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It would be ridiculous to visit Hua Hin and not check out the renowned Chiva-Som Spa, one of the best spa resorts in the World and the only Asia spa that consistently receives awards. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I walked down the road to Chiva-Som. From the moment we walked into the cool, tranquil, reception area, it was obvious that this was not your ordinary spa facility. Wanlaya Chuaybumroong, Sales Manager, graciously agreed to drive us around this elegant property even though Chiva-Som is off-limits to all but guests. I wasn't aware until then that Chiva-Som is an all-inclusive Spa with a wide range of services and a smorgasbord of classes. This exclusive resort has only 57 Thai-style pavilions, ocean-view rooms and suites along with a high ratio of staff-to-guests.
Wanlaya showed me the day's fitness therapy schedule for clients to choose from, all led by qualified and experienced trainers: sea kayaking, aquatic therapy, pilates, super stretch, thai boxing, four different types of yoga, tennis, Tai chi, biking - the list went on and on. There is a Yoga Intensive Retreat for all you Yoga practioners out there. (I really need someone to show me the proper way to do Yoga without getting injured and then, perhaps, I too could discover Yoga's benefits.)
Continue reading "Chiva-Som, Hua Hin, Thailand - The Ultimate in Luxury Spas" »
A little R&R in Hua Hin, a beautiful resort area about three hours south by car from Bangkok. Hua Hin was discovered in the early 1920s by King Rama VII as an ideal getaway from Bangkok. This quiet fishing village was turned into the Royal resort and rapidly became popular among the nobility and upper-class. Most other Thai holiday destinations cater primarily to foreign tourists but many Thais spend weekends in Hua Hin. Probably because of its proximity to Bangkok.
There are several ways to reach Hua Hin. One is by train from Bangkok. The trains leave from Hualamphong Station (main train station of Bangkok). Another is local air-conditioned buses. The buses leave from South Bus Terminal, Bangkok. Bangkok has several different bus terminals so check and make sure your destination leaves from the correct one.
Our choice was a taxi from Survanabhami Airport to Hua Hin. If there is more than one person, sometimes a taxi is the best way to go. Not that big a cost difference. Flying in from Cambodia, we would have had to take a bus to South Bus Terminal and then another bus from there, and then a taxi to the hotel in Hua Hin. It was a 2-1/2 hour trip on expressways for most of the way and we were there...
old Hua Hin jailhouse
Continue reading "Hua Hin, A Thailand Beach Resort" »
We primarily use Bangkok as a hub to fly through. Very close and convenient to other Southeast Asian countries. ex-Marine and I shop, sightsee, eat and leave. But many visitors journey here for the express purpose of "companionship" while others don't leave without sampling a little bit of Bangkok's infamous sex industry. It's more like..."well, as long as I'm here..."
It's impossible to pick up any free literature without ads offering, for example: "Sexy Hot Girls"; ladyboy and transvestites, male and female, Thai and foreign, special entertainment shows; "Lily Visiting Service" -- we have the hottest girls in town...body to body massage; "B&N"..."guys are different...etc.,; "Inter Mustache's House", 2nd floor go-go- boys, 3rd floor Karaoke... "in and out escort service...24 hours. "Best Bangkok models...only one place who gives money-back guaranteed; "real experience in lesbian..."All True Fantasia" (six shows of course; and my favorite ad -- "Super Big Men" - muscular, medically certified, full satisfaction. The ads are so funny to read...interesting (things I never dreamed) and filled with misspellings.
Continue reading ""Companionship" in Bangkok" »
Survanbahmi Airport has really gotten its act together. No more mob scenes around the luggage carousels, but still with the familiar touts waiting outside customs hoping to scare you into taking one of their cars or taxis. DON'T! Walk outside, get in the taxi line and for less than $10 you'll be taken to your hotel, no matter what time of day or night.
Back at the Grand Mercure Park Avenue, a fast check-in and crash into bed with a wake-up call for their excellent buffet breakfast. Made-to-order eggs, chinese breakfast, noodles, fruit, yogurt, breads and so much more. Wouldn't miss it for the world.
Continue reading "Back in Bangkok, Monasteries and Public Transportation" »
We are only going to discuss ordinary massages, not the "happy ending" or "extras" massages that Thailand is noted for. I have personally never had a relaxing Thai massage. They are brutal. Cheap and brutal. They run (on an average) about 500 bahts ($13) for a decent one-hour massage. It's not that I'm masochistic but you do feel great after the pains go away.
