Saturday morning we returned to the travel agency to check up on the possibly, once again, to get to Phuket earlier. As luck will have it, we were to grab TG#225 Christmas night and a room would be available at the hotel.

We spent Christmas day perusing around Silom and decided to hit the movies at the Siam Paragon where we were days before. We jumped on the Skytrain and took the 10 minute or so ride to get there. It’s an amazing mall. Brand new and beautiful. In all the malls in America I doubt there’s a food emporium like this here. The yet-to-be-opened high-end retailers on the 3rd floor screamed money and the stores that are available to shop in is a shop-aholic’s wet dream! Unfortunately, the movie theaters on the top floor weren’t completed so we visited the aquarium in the lower level. It was well worth seeing.

BKK-HKT

Our flight to HKT wasn’t until after 10pm but we were anxious to get moving and ended up checking in almost 3 hours early. The terminal was busy as always but luckily, it was the usual, uneventful, no waiting, check in at the Royal Executive desk and by now knew how to proceed to the lounge. We checked our email and positioned ourselves on a sofa and chair close to the television up front for the long wait. The place seemed dark and dreary which only added to the mood of the weekend. A movie I enjoy watching, “Point Of No Return”with Bridget Fonda eventually came on but midway through it the cleaning lady decided to vacuum the place. It was around 8:30-9:00 and I understood the place needed to get spruced up for the following morning but you also know after a half hour of this you’ve reached your limited when your nails begin tearing up the arm rest.

Boarding was eventually called and we took the short walk to the gate to join, yet, another bus ride to the plane. The plane was booked full. We realized how fortunate we were to get these seats. The AB6 was cramped but comfortable and we were served a light meal. Again, I’m wondering why such service isn’t available on the West Coast back home.

After all the drama we encountered thus far we were glad to finally be on our way to Phuket. A full week to rest and relax. No more temples. No more daily tours.

Baan Yin Dee will be our home a for a full week. Since we arrived a day earlier we were fortunate to be booked into a deluxe room for the night. It was so big I couldn’t imagine the size of our suite yet to come. The view of Patong Beach from up here is spectacular. We were anxious for the following morning.

It was December 26th ; after having breakfast in the restaurant, we got dressed and had the hotel’s complimentary car service drive us down to the beach for the 10am tsunami memorial ceremony. The walk along the beach to the service was a solemn one and we couldn’t help but envision from where we stood the sight of a year ago. It honestly sent chills through us both. During the ceremony of only a couple of speeches and like a tsunami itself, a wave of emotion had overtaken us. That’s all I can say for the moment about this event. I feel I have to mention the insensitivity shown by the numerous news cameras when they began to close in on the families and friends who were laying flowers on the makeshift memorial site. A very distraught woman managed to make her way to the podium and through sobs demanded they give them room to grieve and wondered why the police weren’t doing enough to control them. She mentioned the children she lost. It became too much for us to bear.

We left.

Along the way, we saw many people casting flowers and garlands off in to the sea. That evening hundreds of candlelit lanterns were sent airborne from the beach and gently carried away in to the night sky like little glowing angels. I still choke when I recall it.

We returned to hotel to lounge by the pool and compose ourselves and counting on this kind of relaxation for the rest of the week. There are two pools that are connected by cascades of water of two smaller pools between them. Around 1:00pm the hotel was ready to relocate us to the Senior Suite. The room simply took our breath away. It’s great to step out onto our balconies and look upon all of Patong Beach. Our thoughts took us to what it might have looked from up here this day of last year.

The rest of the week consisted of walking along Patong Beach with the sea as warm as bath water or sunning by the refreshing coolness of the pool. Along the streets of Patong are many rows of open stalls (booths? stores?) selling all sorts of wares; tee shirts, souvenirs, food; you name it. Several low-rise hotels line the main street. When we came upon the Holiday Inn we thought we read the sign incorrectly because it was stunning! Actually, quite very nice! It’s conveniently located with the beach and ocean directly across the street. If anyone is budget conscience, you might want to consider looking into this further.

