It is Almost Over

Tuesday
Another stunning day with the temperatures reaching 35. So it was back to the pool for the morning. Keith and Cheryll decided to go back to Patong to get some DVDs and hopefully a LED Sign. While there they were accosted by a one of these time share people and Cheryll won a major prize. But to claim the prize they had to sit through a 1½ hour presentation that took two hours. The prize was a week’s accommodation at one of their timeshares for four but they have to get themselves there and back.

Lorraine and I went back to the markets up the road for the final time to buy those last minute things. After that it was back for a swim and then to the Spa for a facial. Yes I was going for a facial as well. I could hardly believe myself agreeing to it but I did have a lot of spots on my forehead which needed something done to them. As with the massage it was brilliant and felt great. It didn’t feel overly manly but it did help the spots.

We caught up with Cheryl and Keith again at the pool’s happy hour but believe it or not no beer was purchased. Keith and Cheryll had a G and T and I had taken a bottle of wine I had bought duty free to drink during our stay. We decided to have a bar meal and listen to the resident band for the night. It was quite different sitting at a bar and not buying a drink. Keith had his duty free rum, I had my wine so only the girls needed to buy drinks. The band was from the Philippines and played those songs everyone knows and can sing-along to, though you would be lucky to find one of them in my CD collection (or Keith’s for that matter). It was a quite pleasant last night for us.

The Hilton Hotel is a huge complex. There are 4 main buildings with about 450 rooms there are plenty of activities and 5 swimming pools to keep you busy. The grounds are nicely manicured with plenty of walkways. It was a nice place to stay but I doubt I would stay there again. Their prices are outrageous when compared to those in the shopping areas nearby, beer was more than double and meals were quadruple. Not only this, but there was an automatic tip cost of 10% plus govt tax also at 10%. This was the only place that tax wasn’t included in the written price. While it is easy to go into town for meals and drinks there are times when you just want to stay in but this was an extremely expensive choice. The staff were really friendly and extremely helpful but some were hard to understand. I am sure there are better places to stay.

Down to Earth

Monday
Only two full days left. Spent the morning poolside. My word life can tough when it requires constant decision making. Should I go for a swim or sun bathe? Should I read my book or magazine? Which sun cream should I apply 15 or 30? Which one of 5 pools should we go to? What should we do later in the day? Is it time for a beer yet? Oh the stresses of holiday making.

We decided the afternoon was perfect for me to do my Bungy Jump. So after a feed we headed once again to Patong Beach and the bungy jump. I was expecting a sort of hillside jump but no it was just a 60 m crane above a bit of a lake. Never mind a jump is a jump and the place uses NZ standards for its safety procedures. So with my legs secured together so tight my toes were turning purple, it was hop onto the crane and up we go. Sixty metres or 145 feet on this little platform I was attached to the bungy and got set for the mandatory count of 1, 2, 3, BUNGY. There was no turning around now. While I wasn’t overly nervous there was a “what the heck are you doing?” niggle that push the heart beat up a few beats. However in the true style of the brave (or foolish) there was no hesitation when the three was yelled out. I performed a wonderful swan dive falling towards the lake. I pulled up well short of the water but loved every second of the jump including the four or five rebounds where I went up and down like a yoyo. However by the time I could grab onto the pole to get down my legs were hurting quite a bit. It was a great experience. It was not until after the jump that I read the front page of the Phuket Gazette where a Brit had bicycle kicked his legs free in a bit of a panic and became separated from the bungy on the way down. He apparently hit the water at full speed and did some major damage to his chest and arms. On the side of the Bungy owner they had the jump recorded and were able to show the guy had done a number of things totally differently from how has was instructed to. It did explain though why my legs were so securely bound and why I stopped well short of the water.

After the jump we went back to Karon Beach and Cheryll and Lorraine went shopping and Keith helped me with a celebration beer. We then went to the markets a little further down the road where the girls continued the shopping and the guys continued the celebrations. With the temperature up in the 30s it was extremely hot walking back so it was off to the pool for a swim and by coincidence it was “Happy Hour” so the celebrations continued.

