After a long road trip, or two … nothing better than some quality time with a good film. Conveniently, The Dallas International Film Festival is running “down the street” through April 22. So, yesterday I cruised over to Big D for some big screen.
With a few films flagged in my book, I was actually early for once in my life. Rather than rush in to get a seat, I actually had time to consider the options.
I have a few thousand frequent flyer miles these days, and I have traveled around the world a bit. Forty-seven of the United States have the PingWi-Fi footprint, somewhere, perhaps on a Wi-Fi hotspot near you.
But you know my favorite place in the world?
It is the 84 feet that stretch end to end on a high school basketball court. This came to mind yesterday, when my oldest son reminded me of when I coached him in middle school. He pointed out that against the odds, we almost won our league, and that we did defeat one of the Fort Worth area’s bigger schools — even though they started five ninth graders, and our team took the floor with three ninth graders, and two sixth-grade starters. (My son was one of peanuts who started for me … certainly a David vs. Goliath moment … I digress) …
Train To Chiang Mai
I think I have discovered something significant, at least for a travel writer. If you stall and stonewall and procrastinate before you write, you get to carry the adventure inside you a little longer.
It has been weeks since I reached the final stage of the Thailand adventure. The trip covered the tiny nation and introduced the team to many, many wonderful people. My traveling buddy and I have driven the backroads of Phuket. Slept in $10-a-night hotels … wined and dine in luxury resorts, ridden trains and water taxis and almost been crushed in a New Year’s eve mob. We have scored world-class sunburns in the Andaman Sea. We have seen cockroaches served as snacks at open-air markets. We have ridden hundreds of miles in tuk-tuk taxis … But there is more to tell … And I feel as if it happened yesterday, and almost wish I could just hold it all in … forever. But, tell the tale is what i do …
As mentioned in the last blog entry, the last significant leg of our journey was the train to Chiang Mai … an ordeal … and for what? You want to know why I was so adamant that I MUST go to Chiang Mai? Well … it was a silly reason. Silly if you are not me. It was a Ping Thing.
You see, it was the flooding in Thailand and the Dirty Gig that took me to Thailand, and as I read more and more about the region, I learned that one of the rivers that contributed to the flooding was … YES … The Ping River.
Prior to and even after landing in Thailand, I knew little about Chiang Mai. But when I found out it had a Ping … “I am there!”
And although several detractors told my colleague and I that there wasn’t much reason to go to Chiang Mai … I had sufficient reason.
Sometimes it pays to listen to your inner ping and ignore the sage advice of others. Chiang Mai — which incidentally means new city — wasn’t just a great ending of the trip. It was a crown jewel.
Ping On The River Ping
I think my buddy Steve will agree it was one of the most carefree, most fun times ever. Sure, Chiang Mai has many of the same retail attractions as every other open market in Thailand … the same t-shirts, the same carved frogs and carved elephants and the same funky hats .. “Same Same!” (the mantra of the vendors when they describe the quality of knock-off items, mimicking famous retail brands) … But at the Chiang Mai market, it is is just a different atmosphere — much more laid back than the thousands of vendors in Bangkok … more upscale than the offerings in Ayutthaya … and a more temperate climate than both, with a few mountains in the distance.
Best of all, Chiang Mai doesn’t have the bustle of its Siam sister cities to the south. For the first time in two months, I felt safe — totally safe — on the streets of the city. Sure, Steve and I had driven a rental car throughout the southern countryside. But we only talked of motorbikes and motorcycle taxis briefly … our first week in the country. In Ayutthaya and Bangkok, it was readily apparent, that two-wheelers in those metropolitan areas were not a safe option.
Sadly, as I write this, I am reminded that a colleague from The Dirty Gig lost his life in Thailand, in Ayutthaya, were we stayed for a couple of months. The mishap was after I left Ayutthaya, and I have only second- or third-hand accounts of the accident. But I am told that the gentleman was on a motorcycle taxi at night, and was hit by an automobile. How awful. Had the accident happened earlier … we may never have experience motorcycles in Thailand. But as fate would have it, we did.
