Scuba Man

One day when we were in the pool at the Hilton, a young woman named Kerry had some scuba equipment: a tank, breathing apparatus, mask and jacket. She was a trained diver and was letting people use the equipment for free. Naturally, Lance was first in line, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So much so that he decided that he would like to do a dive. There are lots of diving companies here and lots of options including 3 or 4 nights on a boat with dives each day, one day trips and introductory dives right from the beach. Lance chose the latter.

While every diving business is required to hire Thai staff, the drivers and trainers are almost exclusively foreigners with PADI certification. He talked to a few people, picked a date, and the activity was set. On Dec 29, we walked to the beach, and Lance got fitted for all the equipment, answered the skill testing questions, had a brief introduction to the effects of water pressure on the lungs and the breathing system, and was off. He seemed content to entrust his life and well being to a young man with a fit body and a good tan. But in fairness, the staff was very thorough, competent, and experienced. Of course, I can say that calmly since he did return safely as you can see from the pictures below.

Karon Beach

We arrived in Karon Beach, Phuket on Dec 3 and will stay until approximately Jan 12. Karon is typical of what is both good and bad about Phuket and tourist Thailand in general. On the good side, the weather, beaches and food are great; Thai culture is evident in the active wats (temples) located everywhere; people are friendly; and despite the odd scam (mostly carried out by foreigners) it is very safe to be here. On the bad side, the tourists outnumber the Thais, and most Thais in Karon make their living selling something to the tourists. But interestingly, from our balcony we can observe a little oasis of true Thai culture. We see daily family life, simple houses, an open kitchen, a few tourist bungalows they rent and well tended gardens with papaya, mango, lime and banana trees as well as various flowering plants.

 Mango on the left, lime tree and bananas on the right.

No Star Accommodation

Our guest house, Harmony Guest House, is very simple with a total of 9 rooms on 3 floors. There are few amenities: no elevator, restaurant, pool, gift shop, variety store, phone, or 24 hour reception. However, we have everything we need: very comfortable king size, bathroom with LOTS of hot water, fridge, air conditioner, fan, great balcony with a great view, free wifi, a TV with limited channels (a good thing!), two blocks from the beach, and a great price ~$45/night.

Lance enjoying our balcony.

Lance on the beach.

Five Star Luxury

In addition to our “no star” guest house, we now have access to the luxurious 5 star Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. The resort covers 75 acres and has four pools, 5 restaurants, lush tropical gardens, and a lots of shaded walking paths. For $75 each, we joined the Hilton’s fitness club for one month. Membership includes access to all of the fitness equipment, sauna, steam, change rooms, towels, and four outdoor pools with lounge chairs and attendants who wander around handing out free fruit or cold wash clothes occasionally. It is a true respite. Not sure what the rooms cost, but I know there is a charge for the wifi – so we have one up on the Hilton rooms.

A Telephone, not a Time Share

As we walked along the beach front in Karon, a couple riding a motorcycle stopped to talk. She, the passenger, was a blonde with a British accent; he, the driver, was Thai. Hi how are you? Where are you from? she asked. No time share, I responded. Oh no, this is not a time share, but there is a presentation we would like you to go to. After a little more discussion, we learned that the two of them made a commission on each couple they delivered to the presentation centre. We talked a bit longer, assured them that we weren’t interested, and asked their advice on what cell phone we should buy – a model that offered inexpensive calls to North America. They suggested Nokia as well as a good place to buy one in Patong beach. They tried once more to get us to accept the offer, we refused and off they went.

The next day, we saw them again. They stopped to chat and asked if we had bought our phone. No we hadn’t. Well then, Kellie suggested, if you go to the presentation, we will buy one for you. We took the bribe. Business must be slow for them! They get 3000B (~$100) for each couple they deliver to a presentation; the Nokia telephone costs 800B (~$26) including 100B of “minutes.”

Our part of the deal included a taxi to and from Patong Beach, a soft drink and a 3hr session with a salesman that included his talk, a viewing of a 5 star hotel, a software demonstration that calculated how much we would save, and finally the pricing. Despite the non-stop talking, we were able to resist. But then it was fairly easy to say no since we were never really sure, even after 3hr, what we were or weren't buying! We said our farewells, got a free tee shirt, and went back to our quiet hotel room with our phone.