After dinner Lorraine and Cheryll went for a foot massage and Keith and I for something different went for a beer at “Poppa Keith’s” bar.

Sunday
Unfortunately Cheryll was not 100% again so they had decided to see the hotel doctor. So Lorraine and I decided to spoil ourselves and book into the hotel’s Spa. It was another beautiful morning so we went for a swim and a bit of sunbathing. Our spa appointment was from 12.30 pm but we were asked to get there by 12.pm so we could get ready and have a sauna /steam bath before our massage. I had a medium Swedish, Lorraine had a Yang Lang. both were full body. (these are the types of massage rather then the person!) It was heaven with both of us coming out saying it was by far the best massage ever and wished we’d gone for the 1 ½ hr one.

The doctor said Cheryll’s problem was bacterial and prescribed medicine so they went north from our hotel exploring and did a bit of shopping. We also went shopping for a change with Lorraine actually bought things for herself as well as everyone else connected to our family. She really had a good spending spree.

We caught up with Keith and Cheryll at the poolside “Happy Hour” and then went to dinner and a Traditional Thai Performance. The show was neither brilliant or outstanding but entertaining for a short period. Keith was selected to get up and join in (“Why me?” he cried as he happily got up.) We watch a few dances and then decided it was off to Patong and Bang-La Road.

Bang-La is notorious for its special type of nightlife. Thai girls galore fill the streets and pub enticing any male that walks past. It makes no difference whether they are on their own or with a partner. Outside each bar was a group of very pretty girls dancing trying to pull in costumers. The streets were full of European guys walking hand in hand with Thai ladies. Some combinations were really eyepopping and imagination tantilising. A guy who must have weighed at least 150 kg but standing only 5 foot with an tiny and thin girl, an guy in his 70s with a girl who looked no more than 12.are just two examples. But I guess both parties benefit in one way or other.It was really fun just sitting at a bar watching all these people walking past. A real eye opener for us mid-lifers. The question of the night was “where do they go to do it?” One had never thought of the backrooms!!

Playing Tourists Again

Saturday
Today it is off to the islands on a speedboat. The day had dawned beautiful and fine so it looked to be a great day to be out on the ocean. The trip started with a 45 minute minivan trip through Phuket Town to the harbour. There we met with our tour guide and collected our flippers. We were then put on an old rickety bus that would not have passed a warrant in NZ for about 20 years. No windows or doors, wooden seats and people hanging off the sides. The bus took us to where the boats were parked up against a beach. We got on our boat as a group of 20. Couples from Arizona, Germany (?), Melbourne, Sydney and somewhere else in Aussie, 2 young couples from Japan, and a family from Adelaide and 4 wonderful extremely friendly Kiwis (Pom and Canuck included) made up our tour party. It was a good crowd.
Our first stop was Bamboo Island. It was a beautiful beach and there was a place to snorkel. The girls had chosen not to snorkel so the just swam and sun bathed. Keith and I had a bout 30 minutes of snorkelling. There was a lot of fish but nothing special. Still it beat working eh?
Our next stop was Phi Phi Don where we were shown one of the places most affected by the tsunami. Oak, our guide showed us before and after pictures which realloy show the devastation these people went through. Just around the island we stopped to look at this structure that had been built into the cliff’s edge. A pier had been built there with lodgings inside a sort of cave. This was where the islanders farm bird nests that they sell to the Chinese for their ‘Bird Nest Soup”. It apparently is a thriving business and generates quite a lot of income. It was most impressive. I thought it was quite a sight to see this guy on what looked to be a primitive structure talking on his cell phone with solar panels above his head on simple scaffolding.
After this is was onto Monkey Beach for a short stop and a chance to see monkeys in their natural habitat. We were told not to approach or touch the monkeys as they copuld become quite aggressive. All this was fine but we had only got off the boat and onto the island when a monkey climbed up the leg of a fellow passenger who panicked and literally grabbed and threw the monkey. Fortunately nothing more came of this. There must have been about 8 other boats stopped with us and they each had food for the monkeys to keep them busy and away from us.
It was now onto Phi Phi Ley and Pileh Cove. This was a little cove that had crystal clear water. We stopped for a swim but I was the only one from the kiwis to swim. The water was really warm and deep. Our next stop was Maya Bay which was where the movie the Beach was filmed. It was a beautiful setting and it had a bar at each end though we decided they would not get any money from us. We just had a look around and laid on the beach.

