Day 16 - Travelling home

Have I mentioned that I have had a stiff neck since Monday afternoon? Well, I have and it is very painful, especially if I have been in one position for any length of time. Getting up in the morning is terrible, hard to move at all. With pills and some time I loosen up and it is tolerable. Anyhow, arriving at the Phuket airport went well. I was helped by a nice man with my suitcases and after checking in I got a sticker on my chest and from now on I was a VIP! (This was Thai Air Royal Silk treatment). I was escorted to the lounge where a little section even had my name on it. Rock Star!! The short flight to Bangkok was uneventful. I was met in Bangkok  with a sign with my name on it, did not have to ride the bus with all the other people but in my own little van bypassing all the hurdles, quickly passed through security etc, and was escorted all the way to the lounge waiting for the long flight to Frankfurt. I am now in Frankfurt waiting for my flight to Boston.

On the flight from Bangkok I actually did not watch any movies. The screen was small and to the left which bothered my neck so instead I tried to sleep. This was the bumpiest flight I have ever been on. My neck did not like it at all. I did however, get some sleep now and then. I did try to watch a movie - Tinker, Tailor, Sailor Spy or whatever the title is, but I never finished it. I don't know if it was the sound system on the plane or the movie itself but the soundtrack was strange. There was very loud music playing most of the time and the speaking voices were very weak. If I turned the music to a tolerable level I could not here what was said, and if I turned up the talking the music was too loud. So I gave up.

My assessment of Thai Air is that the ground treatment is superb (at least if you fly first class), the air not so much. The seats on Thai are about the same as United, maybe a tad better but far from the Cathay Airways! The same with the food. I was unimpressed, but they did have cappuccino although it was pre-sweetened which I don't like.

Now I have about 4 more hours to wait. Looking forward to be home again soon.

Day 15 - My last day in Phuket

Today was my last day. Morning spent at the pool, saying goodbye to the elephants and relaxing. I had basically finished my packing last night. For the afternoon we decided to take part in the annual Mai Khao Beach Turtle release. The cost to release one turtle was a donation of 3000 Baht approximately $100, so I bought one ticket (turtle) for Kim. The festivities were to take place on the beach in front of the Thai restaurants. Tents were put up for shade and there were numerous turtles in baths waiting for release. Refreshments were served and Kim also got to do some batik painting.

The ceremonies begun with some introductions and speeches and the clouds started to roll in quite dark. First some lightning and then thunder and THEN torrential rain! Of course we were told this meant good luck (just as with weddings)! Anyway, this did not put a stop to anything, the tents meant for shade were now protection (somewhat) from the rain. The event was blessed by 3 Buddhist monks who kept chanting for quite a while. I don't know what they were saying though.

 
Then it was time for the turtle release. The participants were instructed how to handle the turtle and carry it close to the ocean. I will let Kim describe it herself:

"I just had one of the most incredible experiences! I released a young sea turtle back into the big ocean! It was part of the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation's release program in support of the Phuket Marine Biological Center and Royal Thai Navy's rehab and hatchery programs. AMAZING! I named him Rocco Roger (thanks Sam and Dad) and he just joined my Dad in the ocean. Good luck little buddy!!!! Thanks Mum! xo."

For me it was time for a shower and changing into "real"clothes, get a cab and leave for the airport and the long trip home.

Day 14 - Last Day for Gunilla

Today was Gunilla's last day and we just stayed by the pool again. We finally got the seats we had wanted all along but were never able to be out early enough to get. Although it is not permitted, people go out early and put their stuff on chairs, then they go back to their room or whatever only to arrive hours later. Supposedly, their belongings should be removed if they are absent for more than one hour, but it never happens. Today, however, was our lucky day!

The elephants came to say goodbye and Gunilla got hugs from Jumbo and Tonkow gave us both kisses. She was so funny today, we had some cashews in a bag and she insisted on having some. After the nuts and bananas she was thirsty and decided to drink the water from our glasses. She sounded like a kid with a straw when she reached the bottom!

Tomorrow will be my last day here this time around. It will be bitter sweet. I love this place, but I don't know if I'd like to travel this far anymore. But who knows, some day I might decide to go. I know that Kimberley wants to come back and she probably will. We both feel kind of close to Roger when we are here as it was HIS favorite place. We really feel good about our little ceremony at sea yesterday.