Steve At Falls
It was an awesome ride. My friends who know me best, know that I had horses when I was a kid … and that I always wanted to trade them in on a motorcycle. Yes … it has been a lifelong dream to ride and own a motorcycle … but for some (probably very sensible and conservative) reasons, I never have. But on this trip, the motorcycle karma had been working on me for weeks … certainly since I had coffee at Classic Bike Cafe back in Phuket.
What the heck. The city of Chiang Mai looked like its traffic was civil enough for me to navigate on two wheels. So, Steve and I plopped down a few thousand baht and got bikes for a day. HA! But first the female motorcycle attendant had to drive me to another location on her motorbike, to pick up another bike. So, yes, pardon the expression, I have “ridden bitch” on a bike — behind a woman — briefly, in Thailand. Put that on the resume. Before the day was over, we made arrangements to keep the bikes longer.
Wannabe At Wawee
Even after the trip … and certainly during the Chiang Mai adventures, I kept hearing the words of another colleague … “Be careful not to pick up any (bad) habits in Thailand … they might be hard to shake when you get back to The States.”
Well, I don’t think that guy was referring to motorcycles in the wild, anything-goes-nightlife of Thailand … but for me it only applied to the bikes. More on that later …
Sunset At Le Meridien
In Chiang Mai, we stayed in yet another fantastic Starwood property — this time the Le Meridien, a high-rise in the heart of downtown, just two blocks from the open air, Night Bazaar. Did the hotel have Wi-Fi? Yes … and each morning, I pinged the rest of the world on Twitter, with a barricade of food surrounding me and the MacBook Pro — Belgian waffles, a mountain of bacon, yogurts, exotic fruits, Asian dishes, Western favorites … pastries from around the world. Ha … I sampled them all, as I checked out the hotspot. Each morning, I sat in the back of a huge banquet-sized hall, hidden by food from the buffet, using Wi-Fi that was fast and easy. In the afternoons, I parked my arse in the hotel lobby, under a great crystal chandelier, just outside the hotel bar.
Waraporn
To my surprise, the bartender would stroll all the way over and offer cold beverages to go with my hotspot ways. I gave up those libations years ago, but decided to engage the friendly staff anyway. There is now a great bartender in Chiang Mai, equipped with a master’s degree in hotel management, fluent in English and the newfound ability to make a perfect watermelon milkshake, just as I taught her, and as I learned in Winston-Salem, NC … Isn’t cultural exchange fun?
Anywho, Le Meridien had impeccable wireless Internet in the lobby, the rooms, up on the deck around the pool and health club, and everywhere else I checked. The staff is as nice as any you will meet, quite fluent in English, and easy on the eyes, if you are into that sort of thing — 6 pings.
Best of all, Le Meridien had a big parking garage, the new home for our rented wheels. Each night we chained the two front wheels together, in the center of a nest of workers’ motorbikes. Each morning, after the glutinous buffet, we hopped on our bad motorscooters and rode … all the day.
Lunch At The Falls
We road up the mountain …we rode to the sports arena …. we road to city hall …. we road to Chiang Mai University …. we road to Huay Kaew waterfalls … (I think that translates as “way cool.”). We road to the old walled city and circle it a half dozen times before we figured out the route was a 4-mile circle … all the sections of the wall and brownstones and street were fairly similar. But we noticed one big shrine again and again … The next challenge … how to get off the treadmill … since the inner part of the circle was a walled ancient city. A few creative u-turns and we were on our way … BTW, as simple as that sounds, it really wasn’t, considering I was a newbie biker wannabe, and compound that with the fact that the Thais drive on the “wrong side of the road” … and of course the fact that two-wheelers pretty much go which ever way they want to go, whenever … Wrong way on a one way — no problem. Wrong way on the shoulder — totally acceptable. Cut across the sidewalks for a spell … almost expected.