We got back on the boat for the most unexciting part of our trip. We had to cross a stretch of ocean that had got a little rough. We were told the trip would take 45 minutes but it was over an hour before we got the the next stop. It was an interesting trip and I don’t know if I totally loved it or hated every minute. We hit huge swells and good sized waves, we were airborne, we were rocked, we went up and came down with a thud and then to add to it all it started raining. So we were soaked. About the half way stage the people who had so greedily hogged the front of the boat were brought to the back and we had to squeeze up together. Then to add to it all our little Aussie girl needed the loo so the boat was stopped about two minutes from the end so she could go. The boat really rocked and rolled while we waited after about 10 minutes her mum had to force her out as she was tooo embarrassed to come out.

Lunch was really nice but because we arrived late was a bit on the cold side, especially the BBQ stuff. We had one more stop for the snorkellers. Us kiwis initiated a “lets not stop” campaign that all but one couple agreed with. So we had the stop. We had only just left the shore when one engine broke down so we sat in roughly the same spot as with our toilet girl, rock’n away while the crew tried to fix it. To no avail and we ended up going on with only one engine. The trip itself wasn’t as bad, the rain had gone and the waves had subsided. When we arrived we just sat on the beach and were entertained by a number of young ladies posing to have their photos taken. I believe the girls were all part of the Miss Poland competition that was being held on the island. It was quite funny watching them set themselves up in provocative and sexy poses. The crawling in the water, hugging rock type poses that you see in advertisements.

By the time we left this stop the sea had calmed right down and the engine had been fixed so it was a quick trip back to our starting point. We were then ushered into an even older bus to the main depot were we hopped into a minivan that would take us back to the hotel. Unfortunately it was peak traffic time and the driver took a different route so instead of a hour’s trip it took us nearly two hours to get back. By this stage we were all over it. All that was wanted was to get out of our wet clothes and have a shower.

From Shoppers to Tourists

Wednesday
After a good night’s sleep it was time to play tourist. We hired a van and driver (Mr Ed) from the hotel and off we went. First stop the Wat Chalong Temple. A magnificent set of buildings especially the temple itself. Next was the Bang Pae Waterfalls. Though small they were worth the visit. At the falls there was also a gibbon rescue centre. This place had about 10 gibbons that had been either rescued from circus’s or were pets that their owners could no longer keep as they become quite aggressive in their teenage years. Our next stop was to be Promthep Point but as we were on our way the heavens open and we had a massive thunder and lightning storm so decide just go back to the Hilton.

The storm disappeared within 10 minutes of us arriving back so we went to town for lunch. After this Keith and I had a beer at a local while Cheryl went shopping and Lorraine had another foot massage. The local was really just a counter with seats on one side and a fridge on the other. Numerous beers later proved Keith had overcome his sickness and back to the person we all know. The girls behind the bar got themselves a meal from a passing vendor so Keith joined in and ate with them. They were most impressed with his ability to handle hot food. The rest of just watched and said no thank you.

With the sun shining and the temperature in the mid 30s it was time for a swim after our walk home. It was so refreshing and needed. We spent nearly an hour in and out of the pool.

Dinner was a BBQ Seafood Dinner. It was really nice with crab, crayfish, cockles, mussels and a number of different types of fish. The was also a full smorgasbord to choose from. Cocktails were ordered and reordered except for me who stuck to wine.

From Tourist to Patient
Thursday
It had to happen. One of us was bound to get belly problems and it happened. We had booked to go and ride an elephant but had to postpone as Cheryll wasn’t feeling up to it. So Lorraine and I went off to Patong Beach to do some more shopping. Keith and Cheryll stayed behind to allow recovery time.