Day 13 - Staying at the Marriott All Day

The picture above is the view from my pool chair. What looks like a bird cage is actually a shower for rinsing off the sand from the beach! Very nice actually, and they are scattered all along the beach front. Today was Gunilla's last full day so we really just relaxed by the pool. A little overcast today, but warm and very pleasant. Daily interaction with the elephants of course.

In the afternoon we booked a Hobie Cat (= catamaran, which is a sailboat with two hulls for those of you who are not familiar with sailboats). We had decided to have a little ceremony for Roger out at sea as we were not allowed to go out to the spirit house, as the bridge that leads out to it is in bad shape and needs repairs. I actually think that Roger would prefer the sailboat anyway so it was nice. He loved sailing and he loved Thailand. We were out for about an hour and it was a great sail. Kim is a great skipper! Back at shore we spent some time in the pool, which now almost felt like going into a bathtub!

We decided to have our last dinner together at the Italian restaurant. We dressed a little nicer for the occasion and it was a very pleasant evening.

Day 12 - Poolside Day and Patong Beach at Night



After our visit to Phuket yesterday, we decided to try Patong Beach this evening. We spent the day at the pool with the elephants doing our usual things around the resort. After showers we called for a taxi and started on the long ride to Patong Beach It takes about an hour and the traffic is OMG, kind of scary. Once we arrived, Patong Beach seems to be the Las Vegas of Phuket. Blinking neon lights, tons of open air restaurants along the streets and lots of shops and lots and lots of people. I have been there before but the others had not. I actually saw my first Starbucks sign since Hong Kong. Unfortunately, nobody was in the mood for coffee as we had already consumed that on the ride down to Patong. Instead we went to an outdoors huge bar where there was a live band with three girls in net stockings singing ABBA tunes!

Feeling fortified we attacked the shopping streets down by the beach. We actually did not by a lot. I only bought a beach cover/dress-thing to wear around the house when summer arrives back home. While walking around we passed lots of restaurants. We started to look at the menus and imaging my surprise when a good  number of them had the menu in English and Swedish! Complete with Swedish specialities on the menu!! We ended up at an Indian restaurant. And now it started to rain! You know, the kind of tropical rain that comes down in buckets and is warm. We managed to find a taxi to take us back to Mai Kao. This taxi had entertainment - a video screen and we were treated to a Bee Gees concert that lasted all the way home!

Day 11 - Phuket Town

We started the day with breakfast on our balcony. Today we had company of a bird. I don't know what kind it is, but there are quite a few of them here. They are fun to watch down at the beach. We gave him some bread and he seemed happy. Our plan today was to make it down to Phuket Town which is almost an hour's drive from here. We went to the pool for a few hours, had our visit with the elphants and gave them bananas. We were given kisses by Tonkow who seems to recognize us now.

After showers we went to the lobby to meet our taxi driver. It was an uneventful drive and we were let off downtown Phuket. Our intensions were to shop and have dinner. The first street we started on was not good at all. Just cheap and ugly. We managed to find a map and stopped to try to figure out where we were and where we might want to go. So this little old man came up and helped us find where we were and of course offered us a ride in his tuc-tuc to where we should go to find better quality on Thai clothing and souvenirs.

The little guy was right and we found some things to buy right away. Now we remembered that we had not had lunch so we decided to have linner (lunch and dinner combined). We found a nice little place and figured it would be OK because there was a table full of local police (they are not very respected we were told by our guide yesterday, because there is a lot of corruption). The food was really good and now we were ready for more shopping. We felt we made out all right with heavy bargaining going on. There were a couple of things I regretted that I didn't get, but I am sure I didn't really need them anyway!

When we had had enough of shopping we found a nice bar and had some beer (even I had a beer!) There was a cab driver who had been following us for quite some time and whenever we saw him we just said "not yet". He did not give up and eventually after almost 2 hours at the bar, we found him parked nearby so we agreed to take his cab back to the hotel. He was a very interesting young man who knew a lot about America and american history. That was not expected. We gave him a good tip and he was really happy!

In Phuket I made an observation that there were quite a few rather large (chubby to fat) locals which I have never seen before. However, I soon figured out why. Right across the street from the bar where we sat there was a McDonald's and a Kentucky Fried Chicken! No wonder! It is too bad though. I have heard from friends that the same thing is happening in Japan. This is an export we really should not have!

