All right ladies and gentlemen (and anyone else who's reading who doesn't fit into either category), it's time for me to hand it over to a guest blogger. All the way from the other side of the room, here to give you his thoughts and impressions, it's my lovely hubby Carl!
(sorry, totally had to do it, you all know me)
~//~
OK, so we have been driven places 5 times in Thailand now, from the airport, to Wat Chalong and back; and also to the big buddha and back yet I still can't make heads or tails of the road rules. Good thing I'm not driving right?!
I am convinced about two things though. Whoever has the most momentum has right of way and everything else is just a friendly suggestion. That includes everything from indication to road marking and even corners.
Seriously, corners are just a suggestion. The taxi today drove almost completely straight through a series of 5 bends.
The drivers are both courteous and exploitative at the same time. If you are nice and stop to let someone through at a u-turn 3 more cars and a handful of scooters will shoot through as well.
All that being said though. I haven't seen a single accident. road rage doesn't seem to exist even though you have people zipping in and out of traffic, cutting each other off and pedestrians just stepping out into the tiniest gaps.
Maybe having no discernible road rules isn't such a bad thing.
P.S Caitlin and said she will have a go at the trapeze tomorrow.
P.P.S Correction she said she MIGHT have a go.
Friday, February 17, 2012
No, I'll catch YOU later.
No I haven't titled my post that because Mokona was lazing around in bed. It was actually said to Carl by one of the guys who helps run the trapeze.
So it was another late start for us. While we were looking at the events board after breakfast, trying to decide what to do, we saw the ladies who do the housekeeping set up a table where they were teaching people how to fold paper roses. After a few dismal attempts I finally began to get the hang of it:
Once that was over we headed back to our room to refresh the bug-spray and sunscreen before making our way back towards the bar. On our way there we snapped this shot:
Carl decided that today would be his day to try out the trapeze. But because the adult lessons don't start till 4pm we had an hour or so to kill. So we decided to head out to the Bocce ball court (cos it's right next to the trapeze area) and play a couple of games.
The guys set up the trapeze and Carl was in. First he headed over to the practice bar to learn his first trick, before being sent right on up (with appropriate safety gear of course) to give it a go.
So here's Carl at the top of the trapeze, getting ready to go:
Flying through the air with the greatest of ease (or not):
And him doing the trick which is, well, hanging upside down by his knees. Anyone else reminded of primary school?
While I was shooting, Kate, the girl in charge up top called to me because she wanted to give me the best shot ever. Man she's a show-off:
Once he'd had his fun we went back to the room and chilled for a while before heading out to dinner.
After dinner we went and hung out into the bar because we decided that tonight we'd actually catch the live show at the theatre. And oh my god are we glad we did. Tonight it was the Unity show which is all the trapeze guys (and girls) doing various high-flying acts. Including some gymnastic trampoline tumbling. It was amazing.
Once the show had finished, it was quiz night at the bar. Our team came second to last out of 8 teams. But we had fun so it was all good. When the quiz was done, Carl and I continued to hang out and harass some of the G.Os before heading back to the room and going to bed.
So a grand day of high-flying adventures. Oh, I went to the snorkeling lesson at 2:30 but it lasted all of 5 minutes for me because it turns out that I actually DO remember everything I learned in my mini-dipping lessons in primary school. Awesome. So tomorrow I am totally going on a snorkeling trip. Hurrah. Means an early start though because the sign-up is at 9am. Ew. Oh well. Should be good.
Bye for now!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A Few Stray Thoughts.
So while I'm waiting for our photographic adventures of the day to download off the SD card and onto the computer, (for the record, today was a hang around the resort and do sweet FA day so how the HELL did we wind up taking 525 photos?) I thought I'd share with you a few of my thoughts on Thailand and the experience so far.
Cliched as it sounds, let's start with the weather. It has been simply amazing. Even when it's cloudy (especially when it's cloudy) once you step out of your room and leave the climate controlled environment, it's like slamming into this hot, wet wall that is sharply scented with salt. Some days of course, that heat and humidity is worse than others, but thus far there has really only been one day where the humidity has caused me to wilt and retreat back into where the air is much cooler and drier. I am a little disappointed because so far it has only rained here once, and it was only a downpour that lasted for like, maybe an hour before it stopped and there was no thunder or lightning attached. Which sucks because I really wanted to be able to experience a tropical thunderstorm. Ah well.
The G.Os are absolutely amazing. They take the time to learn who you are so that they can then greet you by name. They're so passionate about what they do and so outgoing that you just can't help having fun whenever they're around. Which I know is part of their job description, but I think that they also need a certain personality type to be able to do that day in and day out and still love it.
When it comes to buying, Carl and I are completely out of our depth and I'm sure that it shows. Because we simply have no idea how much a baht is actually worth. Is 100 baht the equivalent of $1 or $10? It's a little mind boggling at times, how easily big numbers are thrown around. Because, being westerners we immediately see a 10000 baht price tag and balk. And yet the Thais just carry on. So yeah kinda weird. The baht notes are pretty though.
Hrm what else?
Carl has managed to bruise the backs of his knees. Who can honestly say they've ever done that? That's what he gets for playing on the trapeze. It was fun to watch though (and there will be more on this subject once the photos are ready). That's what happens when Carl insists on shooting in raw format and then playing with them later >_>
Carl: Yeah yeah, blame me.
