Brian and Pauline's Thailand Trip

Saturday May 26th We were up bright and early because Pauline was going back to school today. She was to be picked up at 08.55 to go to the Thai cookery school. It sounds like she had a wonderful time. Pictures to follow! First she went shopping in the main Hua Hin market which opens each day at 03.00. There she got a lesson on Thai ingredients which were purchased for the meal to follow. She was signed up for menu #1 which was Pad Thai, Green curry soup, four flavour soup with shrimp and a desert with coconut milk. She came back raving about how professionally done the whole day had been. I lunched on the left overs which were "aroy mac" - delicious. Whilst the cat was away the mouse went for a Thai "full body" massage across the road from our hotel. For £7 approx I was carried off to a land far away of complete relaxation. I wasn't totally relaxed at first when I was asked to take off my shirt and drop my shorts but I quickly got into it. Suffice to say ...

Friday May 25th Today was a chill day. We walked along the beach to the "harbour" and back again. We were in and out of the pool. We went to the night market for 5 mins and 9 seconds and then wet to eat at Hua Hin Koti which was described in the Lonely Planet Guide as "this Thai Chinese restaurant is a national culinary luminary" It is right on a bust corner opposite the night market but the food was EXCELLENT.

Thursday May 24th Today has been a quiet day by comparison with those that came before. We had a very leisurely breakfast from the excellent selection of western and Thai dishes that were temptingly displayed. At about 11.00 we decided to have a look at the beach which is 200 m from the hotel (although you have to cross a very busy main road to get there. It was very dull so we hadn't taken any hats or sun cream because we were just going for a look. Six or seven miles later we had walked the length of the beach to a ...... yes you have guessed ..... a temple. As we approached the temple a group of monkeys was running on the beach having stolen something to eat from a street vendor who was throwing stones at them. Why do you never have a camera at these moments - we were just going to see where the beach was. huge pool On the way back the sun came out in earnest and I had to use my t shirt as a hat - Pauline tied a sort of turban for me - just as well there was no camera...

Wednesday May 23rd We are on our own and it feels strange BUT Chiang Mai driver had ordered a taxi to take us to the airport which arrived punctually at 08.30. The check in procedure was different but smooth and easily done. We had booked a 20kg luggage allowance. When I put our big suitcase on the scales it weighed 22.6 kgs. The check in girl didn't bat an eyelid. The Air Asia flight to DonMeuang airport was comfortable and well worth or £13 each! We had hoped to take the shuttle bus between the two Bangkok airports because all of the air conditioned transport went from the International airport however it was only available to those whose flight was transferring and we had to take a taxi. The air conditioned bus to Hua Hin was spacious and comfortable and the three hour journey passed quickly. looks inviting We are now getting settled into the G Hua Hin Resort and Mall which appears to be fabulous. We were greeted at the door like visiting royalty and we were checked ...

Tuesday May 22nd Today was to be the last day of our eight day whirlstop tour of Thailand with Chiang Mai Driver as our guide. We have mixed feelings this morning because it has been a wonderful tour full of excellent sights and sites but it has been very "full on" and a slower pace won't hurt us for the rest of our "holiday" I suspect we will need a holiday when we get home but that will not be a hardship. It had been a huge tropical storm during the night the full nine yards of lightning flshes rumbling thunder and lashing rain. Sart, our guide, told us that he had seen on TV that there were many building damaged and roofs off in other parts of Thailand. On the whole we have been fortunate with the weather considering we are in the rainy season. It is not made of icing sugar However it was raining as we arrived at Wat Rong Khun (the white temple) having cancelled our scheduled Mekong river cruise because of the weather forecast. Nothing could dampen ...

Monday 21st May Sart arrived bright and early as usual. He appears to consider half an hour early to be the minimum to be considered on time. We set off from Thatong in bright sunshine reflecting that the Lonely Planet guide had been right in suggesting that out of high season (December to February) any Westerner is likely to be the only one in town. We were heading for the hill top village of Mae Salong where there is a group of Chinese immigrants with an interesting back story. It was billed as "a taste of China without crossing any borders" Mae Salong was originally settled by soldiers who had escaped to Burma from communist rule in 1949. The Burmese moved them on in 1961. Crossing into Northern Thailand in their pony caravans the ex soldiers settled in the mountain villages and re created a society like the one they had left behind. They also brought tea and the know how to grow it with them. There are now many tea plantations growing premium teas. We were surprised b...

Sunday 20th May Today was our first day without Sutthi who has left us to deal with other clients. Sart is perfectly capable and we are happy with the situation. Today was supposed to begin with a trip to the Maesa elephant camp to see "the most fantastic elephant show in Chiang Mai" but we declined, and instead we went to visit an orchid and butterfly farm which was set in some fantastic  but "sanitised jungle" orchid farm We were at the orchids by 09.00 but still we were beaten by he first of the Chinese tour buses. At this point China is only 250 kms from Thailand. Judging by the size of the car park we were very lucky only to encounter one tour bus. The Chinese women are noisy and enthusiastic but they push you out of the way if you encroach on their interminable selfies. Sart is funny. He has a running joke of how lucky the number 9 is. He is the youngest of nine children. He told us that we would be at the next stop in 20 mins and nine seconds. Very...