Thai Student Researchers At Shrine
So, where to go? Who knows and who cares? “If you don’t care where you’re going, you’re not lost.” Time and time again, we sat at traffic lights amidst a sea of mopeds, motorbikes and motorcycles. I envisioned those sports bloopers where one bike goes down and they all do, but no such bad luck. A few times, we struck up conversation with the other riders and they were happy to give directions. I could tell I was getting a little too comfortable on the bike, when, just like one of the local riders, I intentionally ran a red light, as the other lane of traffic hesitated. But for me, the trick didn’t work so well, and I got a few dirty looks and beeps from the oncoming traffic. Ha … and poor Steve was following me on through, getting the brunt of the road rage back there … Sorry man!
Achtung!
I mentioned that most people we met were somewhat English speaking. That includes a German film crew we met, during the shooting of a travel documentary. Very cool. All along the Ping River we found restaurants and coffee shops with free Wi-Fi. Just as I raved about Rabika Coffee back in Ayutthaya, I soon found a favorite coffee shop in Chiang Mai … No, make that two of them. One, near the old city is Black Canyon Coffee. Those shops are pretty widespread, methinks. Along with free Wi-Fi, they offer a large 60s kinda-waffle-house like diner, greasy spoon kind of restaurant layout, if that makes sense. My buddy and I thoroughly enjoyed the blended drinks, the Wi-Fi, people watching and a little eavesdropping on the conversation of some Western tourists. But, I was itching to get back on the bikes … so excited in fact, that I finished my drink and headed for the door … totally forgetting to pay in cashier-near-the door style. Oops .. and LOL … a little Thai barrista came chasing after me on the sidewalk … Not angry … just laughing at the absent minded tourist. All good.
Black Canyon Coffee — a Western flare to the place, great drinks, and good Wi-Fi … a little bit of funkiness in the bathroom plumbing though, so I would say about a 5 pinger. As The Lonely Planet site put it: “Local chain with multiple branches in the city and a high energy ‘see-and-be-seen’ location in front of Pratu Tha Phae that is always packed with people-watchers.”
But my most favorite, favorite — Wawee Coffee, another local chain with multiple locations. The one Steve and I checked out was on the outskirts of town, near the sports arena. It had lots of funky antique bicycles and fountains and stuff all around. Inside there were multiple rooms with comfy seating to relax, but the patio area was total coffee zen … huge trees, fountains, ponds, wind chimes … so World Market-ish! We had a round of Wi-Fi, took the last two sandwiches, met the manager, took photos of the place and had a couple of lattes. The Wi-Fi … as good as the atmosphere … very cool.
I was wowed by Wawee … was almost even gaga … Very hospitable. Had there been more time, and less motorbikes, we would have parked and made Wi-Fi for long time. Perfect score — 7 pings for Wawee.
M, Noom & Piom At Wawee
We continued on two wheels … what a perfect way to coffee bar hop around Thailand. Worth an honorable mention was Mac Cafe. We found the Mac in an area lined with restaurants — near the T-Ten Cafe where we dined. How could I not go in and check out the Wi-Fi? Interesting … “Dude, you are so ripping of Apple.” Do they know this or care? I spoke briefly with the proprietor and he assured me they have no licensing agreement with Apple. Yet they have a somewhat similar logo and decor. More power to you. The place has great Wi-Fi and all kinds of Apple computers, old and new … for use or for purchase, if I understood correctly.
Mac Cafe
Another interesting site — the “Rat Bridge” as we called it. A small bridge in the heart of Chiang Mai with interesting little statues of rodents. Of course we stopped to have our photos made, and as we glanced over the bridge took note of scaffolding behind the bridge … with people sleeping or totaling living on the small scaffold. They lived in One Rat Bridge Plaza, I suppose.