Me: Who else am I gonna blame? You're the one with the camera.
I love it here. And I'm really not looking forward to having it end. I mean yeah I know I can't stay here forever, but when I get home I'll probably have a million messages and emails on my phone. Oh well, at least I still have a few more days of blissful ignorance. And I am REALLY not looking forward to another 11.5 hour plane ride. Eww.
Well that's all the stray thoughts I have for now. Catch you all later.
Cliched as it sounds, let's start with the weather. It has been simply amazing. Even when it's cloudy (especially when it's cloudy) once you step out of your room and leave the climate controlled environment, it's like slamming into this hot, wet wall that is sharply scented with salt. Some days of course, that heat and humidity is worse than others, but thus far there has really only been one day where the humidity has caused me to wilt and retreat back into where the air is much cooler and drier. I am a little disappointed because so far it has only rained here once, and it was only a downpour that lasted for like, maybe an hour before it stopped and there was no thunder or lightning attached. Which sucks because I really wanted to be able to experience a tropical thunderstorm. Ah well.
The G.Os are absolutely amazing. They take the time to learn who you are so that they can then greet you by name. They're so passionate about what they do and so outgoing that you just can't help having fun whenever they're around. Which I know is part of their job description, but I think that they also need a certain personality type to be able to do that day in and day out and still love it.
When it comes to buying, Carl and I are completely out of our depth and I'm sure that it shows. Because we simply have no idea how much a baht is actually worth. Is 100 baht the equivalent of $1 or $10? It's a little mind boggling at times, how easily big numbers are thrown around. Because, being westerners we immediately see a 10000 baht price tag and balk. And yet the Thais just carry on. So yeah kinda weird. The baht notes are pretty though.
Hrm what else?
Carl has managed to bruise the backs of his knees. Who can honestly say they've ever done that? That's what he gets for playing on the trapeze. It was fun to watch though (and there will be more on this subject once the photos are ready). That's what happens when Carl insists on shooting in raw format and then playing with them later >_>
Carl: Yeah yeah, blame me.
Me: Who else am I gonna blame? You're the one with the camera.
I love it here. And I'm really not looking forward to having it end. I mean yeah I know I can't stay here forever, but when I get home I'll probably have a million messages and emails on my phone. Oh well, at least I still have a few more days of blissful ignorance. And I am REALLY not looking forward to another 11.5 hour plane ride. Eww.
Well that's all the stray thoughts I have for now. Catch you all later.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Elvis isn't dead.
He just retired to Thailand.
Day five. With the vacation halfway over, Carl and I decided to get out and see one of the main attractions of the Phuket region; Wat Chalong. It is a huge temple complex located slightly northeast of where we're staying at Kata Beach.
Outer views of two of the smaller buildings. The one just above here is a temple where you can throw fortune sticks. I got a fortune, but of course I can't read a word of it as it is written in Thai. Hopefully I can find someone here at the resort who can translate it for me. That would be cool.
We wandered into the main temple, where the principal Buddha is kept. It's all creamy marble and gold, where the statuary is plastic. I suppose that was because if the statues were actual gold, the temples would get broken into and the statues stolen. So it makes sense.
One of the statues in a typical Wai pose.
On the walls there were these amazing murals. I'm assuming they're telling a story, but as I'm completely ignorant of local mythology, I have no idea what that story is. The paintings are amazing though:
The main temple is a massive 3-level affair. Two curving staircases with long roaring dragons as the banisters curl up to each different level. On the second level is the principal Buddha, a marble statue that smiles benignly down at those who come to see him:
The one thing that put a damper over the whole experience for me were the number of people who were running around and being highly disrespectful of the local temple customs. For example, they ask that women dress nicely with their legs covered and the tops of their shoulders covered. So no shorts, short skirts or tank tops. Which hey, may be a bit sexist, but this is a patriarchal monarchy after all. Oh and there were signs in front of all the temple buildings with these customs on them in at least 4 languages, so people really couldn't claim ignorance, just stupidity for not reading the signs. Oi.
Another rule is that it is HIGHLY disrespectful to point your feet at anyone, cos to Thais, the feet are literally and metaphorically the lowest point of the body and so if you point your foot at someone you're saying they're lower than low. They also ask that you refrain from touching the principal Buddha (fair enough) and also to please not take a photo of yourself with the Buddha. One woman not only was having her photo taken in front of the Buddha, but she was kneeling with the bottoms of her feet pointing towards the statue. Oh boy.
Makes you wonder what has happened to simple common courtesy and respect for other cultures doesn't it? Oh well, Carl and I just wandered and took photos in what we hoped were a respectful manner. On the walls of the second floor there are cabinets with photos and relics that were brought from Sri Lanka in 1999. And up on the third level there was this:
At the time, Carl and I didn't know what was being kept in that centre crystal. But upon returning to the hotel and looking up a bit of the history of Wat Chalong (yeah yeah I know I should have done that before we went there, shut up) I found that it's a fragment of bone. Yes bone. From Lord Buddha himself. So it's very special to the Buddhist monks here.
We then moved into the secondary temple, where people were offering up flowers and pieces of gold:
This is the same temple building where the fortune sticks are.
Wandering outside, we discovered the source of the thunderous sounds that had been surprising us at intervals during our wanders:
That is a giant kiln, and they were setting off firecrackers in it. Fun.