At Patong Beach it was so stifling hot. I have been sweaty plenty of times playing sport but never when shopping. The markets have no air conditioning and only the occasional fan so are just melting pots. We feel we are now pros at bartering managing better than half the original charge for what we want to buy. ( I know the market people are still winning the battle but getting them down 50% is a good feeling!) Lunch was a bit of a disaster as Lorraine’s hamburger wasn’t fully cooked. The waitress in the end didn’t charge us but thinking how we have one of our team already with a iffy tummy it made feel quite queasy.

Keith and Cheryll spent a lot of the morning reading and managed to talk to a doctor who is also a guest hear. He suggested Cheryll not eat for 24 hours so Keith went into to town to have lunch on his own and guess where he ended up????? Yep, the same bar as yesterday and the girls behind the bar called out as he arrived “Poppa” has come back.

The evening was spent at “Simon’s”. This is a cabaret show with nothing but transvestites performing. The show was really entertaining and the ladies/men were absolutely stunning. It was hard to believe at times we were looking at men. Not only were they pretty they had wonderful, fully breasted bodies. And yes for those “Priscilla” fans they did “I Will Survive”.

All this tourist stuff is quite tiring and with Cheryll not feeling well it was once again early to bed. We will hit the night spots though before we leave.

From Holiday Makers to Tourists
Friday
It was a beautiful morning and nothing had been planned so it was off to the swimming pool with book, drink (water of course) and sun cream. It was such a good feeling just lying there doing nothing but reading and having the occasional
swim.
An early lunch then it was off to Siam Safaris and riding an elephant. This was something totally different. There were about 19 elephants in our trek. Lorraine and mine’s driver proved to be the character of the drivers and kept us quite entertained. He kept taking everyone’s cameras off them to take pictures of them on their elephant. He also pstopped us just by this spider’s web and attempted to grab this spider that would have beenat least 6 cm long and then pretended to throw it at Lorraine. This gave her quite the fright.
The trek took us up a hill in the jungle with a view of the ocean with Phi Phi island in the distance being the highlight. After the trek we watch a bit if a show with three baby elephants showing their skills – hitting a golf ball, painting and dancing. It was quite entertaining.

Back to the hotel and back to the swimming pool for a cooling swim. Ended up staying there for longer than first anticipated as there was a Happy Hour on. Keith and I made the most of what we could in the hour so we decided to order a variety of nibbles and watch the sunset.

From Travellers to Shoppers

We were unable to venture too far in the morning as we had been told we needed to meet with a lady to confirm our transport back to the airport at 12.15 pm. So we decided to go for a massage. Lorraine and Cheryll decided on a foot massage, Keith and I on a Thai one. The ladies stayed downstairs while we were taken to a room upstairs by two young Thai girls who drew the curtains, darkened the room and …………… gave us a massage.

The meeting was nothing more than a sales pitch that we weren’t overly interested in.

The afternoon was spent in Patong Beach looking at the markets and finally we made our first purchase. Once the ice was broken there was no stopping us. Lorraine proved to be the barterer supreme and got the best deals but didn’t buy anything for herself.

The markets are interesting. It is like walking through a gauntlet with people coming at you from all angles. “You want buy this?” “tuk,tuk?” “Gidday mate you said you come to my shop today”. They try everything and anything to get you to buy their wares. Lorraine got told she was “a stingy New Zealander and Aussies were better.” for refusing to buy something. The same guy offered her a job working in his shop!!! It is all a big game that one can enjoy or let it get to you. After three hours of this we had had enough and decided to go back to the hotel.

Keith wasn’t feeling the best so he skipped dinner and stopped drinking after one beer. Scary thought eh? All of us were pretty stuffed so decided on an early night.

