Thailand Recap

Be forewarned, this will be LONG! This is a week long of information here, so come back and read the rest when your eyes start to burn. Here goes...

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Our Arrival

Thanavin


Our flight got into Bangkok international airport at approximately 11:30pm(Thailand is 12 hours ahead of EST), we took a meter taxi to the hotel for 45o Baht. Some jinnal (read: dishonest or shady) taxi drivers were trying to charge us ridiculous prices but we knew better. We got to Hotel Ibis Siam, checked in with Thanavin, took our luggage up to our room then went back down to eat dinner at the icafe around 1am. I had Thai fried rice with shrimp without hesitation and a peppermint tea. We were both hanging off of the restaurant chairs we were so tired. After a little bit of a struggle we went back up to our room and got ready for bed.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Let the Bangkok shopping begin!

We woke up, showered and went downstairs for the "continental breakfast". Can you say food!!!?? I'm talking about FULL breakfast foods(2 types of eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, home fries, french toast, toast, rolls etc.), pastries and big food like fried rice, pineapple chicken, veggie stir fry and more! After breakfast we walked around Bangkok in the Pratunam area and shopped like madwomen! We justified it though, because we had others in mind as we shopped, it wasn't all for ourselves. We looked around and shopped for prices at the hundreds of tailor shops that lined the street. In the Pratunam Center we found a little store owned by a man who sold nice skirts and dresses. They caught our eye immediately as they were displayed on mannequins...come to find out the skirt and dress were one and the same. The bartering commenced and we bough 4 each! After a long day of shopping and tailor hunting, we got foot massages then went back to the hotel to drop off our things. We headed back out on a tuk tuk(mode of transportation) bound for 1 of the 2 tailor shops we decided on. Our tuk tuk driver took the scenic route, it was actually quite nice as it gave us the opportunity to see some of the surrounding area all or 20 Baht(less that $1 CAD). The first tailor shop was closed so we went to the second and put in our orders. I decided on a dress to be made with Thai silk and two 3-piece suits(jacket, skirt and trousers). The grand total was 9500 Baht (approx $250 CAD). Robin, the shop owner convinced me to get the second suit against my will, so I made him promise to throw in a free neck tie. I left a happy camper once it registered how little I was paying for a 3-piece suit. Next, we set out to look for a shop to get our nails done It was about 10pm by this time. We passed this one shop several times throughout the day and didn't go in. It was still open so we ventured in. They started on our toenails..I should've known from the way the that the pedicure was being done that they were so bootleg and didn't know what they were doing...but I let the madness continue. Tiredness knocked us both out. I have no idea when my girl started my manicure, but I woke up to colour on my fingernails which isn't something I usually do. We paid, thanked them and left. We sure got our moneys worth...200 Baht for a mani/pedi. I think we should've gone with the instinct that was stopping us from entering throughout the day.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Ahhhhhhh the beach

On this day I felt the wrath of the cheap manicure underneath my thumbnails because they were burning whenever I washed my hands or ate. It felt like someone took a knive, sliced between my nailbed and fingernail and poured alcohol over it. I was cursing the names of those ladies all day. We arrived in Phuket about 9am, caught a cab to take us to our hotel, the Seven Seas. For about 15-20mins our taxi driver couldn't find our hotel and he went to such lengths to find it's destination. He got out to ask the locals, used his cell to try and call the hotel etc. I thought surely if this was Toronto....ah well, needless to say we gave him a tip(which they don't really do in Thailand) for all of his troubles. We got to the hotel and checked in, the place was brand spanking new. So new that only the 1st and 2nd floors are complete and work is still being done on the rest. So new that the hotel opened 3 days prior and we were some of the 1st guests to stay there. The manager is a fairly young woman, very nice and accommodating. Our room was pretty much a standard or junior suite by North American standards and it was pristine! As we arrived I had a scare because my bag was gone, little did I know that the service is just so on point they waste no time taking your luggage to the front desk or to your room. We too, wasted no time after check-in was finalized. Within 20 minutes we were dressed and ready to head to the beach. We walked to the 7-eleven so I could buy a phone card to call my Mommy for her birthday (Happy Birthday again!) We then ate lunch and then walked over to the beach, which was not even 5 minutes from the hotel right across the street. We literally spent the rest of the day on the beach. There were some women giving massages etc. right on the sand, so we went to them to have our nails repainted. They were horrible! Khaleelah's french manicure looked like the ones little girls give themselves with whiteout! At about 6:30pm we walked back to the hotel, showered, watched some television, then walked down Patong beach in search of some food. We found an Indian restaurant, ate outside and people watched while firecrackers went off too close for comfort. I had garlic naan,shrimp masala and mango juice. Deeeelish! We took a tuk tuk back to the hotel and fell asleep not too long after.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas butt violation