In another building we finally got our first look at some actual Buddhist monks:
Either they were statues, or those monks are REALLY good at sitting still. It was hard to tell. They looked so lifelike. And of course you don't really feel comfortable asking out of fear of sounding disrespectful.
After we'd had our fill of the atmosphere and cultural import, we had a walk around the small markets that had been set up and bought a few souvenirs before heading back to our taxi and going back to Club Med. All in all the entire trip took us about 2-2.5 hours.
Carl went to play archery again at 4, but I stayed in the room because I was just wiped from the heat and decided that I much rather liked the idea of a nap before dinner.
After dinner, the evening's entertainment was Eddine (a French G.O who helps run some of the excursions) doing his famous Elvis show. And to be honest, he was pretty damn good.
While he was singing, the bar was running a casino night:
I was doing ok at Texas Hold Em but then one of the G.Os got more money than sense and was just buying out the pots, so I moved on to blackjack. It was great fun. And after it was all packed up, a DJ came in and played some pretty awesome tunes for the guests to get their groove on to. Carl doesn't dance so we just sat and watched and drank. Finally headed back to our room at like 1:30am and crashed. It was a good night. And a great day.
In the next few days we're looking to head on up to the Big Buddha:
Apparently it's over 4 stories tall. Amazing. Can't wait to see it up close.
Anyway that's it from me. Take care everyone.
Day five. With the vacation halfway over, Carl and I decided to get out and see one of the main attractions of the Phuket region; Wat Chalong. It is a huge temple complex located slightly northeast of where we're staying at Kata Beach.
We wandered into the main temple, where the principal Buddha is kept. It's all creamy marble and gold, where the statuary is plastic. I suppose that was because if the statues were actual gold, the temples would get broken into and the statues stolen. So it makes sense.
On the walls there were these amazing murals. I'm assuming they're telling a story, but as I'm completely ignorant of local mythology, I have no idea what that story is. The paintings are amazing though:
The main temple is a massive 3-level affair. Two curving staircases with long roaring dragons as the banisters curl up to each different level. On the second level is the principal Buddha, a marble statue that smiles benignly down at those who come to see him:
The one thing that put a damper over the whole experience for me were the number of people who were running around and being highly disrespectful of the local temple customs. For example, they ask that women dress nicely with their legs covered and the tops of their shoulders covered. So no shorts, short skirts or tank tops. Which hey, may be a bit sexist, but this is a patriarchal monarchy after all. Oh and there were signs in front of all the temple buildings with these customs on them in at least 4 languages, so people really couldn't claim ignorance, just stupidity for not reading the signs. Oi.
Another rule is that it is HIGHLY disrespectful to point your feet at anyone, cos to Thais, the feet are literally and metaphorically the lowest point of the body and so if you point your foot at someone you're saying they're lower than low. They also ask that you refrain from touching the principal Buddha (fair enough) and also to please not take a photo of yourself with the Buddha. One woman not only was having her photo taken in front of the Buddha, but she was kneeling with the bottoms of her feet pointing towards the statue. Oh boy.
Makes you wonder what has happened to simple common courtesy and respect for other cultures doesn't it? Oh well, Carl and I just wandered and took photos in what we hoped were a respectful manner. On the walls of the second floor there are cabinets with photos and relics that were brought from Sri Lanka in 1999. And up on the third level there was this:
At the time, Carl and I didn't know what was being kept in that centre crystal. But upon returning to the hotel and looking up a bit of the history of Wat Chalong (yeah yeah I know I should have done that before we went there, shut up) I found that it's a fragment of bone. Yes bone. From Lord Buddha himself. So it's very special to the Buddhist monks here.
We then moved into the secondary temple, where people were offering up flowers and pieces of gold:
This is the same temple building where the fortune sticks are.
Wandering outside, we discovered the source of the thunderous sounds that had been surprising us at intervals during our wanders:
In another building we finally got our first look at some actual Buddhist monks:
After we'd had our fill of the atmosphere and cultural import, we had a walk around the small markets that had been set up and bought a few souvenirs before heading back to our taxi and going back to Club Med. All in all the entire trip took us about 2-2.5 hours.
Carl went to play archery again at 4, but I stayed in the room because I was just wiped from the heat and decided that I much rather liked the idea of a nap before dinner.
After dinner, the evening's entertainment was Eddine (a French G.O who helps run some of the excursions) doing his famous Elvis show. And to be honest, he was pretty damn good.
In the next few days we're looking to head on up to the Big Buddha:
Apparently it's over 4 stories tall. Amazing. Can't wait to see it up close.
Anyway that's it from me. Take care everyone.
Be My Valentine.
A day late, a bhat short but...
Happy Valentine's Day.
Today we overslept, due to various reasons *wink* and were thus late to breakfast. It's our first time experiencing the late breakfast, which is really more like a brunch. But that was ok.
After breakfast there was a Bocce ball tournament, which is actually what they call petanque over here. So Carl and I decided to check it out and give it a go. The only other people in a similar frame of mind were a young Korean couple and so we started playing. At first they were whooping our asses, but we managed to come from behind and win the tournament 9-7.