In summary … why don’t we just do away with cars (except for rainy days) and ride motorcycles all the time? I ask you. So, yes, to my friend. Pretty sure I picked up an itch I’ll have to scratch back in The good old U.S. of A. — motorscooter fever.
Self-Explanatory
Know what I sayin?
There is still much to tell oft the Wi-Fi adventures in Thailand and so little time. This particular blog post is somewhat of a slow train coming … having struggled with writer’s blog and a busy schedule for weeks. When last we talked, the PingWi-Fi entourage was holed up in paradise. And against the advice of many, my running buddy Steve and I left the southern beaches of Thailand, to head to the northernmost provinces … the Chiang Mai area.
After the grandeur of Krabi Beach and Phulay Bay, well, shall we say it was good to have a little palate cleanser. So in that regard, our night of roughing it at Summer Hotel in Phuket Town was exactly what we needed … as we prepared for what would prove to be a highlight of the entire trip to Thailand … Starwood’s Naka Island Resort.
In a word … opulent!
To begin with, the Naka team met us at the Phuket airport with a sleek black BMW sedan, which whisked (and I mean whisked) us away through the backroads and hillsides to the mainland pier and all its yachts. At that point some gentlemen grabbed our bags and loaded us on a speedboat for a five minute cruise to the island.
Who don’t love a little pomp and circumstance? We certainly do and Naka was there for us … meeting us at their pier and leading us to the gates for a ceremonial gong bash. The Naka tradition is to bang the gong twice on arrival and then a final time upon departure. Very cool.
And it got better. Inside the plastered walls of the compound is a labyrinth of sidewalks, bungles, gardens, shops, villas and bike trails up and down a hill overlooking the Andaman Sea.
The PingWi-Fi team grabbed up a couple of the Sunrise Pool Villas. In addition to the sea, and the big resort pool, there was an additional swimming pool within the gates of our little section, shared with 3-4 other villas … and then yes … each villa had it’s own little backyard garden pool. Imagine the smile on my face, considering my swimming pool-deprived upbringing in the dusty Texas Panhandle.
It got better.
Each villa also was equipped with a huge soaking tub, a steam & shower room and a huge bathroom, all outside, enclosed for total freedom and privacy behind a very secure wall. I felt a bit free if not tribal and/or primal.
Inside the very well air-conditioned villa was a huge, sinfully soft bed, shrouded in a luxurious canopy. And one of my favorite touches — the floor level work desk, with a sunken opening in the floor for one to stretch their legs as they work.
The villa was equipped with a near-perfect Wi-Fi hotspot which dominated the main living area and the day-bed area, just outside the front windows. However, my computer seemed to lose the signal in the backyard as I tried to set up shop with my computer near the huge tub … cordless and at a safe distance from the water, I might add. This was basically just a test. I mean who takes their laptop to the bathtub area? Just wondering …
Lastly, the room was equipped with one of those cool Bose iPod systems, and the hosts had loaded an iPod with lots and lots of exotic, world beat and relaxing music. I left it running and it was so cool to come home after a day of kayaking and be greeted by tabla drums, wooden flutes, and other soothing tones … like my own personal spa.
Wat
Outside, we tooled around on vintage cruiser and/or mountain bikes, up and down the hills to the scenic lookout of the Z Bar. The meals at Tonsai and My Grill were diverse and excellent — some of the best steaks we found anywhere in Thailand … great lobster, with a special lobster night … wonderful deserts (and I think we tried them all) … pretty much perfection and in true Thai form … the nicest, most hospitable and caring staff. OH … and the blended fruit drinks — crazy fresh and delicious.
And yes, there were excellent Wi-Fi hotspots in each of the dining areas …
So what about the atmosphere?
Well … you may be picking up on the vibe from the descriptions that this is a pretty romantic little getaway. Yes, there are diversions on Naka Island — kayaking, sailing, cycling, swimming — but it is so secluded. It is absolutely perfect for a little romantic getaway. Or at least I am assuming that … Ha … since I was stuck with Steve, my buddy and camera man … or perhaps more accurately, he was stuck with me.
