Travels in Thailand, part 4

One of the activities we'd booked was an elephant ride through bush tracks on a mountain range.  Not only did it include the ride itself but some other cultural things like tapping rubber trees for their latex and making sheet rubber, preparing a Thai curry from scratch with the spices in their original form - roots, leaves etc and a few other things besides.  The day was to finish with an evening cruise and dinner on Chalong Bay in a gorgeous old traditional boat.

Unlike the short elephant ride we did bareback in Vietnam which was a bit painful on the nether regions (certainly for a guy!), this one involved decent seats and was perfectly comfortable.  Boarding the elephant from a ramp was pretty easy too. The ride is smooth until steep downhill sections when you go down in a series of lurches which has you hanging on tightly!

The comfort of a decent seat!

Fantastic view from high in the forest

Trying to pick my pocket for goodies!

We had a short trip in a cart pulled by a water buffalo.  My goodness, they are seriously big and the size of their horns defies belief.  This one was a big old softie but I'd hate to meet one that was ticked off!

A seriously big animal

Rubber tree tapping

Thailand still seems to have huge rubber tree plantations whereas when we were in Malaysia, the planting of Palm Oil forests seemed endemic.  I have no idea of the planting of palm oil vs. rubber in terms of long-term economics but palm oil plantations are quite poor for supporting biodiversity under the canopy.  No magic bullet, that's for sure.

After yet another humid day of activity, it was a perfect end to go for a buffet dinner cruise on Chalong Bay as the sun began to set - sheer magic!

Our boat at the wharf

Cruising past a tropical island

Sunset over the mainland - Big Buddha on the highest hill

Next day, it was another day of great activity in the shape of ATV riding and we were collected from the hotel and taken to a forest area on the east coast where it was all due to take place.  We knew that there would be big mud holes and streams as well as forest trails so a change of clothes was prudently packed.  Like all of the activities we'd been on so far, the Thais deserve every accolade for their timing and organisation, without it being overdone.  On arriving at the ATV base, we were plied with cold drinks to prevent dehydration and given a comprehensive run-down on riding the ATV's.  This was followed by an easy circuit of the base camp to let people get used to them. The ATV's were 400cc 4 strokes so there was the potential to cause some grief if not handled with a bit of respect. Two of the riders looked downright incompetent and seemed to be having trouble co-ordinating the lever-operated throttle and brakes, so they had guides on the pillion to watch over them. Was still wary of going anywhere near them though!

 ATV Central, although only about 10 people on our trip

Forced smile before setting off.

Arty shot of Jennie - she's clearly not impressed!

The terrain  through the forest was fantastic, with steep up and downhill grades, mud holes, streams, fast forest tracks and even in sand and sea through the mangroves!  Both Jennie and I had no problems with the terrain as we'd ridden racing 2 stroke ATV's in NZ's south island a few years ago (Jennie had actually given me a complete riding lesson on one part of that day!) but some of the other riders were finding it a bit tough.  One of the riders kept following me too closely and actually ran into the back on one downhill grade, fortunately with no damage.  I feel a bit guilty now, but solved the problem by deliberately banging open the throttle at the next mud hole, getting wheelspin and dumping several kilos of exceedingly sloppy mud over the driver.  He kept his distance after that!

A bow wave of mud and water

Half way through the day, we looped back to base for a lunch of fresh tropical fruit and more liquids to keep up energy levels and hydration. Jennie's right thumb had nearly seized up due to the throttle adjustment on her ATV so I suggested that she double up with me for the second half of the ride. Some of the mud holes were deep and the tyres got a bit floaty so the extra weight would help although you'll understand that I was exceedingly careful in the phrasing of this to avoid a swift kick where it hurts most.

The second half of the day was equally huge fun although the driving standards of some of the people hadn't shown much improvement.  On one tricky section, we heard a scream from behind followed by a glancing blow and the sound of foliage being rent asunder.  When we stopped and looked round, there was an ATV half-buried in a bush with the rider totally inside it and the guide/instructor completely in the open on the pillion giving a broad grin and a wink.  It was clear that the rider had got badly out of shape and had panicked, so the instructor simply reached forward, grabbed the bars and steered them into the bush.  What a hoot!!