If you have tight muscles and after a long flight, an intense Thai massage (with or without oil) fits the bill. The masseuses use lots of elbows, knees, palms...digging in and kneading those muscles.... I was sore for two days after one but felt great once the pains went away. They ask, "is that too hard?"...laugh when you say "yes" and just keep applying pressure. I promise...you will not fall asleep during one. It's impossible to walk more than three feet down any Bangkok street without passing a massage parlor...look for a clean one and take your chances. The nicer ones also offer body treatments, facials, waxing, manicures/pedicures and one place even had an ear spa (whatever that is).
Continue reading "A Thai Massage In Bangkok and The Grand Palace" »
We stayed at the Royal Hotel in an older part of town on this trip to meet up with our tour group. The Royal is an adequate "tourist" category hotel with rates starting at $32 US/night for a double with breakfast. At that price, no wonder the Royal was extremely crowded with Thai people and Westerners. There is an old section and new section in the Hotel. Save your money and stay in the old section, just as nice as the new. The Royal Hotel had two major upsides...location, location, location - we could see the Royal Palace and Museum from the breakfast room, and - Khaosan Road was only two blocks away.
TIP: Don't hire a taxis inside the Hotel, walk outside and hail one. If you make arrangements inside, the price is double.
Khaosan Road area map
Continue reading "The Chao Pra River, Bangkok and Discovering Neighborhoods" »
In Bangkok on a weekend, it was time to revisit the Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of my favorite places. Chatuchak operates on Saturday and Sunday only, selling practically everything under the sun. Tools, food, trendy fashions, "antiques" and "new antiques," intricate wooden carvings, masks, fluffy dogs, fish and singing birds. There are approximately 9,000 individual booths filled with clothes, food stalls, restaurants and entertainers. This is not a "just-for-tourists-only" market but crowded with locals buying, eating and window-shopping. Since we had jet lag, it was easy to breakfast early and hop on the skytrain.
Chatuchak Market is easy to reach on Bangkok's clean, safe and efficient skytrain (or take a taxi, very inexpensive). The skytrain has English speaking personnel on hand in each station to answer questions. Don't be timid about using the skytrain...you'll find the ticket dispensers user-friendly and there is always someone to ask.
Bangkok's skytrain
Continue reading "Exploring Bangkok's Chatuchak Market" »
It doesn't make any difference how many times we've visited Bangkok...there is always a new area to discover and places to revisit. The last trip was no exception, and began at Bangkok's spanking new Suvarnabhumi Airport built to replace the very old Don Muang Airport. A gorgeous new complex that presented some major challenges beginning with an 11:30 pm arrival. Almost every international flight arrives in the late night/early morning creating a madhouse. A few of the many challenges included:
- Surviving the unbelievable confusion and mayhem around the baggage carousels when luggage from at least three flights are off-loaded on the same carousel. We are talking about up to 1,000 people muscling their way to the front, trying to identify their bags out of the masses slowly circling on the carousel, yanking the bags off onto free carts and finally making their way out of the customs area. A free-for-all, and all you can do to keep from getting killed by suitcases.
Suvarnabhumi Airport at night
Continue reading "Suvarnabhumi Airport and Bangkok Revisited" »
It was difficult deciding what resort and/or island to stay on and once that decision was made, there were multiple beaches with different price accommodations to choose from. We picked the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort about a 45-minute ride from the airport. The Sheraton had hourly transportation into Krabi Town (not free), big health club, extensive grounds, and we basically hung out around the pool under a big umbrella reading and taking walks up and down the long white sand beach. The fishermen brought in their daily catches on this beach with the women sitting on the sands drying them in the broiling hot sun. Fortunately, this particular area was downwind and some distance away from the Sheraton. IT STUNK!
The hotel also had excellent food. Gigantic breakfast buffets with everything imaginable and theme buffet dinners every night. You could also eat ala carte in one of their other restaurants. We dined...no, demolished...a seafood buffet one evening. This buffet had a gigantic bounty of seafood including rock lobsters that ex-Marine and I single-handedly and systematically ate our way through (at least 5-10 each). Along with that was an array of Thai food, soups, freshly carved meats and dessert buffet. We ate ourselves into a food stupor but it worth it.
map of Ao Nang beach area
Continue reading "In Krabi, Thailand, A Perfect Place to Escape The Snow and Cold Weather" »
It's hot and steamy right now but before you turn around, winter will be here. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I spent five days in Krabi Province last winter, one of Thailand's upcoming resort areas. Looking for a place to tan the darkest brown under a scorching sun? Swim, fish, snorkel and scuba dive in aquamarine, bathtub temperature water? Rock climb the limestone karst? Eat delicious Thai and/or Western food? Want a ultra-deluxe hotel or guesthouse? Krabi Province is the place.
Krabi Province, split into eight districts, is on the southwest coast of Thailand, about 500 miles from Bangkok.
Continue reading "Visiting Krabi Province In Thailand - A Winter Resort Destination" »
Life on Koh Chang is what Phuket and Koh Samui used to be...very laid-back and relaxed. But they are building like crazy...get there soon!