That part of the visit may have been a little awkward, but we chose to ignore it and just enjoyed being pampered in luxury, after our long stay in the more bustling parts of Thailand.
I know it looked unusual to others, these two mis-matched American hanging out each night for dinner, or soaking up sun at the pool. In fact, on our second day, we met a charming couple at the pool — a woman from Australia and her companion, a gentleman from England. After we talked for a bit, they admitted they had been trying to figure out what was up with us — the two obviously straight guys hanging out at such a getaway. Ha … we took it in stride … and just enjoyed … and of course worked. (I speculate they could tell we are straight by our lack of fashion sense … not that there’s anything wrong with that …)
I mentioned the kayaking above … My first experience ever with the strange little boat that looks the same coming and going in the water, just as its name does on the page … kayak. I have canoed plenty of times, but have to admit the kayak took me a bit to master. Right off the bat … or maybe paddle … I decided to experiment and find out just how easy the craft would flip. Ha … quite easy. And before Steve and I circled Naka Island, I dumped one more time. But we made it and I now derive some pride from knowing that my first kayaking was sea kayaking. Pretty cool. But hot at the same time … Steve and I got some of the most sever sunburns ever … during the trip around the island … probably 4-5 miles.
Take That Andaman!
So … on a scale of 1-7 pings, as is our custom here at PingWi-Fi Island … just how did Naka Island measure up? See video for full details:
So, the first kayaking experience was all the seafaring we needed, without any aloe vera balm in sight … we passed on the Hobie Cat sailing …
And it wasn’t until our last morning at Naka Island that we ventured out again on the Andaman Sea. This time, we kept our delicate flesh covered and let someone else provide the “horsepower.” We rented one of the long, wooden, Thai water taxis and headed for one of the most famous of Thailand landmarks — other than the hundreds of Buddha shrines and temples … James Bond Island — the place featured in “The Man With The Golden Gun” film.
It was on the way to James Bond Island that I learned that the excellent air conditioning at my villa had created technical problems. Yes, for sure, I had the A/C cranked. So, when we left our little cottages and got into the near tropic sun … there was quite a temperature/moisture difference. That is when I learned the Canon digital video camera has a “condensation” meter and warning. Oh … the little Canon was not happy and started spitting out tape cartridges and all acting up. It refused to work at all … so we switched to the contingency and shot video with the Nikon still camera … not bad.
James Bond Island is mixed in a cluster of limestone rock formations, jutting out of Phang Nga Bay, within reach by a 30-minute voyage from Naka Island. But first, there is some spelunking in the excursion. Our taxi boat captain — a young man in is early 20s — anchored our boat near one of the rock formations and lowered an inflatable dingy or what-have-you for us all to pile in. Then he paddled us under a low, low hanging opening in the rock wall. We had to lay flat on our backs to make it in … First we saw a bat-covered ceiling, and then as we got further in the passage, it was total dark. Rats! Our guide’s flashlight was dead. The light strapped around his forehead as he paddled, was useless. He inched along, dodging walls and stalactites or stalagmites …. some sort of stalags … in the dark.
I tried to pitch in and light the place with the flash on my Nikon D7000, but the place was so dark the camera wasn’t getting a reading and wouldn’t fire. Wow. And I was scared to monkey with it too much, for fear of getting it wet.
It was a little scary at first, but we soon realized he could have navigated through the passage blindfolded … although who would wear a blindfold in the dark? … After a minute or two, we passed into the inner part of the rock formation … a small body of water surrounded with sheer rock walls, jungle vegetation and wild monkeys bearing their teeth … a little too close to our boat for comfort. And of course there were a dozen or so other tour guides paddling tourists when we reached the open area. Very cool.
