us at all....it was like being at a private resort as we were the only people around...

this is really a very nice hotel...the best in LP by the way...we did view 3 others for comparison...there are only 36 rooms and a staff of over 90...
there is a new general manager who with his wife and small child live on the property...they are very young...

we had lunch in the dining room... during lunch a huge thunder and lightning storm came through the valley...the pool boys scampered to pick up things and secure the umbrellas, etc...
two ladied came into the dining room for lunch near the end of our lunch...they were speaking english so we engaged them in conversation...it turns out that they are sisters and that one of them has lived in Laos for 8 years, after nearly 25 years in Hong Kong...they are canadians...the sister was visiting from toronto...she had won a first class ticket on thai air during her visit in january, so decided to use it up soon...
the laos based sister owns perhaps the best shop in LP and also one in Vientiane...it is called Caruso Lao Home Craft and is located on "farang way" in LP and on FA Ngum Rd #008 in Vientiane...she designs everything in the shop and has artisans who produce the products for her....she has several satilite shops around LP in restaurants and hotels, including the shop at the pansea...coincidently we had been in her shop the nite before as we walked around LP to get aquainted...she invited us to return and see the 2nd level which we had not seen the nite before...she gave us lots of pointers on LP including a restaurant review and told us about the elephant restaurant name controversy...strangely we had read an article about her and her shop someplace in the last 6 months...we could not remember where, and then we remembered that it was on a british airways flight in december that we had read the article in one of their magazines...small world...

her shop is filled with hand crafted furniture, accessories and silk items, silver, plus the most beautiful wooden items we have ever seen---more later...she has things redi-made or will custom make things for you....her bedspreads are magnificent..she is well versed in shipping...

after lunch the skys cleared and we took the shuttle into town (large van with a/c)...we visited Wat Mae and admired its splendor...

historical note....LP was the capital of laos until 1975 when the king was moved from there to a re-education camp, never to be heard from again...so the royal palace is still there in tact (although it had been ransacked) and open to the public as a museum (limited hours)...

after visiting the wat we ventured to the royal palace museum which is also on the main street...we were too late as it closes at 4PM...another day...the grounds were open so we decided to walk around and check it out...it is not all that large but the grounds are being restorred after the place was ransacked during the 70's and 80's...we met two young americans guys who were spending their summer break from college in asia...we had seen tons of them around town the nite before and i was curious what they all were doing there....good drugs is my guess and cheap beer...these guys were very personal and we enjoyed spending a few minutes with them...we were to see them the next day around town as well..we were travelling at the high end of things and they at the opposite end...this nite they were staying in a guest house with a/c and TV which was a real treat for them....

on the grounds of the palace we encountered a man and his son who were chopping up coconuts---opening the shells of which there were hundreds from the trees on the palace grounds...the grass is not yet groomed but they are attempting to restore the place to its former self...the six car garage is in one section as are the two former shell gas pumps which looked strangely out of place...inside the garage is a C. 1960's white lincoln continental with the king's insignia on its door and a classic white ford edsel convertible....both need restoration, but you can just picture the king and queen travelling along farang way in the edsel--the king driving of course...such a picture...
we assume that they must have been gifts from the american gov't or individuals or corporations...we were not able to enter the garage but could see things easily through cracks in the metal doors...there was a sign saying admission was 1000K, but nothing was open nor was it the next day....the palace grounds stretch from farang way to the street on the mekong river, with direct access to the river...the former customs house is located there...

from the palace we made our way to the street that runs along the mekong river....basically there are 4 streets that run from one end of this peninsula to the other with a few cross streets...LP is at the confluence of two rivers and is basically on this peninsula...
i was looking for a laundry to take some clothes to...found a decent one in a guesthouse...cost 2800 kip for a big stack of laundry ($2.80)...very very cheap...
we stopped at one of the silver smiths in LP along this street and bought a pair of silver earings ($5) for karen and a lovely silver bowl for me with elephant designs and lots of tool work on it--$32.... did a little bargaining but they would not bend too much...

we hired a tuk/tuk laos style to take us back to the hotel....we had him stop along the way to buy beer for our fridge (i'm too cheap to pay the hotel price for the mini bar)--75 cents per Lao beer...we stocked up for the remaining days...
the tuk tuk was under powered plus it had a very heavy load in it (me) and was unable to make it up 1/3 of the hill to the hotel so we had to walk the remaining way...the machine was smoking and huffing and puffing...thought he might have burned out his clutch...he charged us $4 as we had asked him to drive us around the peninsula a bit so we could better understand the layout...

we took another swim... during the swim we met the new general manager who was quite congenial....his wife was in for a swim as well...it was just the 3 of us until the manager showed up...she pointed out a number of areas that needed attention by the staff...watering of shrubs, etc...

we took the shuttle into town about 7PM...we walked the full length of farang way through all the nite market "stalls"...we decided to visit the canadian woman's shop again (it is on the opposite side of the street from the villa santi hotel and back towards the palace about a block or two...this time we were not so tired and hot so really enjoyed what we saw...we spotted a few things that we might like, but decided to thing about one item in particular, so would return in a day or so before she left for a mini-break with her sister in hua hin, thailand...

we decided to eat at the 3 nagas restaurant...they have two restaurants which are across the street from each other....they also have a guest house which has been written about quite often on fodors...

we ate in the restaurant that specializes in european food....the french had a very heavy presence in laos for many years....

i had shrimp and karen had pork...we sharred water and karen had a glass of house wine...the bill was $22

we walked through town a bit more bought an ice cream as i remember, and then took a tuk tuk back to the hotel for $1 each...no problem getting up the hill this time...

we had mastered the net the nite before so now it was very easy...there were mosquitos around and we were very careful to keep doors closed and we were taking malerone as a preventative against contracting malaria....we took it for about 2/3's of our trip as there is also a problem in koh chang, thailand where we would later visit...

into our very comfy bed for a good nites' sleep...

Keep it comin'. As always, a comprehensive tale. However, I'm stuck by your endless affinity for swimming pools. I thought all of you surburbanites had pools and cabanas near the guest house.

we have a lawyer who advised me not to use the pool until i had a massage so we have had the guest house and the pool sealed off from use as we do not like massage and would consider it a bad oman to use it after receiving sage advice....or is that sage that you put in food???

I'm with Gloria..How do you keep such detailed information!! I always take a travel diary and write a brief note of what we did each day..I have ton's of diary's from each vacation we have ever taken and I don't think that all of them combined would add up to the first few days of your vacation..Needless to say, your report is very interesting and it sounds like you really do enjoy!! I will try and take more detailed notes on our next trip to India/Maldives coming up..I do know who I will ask for advice next time we do SE Asia...

Okay, here's the basis for these super reports. Bob staggers around interacting with anyone who will speak with him. Karen keeps a detailed diary, including costs, to minimze the downside of the litigation. Their attorneys have come to rely on her accuracy in the settlement negotiations. Any sceptics should recall the fact that he started this trip with a feigned back injury. Obviously, he hoodwinked Northwest into providing XXL wheelchairs and scurrying him through immigration and customs. One shudders at the thought of the numerous security violations. We've seen this trick in Cambridge and no longer fall for it. Sawadee Krup.