Hmmmm.... can we get through that?

Yours truly among the mangroves and sea

We had yet another fantastic day, we were completely knackered and slept pretty darned well that night.

Final episode to come.......

Travels in Thailand, part 3

After the unplanned expenditure mentioned in part 2, I decided to get something for myself; albeit rather more modest.  We'd heard about a men's and women's tailoring enterprise at Patong Beach called Tom's International Collection.  Being retired and having hung up my business gear, tee shirts and jeans or shorts tend to be my everyday clothing.  From time to time, Jennie and our daughter Victoria "encourage" me (an understatement) to look a bit tidier so the plan was to get some nice casual "dress" shirts made.  I don't want to drag this out, but what a great experience!  The standard of service, choice of materials, patterns and professionalism couldn't be faulted and we'd be hard-pressed to find an equivalent service in the West unless it was at the very top end of the market.  Loved the little touches like a different pattern lining in the collars and cuffs.  From first measurement to final collection of 3 superb shirts in less than 2 days was great, at a price that was substantially less than off-the-peg poorer fitting and lower quality garments in NZ.  Also, now that they have my measurements, I can mail order more at any time.  Just to conclude the tale, Jennie had a pure silk evening top made and it's a stunner so we were both happy.  So there you are... if you ever find yourself at Patong Beach, go to Tom's and ask for Ali - you won't be disappointed.

Saw this nice Honda cruiser near the tailors with the Grim Reaper airbrushed into the tank and rear guard - paint looked an inch thick!

Cool paint job

That evening, we decided on a bit of entertainment and trotted along to a show just north of Patong Beach called "Fantasea".  We knew that you got a feed and the show involved elephants but that was about it.  The location was superb and the organisation faultless.  The huge grounds were set up like an old-fashioned carnival and shops but with modern decor so that you could amuse yourself after eating and before and after the show.  The evening meal area was a buffet of beautiful foods and could cater for 4000 people at a time!  Organisation was excellent and it didn't feel at all cramped or rushed in the dining area.

Entrance to dining area

A small section of the dining area

After the meal, we took part in some of the carnival/funfair attractions, one of them being on the pistol range.  I hadn't fired a handgun for over 30 years and was simply amazed (so were the attendants!) to score all inners and bulls, winning a lovely stuffed elephant toy which will be going to our granddaughter.

The stage show itself was spectacular.  The storyline was an old Thai story about a prince combating evil, but using modern sets, laser light, fireworks, elephants and other performing animals - incredibly well done.  We weren't allowed to take photos from the show but here's a selection of shots outside taken in the grounds.

A neon-lit bar

 Entrance to the show

2 metre long catfish in the lake - yup...2 metres!

The following day was time for a bit of action - kayaking off the north east coast of Phuket Island.  A boat took us to an area which was a little reminiscent of our March visit to Halong Bay in Vietnam, and let us loose on inflatable kayaks at several particularly beautiful islands.  One of them was "James Bond Island" where part of The Man With the Golden Gun was filmed many moons ago.  Another island was riddled with caves and a central lagoon.  To get to the lagoon, some of the caves were so narrow that you had to lie down in the kayak and push on the walls with the paddle! 

Crab fishermen in the bay

Some of the limestone islands

Yours truly off for a paddle

Some nice toys

James Bond Island - a few hundred metres wide

Market stalls  on James Bond Island

Massive fault in the cliff - maybe 80 metres high

Entering the cave system on an island

Big Water Monitor lizard at cave entrance

Jennie and I laying flat to get through a narrow squeeze

Entering the island's inner lagoon

Part of the inner lagoon

Old-looking monkey on the lagoon walls

On the way home, we noticed the following sign near a beach.  Wondered if it meant that you were only safe from tsunamis at an altitude of 300 metres vertically above the sign!!!

Not a reassuring sign......

What a fun time!  More to come.......