I few minutes later our captain shot the big boat inside another opening in another rock formation, with the wooden cabin of the boat barely clearing the entrance. When we passed through, this opening was not much bigger than the boat. The pilot did some fancy maneuvering, combining a few full stops, reverses and boat tricks to do a 360, and then we headed back out to the open sea.
Then quickly we sped over to James Bond Island itself. We passed on the very small touristy facility there … due to time constraints, we didn’t land. But, the beauty of all the formations … probably a hundred or so from what I saw were everywhere … each one beautiful. And of course we shot photos and video from the boat … and being such techie/social media nerds … yes … we “checked in” on Facebook no thanks to Wi-Fi. The ever-present TRUE cellular network had us covered.
After James Bond Island, we packed, checked out and headed for the Naka Island pier for our speedboat back to the mainland … but first, the ceremonial one bang on the gong to leave the island.
Know what I sayin?
Ebola Alert …
I was sitting, “comfortably” crammed into a seat way too small for a human on an American Airlines flight, enjoying the sweet Gogo inflight Wi-Fi service when a gentleman came rushing down the aisle to the back of the plane … covering his mouth … and stopped to throw up at my feet.
As mentioned, after the luxurious times at Krabi Beach, we had a rocking time in Phuket … too much fun and not enough lodging. After my buddy Steve and I closed down the Hard Rock Cafe, we combed the backstreets, looking for a place to stay. It was the dawning of The Year of The Dragon and the dragon was kicking our arse. Too many tourists … not enough rooms.
All good things must come to an end, pretty much. So, enough of the pampered, lah-tee-friggin-dah luxury blogging.
Civilization
For the next leg of our journey, although we may have kicked it down a notch. It was really when things got interesting. As we left Krabi Beach, The Sheraton, the luxury of Phulay Bay, we headed to Phuket. Our only research — the words of a Thailand veteran. “There are thousands of hotels in Phuket … don’t worry.” On we went …
The roads from Krabi to Phuket were pretty self explanatory, if you watch for the signs. Make sure you stay on the left side of the road. Don’t run over a motorcycle with no lights in the dark and don’t drive off a cliff. A downpour here and there added a little bit of a challenge, as did nightfall. But the signs … most along the way included English instructions along with the Thai. In addition, we soon noticed that the world Phuket when printed in Thai, looks very much like our English or Spanish name/word “nina.” So … we started looking for the signs that said “nina” … piece of cake.
ภูเก็ต
Briefly … Phuket is an island, and Phuket Province stretches across the island. Patong, the hotspot for tourists is a crazy beach area along a half-circle inlet on the West side of the island. Phuket (city) is on the southeast side of the island, away from the world-famous beach.
So easy was the journey to Phuket Island, that we got a bit complacent. Yes we discussed finding a hotel first and then hitting the strip in Phuket. But the bright lights sucked us in. Soon we had parked and headed to The Hard Rock Cafe, Phuket. (I had made contact with them in advance and had planned to visit … and as luck would have it, we drove right to it.) Typically, I wouldn’t consider something as — shall we say, trendy — as a HRC t-shirt … but the thought of it having the old Phuket location on it made it seem a little more out of the norm. So … we shopped for a while. Ha …. so hard to please … I found nothing I liked for me or anyone else for that matter … everything had huge, non-breathing artwork all over the fabric. Yuck. I digress …)
But, on the other hand, we had a great time at the HRC. YES … they have Wi-Fi! The hotspot is free, but password protected. Don’t tell anyone … the password is “rocknroll.” I left my laptop and iPad in the car, and just got online with the iPhone. But that was all I needed to check in … tweet … surf … send e-mails and click off a few photos of the floor show.
And about that show … The HRC Phuket has an excellent cover band of 6-7 musicians that belt out some pretty convincing versions of Western rock ‘n’ roll classics, with a guy and two females sharing the lead vocals. It worked … and talk about high energy … the ladies did the old neck pump, head banger hair swoop thing for about three hours non-stop … except for the intermission.