From Shoppers to Tourists
Wednesday
After a good night’s sleep it was time to play tourist. We hired a van and driver (Mr Ed) from the hotel and off we went. First stop the Wat Chalong Temple. A magnificent set of buildings especially the temple itself. Next was the Bang Pae Waterfalls. Though small they were worth the visit. At the falls there was also a gibbon rescue centre. This place had about 10 gibbons that had been either rescued from circus’s or were pets that their owners could no longer keep as they become quite aggressive in their teenage years. Our next stop was to be Promthep Point but as we were on our way the heavens open and we had a massive thunder and lightning storm so decide just go back to the Hilton.

The storm disappeared within 10 minutes of us arriving back so we went to town for lunch. After this Keith and I had a beer at a local while Cheryl went shopping and Lorraine had another foot massage. The local was really just a counter with seats on one side and a fridge on the other. Numerous beers later proved Keith had overcome his sickness and back to the person we all know. The girls behind the bar got themselves a meal from a passing vendor so Keith joined in and ate with them. They were most impressed with his ability to handle hot food. The rest of just watched and said no thank you.

With the sun shining and the temperature in the mid 30s it was time for a swim after our walk home. It was so refreshing and needed. We spent nearly an hour in and out of the pool.

Dinner was a BBQ Seafood Dinner. It was really nice with crab, crayfish, cockles, mussels and a number of different types of fish. The was also a full smorgasbord to choose from. Cocktails were ordered and reordered except for me who stuck to wine.

Travel, Travel and Even More Travel

It was a perfect day to start our holiday as it was dreary and wet when we left Gisborne. The forecast for the next few days wasn’t so good either. And to add to that it was raining in Auckland. We had hoped to catch up with Sandra and Barry but this didn’t eventuate. Lorraine and I had a little hiccup that was solved rather quickly by “Angela”. The guy in Gizzy had checked our bags through to Phuket which would have been okay if we weren’t spending a night in Bangkok.
Keith and I had our first beer and the girls not to be out done got stuck into the wine and rum while we waited to board our plane.
The flight to Bangkok seemed to last forever. There are only so many games to play, videos to watch and magazines to read before the whole thing gets quite wearisome. All of us had naps along the way but no real sleep.
We arrived in Bangkok 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, whipped through customs and were at the hotel by 10.30 pm Bangkok time (4.30 am NZ). We went for a little stroll just to have a look around but that didn’t last too long. In fact after about 50 metres we gave it away. The street was filthy with rubbish, no fewer than 20 taxis stopped pushing for a fare and I guess we just didn’t feel right being whities walking the streets of an Asian city at night.
Finally after 23 hours sleep came easy.

Monday
We all woke early, with our body clocks totally confused. We had a bit of time up our sleeve so went for a walk around the markets outside the hotel. There were hundreds of little stalls selling mainly women clothing for next to nothing. There were some interesting brand names like “Billabond and Ookley” available. These markets apparently open at midnight and close around 9.00 am so there were a lot of tired stall owners. No one bought anything preferring to wait for Phuket. Getting back to the hotel we found “Mr Ten” our taxi driver waiting so decided to get out of the place and waste time at the airport instead.
Bangkok is not a place I will hurry to visit again. It is filthy with rubbish everywhere, smog envelops the city and taxi drivers won’t let you alone. What bug me the most though was the feel of the place. I didn’t hear, feel or see happiness.

We booked into our hotel around 2,30 pm after an hour’s drive from the airport. It was such a good feeling unpacking knowing we had finally made it to our destination. Leaving Gisborne yesterday seems such a long time ago.

The weather is not the greatest. It’s overcast and there are the occasional cloud bursts. It did not stop us from looking at the shops just down fromour hotel. Once again no purchases were made. We ended up at a pub and had a drink. Unfortunately it started to pour down so Keith and I were forced to have another beer and the rain continued so we s=were forced to have another ……..

The day finished after a really nice Thai meal. Cheryll and Lorraine went back to the rooms and Keith and I stayed in the lobby listening to a 4 piece band play all the types of music you would never have in a CD collection and surprisingly had another beer or two or three…

Three Days To Go

The packing has begun and most our preparation is complete.