Hotels? Hotels for ANY budget...we stayed at the luxurious, Barali Beach Resort, but wallking along the beach came across huts, low-price hotels, medium-price hotels for every budget. We never ran across any Americans...primarily Norwegians, Swedes and Europeans. The Barali was loaded with Swedes and most of them stay for, at least, one month to excape 16+ Daily hours of darkness at this time of the year. I don't blame them in the least!
There are many Thailand websites that can help you with hotels in Koh Chang and other destinations in Thailand.
Continue reading "Koh Chang, Thailand" »
The two weeks just flew by (even with all my inhaled dust, dry skin and boo-boo's), and was time for our group to say good-by.
Our leader, Charles Higham, was not only extremely knowledgeable, but personable and funny. It's rare to find an academic with such great personality...someone who knew how to make history come alive (I envy his students in New Zealand). We viewed several ""National Geographic"" specials where he was the expert on Ancient Angkor Civilizations. Many thanks to him, and his experts, who had to painfully stand by and watch our group of novices fumble around, learning a little bit about Archaeology, and trying not to wreck their handiwork!
This experience was one that we'll never forget and would repeat without question.
Continue reading "Dig Over, Time for R&R in Koh Chang, Thailand" »
The last day of the Dig finally arrived.
We had dug through the Iron Age and were rapidly digging into Bronze Age. Bronze tools, a blue glass bead, shell bracelets had all been found and catalogued with new finds all around us, and there was still another 3-6 feet to be dug through.
I was still spending all my time in the Pit while ex-Marine did whatever was asked of him. He had now learned to say: "Good Morning", and "Is there a problem?" along with "No Problem" in Thai. What a linguist...and the little Thai women were still hoping I'd come to an unfortunate end so they could come to America with him.
Continue reading "My Exciting Discovery in Thailand" »
No dirt or dust today...instead an amble into Phimai to see its Historical Park which was built around the 11th-12th century A.D. Additions were made during the 13th century A.D.
This ancient monument was probably used by the King and nobles for religious ceremonies and there are many different complexes on the site. It was excavated and restored in 1968.
While "ambling", at least 15-20 buses of Thai boy scouts passed us by...waving and shouting "hello". We were surrounded by the time we walked into the Historical Park. They all wanted to know our names and where we were from.
Continue reading "Finally! A Day Off!" »
Most of our group is in the 50- 60+ range, a lively, vibrant group of people. One couple has worked on many "Habitat for Humanity" projects including one, in Kenya, where they slept on a concrete floor; Vickie, was in the Peace Corps in her younger days and taught English in Thailand - she excelled in piecing together pots and translating some Thai for us.
The pit is shaded with a huge canopy but it gets very hot down there in the afternoons. The thai villagers have a little stand on our site and sell rice cakes, homemade cookies and other goodies. There is also a ice cream man who peddles his cart out to us around 2pm every day. Some very weird and different flavors - not quite "Ben & Jerry's" in my opinion.
Continue reading "Our Group in Thailand" »
We left the hotel every morning carrying our gardening gloves, foam pads to sit on, knee pads, digital cameras and sun screen. We'd then rush to look down in the Pit to see how it had changed from the day before...it never looked the same...skeletons had been removed...a new layer excavated...and I couldn't wait for my day to start.
But first I had to get down there...this pit is deep, and getting deeper by the hour. Other people zoom down the ladder carrying tools and buckets but I go slowly, one step at a time.
Continue reading "Troweling Away in The Pit in Thailand" »
We took a public, air-conditioned "non-chicken/dog/goat" bus from Bangkok to Nakhom Ratchasima where team members welcomed and transfered us to the Phimai Inn (pronounced "pee-my"). Our room was on the 4th floor, stairs only. The room is very adequate, tv programs in Thai with no CNN (thank goodness!), and there is a swimming pool (which we never use because we are too tired at the end of the day to even float).
Phimai is a busy little town, with a night market every Monday night, which was that day. But who had the strength after flying Chicago to Tokyo to Bangkok and then busing to Phimai...not us...nor anyone else in our group.
Continue reading "On the "Dig" - Thailand" »
I spent the 1st 10 years of my life digging in the sand with my little pail and shovel on the beaches of Chicago. That must left a major groove in my brain because I've loved to dig ever since. Archaeology, didn't seem like a major stretch from digging in the sand so when I found out that many "Digs" take volunteers with no experience, weeks of internet surfing started.
I finally came up with an Earthwatch Institute expedition, "Origins of Angkor" which takes place in Ban Non Wat, Thailand, lead by Professor Charles F.W. Higham, University of Otago and St. Catharine's College, New Zealand.
Continue reading "Archaeological Dig Volunteer" »
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