When that was over Carl and I decided to check out the badminton court down at the clubhouse, where I whooped his ass 3-1. Carl wanted to make it best out of seven but we were hot and sweaty and needed a drink. There was meant to be a love quiz at the bar, but they didn't get enough people interested in playing so it didn't happen so we went and entered the darts tournament instead. It was a lot of fun. I haven't played darts in years so I kinda sucked, but that's ok cos everyone else did too lol. Oh and it wasn't a traditional darts tournament in the usual sense because we weren't playing 510. Instead there was, right hand, left hand, 3 at once, one-legged and on the floor. So five rounds. The first round you had to toss the darts with your right hand, the next your left hand. And the rest are pretty self-explanatory. Carl came third which was pretty cool.
After the darts we headed over to the restaurant for a snack and watched them setting this up:
See, that's the really awesome thing about this place. With things like Valentine's day, they turn it into a complete event, with everything centered around that theme.
It was then back to the room to have a little bit of down-time in the air-con because it was another very hot day. When we got there, this little fellow swooped by our window and settled on a nearby palm tree:
At first he looked a little drab, but then he spread his wings and flew off and his wings and tail were just this magnificent blue:
It's amazing. It seems like every time I turn around, there's a new piece of wildlife to see.
A lot of people would be unsettled by having this guy cross their path, but I just think they're cute. Lizards, reptiles in general I can handle pretty well. It's only spiders I have a problem with. And so far haven't seen any, though there should be hundreds with the number of bugs here. Despite industrial-strength insect repellent, I have three bites on my left leg. Two on the ankle and one on my knee. Determined little bastards.
We then chilled until dinnertime where we went out to meet up with the Sports G.O team. On the way in, the red carpet that had been set up had been transformed into a lover's lane, complete with cupids:
And upon entering the restaurant, every single woman was given a single long stemmed red rose. Which was awesome and made us feel special. And omg the dessert table. Talk about chocolate fest. I suppose that's to be expected though. There was even chocolate mousse which was basically served in shot glasses. And after the first mouthful I could see why. It was so thick and so rich that you really could only stomach that small amount. And even then afterwards, you didn't even WANT to think about chocolate again for at least another month. Seriously.
The reason we went to dinner with the G.Os was because they were presenting awards and medals for the various tournaments that they'd held over the last few days. So Carl and I each got a certificate and medal for winning at Bocce ball that morning, and Carl got a medal for darts. Turns out he'd been bumped up to winner because the Korean boy and girl who'd gotten first and second had left a couple of hours earlier. And we both got participation certificates for Archery. Yeah ok it's silly, but it makes you feel awesome and of course makes you more likely to go back and participate again.
Once dessert was finished and the last hands shakes, the last jokes exchanged, Carl and I took our winnings back to our room before getting ready for the Beach Party. It was amazing. The spot on the beach directly below Club Med had been completely transformed:
It was an enclave of love with cocktail bar, flashing lights, romantic snacks and live music to dance the night away to. And about half an hour later though, the real reason for going to the beach party started happening:
Yes those are paper lanterns. Basically you were given one paper lantern per group and then with the help of a G.O you were able to light the wick and walk it down the beach. Then, once there was enough hot air trapped inside the lantern, you made a wish and released it into the sky. Ok it was nothing like that scene in Tangled, because these lanterns were a hell of a lot bigger, but it was still awesome.
The sky became filled with these things, looking like brightly burning stars:
It was truly beautiful. But seeing it for some reason made me suddenly and achingly homesick. I missed Mischief and my brothers and my sister. And even though it was like 4am here in New Zealand I wished I could call someone and hear a familiar, friendly voice.
So instead of staying and enjoying the music and booze, I came back to the hotel room and went to bed. To be fair though, it was like 12am here.
And thus Valentine's day came to a close with tomorrow being just another day. Before I go, I want to share one of the shots Carl took tonight of the fountain pool in the main reception area of the resort. It's a really amazing pool:
This place is just beautiful.
Missing you all.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Today we overslept, due to various reasons *wink* and were thus late to breakfast. It's our first time experiencing the late breakfast, which is really more like a brunch. But that was ok.
After breakfast there was a Bocce ball tournament, which is actually what they call petanque over here. So Carl and I decided to check it out and give it a go. The only other people in a similar frame of mind were a young Korean couple and so we started playing. At first they were whooping our asses, but we managed to come from behind and win the tournament 9-7.
When that was over Carl and I decided to check out the badminton court down at the clubhouse, where I whooped his ass 3-1. Carl wanted to make it best out of seven but we were hot and sweaty and needed a drink. There was meant to be a love quiz at the bar, but they didn't get enough people interested in playing so it didn't happen so we went and entered the darts tournament instead. It was a lot of fun. I haven't played darts in years so I kinda sucked, but that's ok cos everyone else did too lol. Oh and it wasn't a traditional darts tournament in the usual sense because we weren't playing 510. Instead there was, right hand, left hand, 3 at once, one-legged and on the floor. So five rounds. The first round you had to toss the darts with your right hand, the next your left hand. And the rest are pretty self-explanatory. Carl came third which was pretty cool.
After the darts we headed over to the restaurant for a snack and watched them setting this up:
See, that's the really awesome thing about this place. With things like Valentine's day, they turn it into a complete event, with everything centered around that theme.
It was then back to the room to have a little bit of down-time in the air-con because it was another very hot day. When we got there, this little fellow swooped by our window and settled on a nearby palm tree:
At first he looked a little drab, but then he spread his wings and flew off and his wings and tail were just this magnificent blue:
It's amazing. It seems like every time I turn around, there's a new piece of wildlife to see.