Patong Beach is not a pretty little resort town. It’s something of a small-size version of Waikiki Beach. It’s not unattractive, just not pretty. Walking around before noon guaranteed you a leisurely stroll but by mid-day it’s hectic and frenzied. At the beach, you’re laying elbow to elbow with your neighbor. Knowing this, you can’t even begin to imagine the “fortunate” timing the tsunami hitting at the early hour it did.

Night time was party time and every one is out for a great time. The evenings were much cooler which allowed everyone to open up and cut loose.

What I particularly loved, though, was the international pool of nationalities in this one small area. It was utterly fascinating and enjoyable. Thousands of different reasons for being here; hundreds of different cultures; dozens of people we met; and the two of us brought here to experience it all.

The natural beauty lies on the islands in the Andaman Sea. We took a speed boat tour that included 16 tourists from Israel, Singapore, Austria, England, Japan and the U.S. There was also a young couple from San Francisco! 5,000 miles and 19 hours from home and we meet our neighbors.

One of the islands we were anxious to see was Phi Phi Island (Koh Phi Phi). As we approached it look like one of those small atolls with a village of natives on the beach to greet us. It wasn’t until our guide told us of the devastation it encountered last year that the mood suddenly changed. We took lunch on the beach under a thatched palapas and took a walk around afterwards. We stumbled upon a banyan tree besides the beach on the opposite side of the island dressed in a makeshift memorial during the anniversary a couple of days before. Once again, we became very sad and began to choke up at the pictures left behind. The irony of beauty and loss was over-powering. The romantic portion of this trip was lost.

No vehicles on the island but many more booths. We thought we left these behind on Patong but we simply figured these people had to make a living and tourism being the thing how else were they to make it?

We have no regrets planning our vacation around this anniversary. It was purely coincidental but we were honored and moved to partake in memorializing a catastrophic event that affected so many lives.

By the end of the week, we realized that going home wasn’t such a bad thing. We were ready but we were leaving Thailand with one last bang. New Year’s Eve was fast approaching!

On 12/31, as the hotel was preparing for the night’s festivities we checked out and headed for the airport to return to The Metropolitan for our final night in Thailand.

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HKT-BKK

The line outside the small terminal was very long as we waited to pass through first security check. A bus load of well-tanned tourists unloaded shortly afterwards to create an even longer line. As the group took their place at the end, a couple with a large cart load of luggage maneuvered themselves next to me just feet from the front door thinking they were going to cut their way in. “You’ve got to be kidding buddy,” I thought as I squeezed them out before getting to the x-ray machines at the door. They knew what they were doing and they knew exactly what I was doing. We’ve already been here waiting patiently for about 20 minutes! Call me the ugly American, but dang it, fair is fair.

Having past through security, a quick check in and with boarding passes in hand, we sauntered over to the Royal Orchid lounge. It was small and intimate and no one had yet come to the room. There’s a small desk just inside and to the right where we showed our passes. We found our seats and picked at the impressive food bar (for its size), grabbed a soft drink and took in some more email time at the lone terminal. I was later happy to have made use of it as a kid later planted himself in front of it and began playing games.

After about an hour or so we got up and decided to take the walk to the far end of the terminal where our gate was. It appeared that this brought about some members of the herd to do the same. The line of coach passengers at the gate was fairly long. There was, however, no line of any kind behind the small sign that read, “Royal Executive”. There was a hesitation from the few us for a moment. Like finding an available register of a supermarket when all others are busy. OK, what’s wrong with this picture. Someone took the initiative and we took our places in the newly-formed line.

