November 2010: Krabi, Thailand
as always photos of the journey can be found at http://travelcarl.blogspot.com

Our bags came off quickly and soon we were out of customs. We had decided that we would leave two bags at Left Luggage instead of hauling them into town. HKIA charges a hefty fee for this: $100 USD for four days. Ouch.

Since we were three people, taking a cab costs the same as the Airport Express train. The taxi took us directly to the Cosmopolitan Hotel near Happy Valley that I had booked via Priceline.com for $100 USD/night. Trip Advisor had warned that the rooms were very small but it was fine for the two nights we were there. The location was not far from our friends, Greg and Ivan’s place in Happy Valley.

Luckily they had a room available even though we were checking in at 8:00am. We all went upstairs, took a shower and a nice four hour disco nap. Flat beds in business class are nice but they will never match a real bed.

By 1:00pm I was hitting my boys with pillows saying we needed to start moving. One nice thing about Hong Kong is the cheap cabs. With three of us public transport isn’t much cheaper. Our first stop was the Lower Peak Tram station where we quickly caught a tram to Victoria’s Peak for some outstanding views out over Hong Kong. It happened to be a very clear day so we could see far. We lunched at a great “local” HK café with some soup, noodles and beef. It was yummy. As touristy as the Peak is, I still enjoy going up there for the spectacular views. Afterwards, Corbin played in a park before we returned to Central and walked around a bit.

We were feeling adventurous so we boarded the MTR to get us within 10 minutes walking distance of our hotel. Okay, public transport isn’t that bad! One of our goals for the year is to show Corbin how local people use public transport. It’s just hard when cabs are so cheap and then bring you exactly where you want to go! Oh the dilemma.

One of the benefits of our hotel was REALLY fast Internet. That meant that we could download lots of the fall TV shows that we had been missing. In a later post, I will explain how we can LEGALLY receive all the TV from our home in California! It’s worked well for three years now! The slow Internet of South Africa and Madagascar made us get far behind!

Finally we met up with Greg at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental where he took us to a nearby rooftop bar with stunning views of HK Island. Greg and Terry have been friends for twenty-five years and it was great to see him.

His boyfriend Ivan met up with us at a wonderful restaurant known for its Peking Duck. Little did I know that Ivan ordered a five course feast. We were stuffed before the duck ever arrived at the table but managed to find room for it. The last course was some stunning dumplings that contained a broth and crab. AMAZING. During the meal, a chef came out and demonstrated how to pull dough into angel hair pasta. Greg and Ivan treated us to a wonderful culinary experience that we won’t soon forget.

The next morning we ate at the Empire Hotel in Happy Valley which Ivan, a local Chinese, said has the best Dim Sum in Hong Kong. We were the first customers at its opening at 11:00am. Corbin was a bit disappointed that they didn’t use the trolleys but instead we ordered the dim sum from a menu. I assured him that this meant it would be fresh and delicious.

Indeed, the dim sum was incredible. Being dumpling connoisseurs, we ordered our favorites and enjoyed everything. By the end, we were all stuffed and could barely move.

We spent the afternoon taking a walking tour of Hong Kong Central outlined in our Lonely Planet guide. We visited many different shops selling a variety of things including Eastern medicines, antiques and frogs. The temperature was almost cool which surprised us all.

After Greg finished work, he took us to his flat that he had totally redone a couple of years ago. We had a nice cocktail there and enjoyed seeing his hard work. It was a beautiful place. Corbin and I left Terry and Greg on their own as we quickly took a cab and the MTR over to Kowloon to watch the light show over the harbor.

I had never seen the show and thought the laser and lighting effects were great. My only complaint was the cheesy soundtrack that sounded like someone made on a $10 Casio keyboard. Corbin loved it but soon our stomachs needed attention.

He was craving Japanese food so we found a nice restaurant underground in the busy shopping area. We got very lucky because our gyoza, tempura and sushi were excellent. After dinner we walked through the Peninsula Hotel for old times sake.

No visit to Hong Kong would be complete without a trip on the Star Ferry. Corbin was only two years old the last time so it was like a new experience for him. It still stands as the world’s best (and cheapest) harbor cruise. Normally I would enjoy a drink up in Felix at the top of the Peninsula but parenthood changes things.

We checked out of our hotel early the next morning and soon were in a cab to one of the “Happiest Place[s] on Earth: Hong Kong Disneyland”. We lived in LA for fifteen years and have several friends who work for Imagineering Disney. We’re Disney geeks. Having an eleven year old kid in tow makes it seem much more acceptable! When originally planning the trip, we sought to include all the missing Disney parks in our collection which include the two parks in Tokyo and the one in Hong Kong.