Travels in Thailand, part 2

Our first sightseeing trip out was a drive round the southern part of Phuket island, basically to see something of the countryside and to get a feel for the place away from the westernised Patong Beach.  On the road south down the west coast, we were tickled to see an elephant road warning sign, followed shortly after by elephants which looked like they were clearing logs from a rubber tree plantation - really cool!

Not your everyday road sign!

Garaging for the Thai equivalent of D7 bulldozers!

There were many spectacular views from hills all round the southern part of the island and the height seemed to accentuate the cloud formations.

Magnificent cloudscape

We stopped at a shrine where it was apparent how much the elephant is part of Thai culture, with literally hundreds of elephant effigies of all sizes draped with garlands of flowers.

Elephant Central

Next stop was to look at the Big Buddha statue at one of the highest points in the south of the island and boy, was it impressive!  Close to 50 metres high, made from concrete and was in the process of being covered entirely with marble tiles about 150 mm square and 15mm thick - that's one heck of a lot of marble and one heck of a cost.  Clever fund-raising though.  For 100 baht (about US$3), you could buy a tile, put your name on it with a felt tip pen and it would be cemented in place, name side down!

Big Buddha from a distance

Close-up, showing the individual tiles

Sticking on the tiles - what's OSH?

Next stop was Wat Chalong, a large temple complex which was maintained in impeccable condition and the ornate architecture was a joy to look at.

Main temple building

Colourful interior

Amazing carving

Standing in the direct sun for long without a hat was inviting trouble.  Jennie may have packed the kitchen sink when leaving NZ, but her sun hat was one notable omission. No worries though, a quick visit to a local market stall and parting with the equivalent of a couple of bucks or so solved that problem!  It's probably the right time to mention a really appealing trait of the Thai people - their great courtesy and politeness.  Stall holders and shopkeepers might ask you to buy something but if you say no thanks, that's the end of the matter and they'll still happily pass the time of day with you.  Contrast that with Bali for instance where you're continually hassled. The Thais are lovely people, with a great sense of humour.

Hats, bags and anything else you care to mention at rock bottom prices

Here's where the day started to get expensive!  Before we headed back to the hotel, Jennie wanted to have a look at a renowned manufacturing jeweller in Phuket town.  Thailand mines its own precious gems and with the high levels of craftsmanship and low wage rates, the implications were that real bargains were to be had here.  Now I don't know how other members of the male sex would have handled the situation, but I'm a craven coward and also loving my better half to bits; had an inkling how this was going to end up.

The manufacturing side of the process was really interesting, right from cutting and polishing the stones, through to making the finished piece, be it a ring, brooch, necklace or whatever.  Entering the showroom was another story entirely, trying to look casual whilst trying to stop eyes watering at some of the price tags.  Question: How does a guy counter the argument that similar pieces would be hugely more expensive in the West?  Answer:  not a clue and neatly backed into a corner by the female of the species.   Inevitably, Jennie found a bracelet in white gold set with sapphires and diamonds which she fell totally in love with.  In an attempt to cut a deal, I suggested that it should be an advanced present for our 40th anniversary next year to which she readily agreed (with me having a mental picture of all the bike goodies I could eventually buy for an equivalent price).  The speed of the agreement lead me to conclude that the brownie points amassed by yours truly for this transaction will have probably evaporated well before I can get any bike gear.  Have other guys noticed the extremely short shelf life of  "guy points"?  Sigh........

Nice, but not as nice as new leathers, boots, replacement helmet........

Less expensive adventures in Thailand to follow........

Travels in Thailand, part 1

As regular readers of this blog will probably be aware, Jennie and I take turns in organising a trip somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary, keeping it a secret from each other for as long as possible by outright lies, misdirection and other subterfuge.  This year has been our 39th anniversary and Jennie's turn to arrange the destination. The only clue given  was to pack something light (which could have been misdirection in itself, knowing Jennie's wicked sense of humour!).

All was revealed just a few minutes short of Auckland International airport, where it was finally  revealed that we were heading for Phuket Island in Thailand, some 14 hours flying time away, including a plane change in Bangkok.  That length of time being stuck in a plane isn't much fun but the lure of warm weather to escape our winter was pretty compelling.  Also, Phuket is a major "fun activity" area of Thailand so in the normal Kiwi way, we were looking forward to getting stuck into all sorts of activities as opposed to lazing around on the beach and drinking too much alcohol!  Perhaps the title of the blog should really have been "Pottering Around in Phuket"!