TG#222 was ready for boarding and she was a beautiful thing, a 7442. Seat 4A,B were very soft and cozy. Yes, we managed to get the FC cabin again! Though the seats didn’t recline to flat bed, this aircraft would have been all right by me if we had to fly it all the way to NRT. I still can’t say enough about the TG’s flight crew. So far, every step of the way on every flight, they’ve been so pleasant and attentive. Though just another short flight to BKK, the crew takes care of you nearly every minute of it.

Having flown Royal Executive throughout Thailand I have to recommend this highly to everyone. There’s been chatter on FT whether it’s worth the little extra money. Folks, go for it! The experience means expedited check ins, lounge use away from the crowds (always a crowd) and quick priority boarding. And if you’re lucky, FC seating on the 744! I’m all for the prestige status and comfort factor.

When we arrived at BKK, we were once again parked at the international terminal. We deplaned down the portable stairs and bussed back to the far end where the domestic terminal was. This bus-thing was getting annoying.

While at the HKT airport, I read an email I received from RChavez saying he heard I’d be in BKK on NYE’s and hoped we’d get together. The Metropolitan was hosting a NYE’s celebration so as he had tentative plans to be at this event. I jumped on the idea of meeting him and excited to hook up that evening. At about 11pm, he and his roommate joined us at the back bar where you would usually find the reception desk. After our first cocktail together, we popped up to our room to polished off the fine bottle of Moet Chandon they kindly brought. Drinks flowed throughout the evening and at midnight fireworks exploded at the gate entrance of the hotel. We had a great time. RChavez helped complete our vacation in Thailand with a blast. We hope some of you have the wonderful opportunity to meet him.

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BKK-ICN

Our first of two flights back to SFO, TG#658 to ICN, wasn’t to leave until almost midnight so we kept our room at the Met until 6pm. We decided to try to take in a movie but, once again, our timing was off and simply partook in last minute shopping at the Siam Paragon. By 4pm we were anxious to begin our long journey home and by 5pm we were checked out and waiting in the lobby for our scheduled van pick-up. Unfortunately, you do not get free limousine service as a Royal Silk passenger but still available for a fee.

The toll-highway was very light in traffic and we got to the airport in only about a half hour. We had our VAT refund paperwork processed and proceeded to the Royal Silk ticket counter. As usual, never a wait. We’ve always managed to simply walk right up to the counter every time with TG. Our luggage was checked through to SFO but we were informed we would have to collect our UA first class boarding passes at ICN.

Passport control was conveniently located to our immediate left. After feeding the machine our $25 fee (each), our receipt for this collected by passport control, and our VAT refunded we searched for the new Royal Orchid lounge at gate 31 I’ve made note of through the boards.

To be sure I had come to the right place I simply asked, before walking through, if this lounge had two floors. Though we were flying Royal Silk on Thai on the initial flight, our later connections in first class allowed us, on this leg of the journey, access into their first class lounge upstairs. There’s been discussion about this on the boards and I can vouch for the fact that you do indeed have access.

It’s so beautiful. It was certainly nothing like the lounge in the domestic terminal. There’s an air about the place. The pictures I took seem dull and lifeless and doesn’t show the brilliant colors of the silk pillows and art work hanging on the walls. The lower, L-shaped lounge caters to Royal Silk. and other business class passengers and seemed quiet enough to relax. A nice size banquet of food and drinks were to the right and comfortable seating to the left.

We found the stairs in the corner to right of the upside-down “L.” No one was at the desk at the top of the stairs to greet us so anyone could have wandered up here (not that I cared). The upstairs is enormous and roomy! Very high ceilings and cozy seating arrangements throughout. I believe the room is lit mostly by natural sunlight from the windows high up but the sun had long since gone down and lighting was a low. It added to the ambiance. We had about 4 hours before departure so we hunkered down for the long wait.