Since it was off-season, I booked us a nice package at the “on-property” Disney Hollywood Hotel including entrance passes. Our goal was to be in the queue when the park opened. We checked in at the hotel at 9:00am and quickly dropped our stuff in the room before taking the bus to the park.

We had a nice room on the ground floor with two double beds. Who knew this existed in Hong Kong? We’ve stayed at a few Disney properties and this one was as good as its American counterparts. The gardens and pool were nicely designed with a fun “HOLLYWOOD HOTEL” sign in the style of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles.

We got to the park at 9:45 in time to see a special ceremony where one family is chosen to “unlock” the park at 10:00am. It was fun and it made me cry. I’m a sap. It wasn’t the only time that I teared up that day. I’m just like my mom. She always cried at parades and emotional shows.

At exactly 10:00am the gates opened and we were welcomed in. In the center of Main Street Square, we took a picture with our old friends Mickey and Minnie. They seemed to be enjoying their expat lives in Hong Kong.

Corbin’s first choice was the Rocket Jets. The HKDL version of this were flying saucers. The park was relatively empty at this point so we rode them twice. The big disappointment was that Space Mountain was closed. They had installed special Halloween decorations that they were currently uninstalling. Boo hoo. This is the only roller coaster in the park so it was too bad that it was shut down.

Being Disney geeks we quickly recovered and enjoyed seeing some of our favorite rides and exploring new ones. The highlight of the day for me were the two live action shows. The first was a stunning live representation of the Lion King story. The singing and dancing soon had me balling like a little school girl. It was excellent and I tried to get the family to see it a second time. The other show was an “award show” honoring the various Disney characters. While it did not bring me to tears, it was great fun. Interestingly, the Lion King show was mostly in English while the award show was in Chinese with English subtitles.

For dinner we tried the Chinese food in Fantasyland. The locals all complain about HKDL that the food is bland and expensive. Disney tends to homogenize things so this was not surprising. For the foreigner, our meal was much healthier that what we would have eaten in Anaheim.

Our day ended with a wonderful fireworks show. Yes, more tears. Duh. Luckily it was drizzling so it wasn’t as noticeable. By the end of the day, we were tuckered out and bed felt very good.

Rather than having breakfast at our hotel, we decided to take the bus to the other “on-property” hotel, The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. It is designed similarly to the Grand Floridian at Disneyworld which in turn is based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. It’s the fancier of the two hotels in HK. The breakfast buffet was entirely booked but we enjoyed a nice “light buffet” which included some lovely dim sum.

Unfortunately, Corbin wasn’t feeling great at this point so we opted to pack up and go to the airport early instead of returning to the park for two more hours of fun. Hong Kong Disneyland is located VERY near Chek Lap Kok airport so a short cab ride got us to the check-in counters in no time.

Once again, the trip report on the new lounge, THE CABIN, and the flight can be found here:
FLIGHT#16: THE CABIN & CX751 HKG-BKK in Biz Class with photos

I visited Thailand only once before as part of my first Round The World Tour the summer after my junior year of college. My impressions were mixed at the time. After traveling for four weeks in Europe just prior, we loved how inexpensive things were. We could get a hotel room in Bangkok cheaper than the price of a hostel in Geneva. The food was good and cheap. The thing I reacted negatively to was the abundance of bargirls. EVERYWHERE. Even though I was traveling with a woman, they still approached me all the time. It seemed like every bar in the country had bar girls. Where could a guy go to enjoy a beer without being harassed? It didn’t help that we headed out to Pattaya which seemed like bargirls on spring break. It was crazy out there. I didn’t have the nerve to try the gay bars because I really didn’t want to deal with barboys. I was young. I didn’t know much. But I was trying to learn.

This, my second visit to Thailand, would be very different. I was a middle-aged guy with husband and child. Most of the month would be spend on a tiny island near the climbing area and not in the big city. This time we would be far from the bargirls that bothered me when I was twenty-two.

By the time we landed Corbin had a decent fever. With all the concerns about SARS and H1N1, I was worried one of the health police would stop him with their infrared cameras. Luckily we were never stopped and the BKK “fast track” arrivals was quick and smooth. CX got our bags out very quickly. We need to send the crew at United at LAX to get some pointers from CX. I have waited longer for my bags on a United flight from San Francisco than it took to fly to LA from SFO!

I’m a worrier. Terry isn’t. And I am. Balance is good in any relationship. With our now five bags and three carry-ons, taking a taxi isn’t really easy. As we left customs, a AOT limo desk offered us a car big enough for all of us and our bags. We even got a 25% off for booking the return trip to the airport. I know that we overpaid but sometimes if the price seems reasonable, why fight for something cheaper? The bad part was the Bangkok traffic. It took an hour and a half to get to the Amari Watergate. The worst part was the last five blocks took thirty minutes. Corbin’s fever was getting the best of him and we were in gridlock. Finally I pulled out the laptop and turned on an episode of Friends. It really helped us not focus on the fact that we WEREN’T MOVING!