Day 10 - Full Day Tour of Phuket Island

Today we had booked a private tour of Phuket island. We had a very knowledgeable guide who taught us quite a bit. Thailand was previously known as Siam and the country changed names several times. The word Siam means brown and the word Thailand stands for freedom. In 1939 the name was changed from Siam to Thailand, but in 1945 it was changed back to Siam. In 1949 it was once again changed back to Thailand. When the country was called Siam the flag was red with a white elephant and now when it is Thailand the flag is striped with a red, a blue and a white stripe. The king of Thailand is the longest reigning monarch in the world. He became king at the age of 19 and has now been on the throne for 66 years.

Thailand has 77 provinces and Phuket is one of them. The province consists of 49 islands, the largest being Phuket which is 48.7 km from top to bottom. Malaysian sea gypsies were the first people in Phuket. They called it "bukit" which stands for mountain and it has then become Phuket. There are around 550 000 inhabitants in Phuket. The tourism started about 35 years ago and last year 5 million tourists visited here. There are only 2 seasons May - October is the rainy season and November - April is summer. The hottest month is April. All this we found out while travelling to our first stop. We had a short ride on elephants and the we said hello to the Thai python.

After this stop we drove to Karon View Point, which as the name suggests is high up with a beautiful view. Apart from the view there was another attraction - 2 big eagles. I had to get a photo with one of those creatures! They had put rubber on their claws so they could not hurt you. Lovely birds! Next stop was the Big Buddha of Phuket. Work on the Big Buddha statue  has been going on for many years. The main Buddha image is 45 meters high and sits over 400m above sea level on a hilltop in the south of Phuket island. He is still not completed because they depend solely on donations. He is made of white marble, his eyes of mother of pearl with black jade for pupils.

One note about the traffic - it is wild. Lots of mopeds carrying whole families, some with sidecars, some not. They drive on the left side in Thailand and I thought it was because of the English influence but according to the guide it is because the first car that came to Thailand was a Japanese car and the Japanese drive on the left side. Needless to say, with all these mopeds and cars mixed there are a lot of traffic accidents. Two people die in traffic accidents every 3 days.

Next stop - the cashew nut factory. Here they demonstrate how the nut is taken out of its shell one at a time by hand. Each cashew fruit only produce one nut and it sits on the outside of the fruit. While visiting here you are allowed to sample everything and there are really some yummy flavors. They also make toffees here that are very good. We purchased quite a lot of nuts and toffees!

On the minibus again to visit a Chinese shrine (its like a temple) and also a visit to the Chinpracha Chinese House. This house has been in the hands of the same family for 4 generations. The bottom floor is now a museum, but members of the family still live on the top floor which is off limits for the tourists. This elegant mansion was built by Phitak Chinpracha, also known as Tan Ma Siang (1883-1949). Today, it is run as a private house museum by Khun Pracha Tandavanitj. In the 1990s, it won a Conservation Award from the Thailand authorities. The house and compound was used as a location for several movies, including ‘The Killing Fields’.

25 minutes ride and then we were served a Thai lunch. It was quite delicious, except for the spicy beef, which was so spicy that we couldn't eat it. I only tasted one tiny bit and my mouth was burning up! After lunch followed a visit to a temple. This was the temple with the half buried Buddha. The story goes that in 1785 a boy tied his buffalo to something sticking up from the ground and he died. The father became upset of course and realized that the boy had tied the buffalo to a Buddha that was buried. He tried to dig it up, but was attacked by bees and hornets and had to give up. They tried this 3 times and each time they were attacked by the bees and the hornets. Then they decided that it was not possible to dig up the Buddha but instead they built a temple around him.

Our last stop was at a farm where we saw how rubber is made. First how the rubber tree is cut and the rubber drips into a bowl. It is then mixed with water and some acid. After drying for a while it is flattened several times by rolling it through a contraption resembling a pasta maker. It then become large sheets which are sold to manufacturers. The price of rubber is fluctuating widely. From a low of 12 baht to a high of 180 bath for a kilo! Right now the price is around 90. The biggest users are the car manufacturers and especially Japan, and after the tsunami there last year the rubber prices took a dive because the Japanese car makers were not buying any rubber. For me the highlight of the farm was visiting with the coconut picking monkey called Linda. We met her in 2010 when we were here and she still has a very sweet tooth. She likes fruit, but loves sweets. I brought her toffees from the cashew factury and she really likes those, She takes the paper off herself. This time she also drank water from a bottle. She insisted on getting the guide's water and he let her have it. We also saw fighting fish. They are kept one each in a glass jar with a paper between the jars. If the fish can see each othere they fight to death. Keeping the paper beteween the jars stops the fish from seeing each other. It was interesting to see.