A lot of people would be unsettled by having this guy cross their path, but I just think they're cute. Lizards, reptiles in general I can handle pretty well. It's only spiders I have a problem with. And so far haven't seen any, though there should be hundreds with the number of bugs here. Despite industrial-strength insect repellent, I have three bites on my left leg. Two on the ankle and one on my knee. Determined little bastards.
We then chilled until dinnertime where we went out to meet up with the Sports G.O team. On the way in, the red carpet that had been set up had been transformed into a lover's lane, complete with cupids:
And upon entering the restaurant, every single woman was given a single long stemmed red rose. Which was awesome and made us feel special. And omg the dessert table. Talk about chocolate fest. I suppose that's to be expected though. There was even chocolate mousse which was basically served in shot glasses. And after the first mouthful I could see why. It was so thick and so rich that you really could only stomach that small amount. And even then afterwards, you didn't even WANT to think about chocolate again for at least another month. Seriously.
The reason we went to dinner with the G.Os was because they were presenting awards and medals for the various tournaments that they'd held over the last few days. So Carl and I each got a certificate and medal for winning at Bocce ball that morning, and Carl got a medal for darts. Turns out he'd been bumped up to winner because the Korean boy and girl who'd gotten first and second had left a couple of hours earlier. And we both got participation certificates for Archery. Yeah ok it's silly, but it makes you feel awesome and of course makes you more likely to go back and participate again.
Once dessert was finished and the last hands shakes, the last jokes exchanged, Carl and I took our winnings back to our room before getting ready for the Beach Party. It was amazing. The spot on the beach directly below Club Med had been completely transformed:
It was an enclave of love with cocktail bar, flashing lights, romantic snacks and live music to dance the night away to. And about half an hour later though, the real reason for going to the beach party started happening:
Yes those are paper lanterns. Basically you were given one paper lantern per group and then with the help of a G.O you were able to light the wick and walk it down the beach. Then, once there was enough hot air trapped inside the lantern, you made a wish and released it into the sky. Ok it was nothing like that scene in Tangled, because these lanterns were a hell of a lot bigger, but it was still awesome.
The sky became filled with these things, looking like brightly burning stars:
It was truly beautiful. But seeing it for some reason made me suddenly and achingly homesick. I missed Mischief and my brothers and my sister. And even though it was like 4am here in New Zealand I wished I could call someone and hear a familiar, friendly voice.
So instead of staying and enjoying the music and booze, I came back to the hotel room and went to bed. To be fair though, it was like 12am here.
And thus Valentine's day came to a close with tomorrow being just another day. Before I go, I want to share one of the shots Carl took tonight of the fountain pool in the main reception area of the resort. It's a really amazing pool:
This place is just beautiful.
Missing you all.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Beware of falling coconuts...
So the plan of attack for our time here is to try and alternate our days so that we spend one day at the resort, doing resort-type stuff and then spend one day out and about exploring and stuff. So today was an out and about day. Thus, after breakfast we slathered on the sunscreen and insect repellent, packed up the bag with bottled water and Carl's camera and headed out to explore the immediate environs.
Shortly after we'd set out, we were hailed by a young couple riding a scooter. The guy is apparently from Feilding. Small freaking world. Anyway they were giving out these scratch-card things on behalf of a resort chain. And scratching mine I found I'd won a 'Star Prize' and, even better, I'd won a dream holiday, which is apparently a 7 day stay at one of those resorts. Carl didn't seem too convinced so we kinda walked away. But I still have the ticket so I might see if I can get him to check it out. Cos if it's a scam then hey whatever. But if there's a chance it could be real, well...
Meh. We headed down the road and wound up in a plaza, where there was a small shrine among a circle of paving stones that represented the Chinese zodiac. See?
Ok oops, that's not actually the zodiac one. This is a shrine just down the road from the resort, next to the muay thai fighting ring. But yeah these shrine things are everywhere. And the one thing I can't figure out is why they put bottles of water or soft drink on them. It's strange.
Past the plaza we came to a local market.
Fresh fruit, meat, fish and various other things. Unfortunately the place REEKED of raw fish and baking sewage so we didn't stay too long. Plus there was the hygiene factor...
That is raw fish in the sun open to flies and god only knows what else. Ew.
Carrying on down the road, we explored some more, found various shops that we poked into, fended off pitches by tailors desperate for business (there are seriously a LOT of tailors here) before heading back to the resort for lunch.
After lunch Carl chilled out by the pool while I went for a swim. Then we played the day's bar game which was a quiz on all the excursions offered by Club Med. We didn't do so well but that was ok. We were then invited to join a Thai cooking lesson where we learned how to make a Thai green chicken curry. Yum but OMG was it spicy!
We then headed out to the archery range and on our way out there, met this little fellow:
Isn't he cute?
At the archery range there was a tournament, which Carl entered but I was unable to as I'd never done archery before.
After the tournament, the instructor gave us lessons. MAN it's harder than it looks in Wii sports. My thumb is still sore from holding the bow steady.
We finished at the archery range about 5:30pm. At that point Carl went to the infirmary because he'd had a sore throat most of the day and it was really beginning to bother him. Turns out he has acute pharyngitis. Great. And everyone thought *I* was the one who was going to get sick on this vacation.