Saturday May 19th Last evening we dined with all the young travellers in a Lonely Planet recommended spot which had live music. It was jumping! It had an enviable situation on the riverside and was tiered so that everyone had a river view (if it hadn't been dark) We were lucky to get a table - (all of the Buddha visits obviously helped) We ate surprisingly well and reasonably priced considering the surroundings and clientele. It did make us feel our age (nearly) nearly 100 metres tall We had a long lie today. We didn't start until 09.00 although our guide Sutthi and driver Sart were keen to get started at 08.45 as we finished breakfast. We could get used to chauffeur driven! Today was to be a temple day - again. What we don't know about temples isn't worth knowing. Buddha 139 The first temple Wat Jedee Luang was in the centre of the old town of Chiang Mai. We were told that there are over 400 temples in the four square kilometres of the old town. ...

Friday May 18th We met our fellow travellers at breakfast and again at the first temple of the day in the impressive history park of Sukhothai. Sukhothai was the capital of one of the ancient kingdoms of Thailand. Sukhothai History park We were up and already touring the temples by 08.00 but we still couldn't beat the bus tours. Sutthi continued to give us a valuable insight into the history and symbolism of the ancient monuments as well as modern Thailand and the aspirations of the people. They have joined the 21st century in a hurry and they want it all yesterday. A new car a new cell phone. Everyone aspires to own a  Honda so it has become the word for a car. We keep joking about how we have a Honda Honda and a Volkswagen Honda and we are being driven in a Toyota Honda. We are gradually becoming very familiar with Buddha statues, walking Buddha reclining Buddha teaching Buddha no more fighting Buddha and today we visited the talking Buddha. German "stalkers...

Thursday May 17th Today has been predominantly a travelling day. We breakfasted in the huge breakfast room of the Krungsri River hotel in Autthaya. There was a good selection of breakfast items but it felt like school dinners. We spoke to a young German couple who were on a bus tour and a French family who like us had hired a private guide. We wished them a good day. Reclining Buddha We started the day in the third and best temple complex in Autthaya. We were so early the ticket collector hadn't started work yet. there are two prices the local price and the FOREIGNER price. Usually the difference between 50p and a pound! Autthaya was the capital of Thailand before it was sacked and the kingdom of Siam moved to Bangkok. The first visit was to the reclining Buddha. Buddha always "reclines" on the right side so that the blood flow is not restricted. Buddha is a fantastic compass. He is  always depicted facing East  or lying East  West. East being the direction of...

Wednesday May 16th Pauline was suffering from a bit of the Delhi belly last evening but she managed to force down some of my excellent Thai green curry and some Chang beer for purely medicinal purposes. Fortunately she is feeling better today and has managed much more of the medicine. River Kwai breakfast We breakfasted bright and early at the Bridge over the River Kwai resort and Sutthi and Sart were duly waiting for us at 08.00. the first stop was the Jeath Railway museum. We were unclear as to whether it was a typo or a deliberate attempt to indicate death without saying it. It was an incredibly muddled museum. there were some incredible exhibits and huge piles of extraneous old stuff and it was all in need of a curator to give it some direction and to tell a clear story. BSA Japanese? Nevertheless it was moving and we were the only clients which gave each thing an eerie presence. The long and the short is that the Japanese were incredibly cruel to the slave labourers w...

Tuesday May 15th What a day! Breakfast at 06.45. Simon was taking over our room on the 41st floor because his room was noisy. We said goodbye and wished him a successful week of Muoy Thai.  Sutthi picked us up at the column Hotel at 07.15 and it was full on tourism until 18.00. Wow! Chiang Mai drivers Sutthi Hampitak Chiang Mai Driver was accompanied by Sart his driver from Chiang Mai in his 4 litre Toyota Fortuner. The wheels are very smart with comfortable leather interior and nice cool air conditioning. Lord and Lady Muck have enjoyed the chauffeur treatment. Sutthi has a devilish sense of humour and has kept us well amused whilst travelling in between sites. It took us about an hour to clear Bangkok and its 12 million people. Much to our surprise the built up concrete look lasted the whole of the 130 kms to Kanchanaburi. Thailand is much more built up and westernised than we expected - so far. Our first experience  of the day was to board the 120 year old t...

Monday May 14th Last evening we met Simon and headed for what the Lonely Planet guide to Thailand described as "If you had a Thai grandmother who lived in the Sukhumvit area, this is where she'd eat." It was the Klang Soi restaurant which was located in Racquet Club complex. The food was great. But it took us half an hour to convince them that we really wanted THREE beers. They were dispensed the way a posh restaurant looks after the white wine. Sparingly and only when you have finished the first glass. It was an experience. The Thai green curry with catfish was hot spicy and delicious. The chicken stir fry was appetising and Simon's Tom Yum was very flavoursome. Monday finds most museums and attractions closed. We were not unhappy to slow down a little especially when our eight day tour starts tomorrow. We decided to go to China town to experience the sights and sounds and smells of the hustling bustling area. It is more like China city. It is enormous with eve...

Sunday May 13th Jet lag. What jet lag. We awoke to the mobile alarm's tune at 08.00 as planned and bright eyed and bushy tailed made our way down to the 25th floor where an amazing breakfast buffet awaited us. The international parade of people was almost as interesting as the array of interesting foodstuff. Mango watermelon and pineapple were the only fruits which we recognised from the array of ten. There was curried broccoli soup endless variations of rice including the fried rice with chicken which I had. There was chicken sausages with fried eggs there were pancakes with maple syrup. It was a truly eclectic feast for the eyes and the palate. One very good thing is that the Thais drink coffee so the coffee is very good. We are looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast already. After a leisurely breakfast Simon called for a taxi using a phone app called Grab - the Thai version of Uber. The cab arrived in 8 minutes and off we set for the Grand Palace. We drove along fiv...