Around 11:00pm, we decided to leave for the gate. They weren’t making announcements in the lounge so you had to be aware of your time. When we approached the gate(s) my heart sank for two reasons. One, there was an escalator to take us down which meant, drum roll please, we were getting bussed - AGAIN. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you, what is it with this place?? The new airport couldn’t happen soon enough! And two, we were met by an immense crowd standing around waiting for security (crowd control) to slowly allow them to proceed through the double doors and onward to the security check point. After passing through we had to choose one of two very, very long lines through security check. There were several flights departing at the same time down here. Twenty minutes till departure and this wasn’t looking good. That greyhound bus better still be waiting for us on the other end! We’re Royal Silk’s for pete’s sake!!

Inching along we finally made it to the gate and our waiting 333.

To our amazement, there were only 6 of us up front! Roominess wasn’t going to be an issue though the cabin was roomy enough. We had accumulated enough amenity kits by now that I had to insist that Mr. SFW not accept any more. Our bags were stuffed to the gills so the precision and care I placed (tongue in cheek) in getting everything inside couldn’t accommodate one more.

Within the hour we were offered:

Cold Cuts, Sushi

Assorted Pralines

Tea, Coffee

*****

Fruit Juice
Fresh Fruits and Fruit Yogurt

Main Course

Fried Siam Perch with Soya Bean Sauce, Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice
Oriental Mixed Vegetables

or

Spanish Omelet, Chicken Patty, Vegetables

Roll, Croissant, Butter, Jam

Tea, Coffee, Ovaltine

***

Instant Noodle Soup, available upon request

We snoozed on and off during this uneventful flight. The service was as good as all the others but we were two very tired guys and didn’t need to be pampered anymore than we were.

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ICN-NRT

We landed smoothly around 7:00am and welcomed into a fairly quiet terminal. We’ve never flown before when we still needed to obtain boarding passes for our continuing flights so we were a bit lost. It was hours before the United gate would open and there was no connection desk for UA passengers to utilize (at least none that I was aware of).

We almost had a problem getting through one of the security check points that would allow us to go from the level where we disembarked and turned in our agriculture declaration to the upper level of the terminal to make use of the Singapore Airlines lounge. They wanted to see our boarding passes and had to explained to them that the UA gate was still closed. I showed them our printed UA itinerary from the website I was very fortunate to keep on hand and the stubs from the previous flight. After conferring amongst themselves it seemed to have been enough and we proceeded up the escalator in search of a shower.

When I entered the lounge I was concerned we would encounter the same problem without these FC boarding passes but this little piece of paper that got me up here was sufficient enough with the lovely receptionist.

We were shown to the elevator that brought us directly to the First Class area and, as the doors opened, into the hands of another Singapore girl waiting to greet us. We were escorted to the large shower rooms where we showered and changed.

The lounge is lovely and quite comfortable. Upon entering, there are 3 business stations to the right, a large-screen television showing the news to the front and a small banquet of Japanese tastings and assorted drinks to the left behind you. I particularly loved the refrigerator stocked with little containers of Haagen Daz! To the right of the banquet you find those generous-sized shower/changing rooms.

At this early hour we again had sole use of the lounge. Mr. SFW discovered an enclosed niche with two comfortable chaise to snooze on/in. It included an alarm so you’re never in fear of over-sleeping. He needed to catch some shut-eye so off he went. I, of course, set out for some picture taking. Once again, I’m sorry for some of the blurred pictures. I don’t know what the deal is but I think I’m prone to the shakes when I don’t get enough sleep myself.

The lounge as a whole is enormous!!! It snakes around to both sides of this terminal. On the one side you have First Class. From here, you walk pass reception on your right, more seating on your left, a large liquor bar down the hall and on the right (closed at this hour). At this point you turn left, walk down a breeze way with wonderful pieces of artwork and come around to the opposite side. Make a left and you’ll come upon the lounge for Raffles Class. By comparison to the intimate feel on the FC side, this area was pretty expansive allowing to accommodate the larger number of passengers that pass through here. Where it was just Mr. SFW and I, over here it was pretty busy.

Hanging in the FC lounge was “so choice” and I would highly recommend it to anyone passing through ICN.