I have posted videos of Linda and of the fighting fish on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/maggsimm

Day 9 - Marriott Phuket Beach Club

Saturday - another lazy day by the pool. Today we stayed by the big pool that has elephants spraying water. These elephants are of course not the live ones, but made of clay. The pool is beautiful as everything else here at the resort. When I get back I will post more pictures from the hotel and the resort. Tonkow came by at lunch time, and as we do every day, we bought bananas for her. Every day before she wanted her bananas peeled, but today for some reason she wanted them with the peel on! If she was given a "naked" banana she took it with her trunk but then tossed it to the ground and even stepped on them! I suppose a girl has the right to change her mind - variety is the spice of life and obviously even elephants learn this early. When she had had her fill of bananas it was time for her swim in the ocean.

I haven't mentioned before that when you are by the pool there are some very nice little surprises. Every now and then the staff comes by with ice cold wet wash cloths scented with lemongrass. It is a lovely smell and that cold towel feels like heaven on a hot day! They are also presented very nicely rolled to look like a lotus blossom. Your glass is continuously filled with ice water and during the day you are offered (at no extra cost), little drinks like pina colada and other exotic fruit drinks (all ice cold of course), little baskets with freshly cut tropical fruits and even some little tidbits from the restaurants on the premises. In other words, we really are in the lap of luxury!

When we had had enough of the pool it was already after 5 pm so we decided to go up to the lobby and once again watch the sunset dance at the infinity pool while having a large glass of pomelo juice. If you ever have a chance - try it! It is soo good!

From the lobby infinity pool we continued to Happy Hour at the blue pool where there is a guy singing and playing the guitar really well. He mixes new and old tunes and the guests often join in. Here we were also treated to a nice sunset. I have posted the last song and the sunset on http://www.youtube.com/maggsimm tonight. By this time we were really in need of a shower so we returned to our apartment, showered and changed and went to dinner at La Cuicina, an Italian restaurant here at the resort. We all enjoyed our meals!

Tomorrow we're out on new adventures!

Day 8 - Andaman Sea Kayak trip

Today we spent our day in Phang Nga and Andaman Sea. This is probably my favorite trip while visiting out here. Today was my 4th time with this company. We were picked up at the hotel by a minibus at 10 am. It was probably a half hour ride to the pier where our boat was. We basically drove across the island to the other side, so it was not very far. We travelled on the boat for maybe an hour and could see the fascinating limestone rock formations. It is very beautiful and when you get up close you see lots of colors and the formations of the limestone hanging down are magnificent.

Today we could not start with the kayaking because the tide was coming up and if we had entered the "hong" (which is like a room inside a limestone mountain) we would not be able to get out again for 6 hours because the tunnels would be filled with water. So instead we went to a small beach for maybe an hour. It was time for some swimming and a drink. Even I had a Pina Colada!

Back to the boat for a delicious lunch and then we took off for the kayaking. 2 persons + a paddler in each kayak. You do not have to paddle yourself.

First we went into a rather small hong and the tunnel was quite roomy. You could actually sit up in the kayak. In here we found a lot of little monkeys. They were not afraid at all. I guess they see so many tourists coming in these kayaks that they believe it is part of nature!

The next hong we were going to enter was the challenging one. It was literally no headroom so you have to lie flat on your back in the kayak. It is pitch black in the tunnel and there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of bats hanging above you. And they stink! The paddler has a headlamp and shines his light on the bats. Not really for the squeamish people! In this hong there are trees growing in the water and they look interesting with their big root systems. Here you can also see the strange walking fish.

After maybe another half hour of kayaking we once again borded the boat and started the trip back. We saw another lovely sunset and by the time we made landfall it was dark. We were not back at the hotel until 7.30 pm.

I have tried to add videos here in the blog, but it seems to take forever and ultimaltely it fails to upload. Therefore I have now started my own channel on YouTube where I will post my videos. I will put some there now from this trip and probably add more later when I get back to the US.
The URL is http://www.youtube.com/maggsimm The long ones take a while to download, especially the sunset dance by the infinitypool.