As a result the specialty dinner was a bit of a drag as Carl didn't want to eat and I could tell that he would much rather be back at our room watching tv. The food was delicious though, especially the beef prosciutto salad with pesto, which was the starter. The soup was creamy pumpkin and green pea, the main rack of lamb with mustard seeds and curry juice. And for dessert, this yummy lemon and blueberry muffin type thing with fresh whipped cream and blueberry sauce.
Yummy. Happy birthday dinner to me. Took us a hell of a time to figure out where the hell the specialty dining room actually WAS. All the way down the back of the resort. Which is kinda nice because it means it's nice and quiet and ambient.
And now we're back in the room. Carl is all but asleep and I'm getting there myself. So I'll catch you all later.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The trip thus far...
Sawatdee Kaa!
In case you don't know, that's Thai for hello. (For a woman anyway, if you're a guy you say Sawatdee Khrab).
So here I am in my room (which is set at a VERY comfortable 23 degrees, thank you air-con) in the Club Med Resort, Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand. It is currently 9:20pm local time. Outside it's roughly about 27-28 degrees and quite humid.
I thought I'd start this blog as we have complimentary wi-fi in our room and I find it much easier to type than I do to sit there and write all this out in a physical hardcover book (which I was originally planning on doing, just for the record. Might still keep it for memento-type stuff).
Ok, so a recap of the the trip up till this point in time.
We flew out from Auckland airport at about 3:30pm yesterday. The flight left on time which is unusual, but rather nice. Once we were in the air, after the usual safety demonstrations and announcements from the pilot, we were told that we were 11.5 hours from Bangkok. What? Nearly 12 hours in the freaking air?? Are you kidding?? What I hadn't factored into my equation for calculating the flight time was the time differences in the itinerary. Our departure time was given in NZ local time, so I assumed the landing time was too. But no, the landing time was 9:30pm BANGKOK time. And since Bangkok is 6 hours behind NZ...
Yeah, looooong flight. But the cabin crew were awesome, keeping us topped up with cold drinks and three servings of food. Plus the in-flight entertainment was great. Each passenger had a personal screen and handset which they could use to watch a selection of movies, listen to music, and play games - some even against other passengers. So all in all it wasn't a bad flight, but even with getting up and stretching and moving around as best you could, it's a hell of a long time to be stuck in one place.
We wound up getting into Bangkok airport a little early, which wasn't too bad. Touched down about 9:10pm and were through customs and in the waiting lounge for our connecting flight to Phuket by 9:40pm. However after that long-as stint in the air, we really weren't looking forward to being crammed into a plane again, even if it was for only an hour. The really cool thing was that when we boarded, we were guided down a set of escalators and then out of the terminals and onto a BUS. Yep, didn't expect that one. We were then bused across the terminal to our plane. Funky huh? Oh and our bus driver nearly crashed. Great, in the country half an hour and already needing to collect on our travel insurance. That's gotta be some sort of record. Luckily though the crash was avoided and we were boarded and airborne in no time.
An hour later at about 11:55pm we touched down in Phuket. Baggage claim went without a hitch, which had been one of my fears because our luggage was being transferred direct from our main flight to our connecting flight without us having to check it in in Bangkok. And hey, that's generally where stuff gets screwed up. But nope, Carl's bag came through no problems and then a short while later so did mine. Awesome. Baggage sorted. Now to clear customs again...wait you're waving us straight through. Ok sweet as. Where's our ride?
Outside the terminal there were HEAPS of taxi services all pushing at you. But we had to politely decline as we made our way over to the Club Med greeter. Ok, two seats in a 10-seater transit...wait? What do you mean we're not on your list?? Awww shit. Here's hiccup number one. But a quick call to the resort and we're all sorted. Excellent. No dramas.
Into the van and I have to admit, after all that flying, it actually feels GOOD to be in a road-based transport again.
But that feeling lasted all of 10 minutes. See, I honestly could not comprehend ANY sort of road rules, or if they even exist. Our driver was tooting the horn a lot, doing 120kph in a 60kph zone...
Part of the transfer price was getting us to the resort in one piece right? Or did we have to pay extra for that?
Oi.
So at about 1:20am...ish we pull up outside the main reception at the resort. As we climb out, vision starting to blur from fatigue (and the various drugs I'd had to pop to help keep my nausea under control) garlands of fragrant flowers are draped around our necks by cheerfully smiling people. We're led into the main reception area and sat down on comfy couches as they check us in. As we inquire about our luggage we are cheerfully informed that it will be delivered up to our rooms shortly. Sweet. We are offered glasses of cool water and a delicious juice (or iced tea, I'm not sure what it ACTUALLY was, but it was delicious and wonderfully refreshing) as well as a cold towel to wipe our faces with. We are then told about some of the basic must-know details, like the towel card and room card and that sort of thing.
Keycards in hand we are then shown to our room by another of the smiling hosts. Keycard in door and omg we walk into this air-conditioned paradise that makes us just sigh in delight. The floor is polished wood, the walls done in whites and yellows...ah who cares lemme just show ya.
So here's Mokona with one of the garlands.
Carl and I on our little reading divan-type thing in the far corner of our room.
Shortly after we took those photos we crawled (and I mean CRAWLED) into bed and zonked out.
This morning we woke about 8:30am local time. After quickly sluicing off the travel ickiness, we headed to breakfast at the main restaurant. This is where I point out that ALL our meals and ALL our drinks are paid for as part of our package. As long as we're here at the resort during designated meal hours and bar hours of course. So all meals are buffet-style. And OMG what a selection. At breakfast there were at least 20 different types of bread, cereals, pancakes, waffles, french toast. And that's just part of the western selection. You can also choose from tradition Thai, Japanese or Chinese breakfast dishes. So there is NO lack of choices. Nom nom nom.