I am a big fan of Priceline.com and it’s black sheep cousin site www.biddingfortravel.com. I saw on biddingfortravel that people had been getting the centrally located 5-star Amari Watergate for $55 a night! I bid and also got this amazing rate. After talking with Terry, we even booked another room! We had been in four countries in eight days so a quiet and separate room was an affordable luxury. The hotel was beautiful and well situated. Luckily they gave us rooms that were conveniently across the hall from each other. Terry went out to get us some pepperoni and mushroom pizza which I had been craving for three months. Corbin relaxed in bed for the rest of the evening.

Around 4:00am Corbin’s fever broke. I was beginning to worry that he had malaria in spite of the malaria prophylaxis. No fever meant no malaria. YEAH! I did a little dance in the dark once I felt his cool forehead.

In the morning we decided that it would be wise to let Corbin just relax around the hotel and maybe venture down the pool at the most. Unfortunately, I had made some plans so I went on without my family.

Back in August when we were in Istanbul, I was introduced to Couchsurfing.org where we met up with several locals. It was a great experience and really enriched our time there. I had been chatting with several Thais about our visit and it looked like we would be able to meet.

When $55 rooms exist in beautiful hotels, I don’t need to sleep on someone’s couch. Still the site allows travelers to share a meal or sightsee together. One of the highest rated locals was a wonderful Thai man named Toom. CS shows people’s reviews of various hosts and travelers. Toom’s reviews were outstanding. He phoned our hotel room on our arrival to confirm our meeting the next day. He suggested that we go to some rowing races taking place on the outskirt of town. It sounded local and fun!

Toom met me in the lobby of the hotel and, from the first instance, I could see he was a warm, gentle person. He took me on three different buses to get to the races. Along the way, he helped me understand local culture which included not talking on the bus or crossing your legs while seated. It was fascinating. The whole journey was around two dollars for the two of us. I love a country with cheap transport.

Once we arrived, we immediately met up with another local Thai Couchsurfing host, Meow. She had with her two guys that had spent the night at her place. One of the things that Toom told me was that he had TEN Couchsurfers stay at his place the night before! He doesn’t get any money for his kindness. He’s amazing. That’s a lot of sheets and towels to do out of kindness.

We looked around for a bit and then Toom found us a great little street restaurant where he ordered us all fruit smoothies and a wonderful plate of noodles with prawns. The whole bill came to 55 Baht each (less than $2 USD!) I really enjoyed talking with our hosts Toom and Meow. The other travelers also had great stories they shared. Finally we met up with other people and all found our way to the main grand stand where we could see the finish line. They had monitors set up so we could also see the competitors’ progress throughout the race. It was a fun time and the part enjoyed I enjoyed the most was the crazy announcer who seemed like he was going to have an aneurysm because he was screaming and so excited.

Finally around 5pm, we started back to my hotel. I was a bit concerned that Corbin might still be sick and maybe Terry needed some time off after having been a single dad all day. Along the way, Toom helped me buy a local SIM card for my iPhone and load some time.

Back at the hotel, Corbin was back to normal having survived his 24 hour illness. He and Terry and spent the peacefully hanging out in the room and at the pool.

Later that evening, I decided to venture out and discover Bangkok’s gay night life. I was hoping to meet up with some Americans I met on Couchsurfing but they couldn’t make it in the end. So that meant I was on my own since Terry had to stay back and hang with Corbin. He had gone out the previous night so was able to point me in the right direction.

Like a lot of people, I’m not a big fan of bars and clubs on my own. After having been in a relationship for twenty years, those skills have atrophied a bit. I simply wanted to go out, have drink and maybe talk to some of my brethren. After a really inexpensive cab ride, I located the street with many bars and clubs where I had a beer and talked to a couple of people. The problem I had was that every bar was my discomfort with the number of bar boys (the male equivalent of bar girls). I wasn’t shopping but they were very aggressive. After seeing two places I was back in a cab back to the hotel. I came Thailand when I was twenty-two in 1987. I was traveling with a woman friend of mine and remember feeling very uncomfortable going out at night.