Day 7 - Phuket

Today there was a lot of interaction with the 2 elephants at the resort. First we had Tonkow coming by for her daily interaction with the guests and to be fed bananas. She is too cute to be true. She had just had her swim i the ocean and was just about to be rinsed off with fresh water.

I tried to upload a video of the baby elephant's shower here, but it failed. I will try some other time though.

Later on the bigger  elephant, Jumbo, came and it was time for his bath. But first he needed to sell some bananas and cucumbers so that he could have a snack and also make some money. Today it was Kim's day to ride him. First just for a while while he still was wearing his "coat". When it was time for the bath she was allowed to ride him down to the beach in out into the ocean. At first it was just Kim and Gunilla swimming with Jumbo, but more people joined in later. All were having a great time and I got some really good movies of it as well.

Day 6 - Phuket

Another lazy day. Breakfast on the balcony and the only thing on our agenda today was a Marriott presentation which gives me 20 000 points to use in the future. The presentation these days for me, is telling Marriott how great they are! If you have ever entertained the idea of wonderful vacations for years to come, talk to me.

We arrived late to the pool and could not find any free chairs. So we ventured away to the other end of the resort to a new (for us) pool. Smaller than the one we usually go to but still very nice.

We had a great visit of Jumboo the elephant. We bought him bananas and he was very eager to eat them of course. very grateful, posed for thank yous and Gunilla even got to ride him! Later on the baby also came by. We learned that her name is Tonkow and she is so loving. She gives kisses and hugs!

Day 5 - Pangna Province

Today was a full day of adventures. It started with us being an hour early for our tour, which made it possible for us to have a coffee and relax a bit before the adventures started. We were picked up at the hotel by a minibus. Our group was the four of us plus 5 young japaneese girls. We drove across the bridge to the mainland and arrived in Phangna after about an hour. We had the worst guide - we probably didn't even understand half of what he was saying. Usually the guides speak very good English, but not this guy. He was actually quite annoying!

Our first challenge was elephant trekking through the jungle and a water stream. I was delighted to see that the elephant Gunilla and I got to ride was "Jampee" the very same elephant Kim and I rode last time we were here (2010)! It is an elephant with a mind of her own. She does not walk exactly where the other elephants walk but chooses her own routes and appears to love to pose for pictures. She does that by wrapping her trunk around a tree and none of the other elephants do this! It is actually quite a challenge to hang on because the terraine is quite steep and it gives your arms a really good workout. I opted not to ride on the elephant itself because of my legs but Gunilla got to sit where the mahut usually sits and he was instead walking alongside taking pictures. After the ride we bought bananas for the elephants. Jumpee got 8 baskets full of bananas and she was quite insistent on getting every last one. When all the baskets were empty she did not beg anymore.

Next on the program was white water rafting. Unfortunately I cannot post a picture from this as it was impossible to bring a camera. Instead they did have a crew of photographers strategically posted along the way and they took our pictures. When I get home I can scan and include it in my album. This was also a workout, I had to use all my strength just to hold on. Forget the paddling! We had 2 young Thai men to do most of the work and we had waterfights with other tourist groups! Lots of screams and laughter! The rapids are about 3 miles long and man made, but quite challenging for tourists not used to this type of activity. We got a ride back to the base camp where we were served lunch.

The last challenge was swimming at a waterfall. We had to walk maybe 10 - 15 minutes up a hill to reach the falls. I did not go into the water as the rocks are very slippery and I would break, should I fall! The others went in and the water is quite cold.

The minibus took us back to the hotel by 4 pm. At 6 pm there was an owners cocktail party by one of the pools. Free drinks and some little snacks. The party only lasted for an hour so then we walked to Turtle Village and went to an Irish pub for dinner.

Day 4 in Phuket - Sunset Dinner Cruise

Gunilla arrived safely this morning. She had no problems whatsoever with her trip which was great. After unpacking we went to the pool. Kim had gone to a yoga class and some other thing and joined us at the pool later. The only thing on our schedule today was a Sunset Dinner Cruise. It was really nothing to write about. The food was not great and neither was the boat. It was supposed to be a Chinese Junk but didn't look anything that I had imagined. So I think it was a waste of time and money. We have nicer sunsets right here at the hotel where the sun sets into the ocean.

We are all getting a bit too much sun and are taking on a rather red hue. Even I am red sitting under the umbrella. Tomorrow we will be out all day on an Ecco Tour. It will be a full day to report about tomorrow.