Christmas morning we woke up relatively early watched tv(shout out to mnet series the greatest station I've seen) and headed over to the same restaurant for some breakfast. I had pancakes, eggs and pineapple juice. After breakfast we walked along the beach to look for the market. The prices were tourist prices to say the least, but we did end up buying a few things after bartering of course. We each got a pair of these VERY cute sandals(see pictures) that are actually quite comfortable. On the way back to the hotel we decided to take a motorbike ride. Maaaaaaaan was I scared. I don't know why, but for some reason I've had this fear of riding on one so I was freaking out a bit. Once the bike started moving I screamed a little bit while holding on to Khaleelah for dear life, but after I let the scream out I felt a bit better. I must say that I'm proud of myself. Not only did I ride a motorbike, I took a picture while riding! How's that for a first timer! Back at the hotel we dropped our things off went to 7-eleven to buy some water and snacks, then headed to, you guessed it, the beach! My wish came true, Christmas on the beach in Phuket. I ran right into the water as our chairs were set up, the water was soooooo warm, it felt like warm bathwater. Again we spent the whole day relaxing, reading, listening to music, swimming etc. We brought our left over food from dinner and left it to heat up in the sun while we swam. I bought an order of Thai fried rice from the food stand on the beach and we enjoyed a good lunch before I fell asleep for about an hour. After little debating we decided we would work up the nerve to go jet skiing for the first time. We didn't have enough money with us, even after bartering, so we left our things on our beach chairs walked over to the hotel and came back in time for our turn. When we signed our lives away on the contracts the guys failed to tell us they only had one jet ski, so we couldn't go out together. Khaleelah went out first and we had one of the guys go out with us for some guidance. We had 22 minutes each. I took pictures along the beach while K was out until it was my turn. I hopped on the jet ski rearing to go. We went out pretty far, within some feet of a cruise ship heading to Singapore. Surprisingly, I wasn't scared at all. I took the reigns and started steering all over the ocean. I learned the little tricks like riding into the waves to jump the jet ski or riding with the wave on an angle for a smoother ride. After about ten minutes of riding, I ask how much time was left. I wouldn't normally do this, but as we were going over rough waves I felt Mr. Man rubbing up kinda close on my backside. I didn't pay it any mind at first because naturally he would shift forward when the jet ski jerks over a wave, but it started to feel a bit different. So, he told me there were 10 minutes left. I took the handles and turned around to head back toward the beach, but he directed me to go toward the ship again. I started going over waves faster and as I did that, I feel the jerking against my butt getting faster. I say to myself "self, could this skinny boy be humping my butt like a dog?" I couldn't believe it! I asked again how much time was left, keep in mind this is about 15-20 minutes later, then he said we were done. This dude pressed up so close on my butt I could feel his pelvic bones. He didn't speak English, but I figure he knew I was onto him because I kept leaning backward pressing my shoulder blades into his chest so my butt would be clear out of reach. I though I could handle it and get some extra time, but I started feeling queasy at the thought of being humped. I had a good jet ski experience overall, but I was more than happy to be back on the sand. I told Khaleelah what happened and she corroborated my story with one of her own. At this time the sun had gone down, so we headed back across the street to our hotel, frolicked in the pool for a bit, showered then went out for dinner. We ate at an Italian restaurant. I had chicken penne with rose sauce and K had pizza. This was the first time in a while I can say the food was just okay. We had a very eventful day so we went to bed soon after.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

In Transit









We woke up, checked out and left the hotel just after 7am. We had a morning flight to go back to Bangkok. While waiting in line to board I glanced over at the jewellery vendor to find her straightening her hair with a flat iron while looking in the mirror. What a sight. Our flight was delayed and we got to Bangkok just after noon. We proceeded to the baggage storage facility and paid to leave our luggage at the airport for pick up later on that evening. The first stop was to the tailor's to get our second fitting done for the suits we were having made. After the fitting we ate lunch and then walked around the city window shopping for what we wanted to buy open our arrival. Next up was the Thai massage(at the same place we got our foot massages). My body was twisted and bent into some interesting positions, but after all was said and done I felt great. After the massages were finished, we caught a taxi back to the airport, got our luggage out of storage and boarded the plane heading to Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand). Once we arrived in Chiang Mai a taxi took us to the Baan Kaew guest house where we stayed for the night. After checking in, we walked over to the Night Bazaar no more than 10 minutes away. We bought some things, and window shopped for the next day.

Dec. 27-Dec. 29

updating...