The next day, all three of us met Toom at a western bus station about 20 minutes from our hotel. He had offered to take us to a great floating market frequented by only locals. From there we could rent a longtail boat and visit four temples along the river. At the bus station we could see that Meow was once again joining us and we were eleven people in total! He organized the group a nice minibus that took us directed to the first temple about one and a half hours away. Here Toom and Meow showed Corbin how to pray to the Budda and then get his fortune told. He shook a cylinder of numbered sticks. Finally when a stick fell out, he retrieved the corresponding written fortune to that number. Two of our group had fortune #12 which said it was a good time to seek a mate among other things! Let’s hope that Corbin puts off dating for a couple of years.

Just a short walk later, we entered an amazingly colorful floating marking. Most of the restaurant kitchens were located on longtail boats and the customers would sit on the river’s edge on tiny chairs. One of the best parts of the market was many sellers offered finger foods: satay, fried chicken, veggies, noodles, shrimp, shui mai… Usually someone in our party would buy of bag of what was on offer and share it with the rest of the group. This enabled us to try many different things. We spent the rest of the day eating like this and never sat down to a meal! We were too full!

Soon, Toom rented a longtail boat for us to visit three other temples. Our group filled the boat so we could decide where it could go. We all enjoyed motoring up the river and seeing some local sights. The temples were all interesting and offered more opportunities for finger foods. In front of two of the temples, people sold turtles and snakes. I was scared at first that they were for food but was relieved to find out they were offerings to be made to the gods.

At one stop, this group of Thai girls stopped Corbin and took their picture with him. They just thought he was cute and wanted a picture! Here’s to a winning smile!

Back at the market, Corbin enjoyed playing with a hungry elephant. He ate right out of Corbin’s hand. It was very entertaining. The markets go well on into the night but our gang was tuckered out so we took our minibus back into central Bangkok.

After spending two days with Toom and Meow, I was overwhelmed by their generosity. They simply enjoying hosting people at their homes and showing people their wonderful city. I look forward to meeting other Couchsurfers in other cities.

On Monday, we needed another relax day. Corbin and I found some great dim sum for brunch and then enjoyed a huge sundae at Swenson’s Ice Cream Parlour. Sometimes some flavors from home and make traveling easier.

That evening, we met up with another Couchsurfer that I had been chatting with for a couple of weeks. Chai is a thirty year old anthropology grad student who has decided to become a chef! He explained that this made sense since food is a large reflection on a culture. Being a foodie, he took us to this INCREDIBLE restaurant. He didn’t know its name but was famous for its good food. That’s my kind of restaurant. We had a delicious Tom Ka Gai soup and then some amazing fried chicken topped with fried lemon grass! Also had a prawn/noodle dish and some veggies. I wanted to lick the plate but a lot of cultures frown on that behavior. Once again we had a fun time with a local that we met on CouchSurfing.org.

The next morning we ate street food for breakfast again. The Amari Watergate hotel is located in a shopping area with lots of street food. I could easily piece together fresh pineapple and melon, shui mai dim sum and some fried dough ball things all for under $4 USD. Our hotel wanted 810 Baht per person for breakfast which would have cost us $75 USD. Thanks but no!

We had pre-booked our car to the airport and left early enough so that we could enjoy two hours at the airport.

An official Flyertalk Trip Report on our visit to the BKK lounge and the flight down to Krabi can be viewed at:
FLIGHT #17: TG245 BKK-KVG in Biz Class with Photos

As we landed in Krabi, I could see that the rain had begun to come down. Luckily the house manager would be meeting us and had arranged for our transfer. It would be an easy journey out to our home for the next month. Or so we thought!

Thai Airways had our bags out first so we were the first passengers to greet the throng outside the baggage area. Almost immediately we spotted a skinny, long haired guy holding a sign with my name on it. Joe, introduced himself and his wife, Olay. Immediately I could tell that they were warm and friendly.

Joe had borrowed a friend’s double cab small pickup truck to get us down the Land Grout pier. The rain turned into a downpour giving our bags in the back a nice wet shine. I was a bit worried that their contents would also get soaked but there wasn’t much we could do. Once we unpacked, quite a few things were wet but nothing was ruined. Corbin does now have a “Where’s Waldo” book that now has several pages stuck together as a souvenir of the day.

It was about a thirty minute drive down to the pier from the Krabi airport. We stopped briefly at a 7-11 to get basic supplies. We giggled as we paid for two huge shopping bags for only $12. Our final stop was local outdoor market where we picked up fruits, veggies and some precooked satay and noodles with veggies for dinner. When we got to the pier, Joe dropped us off at a restaurant and then returned the truck. The rain was still falling out of the sky and we couldn’t believe we were in the middle of it. I could see that the suitcases were very wet but hoped that the contents survived.

After ten minutes, Joe returned and we boarded a longtail boat that we had hired for the journey. Normally, there is “scheduled” longtail service four or five times a day but it was just easier with all the bags to hire our own boat. Also they told us during high tide, the boat could drop us directly at our beach.

