Blogs from Thailand, Asia - page 19

Saturday 8th February 2020 When we stepped off the speedboat yesterday, at Manoh Pier, on the little island of Koh Yao Noi, it was like stepping back in time. It reminded us of arriving on the island of Koh Chang twenty years ago. As a truck bumped along a dusty little road with us, three other backpackers and our luggage, it was just like being on the truck that delivered us, with our son Dan and Lorna, to our accommodation at “Maggie´s Place” on Koh Chang, on Christmas Eve 1999. That was our first visit to Thailand. The love affair with this beautiful country, its people and cuisine had begun! In 1999, our son Nick was working in Bangkok and we came to Thailand to share Christmas with him (and celebrate the Millennium). Dan and Lorna ... read more

It was a cooler morning and we had a lovely breakfast in the barn porpla resort Prachuap Khiri Khan. The cycle team arrived promptly at 8am and we set off through the town and over to the Air Force base. Pi Golf explained about the Japanese invasion where many Thai policeman were killed during the Second World War so Japan could access Burma across this thin peninsula. We cycled On to visit the Waghor aquarium and further through beautiful jungle with verdant palm trees with occasional glimpses of the shore line. We wound on through an area mainly populated by Scandinavians within the Wat Hanakon national park and had a rest stop at a local police station, where we ate snacks and chatted with a policeman. We continued through similar landscape winding through small roads often ... read more

The sun rose behind the hills at the southern tip of the bay as we enjoyed our breakfast at the privacy beach resort near Khao Sam roi Yot national park. Our guide Pi Golf arrived just before 8am and we were on our bikes and cycling south along the coast by 8:15. The sea was calm and a light breeze cooled us as we headed into the park. We were greeted by buffaloes then monkeys and steep limestone cliffs predominant throughout the park there were lakes, palm trees and wonderful views. Stopping off at a beautiful temple by the sea we were schooled in the role of the Naga protecting the Buddha and how this snake connects the land with the heavens. We had cycled 65km before we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant where ... read more

“The Andaman is Thailand’s dream coast………Flashy resorts are pushing out the bamboo shacks and Thai-Rasta bars and authenticity hides largely in the backwaters now. But if you’re willing to search hard, your postcard dream is still there” Islands and Beaches - Lonely Thailand’s Planet Wednesday 5th February 2020 Yesterday, we returned to such a dream place, Pan Beach on Noppharat Thara Bay, Ao Nang. We rarely re-visit (it is a big world out there) but since we were so close, we just had to find out if this little Paradise remained unspoilt. It has! We booked in for three nights and leave tomorrow. Thailand has confirmed six new cases of Coronavirus, four of whom are Thais. It is not spreading too fast it seems, at the moment, outside of China and we have been impressed with ... read more

The day started well, Grandma’s Kitchen was open at 7.30am as promised and my pick up came exactly at 09.30, despite my last minute jitters that they’d forget me. At the ferry we Ko Mook people got on first and they put our bags downstairs, as we were the last to get off. It was much nicer sitting upstairs on the deck although there was no seating. The first stop was Ko Ngai, which looked VERY nice from the boat and I wished I was getting off there. Then we went past Ko Mook and stopped at Ko Kradan, which looked better for a day trip than an overnight. You had to get off the front of the boat onto the sand, and for people with suitcases along came a guy with a trolley and wheeled ... read more