Here is the related site: Absolute Vacation Club. Perhaps you can figure out what they are selling and what the true terms, conditions, and fees really are.

Or more interesting, you might want to look at some of the complaints:
Absolute Vacation Club.
Club Absolute New Lambton

In the end, we weren’t sure the phone was worth the time we had to invest! But yes, the phone works. In fact, it works very well. Given the cost, it has an amazing array of functions: clock, alarm, calculator, calendar, contact list, etc. But most importantly, we can call North America for 1.5B/min regular service or 3B/min for higher quality line, that is $1 for 10 min. Perhaps we are entering the 21st century after all.

Pictures of our touts unavailable due to security reasons, ;)

Phuket Rental Search

Whether possible or not, we are on the path of trying to find something to rent for approximately 4 months next year. How to proceed? Outside the country one option is to use online services such as VRBO (vacation rental by owner). Many people have used VRBO with success, but I think you pay a premium for properties. Since we are in country we have other options available. Local papers, focused on foreigner, offer several rental listing. Today we viewed one of these.

Over time, a local Thai has built 17 bungalows. These are built into the mountain and rise up a steep slope. Options include one bedroom/one bathroom, 2 bedrooms/two bathrooms, and two storey units with 4 bedrooms and balconies. Most are rented 3 to 4 months per year. We viewed the one empty unit: 2 bedroom/2 bathroom. For 4 months, this unit would rent for 17,000B/month plus electricity and gas, ~ 1,500B/month. (In total: 18,500B/mo ~ $620 CAD/mo.) This was an interesting option, but we have others to consider.

Small World

People you meet while travelling often share similar interests. We have kept in contact with Philip (from the UK) since we met him and his partner in India. This time he was on his way to Burma, and was stopping in Bangkok for a few days at the same time we were there - a very pleasant coincidence.

Lance and Philip at Lamphu House. Lance in the one incognito.

Arrived Bangkok Nov 29

Our flight was on time and uneventful. Lance was asleep before we reached cruising altitude, and much to my surprise, I slept most of the 13hr flight, Vancouver to Taipei. Just enough time on the ground to stretch a bit, and enjoy the orchids. After a few hours and a change of plane, we were off to Bangkok.

Beautiful orchid display in the Taipei airport (TPE)

After 24hr in transit, we were in our room at the Lamphu House in the Khao San area of Bangkok, and ready for our usual routine: strip, shower and sleep! Then it was time to walk and eat, go back to sleep and within another 24hr we were acclimatized to the time and temperature, 30C+.

The Chao Phraya river is still very high, and the lower sections of the city remain flooded. The bureaucrats argue among themselves about the construction of a future floodway and which government agency was slowest to respond to the flood. Some things are the same in every country!

Near the palace close to Chao Phraya river, there is still lots of water. The traffic is moving normally in the streets, but many shops, markets and restaurants are still flooded. The piers used by the express boats on the river are submerged making it impossible for the express boats to operate, but gradually the water is receding and the clean up effort is in progress. Here are some pictures I took near the palace on Dec 1.

Street near the river.

Students going to class.

Small shop on the river - not open for business today!

This vendor doesn't let wet feet interrupt a sale.

Leaving for SE Asia

Within the week, we leave for Thailand - our 10th visit. We have returned over and over since 1997. Sometimes the visits have been short, 2 or 3 weeks, but more often we have stayed for 3 months or more. We have travelled to the North, East (Isaan), Andaman coast and islands in the Gulf of Thailand.

One week after the tsunami of Dec 26, 2004, we arrived to find the country in distress and confusion. This year, we will arrive only one week after the flood waters have started to recede in Bangkok. The flooding - the worst in 60 years - has been devastating. The country is once again in a state of distress. In addition to the significant clean up, pundits predict that the economy will decline due to lost productivity, disaster recovery costs, business interruptions and fewer tourist visits. It will be interesting to see how quickly the country recovers and how the people and businesses respond.