As we departed, the rain let up a bit and we enjoyed the thirty minute journey zig-zagging around the islands. Our bags and Olay were safely protected under a covered area while “the men” all sat in the breeze and light rain. I remember thinking that this was one of those life moments that you never forget: the stunning scenery, crouching on a wooden boat in the rain, and silently staring in the eyes of Terry and Corbin. All of us were excited but our eyes said “WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GETTING INTO?!?!”

So I finally asked if they boat would be taking us directly to our house. Joe replied no. It was low tide. Of course it was.

We arrived at the pier of Koh Pu island and unloaded the bags with difficulty as the boat pushed against the pier. Finally we were all safely enjoying the dryness of the sheltered pier. Once again we all stood around with the what’s next look on our faces. Soon enough we could see this “vehicle” coming down the pier. I put “vehicle” in quotes because it was a scooter with side-car permanently welded on with a canopy cover. Corbin, Olay, I and two bags all piled into this contraption. Terry headed out with the rest of the bags in another “vehicle” that also showed up. Joe was driving his own scooter back to our place.

So let’s recap here. Our transportation for the day included a luxury van that took us from our five-star hotel in Bangkok to the airport, a business class flight to Krabi, a pickup truck drive to the pier, a wet longtail taxi boat ride and finally a scooter-mobile taxi ride to our house. We had gone the spectrum of developing national travel in just one day.

The sun was setting as we made our way from the big city of Koh Pu (population about 400 people) out to the other side of the island. Because of the rains, the scooter-mobile was having difficulty navigating the muddy road. We were slipping and sliding all over the road. We had to get out on a couple of the hills so the tiny motor could make it over the crest. Luckily, giggles filled our spirits. THIS is why we had chosen to take the year off and explore the world. You just don’t find these experiences in Toluca Lake, California or Starnberg, Germany.

About twenty-five minutes into our muddy-journey, we turned off the “main road” on to a tiny even muddier and unmanageable path which finally dropped us at our house. We had left our hotel in Bangkok at 10:30 am and now around 6:00 pm we were pulling up to our house.

Once again, we had found paradise. The house was built with Buddhist influences including a mini-temple out in the garden and a shrine in the living room. The owner, Andrew, is an Australian lawyer who works in Bangkok and built this place a couple of years ago. The main house has two bedrooms on the top floor and the living spaces on the middle floor. An additional bedroom and bathroom occupied the bottom. It had the coziness of a good friend’s cabin.

The house is located about 30m from the beach with a beautiful garden leading the way. On the beach he built a small pavilion with hammock and outdoor shower. Just like in Madagascar, we ended up spending 80% of our time out on our veranda with beautiful ocean views. This time of year, we had to venture down the beach a couple of meters to see the sun set over the water. During the summer, the sunset is visible from the veranda.

Andrew built his house on Lubo bay of Koh Pu island. The word “koh” means island in Thai. “Pu” means crab. So we were staying on crab island. Corbin and I really enjoyed eating the fresh crabs. But as we travel the world, I have to admit nothing that I have tasted including the Madagascar lobster beats our local home grown San Francisco Dungeness crab. Nevertheless, Olay’s Thai crab was tasty.

The entire beach was about 500m long. Ours was the only “house”. The rest of the beach had little grass hut bungalows that catered to tourists. The resort next to us was called Bohemia and further down was the Sunset Beach resort. The word “resort” here simply means a group of grass huts with a central hut where food is served. Imagine Gilligan’s Island for tourists including coconut shell lights. Electricity only came to the island a couple of years ago.

Joe and Olay have built a little café/bar out on the beach in front of their hut. By far it’s the nicest commercial establishment on the beach. As rainy season was just finishing, they were setting up the lights can getting the place ready for the busy “dry” season. Olay serves a nice menu of Thai dishes and Joe serves all types of drinks including tropical cocktails. Throughout the month, Joe would have me sample his latest florescent colored concoction. I’m not a fan of fruity drinks but would give him encouragement nonetheless. Since it was early in the season, we never saw the place hopping but Joe assured me that it picks up in December.

One of the other fixtures at Joe and Olay’s was Gert. This wonderfully effeminate Afrikaner guy spends all his vacations on this isolated island. He’s been coming several years and befriended Joe and Olay early on. Most of the time, you can find Gert and Joe sitting in the café smoking a variety of things, enjoying a beer or working on setting up the café. His pleasant, easy-going personality made it a nice place to hang out.

Thailand was a second month of constant mosquitos. My legs and arms were beginning to look like battlefields. They love me. They think I smell good. Terry begs to differ. I apply deet every evening and still get bit. In Madagascar, the evening winds helped keep them away but Thailand’s still air invited them to my life. At night, Andrew had mosquito nets over each bed so they weren’t a problem. But I would battle each evening until we tucked ourselves in.