After breakfast, we went to an information meeting, which is basically an orientation to show us where important stuff is and some other useful stuff. After that we just wandered around the resort to get our bearings, talking to some of the Club Med staff. Like the guy who does the golfing lessons and the tennis coach and the yoga instructor...
They are all so seriously friendly. It is awesome. I can go up to reception at any time and ask a question and not be made to feel like it is a dumb question. And there is NO excuse for being bored here, because there is ALWAYS something happening.
After wandering the resort we headed down to the beach proper. Kata beach, for those who don't know, is a crescent of golden sand on the southwest edge of Phuket island. And it is beautiful. The water is crystal clear, the sand BAKES in the sun and reflects the heat and it's not uncommon for people to wander along the beach topless. Seriously. Saw no less than 3 ladies with their breasts bared to the world. Don't think I'm quite brave enough to do that, plus I hate swimming in the ocean cos you always get sand EVERYWHERE. Eww.
However I will make an exception to this rule as the resort does a snorkeling trip. And I SO want to go on that. If I can't convince Carl to join me on it, I'll go by myself and he can go and learn how to golf or something. Cos he really doesn't like swimming. But eh.
After our beach ambling, we headed in to lunch. Which of course was more of the same, buffet style foods from different cultures. Yum.
From lunch we went to the bar and just lazed by the pool, enjoying our colourful ice-cold drinks. Which was great cos at 1:30 they had bar games with some of the staff. Today's game was Scatergories. For anyone who hasn't played that before, you're given a list of categories. For example in today's game the categories were: Club Med Staff, Country, Animal, Sport, Famous Person, Club Med (so another place where a club med is located). Then you're given a letter. And you have a limited amount of time to figure out something in each category that begins with that letter. THEN to score points you have to share your answers with the other teams. If a team has the same word in a category as you, you don't get any points. So of course it's all about trying to think of the most obscure thing for each category. So it's a hell of a lot of fun. And it was, cos there were a couple of Swedish girls on another team and they just got right into it. Plus the staff members on my team were awesome fun.
After the game there was some live music so we chilled and listened to that before coming back to our room because the heat was just getting to us both, despite us guzzling water by the gallon. We were going to hang out there until 4pm and then go do some archery, but we wound up napping instead. Mm afternoon siesta.
We woke up a couple of hours later and then just hung around in our room checking out the weird local channels on the tv until we worked up the energy to go to dinner. Neither of us were very hungry so we ate little and then just came back because we're going to have an early night as we suspect the jet-lag has crept up on us. An early night means we should be up early tomorrow and feeling better.
Here's hoping anyway.
Tomorrow we're planning on going for a wander around Kata Beach proper. Scoping out the local markets and that sort of thing. Should be interesting. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Bedtime for me! Take care everyone!
In case you don't know, that's Thai for hello. (For a woman anyway, if you're a guy you say Sawatdee Khrab).
So here I am in my room (which is set at a VERY comfortable 23 degrees, thank you air-con) in the Club Med Resort, Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand. It is currently 9:20pm local time. Outside it's roughly about 27-28 degrees and quite humid.
I thought I'd start this blog as we have complimentary wi-fi in our room and I find it much easier to type than I do to sit there and write all this out in a physical hardcover book (which I was originally planning on doing, just for the record. Might still keep it for memento-type stuff).
Ok, so a recap of the the trip up till this point in time.
We flew out from Auckland airport at about 3:30pm yesterday. The flight left on time which is unusual, but rather nice. Once we were in the air, after the usual safety demonstrations and announcements from the pilot, we were told that we were 11.5 hours from Bangkok. What? Nearly 12 hours in the freaking air?? Are you kidding?? What I hadn't factored into my equation for calculating the flight time was the time differences in the itinerary. Our departure time was given in NZ local time, so I assumed the landing time was too. But no, the landing time was 9:30pm BANGKOK time. And since Bangkok is 6 hours behind NZ...
Yeah, looooong flight. But the cabin crew were awesome, keeping us topped up with cold drinks and three servings of food. Plus the in-flight entertainment was great. Each passenger had a personal screen and handset which they could use to watch a selection of movies, listen to music, and play games - some even against other passengers. So all in all it wasn't a bad flight, but even with getting up and stretching and moving around as best you could, it's a hell of a long time to be stuck in one place.
We wound up getting into Bangkok airport a little early, which wasn't too bad. Touched down about 9:10pm and were through customs and in the waiting lounge for our connecting flight to Phuket by 9:40pm. However after that long-as stint in the air, we really weren't looking forward to being crammed into a plane again, even if it was for only an hour. The really cool thing was that when we boarded, we were guided down a set of escalators and then out of the terminals and onto a BUS. Yep, didn't expect that one. We were then bused across the terminal to our plane. Funky huh? Oh and our bus driver nearly crashed. Great, in the country half an hour and already needing to collect on our travel insurance. That's gotta be some sort of record. Luckily though the crash was avoided and we were boarded and airborne in no time.