One of these is not like the others
Now about that intermission … that is when the ladyboys came out. Five or six transgender, trans-whatever performers took turns lip-synching to American pop hits … most notably Beyonce … and the “boys” did their best to look the part as well. Pretty darn interesting …. that’s all I’m saying.
Western food, uniquely Thai entertainment and free Wi-Fi that Rocks! — The Hard Rock Cafe, Phuket gets six platinum pings … sorry we couldn’t stop by on the way out.
OH … you know what? We still hadn’t found a hotel. We walked to the Courtyard… to the Holiday Inn and several other independent hotels near the HRC. Not a single room available. We started to drive up and down the strip, popping in hotel after hotel after hotel. There were no vacancies. We drove on. We had been advised to try some of the extra rooms advertised in the back of the businesses throughout the district. Nothing. Back in car.
Photo Op
Everywhere we went … people were still hanging out, on porches, in bards, at food stands … pretty much all night. Need an icebreaker? Ask to be in a photo or take someone’s photo. These Thais love to have their photos shot.
Soon we drove up over the huge hill that we encountered on our way into the tourist mecca of Phuket. We though surely we were off the “drag” — Patong — and could find something. We were wrong. Happy Chinese New Year … zilch.
Probably now driving in circles, we encountered a nice apartment complex, whose non-English speaking security guards thought we were crazy when we asked about renting a room. We were not crazy, just desperate … what had begun as one day had already become the next. Nearby we whipped into a huge private gate and stopped at the guard booth of The Hilton. They invited us on in, so we drove to an outside lobby area, parked, walked to the desk … but there was no one there. I picked up a phone and called the operator, who said she would send someone. Soon a shuttle arrived. It was basically a bobtail truck that had been altered, so that the rear end looked like a wooden-framed street car. Weary, we climbed aboard and the driver took off, not saying a word.
The drive whisked us away to a second lobby. Ha … you should see this lobby. It is about the size of a shopping mall in the States … but open air, with a high ceiling or roof or whatever … nice furniture everywhere. We walked the long walk and many steps up to the concierge. It reminded me of the tin man, cowardly line, etc., intro to Oz as they walked the long walk to see the Wiz … finally, we made it. So happy that they had accepted us and soon we would have rooms, with a few hours left for sleep.
NOT!
I guess The Hilton just liked to give the shuttle driver practice. They picked us up at Lobby A and delivered us to Lobby B, without mentioning that no … there wasn’t a place to stay. Seemed a bit insane at the time … but go with the flow, I always say. Remember the big, big lobby? I begged them to just let us sleep on one of the dozens of plush couches spread about the place. Ha … there was a little grandmother doing just that nearby, as a matter of fact. But … they said no and informed us the mosquitoes would not be kind to us.
If interested, go to this link, then click on the video tour of the Andaman Lobby.
OK … any suggestions, Mr. Concierge? The English-speaking Thai gentleman at the desk said we were S-O-L … an American term that I bet doesn’t translate accurately. Everything in the immediate area was booked for the holiday. He suggested we drive another 20 minutes to Phuket Town. We did.
And that led to one of the more interesting hotel stays in the entire trip … more to come.
Know what I saying?
So, as mentioned in the last blog, there was no room in the inn … or resort … we saw down the road at Ritz-Carlton Phulay Bay Resort, so we drove the rental car over to the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort. As you probably know, the Sheraton is a Starwood property. (We’ll see more of Starwood soon …)
It is also important to point out that the Sheraton was near sold out, and the staff accommodated us late in the evening by readying a couple of rooms while we had a late dinner. Ha … they had extra time because the property has three elegant restaurants, and typically, I can’t even decide on a meal with one menu to peruse.
The first day in the Phuket area of Thailand must have ranked near the top of the saddest days ever for a travel journalist.
Subscribe via RSS
Powered by 