Before we arrived, Andrew had mentioned that the house did not have any A/C and it didn’t need it. Most rooms had fans and each night they cooled us down enough to sleep comfortably. In the end, I would have preferred A/C but easily made do without it.

Andrew built his house using several ecological ideas. In the garden, three huge solar panels collected enough electricity that we could shut off the main supply during the day and run our lives simply on the sun. It was a good system and it worked well. It felt good to be “off the grid”. He also had huge water drums that collected the rainwater from the gutters of the house. Finally he had another water storage drum and a smaller solar panel that heated the hot water. All of these ideas have inspired me to think about going a bit greener once we return to California.

Even though we’re on an isolated island off the coast of Thailand, our house has internet thanks to a two-way satellite dish. The speed isn’t enough for Skype or streaming videos but we’ve been doing email and sending photos just fine. It is a huge luxury considering the island barely got electricity! Madagascar is still the only place where we didn’t have internet at home.

Andrew had mentioned that we could hire Olay to cook for us. So we immediately solicited her services. She turned out to be a great cook but the price was a bit high considering we were on an island full of fresh produce and seafood. Lunch was often $4 per person and dinner could get up to $7 per person. Since the food was good, we put up with it but couldn’t shake the idea that we were getting taken advantage of. We had meals with Toom in Bangkok for less than $2. We mentioned it to Andrew in the end and he agreed that they were charging too much money. This would change in the future.

Being on a quiet beach would normally mean sleeping in late. This would have happened if it weren’t for the extended family of chickens living in our garden. Starting as early as 04:30am they would begin to announce the dawning of a new day. Repeatedly. Their favorite place to hang out was along the side of our house outside our window. The symphony of their song would last about thirty minutes and we got used to falling back asleep once they finished their work. Robert was less forgiving and several times got up and threw rocks at them. I’m amazed that he thought he could win that battle. The roosters were another wonderful reminder that this was an adventure far from the normalcy of our old lives.

The beginning of November often marks the end of the rain season on Koh Pu. Unfortunately, this year November proved that the rainy season was going strong. It rained at least once a day and sometimes the entire day. One of the goals of the trip helped us cope with this: to live like a local. What do the locals do when it rains? On Koh Pu, they seek shelter and just hang out. This worked well during Corbin’s school hours but challenged us bit other times. Luckily we all embraced our Kindles/Ipads and spent a lot of time reading.

When it wasn’t raining, Corbin would play out on the beach. Often other local kids would join him and they would play football or simply explore the wildlife of the waters. One of their favorite games was to collect discarded Styrofoam can make boats they could float in the rivers that feed into the sea. I was impressed with their creations.

Our veranda served as Corbin’s schoolhouse for the month. Like in Madagascar, you’ve got to love a classroom with an ocean view. The gardens around our house were thick jungle and provided a nice environment to work in. It was definitely a living classroom. Once in a while, we’d get a glimse of a monkey swinging in the trees.

Home schooling Corbin has been interesting. I think Terry and I have been more frustrated than Corbin who tells us that it’s all going well. He definitely treats us more like parents than teachers though. He whines and moans about stuff that he’d never say to a classroom teacher. I think it is getting better as he gets used to the system. The biggest problem is that he thinks EVERYTHING is negotiable. We’ve got a great lawyer/negotiator in the making.

I am amazed how quickly he learns one on one. The math topics flow easily into his brain. He learned long division in two 30-minutes lessons. Also his number sense beats most of my high school students. He’s building good skills.

This year has been the awakening of Corbin, the reader. So we are hoping that this improves his writing skills. The first thirty minutes of each school day begin with journal writing. Most of the time he finds this VERY difficult. We have told him that spelling and grammar don’t matter. Simply write! Then Terry creates spelling words based on his journal. As difficult as he has found this, it has improved his writing.

One day while hanging out with Joe and Olay, I asked about the 2004 tsunami that hit Thailand. As you walk along the beach, many signs inform that it is a tsunami zone and show which way to run. Olay shared that on that fateful morning, she and Joe were out in front of their place when they noticed that the water went way out as if it was REALLY low tide. They knew exactly what this meant and immediately ran up a nearby hill. There they watch a 3m wave come in a douse the coast. They lost everything: their house and all their belongings. But they survived. It would have been fatal for them had it happened while they were sleeping. We read that the wave in Phuket was 10m high when it hit the shoreline. They rebuilt their house down the beach but still on next to the beach. Their long term plan is to build a house about 10 minutes away that is out of the tsunami zone.

