A Week in Phuket
 

Long journey

It was raining in Los Angeles so I booked a round-trip award ticket on Cathay Pacific to Thailand to visit my brother Mike and rendezvous with Kokonutz, who had a day to spend in Phuket. I tried to get a coach ticket on United and upgrade with two of my six unused systemwide upgrades that expire March 31, but when I called the 1K line a recording said, “Please hold while we continue to suck,” so I instead called the regular member’s American AAdvantage line where nice agents promptly helped me. The two long segments were available in First Class and the connections from Hong Kong to Bangkok were on two-class planes in Business. I had a long connection in Hong Kong en route but I kept calling back every day, always talking to a nice agent and rarely being put on hold, and finally the desired connection opened up the day before the trip. I cashed in 135,000 miles plus $89 in taxes and expedite fees and I was all set to go.

Hunnybear drove me to the airport in the dirty white Pontiac convertible and dropped me at the Tom Bradley International Terminal where I proceeded to the Cathay Pacific First-Class checkin counter. As I remembered from last year, the LAX ground ops were the least impressive part of the Cathay Pacific First-Class treatment. A passive agent checked me in and tried to give me an invitation to the Business Class lounge in Hong Kong. I insisted on the First Class lounge since I was on a First Class ticket flying in and she checked with the supervisor who said OK. She handed me the boarding passes and casually told me the flight was an hour and a half late. I asked why I hadn’t been called and she said they tried to call most of the First Class passengers. Apparently my phone number hadn’t made it through to Cathay Pacific’s records.

I was left to find my own way through the maze and on my third try I found the Qantas lounge Cathay Pacific was using as their First Class waiting area. It was unimpressive, with no carrels, no free local calls, and unappetizing finger sandwiches as snacks. There was an assortment of cheap Australian wines and ordinary liquor. I played with my computer while I waited and we finally boarded around 12:20.

Once on board the cabin crew was excellent. They brought a glass of Krug and a scallop terrine. I played games on the in-flight entertainment system while we sat on the ground another 90 minutes trying to determine if we could fly with a small dent in the fuselage caused by a collision with the Jetway. They brought more champagne. Upper management from Hong Kong finally signed off on our airworthiness and we were underway three hours late, which meant I was going to miss my connection in Hong Kong that had taken weeks of calling back every day to secure.

I changed into my sleep suit and watched the main feature, Meet the Parents, an entertaining if unremarkable movie with Ben Stiller trying to get along with fiancée’s dad Robert deNiro. I wasn’t too hungry but I had an order of yummy Sevruga caviar with chilled vodka. After the feature I reclined the Betsy seat to full bedness and slept like a baby for six hours or so.

When I woke up It was already Feb. 21 since we had crossed the International Date Line according to the airshow. I got some yummy dim sum and watched a personal video, High Fidelity with John Cusack, a little neurotic romance with good performances by the supporting cast. When it was over it was time for me to break the world record at Hangman on the in-flight entertainment system, held for more than a year by seat 48E. It took over an hour but I finally set the new high score. Imagine my disappointment when I restarted the game and saw my achievement had disappeared, replaced once again by the old achievement of seat 48E.

It was time to eat so I ordered some breakfast off the a la carte menu. Everything was good except the coffee, which was instant. I fired up Monkeyboy and practiced my video poker and before I knew it we were landing in Hong Kong.

The ground staff at Honkers was incredibly organized. Signs on the wall indicated where to meet for the various missed connections. I went with a group of 10 or so who had missed the connection to Bangkok. The red-suited agent told us we had been booked on a China Airlines flight leaving in a little over an hour. I followed the group but when we arrived at the transit counter I discreetly mentioned that I would prefer not to fly China Airlines, memories of the recent upside-down landing still fresh in my mind, and requested the next flight on Thai or Cathay Pacific. They put me on standby for the 12:45 Thai flight and escorted my to Wings, the wonderful First Class lounge, where I got a private cabana and showered and lounged by the babbling brook reading the paper in my bathrobe and drinking a can of Perrier from the private complimentary minibar.

Clean and pretty, I returned to the main lounge and fired up Monkeyboy to see if Hunnybear was on line at home. She was and we had a nice AIM conversation while I checked email and let Mike and Kokonutz know I was going to be late. The waiter asked if I would like something else to drink so I pointed to the can of Perrier, smiled, and said, “One more?” He asked if it would be OK to bring it in a bottle instead of a can and I said, “Shu-wah.”

At 12:05 I was confirmed on the Thai flight and I followed my escort about a mile to the gate. The flight was a three-class 747 so I requested an upgrade to First Class given that I had purchased a First Class ticket but it was not possible because the catering. I did get moved to a row with an empty seat next to me in upstairs Business Class though. There had actually been a flight at 11:25 directly to Phuket but Cathay wouldn’t put me on it without my paying about $900 for a one-way ticket.

As good as Cathay Pacific service was, there was something about Thai hospitality that made all others pale in comparison. As soon as I set foot on board, all the smiling Thais greeted and pampered me, even in Business Class. There was plenty of room between rows but the footrests were Thai-sized and fairly useless even to short-legged me. I watched the airshow on personal video and then caught a couple Warner Brothers cartoons, thinking of Jeffrey. Lunch was a nice salmon appetizer followed by a choice of seafood stir-fry or pork filet. I had the excellent seafood with glasses of three different wines. A large cheese plate followed and then an additional dessert, which as a rule I don’t eat but it was just a light piece of coconut chiffon cake. Just before landing, in typical nonsensical Thai fashion, they handed out a gift to all the Business Class passengers: a deck of playing cards.