About 2 ½ hours later and after polishing off several Haagen Daz’s, read the paper, watched a little bit of the news and filling out a customer service card the receptionist had just handed me, Mr. SFW arose from the dead.

We figured we should begin to make our way to the gate to get our boarding passes but before we did we walked around this beautiful terminal. It’s big and airy. Very white and clean. There were many stores but it seemed that DFS (I think it was) dominated every where. For you shoppers, you don’t shop and compare here. What’s in one store at a price is duplicated at least a dozen other times. So if you see “it” just buy it and save yourself the walk. We spent more time trying to find the perfect last minute gift for someone we simply forgot about that we could have knocked 20 minutes off the search if we bought from the first or second store we went into.

The gate for UA#838 had quite a few seated passengers. There was only one passenger at the podium in the process of obtaining an upgrade to business. After 5 excruciating minutes (kidding), we finally stepped up and acquired the elusive passes.

Boarding was orderly and we took our companion seats 3E,F on this 777. I already knew we were going to be the only FC passengers so I was ready to receive their undivided attention on this flight. The suites were nice but we wouldn’t make much use of it on this 2 hour flight. Assigning ourselves these seats gave a very open, roomy feeling to the cabin and 1E,F looked too close to the front. The companion seats are spread apart just so you don’t feel like you’re on top of the guy next to you. I’d recommend these seats to single travelers as well if the load is light.

For those business class passengers, row 9 seems to be a mini cabin all it’s own. Very intimate looking. I think row 8 occupies just the center seats but still very nice!

While passengers were still boarding I was entertaining myself with the FA’s to and fro’s of preflight preparations when I overheard the pilot innocently ask the purser how the stock for water was (I assumed the bottles of water for the cockpit crew). She turned and walked away answering curtly, “I don’t know.” He stood there for a moment until he asked another FA. I was embarrassed for him and said to Mr. SFW, “my god, if she’s that rude to the captain, how is she going to be with the passengers?” and begged she wouldn’t be working our cabin. (Luck will have it she worked somewhere in back).

We kept our champagne glasses filled throughout and ate the light snack presented before us. I kept rehashing in my mind the negative comments I read about UA service on these flights and how it doesn’t live up to the service of Asian-flagged carriers we’ve experienced so I was a bit on edge and waiting for another incident like the one before. I’m happy to report that the short duration negated any time to make this an unpleasant flight and the FA we did have was as pleasant as possible.

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NRT-SFO

It was January 2nd and we were half way home with one final leg of this 25 hour journey. We simply couldn’t imagine taking this trip any other way but first class. If you have the money or the miles it’s the way to go. Sometimes we felt mountains moved and waters parted every step of the way. Are we demanding? Not at all. Do we expect a lot? Not really. Do we wish to be treated well and respected? Absolutely!

Upon landing we immediately headed for the famous RCC. Could a lounge be any bigger? I thought the SQ lounge was expansive. This was a treat.

We proceeded to the glass-enclosed elevators just ahead of the front door to the FC area. There was some resemblance to SFO but I particularly enjoyed the perfect, unobstructed view of the runway as planes landed in the drizzling rain.

Actually, directly across the runway was the fire station and flashing lights before it. Are we expecting something serious here? After 4 planes touched down an AA 767 came in and the trucks running after it down the runway.

Several others in the lounge were standing and taking notice. I’m ashamed to admit that I had my camera ready in hand. It stopped at the very end and positioned itself. After about 10 minutes and no movement we all lost interest. Again with shame I say it was a little anti-climatic BUT NOT that I was looking to witness something horrendous folks!

Well, I was off to take some pictures. Mr. SFW rolled his eyes and I was gone.

The food area was fairly generous but I particularly loved the selection of beer and soft drinks that were offered. I got to experience the beer dispenser I heard so much about but I didn’t dream of trying to stick the beer mug under the soft drink dispenser I read somebody else having done. It was pretty busy up here but nothing prepared me for what lay downstairs.