As I have mentioned before, Terry and I agreed that we could each go off for a couple of days each month if needed to recharge our batteries. Hanging out 24/7 with ANYONE can be difficult let alone a moody, artistic type. We thought this might be good for our relationship. So far in the trip, neither of us had elected to take advantage of this. Until Thailand. Terry went met up with his friend Greg from Hong Kong in Bangkok and I went to Phuket.

The Waikiki beach of Phuket Island if not the whole of Thailand is Patong Beach on the west coast of the island. I chose to go there simply to be with my gay brethren. Part of recharging my batteries involved seeing some lip-syncing Thai drag queens. So off I set early one morning. Once again the journey started with a twenty-five minute scooter-mobile ride to the pier of Koh Poh. Joe and Olay drove their scooter since they had some shopping to do on the mainland. Next a thirty-five minute longtail ride. We were all slightly scared because they REALLY loaded up our boat with about forty people, five scooters and everyone’s stuff. The boat really listed from side to side. You have to love transport in the developing world. The good news was Joe borrowed his friend’s truck making the journey up to Krabi town painless.

Joe dropped me at a bustop and told me that Phuket buses pass every thirty minutes. Like clockwork, a bus arrived in five minutes! It was a large double-decker modern bus with very comfortable seats. My Lonely Planet guide had warned me about the arctic temperatures and blaring music that accompanied me throughout the journey. I got my fill of Thai music videos throughout the three hour journey. Luckily I kept busy watching some of the TV shows we had downloaded in Hong Kong and Bangkok. The best part was the entire bus ride cost only 150 Baht or $5.

Soon enough, we arrived at the main bus station of Phuket city. It was a much bigger city than Krabi. It took us quite a while to reach the center of town. I tried to find the buses to take me the final 25 km out to Patong beach but in the end it was just easier to take a $13 taxi.

I had reserved a room a room in a gay hotel on the “gay street” in the Paradise Complex. Normally, I am allergic to gay hotels and gay restaurants. But since I was on my own, I thought it would be easier to meet people. The Connect Guesthouse actually turned out to be perfectly fine. It’s restaurant and bar were right on the street and didn’t have any barboys! Yeah! The mini bar in the room was incredibly cheap: a beer was $2 and Pringles were $1.

I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Patong city. Just like Waikiki the streets are littered with souvenir shops and restaurants. It was a bit overwhelming after the quiet shores of Koh Pu. I stumbled on “the street of many bars” that I assumed would be hopping in just a few hours. Already plenty of Westerners were drinking and getting to know the local girls.

The beach in Patong sat in a nice bay. At 45 years old, I’m not much of a beachcomber but enjoyed seeing it all. My Scandinavian skin prefers shade to sun. I’m more the big floppy hat and large umbrella kind of guy now. Sexy, I know.

I had a craving for Italian food so I tried a little place around the corner. It’s interesting to me that I sure crave certain types of food as we travel the world. Italian food is very comforting to me. A nice pasta with a glass of red wine always make me feel good.

Around 10pm, I went downstairs to the hotel’s sidewalk bar and had a beer. Even at this late hour, it was very warm so the beer hit the spot. Almost immediately, I met this nice group of German guys. Anyone who has traveled at all, German tourists are omnipresent. With at least five weeks of paid vacation and a high standard of living, they love to travel. We have found German tourists everywhere we’ve been so far. They always like hearing about our experiences in Bavarian over the past two years.

Around 11:45pm a drag queen and a group of backup dancers performed a number out on the street as an invitation to the big show inside. It was fun and entertaining so the Germans and I went over to Kiss Club and watched the rest of the show. My favorite was the prima-drag queen who performed Shirley Bassey. There was no question that SHE was the drag queen in charge. I loved her. She was flawless and loved what she was doing.

The next day it was raining so it was a good excuse to stay in and read. I continue to love my Kindle. It’s a travelers perfect companion. I’ve become an accidental spokesman for Amazon. Many people have asked me about it at which point I launch into my super-satisfied customer spiel. I’m always pushing some gadget. First it was TiVo, then in German it was AppleTV and now it’s the Kindle.

That evening I met up with my Germans again and we enjoyed a different show at Kiss. The nightlife in Patong was definitely more exciting than Lubo Beach on Koh Pu. Maybe Joe and Olay should put together a couple of numbers. Think Sonny and Cher. But asian. And a lot shorter.

The next morning I was up and out by 11:00 so I could meet up with my best friend, Robert who was flying in from South Africa to go climbing with us. The journey back was equally easy and the bus from Phuket dropped me right in front of the Krabi airport.