Arriving at Phuket airport around 2am, all we wanted was shuteye, but the 40 minute trip to the hotel woke us up.  Oh dearie me, the driver of the Toyota Altezza sport saloon who met us clearly relished the lack of traffic at that early hour and used the occasion for Formula One practice. Speed limits seem merely advisory and Jennie's tanned knuckles had taken on a distinctly white hue!  It has to be said though that the driver seemed pretty competent despite the ummm.... brisk pace.

The hotel was classy and we don't know whether their staff had been warned by our travel agent friend that it was our anniversary but the monster bed was beautifully decorated with fresh orchid flowers and petals. (click to enlarge photos)

Awwww......

They'd also left a plate of fresh local fruits in case we felt like a snack but all we wanted at that stage was oblivion!  Here's a photo for our fellow bike blogging food lovers.

Where do you start?

Early next morning, the temperature was well into the 30's C with humidity through the roof so it was time to check out one of the hotel pools to freshen up.  Lovely setting with Bougainvillea plants and palms round the edge to provide additional shade.

Not exactly slumming it!

Sheer bliss!

After organising activities for every day of our stay, we wandered into town and along the waterfront to get our bearings.  Jennie had her eyes fixed on shop prices which were very low by western standards whilst I tried to get an impression of the local motorcycle scene, only distracted from the task by (discreetly) staring at the absolutely stunning Thai girls.  However, as acidly pointed out by Jennie, some of them may well have been the renowned Thai ladyboys.  The only way of finding out is when it's far, far too late so we'll never know!

Early morning Phuket street scene

As per our Vietnam holiday in March, the majority of 2-wheeled transport were scooters and small-capacity motorcycles used as cheap, everyday transport by the locals.  However, the choice of rental bikes on just about every street corner was truly amazing with everything from small and large capacity scooters through to big bore sports bikes.  All pretty cheap to rent too.  However, why anyone would want to rent a Yamaha R1 or similar sports bike in those temperatures and traffic congestion is beyond me - the renters must have suffered from "little dick syndrome"! Here's a photo of a line of rental vehicles, starting with a smart Mugen-prepared Honda Jazz car, then a Fireblade (I think) and other big-capacity machinery.

Spoiled for choice

Choice is a very personal thing but for the conditions in Phuket, my choice would have been a motard - great all-round vision, ergonomically comfortable and very manoeuvreable.  Motards of 500cc or less were very popular and the one shown in the photo below looked to be about 3/4 scale compared with the bigger ones in NZ.  Don't think they're available in NZ but would be great for city use.

Cool 3/4 scale motard

Although there are conventional gas stations scattered about on the outskirts of town, we were delighted to see that transport of the 2-wheeled kind were catered for on just about every street by local entrepreneurs! The refuelling stations appeared to be a small roadside rack of empty bottles of alcohol, refilled with petrol.  Not sure about accurate measurement of quantity or health and safety considerations come to that but guess they'd be handy if you wanted Molotov cocktails as ammo for a riot!

Hi-tech gas station

As fellow Kiwi bike blogger Nick has mentioned in his posts on Thailand, after dark is when Phuket really kicks off; maybe partly because of the slight drop in temperatures but everywhere simply turns into Party Central with the restaurants and bars doing a roaring trade.  It was a great cosmopolitan atmosphere with Russians, Aussies, Kiwis and British being particularly in evidence;  although it's fair to say that most of the world's nations were represented there.

There was a great open-air bar not far from our hotel which served drinks and food at ridiculously cheap prices.  Even better, the Thai food was awesome and a whole lot more appealing than the McCrap, Burger King and other western outlets represented on the waterfront.  Isn't part of the purpose of travelling overseas to escape that junk, especially when the local food is cheaper, tastier and better for you?

Our colourful local bar/restaurant

Calamari with Thai Basil - divine

Prawn, chilli and cilantro soup - yummmm

More posts to come shortly..........