The business class lounge was so big it was almost out of hand (in a good way) but was particularly nice were the beautiful pieces of artwork throughout. Nowhere near as many or as interesting upstairs. If you really took the time to notice it would be well worth inspecting. Did I mention how very, very busy it was down here?

The lounge looked as if it had all the same amenities but in “bulk.” I think the only real difference the FC lounge has going for it is the intimacy. I’m sure if I had the opportunity to pass through here often as some you I might see the differences better.

I was getting antsy to leave after about an hour or so and gathered our things to head for the gate. UA #852 was scheduled to leave on time at 5:00pm. The gate looked like it was going to be a full flight in the back but we had cushy companion seats 4E,F. Great suites for couples; nothing in front of you but the cheese spread! But I’m jumping ahead a bit.

It wasn’t long before they were going to begin boarding so we stood off to the side and waited about 15 minutes. As in Chiang Mai, first and business classes were called while simultaneously raising a sign reading as such. We were going home! We proceeded down the jetway, stepped over the threshold of the aircraft, greeted by 2 FA’s and made that delightful left turn. I threw my things down and immediately began taking my pictures before anyone else came in though there was one other passenger already seated in 2A. I felt like a dork only because the gentleman got up to make his video selections at the center console and abruptly stepped back and out of the picture. You might even see his left shoulder/arm in one of the pictures.

A really nice FA thought my picture-taking was too cute and insisted she take ours. She stayed with us during the boarding process to chat; asked about our trip, where home was, stuff like that. I really enjoyed her interest and warmth so I was very disappointed when I didn’t see her again afterwards. It was only until we arrived at SFO did she return to welcome us home and say goodbye.

I made a couple of video selections (only to fall asleep and not view either of them; my apologies to anyone wanting to view what I ended up squandering), took our customary pre-flight glasses of champagne and prepared our little space for the next 11 hours.

What was to be 7 passengers today added up to be completely full when the doors closed.

Still feeling a little guarded and contemplating the type of service we were going to receive I was being very unfair and looking for any little misstep. So I have to say the service was good and generally attentive but certainly not bordering on indifference. During dinner service, the flash of the camera went off when taking a food shot and startled the FA serving a passenger up front in the dimly lit cabin. Yes, I think I got a “look.” Oops! Dork passenger in seat 4E. I neglected to snag the menu so I don’t have the selection of fine food to share with you.

I never got up to walk around because I slept well throughout most of the flight. I didn’t experience the boxed-in feeling I read these suites manage to make you feel. I slept very soundly.


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SFO ARRIVALS

After all that flying we arrived on the morning of January 2nd and thrilled to recoup an entire day.

Though we were given invitations to utilize the United Arrivals Suite we were anxious to get home and skipped the last of our first class perks. After every re-entry into the U.S. Mr.SFW’s travel document always sends him to the immigration office for further interrogation before allowing his book to be stamped. There’s that awful sense of anxiety we experience every time.

Sometimes it takes a while so I went ahead to the carousels to collect our baggage. After 45 minutes our bags still hadn’t come off though it seemed every other passenger received theirs. Unlike our experiences in Asia, Priority tags mean absolutely nothing here. Mr. SFW eventually found his way through the very crowded room and located me, by now frustrated, having only pulled one of three bags from the belt. Thankfully, it was the larger one with all our purchases for family and friends. This was more important to me than our clothes.

Earlier on the flight, while filling out our customs form, I had a sudden realization that 90% of our purchases were on one credit card (1% conversion fee) and we’d get stuck with duty so we were very apprehensive upon our arrival.

Pushing an hour and having all bags in tow we held our breath as we walked over to the officer who determines who gets the losing number and have their belongings torn through and who wins and gets to go home immediately.

“Happy New Year!” we said gleefully as we bounded for the doors.