I easily found Robert and soon we were back out on the main road waiting for a bus to the pier. It was blazing hot at this moment and jetlagged Robert wasn’t amused with the heat. Soon enough, a bus came and then we switched to other bus. Understand by bus I mean pickup truck with an open canopy. Robert couldn’t help buy smile at the foreignness of the situation. We arrived with lots of time to catch the 05:30 pm longtail back to Koh Pu. He had lots of room in one of his bags so we bought a few beers and a nice bottle of whiskey. He says that it helps him sleep.

Once again, they overfilled the boat. Robert’s an engineer and couldn’t not believe how they were challenging the buoyancy of the boat. Due to the extra weight the journey took just over an hour but we were treated to some amazing sunset skies along the way. We called ahead and our regular scooter-mobile driver was waiting to take us the final leg. About two kilometers into the journey, Robert turned to me with a big grin and asked “WHERE THE .... ARE YOU TAKING ME?!?!”

After a couple of days relaxing at the house, we set off to go climbing at Railay Beach. On the way we had originally planned on seeing Harry Potter 7 Part 1 in Krabi but were saddened when the ticket seller told us that it was only in Thai with no English subtitles. Damn. We had really been looking forward to it. We’d have to wait until Vietnam.

We took an easy taxi to Ao Nang where we caught a longtail to the famous Railay Beach. Most people will recognize the landscape from the Leo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”. These beautiful limestone rocks jutting out of the sea provide some wonderful rock climbing. Robert had been there twice before and was a perfect guide. We immediately dropped our stuff in our hotel room and went out to begin climbing. Our first day and a half was dry so we did some great climbs. Corbin did very well and kept up with us. Unfortunately, it rained one evening which made all routes very wet the next day. It was challenge to find routes that were climbable after that. Instead, we rented a kayak and spent three hours exploring the area. It was a great way to see all the islands and bays.

At this point, Robert announced that he was finished with “developing nation travel” and would be springing for a longtail taxi to take us directly back to our house. A four or five hour transfer was reduced to fifty minute longtail ride for $70. They picked us up almost in front of our hotel and dropped us off on Lubo Beach in front of our house. Money can make life easier.

After another couple of days at home, Robert and I headed back on our own to do more climbing. Without Corbin we could tackle some of the more difficult routes. The highlight was an incredible climb on Tonsai beach that Robert remembered from a previous trip. It was scarier than anything I had ever attempted before.

The climb starts out under a ledge which is tricky but soon you are on a nice roof. Then you traverse over to the left edge. The crux of the route comes next. You stand with your arms above you and then lean forward away from the rock about 1.5m where you will land against a stalactite that is hanging down. When we arrived, another group was on the route and I got to see a woman attempt the move. She paused for ten minutes to build up the courage to do the move. Finally with her arms in the air, she fell forward until her hands met the tip of the stalactite rock (Photo 1). The next move is equally tricky as you need to move one of your feet over on to the stalactite (Photo 2). Once your first foot makes it over you adjust your hands higher and bring over your other foot. Finally you can hug the stalactite, move to the other side and scream with joy that you did it! (Photo 3)

I had my own question life moment before falling over and reaching the stalactite. I shouted for joy once my fingers reached the rock. Who ever first climbed this route is TWISTED. All of the photos above are of Robert and me doing the move. It’s my proudest climbing moment ever.

Robert returned to South Africa after our second Railay visit. It was great to spend time with him again. I love that he always gets me to do things that I’m not comfortable doing.

At the end of our month in Krabi, a family of Americans moved in at the Bohemia resort next door. They had two young, sweet boys that Corbin enjoyed playing with. They were currently living in India and were on a “visa run” so they could keep living there. This meant a month holiday in Thailand to make it happen! Not a bad life. We enjoyed playing cards, making tortillas and talking about India. People always say you meet the nicest people when you travel. I’d say that’s true!

Lubo beach on Koh Pu is a special place. All of us really enjoyed hanging out in this little piece of paradise. I now understand why Gert returns here every year. It’s a place where each day is simple and life moves at a livable pace.

On the day of our departure, we opted to “go local” by taking the scheduled service with all our bags to the mainland instead of booking a private longtail. We were pros by this point so 100 kg of baggage wasn’t any problem on a public boat. Joe arranged his friend’s truck once again and soon we were saying goodbye at the airport. This time our bags enjoyed a dry trip to the airport! Bonus!

Once again, our month in Krabi exceed all of our expectations. The pace of life on the beach was amazing. There was so much time for friends, Scrabble, reading… all the things that make life special.

I have posted separate Flyertalk Trip Reports of our flights from Krabi to Bangkok and Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Click on the links to see a travel-addicted view of our journey to Vietnam.

FLIGHT#18: TG242 KBV-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#19: BKK Royal First Lounge & LH772 BKK-SGN in First Class with photos