An hour later at about 11:55pm we touched down in Phuket. Baggage claim went without a hitch, which had been one of my fears because our luggage was being transferred direct from our main flight to our connecting flight without us having to check it in in Bangkok. And hey, that's generally where stuff gets screwed up. But nope, Carl's bag came through no problems and then a short while later so did mine. Awesome. Baggage sorted. Now to clear customs again...wait you're waving us straight through. Ok sweet as. Where's our ride?
Outside the terminal there were HEAPS of taxi services all pushing at you. But we had to politely decline as we made our way over to the Club Med greeter. Ok, two seats in a 10-seater transit...wait? What do you mean we're not on your list?? Awww shit. Here's hiccup number one. But a quick call to the resort and we're all sorted. Excellent. No dramas.
Into the van and I have to admit, after all that flying, it actually feels GOOD to be in a road-based transport again.
But that feeling lasted all of 10 minutes. See, I honestly could not comprehend ANY sort of road rules, or if they even exist. Our driver was tooting the horn a lot, doing 120kph in a 60kph zone...
Part of the transfer price was getting us to the resort in one piece right? Or did we have to pay extra for that?
Oi.
So at about 1:20am...ish we pull up outside the main reception at the resort. As we climb out, vision starting to blur from fatigue (and the various drugs I'd had to pop to help keep my nausea under control) garlands of fragrant flowers are draped around our necks by cheerfully smiling people. We're led into the main reception area and sat down on comfy couches as they check us in. As we inquire about our luggage we are cheerfully informed that it will be delivered up to our rooms shortly. Sweet. We are offered glasses of cool water and a delicious juice (or iced tea, I'm not sure what it ACTUALLY was, but it was delicious and wonderfully refreshing) as well as a cold towel to wipe our faces with. We are then told about some of the basic must-know details, like the towel card and room card and that sort of thing.
Keycards in hand we are then shown to our room by another of the smiling hosts. Keycard in door and omg we walk into this air-conditioned paradise that makes us just sigh in delight. The floor is polished wood, the walls done in whites and yellows...ah who cares lemme just show ya.
So here's Mokona with one of the garlands.
Carl and I on our little reading divan-type thing in the far corner of our room.
Shortly after we took those photos we crawled (and I mean CRAWLED) into bed and zonked out.
This morning we woke about 8:30am local time. After quickly sluicing off the travel ickiness, we headed to breakfast at the main restaurant. This is where I point out that ALL our meals and ALL our drinks are paid for as part of our package. As long as we're here at the resort during designated meal hours and bar hours of course. So all meals are buffet-style. And OMG what a selection. At breakfast there were at least 20 different types of bread, cereals, pancakes, waffles, french toast. And that's just part of the western selection. You can also choose from tradition Thai, Japanese or Chinese breakfast dishes. So there is NO lack of choices. Nom nom nom.
After breakfast, we went to an information meeting, which is basically an orientation to show us where important stuff is and some other useful stuff. After that we just wandered around the resort to get our bearings, talking to some of the Club Med staff. Like the guy who does the golfing lessons and the tennis coach and the yoga instructor...
They are all so seriously friendly. It is awesome. I can go up to reception at any time and ask a question and not be made to feel like it is a dumb question. And there is NO excuse for being bored here, because there is ALWAYS something happening.
After wandering the resort we headed down to the beach proper. Kata beach, for those who don't know, is a crescent of golden sand on the southwest edge of Phuket island. And it is beautiful. The water is crystal clear, the sand BAKES in the sun and reflects the heat and it's not uncommon for people to wander along the beach topless. Seriously. Saw no less than 3 ladies with their breasts bared to the world. Don't think I'm quite brave enough to do that, plus I hate swimming in the ocean cos you always get sand EVERYWHERE. Eww.
However I will make an exception to this rule as the resort does a snorkeling trip. And I SO want to go on that. If I can't convince Carl to join me on it, I'll go by myself and he can go and learn how to golf or something. Cos he really doesn't like swimming. But eh.
After our beach ambling, we headed in to lunch. Which of course was more of the same, buffet style foods from different cultures. Yum.
From lunch we went to the bar and just lazed by the pool, enjoying our colourful ice-cold drinks. Which was great cos at 1:30 they had bar games with some of the staff. Today's game was Scatergories. For anyone who hasn't played that before, you're given a list of categories. For example in today's game the categories were: Club Med Staff, Country, Animal, Sport, Famous Person, Club Med (so another place where a club med is located). Then you're given a letter. And you have a limited amount of time to figure out something in each category that begins with that letter. THEN to score points you have to share your answers with the other teams. If a team has the same word in a category as you, you don't get any points. So of course it's all about trying to think of the most obscure thing for each category. So it's a hell of a lot of fun. And it was, cos there were a couple of Swedish girls on another team and they just got right into it. Plus the staff members on my team were awesome fun.
After the game there was some live music so we chilled and listened to that before coming back to our room because the heat was just getting to us both, despite us guzzling water by the gallon. We were going to hang out there until 4pm and then go do some archery, but we wound up napping instead. Mm afternoon siesta.
We woke up a couple of hours later and then just hung around in our room checking out the weird local channels on the tv until we worked up the energy to go to dinner. Neither of us were very hungry so we ate little and then just came back because we're going to have an early night as we suspect the jet-lag has crept up on us. An early night means we should be up early tomorrow and feeling better.
Here's hoping anyway.
Tomorrow we're planning on going for a wander around Kata Beach proper. Scoping out the local markets and that sort of thing. Should be interesting. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Bedtime for me! Take care everyone!
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