We landed right on schedule in Bangkok. As always I giggled as I watched the golfers play on the course between the two runways, wondering if they ever crashed their carts into 747s as they ignored the traffic signals where the course crossed the taxiways. We docked at a Jetway gate. Since I was upstairs I wasn’t the first one off the plane and had to wait in a moderate immigration line, passport stamped by the only Thais who don’t smile. My bag appeared quickly and I walked briskly to the domestic terminal to buy my ticket to Phuket.

Every time I land at Bangkok they have a new poster up proclaiming something or other. This time they were excited about the country being ISO 9002 compliant. Want a taxi? You’ll be happy to know that the taxis are all ISO 9002 compliant.

I had about an hour till the next flight so I had a couple glasses of iced tea in the VIP lounge and fired up Monkeyboy on the one phone line in there. Mike and Kokonutz had got my message so I was ready to meet them upon arrival in Phuket. The VIP lounge was abuzz with the sound of cell phones ringing. Apparently there had been another price breakthrough and now everyone in Thailand had a cell phone.

The flight to Phuket was on time and I took seat 12B on the Airbus 330. My seat opponent was a young Frenchman reading a guidebook on Thailand the whole trip. I snoozed and before I knew it we were landing in paradise.

Having now accumulated an impressive number of First Class and Royal Executive Class tags, my bag was the first one off the plane. I grabbed a private car to Patong Beach for 480 baht ($11) and breathed while the driver raced oncoming buses passing in the opposing lane during the 45-minute drive. He pulled up at Sand Inn, my home away from home, 1100 baht ($26)/night, where they had my room key ready for me and handed me my welcome drink, an Orange Crush. (“Welcome drink!” they explained.) I headed up to my usual room, checked email, and waited for Mike to show up at the appointed time, 7:30. It had been just about 28 hours since I had begun my journey.

Mike showed up right on time and we headed over to the Holiday Inn Resort to meet up with Kokonutz, who was sitting at the bar with Uncle1K. I snuck up behind him and said, “Sawasdee-krup!” and he did a double take before he realized it was I. We moved to a table and I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, which arrived more like a Coke with a splash of Long Island. We caught up and talked about where we wanted to go for dinner. All of a sudden we head an enormously loud bell ring. A Thai bartender was hammering a large bell at the end of the bar. When we all turned to look at him, he explained, “Happy hour finished.”

The gang left dinner in my hands. Since Koko had only one night in Phuket I suggested we go to my favorite, the Old Fisherman at Novotel. We took a tuk-tuk there for 40 baht ($1) and got a great table on the rail at this outdoor restaurant with a spectacular view of Patong Bay. As always the seafood was wonderful and the Long Island was made much better here. I had the lobster with chanterelle mushrooms. We all passed on dessert and paid the bill, 3625 baht ($86) for the four of us in one of the priciest restaurants in Phuket.

We took a taxi back, always more expensive since you must be rich if you’re leaving from the Novotel. It cost 100 baht ($2.50) to get back to Bang La Road, where we caught the show at the Rock Hard. We ran into Nung, my favorite bartender, and headed upstairs to relax and have a couple drinks. I had a Black-So-Da (Johnny Walker Black Label and soda) while Mike had a Mar-Ga-Ri-Ta and the boys had beers. The U.S. Navy was in town, as they frequently are, and the place was pretty crowded.

I faded fast so we made plans for tomorrow and I returned to Sand Inn and crashed.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

Gret to read again from you Qui-et-Li-on!

<< “Please hold while we continue to suck,” >>

Brilliant writing -- only exceeded by brilliant humor -- i have missed your travels and am glad to see you back on the road -- as a rule, i don't heap praise, but i can't help myself -- bravo!

"It was unimpressive, with no carrels, no free local calls, and unappetizing finger sandwiches as snacks."

Me, I prefer turkey sandwiches http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

QuietLion,

How much was the ticket from Bangkok to Phuket?

Thai Airways domestic flights have only one fare, so no advance purchase or round trip is required. Trips are priced by distance. BKK-HKT one way is 2300 baht ($55) with an 800-baht ($19) surcharge for Business Class, which I always buy.

I don't believe a word of this tripe! You all do know that he makes all this stuff up, don't you?

(Posting during a 2 hour delay at HKT http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif)

Well, I must say I'm glad the reports of your defection from Flyertalk were bogus. I look forward to the rest!

Thanks very much QL! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Thank you for this wonderful report.
Fantastic job !

Great Report QL! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks QL.
Missed your reports, so thanks for this one.

Stewart.

I feel sooo much better now! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

BTW, what's Monkeyvision or whatever?

Thanks QL--great to live vicariously through your great trip reports!

where are the last two days. miss reading the daily dose of your life.

QuietLion is scuba diving for a few days, there is no internet connectivity on the dive boat (I told them that this was unacceptable but they couldn't get it fixed for me in time http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif) so we'll have to wait another day or so http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I hope he comes up for air a few times. OR else, that's a BIG tank. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

No desert? Clearly QL has been abducted by aliens...

I really enjoyed that trip report. Thanks for taking the time to write it and post it.

Best phrase: "Seat Opponent" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

-David

Thai wine service

I slept late and by the time I finished writing it was time to meet Mike, Kokonutz and Uncle1K for lunch at Rundtårn. They had the best steak in town and we all ordered the filet topped with bacon. Mike had told us the local beef had improved remarkably in the past year so we ordered the Thai beef instead of the imported Australian cut that had previously been preferred. It was pretty good for 290 baht ($7) each including salad bar.

After lunch it was time to go to the beach. I showed Kokonutz and Uncle1K my deluxe suite at Sand Inn and we changed into our swimsuits and walked the block down Bang La Road to the beach. We selected four beach chairs near the swimming area and paid the steward 50 baht ($1) each for use of the chairs and parasols, which he set up. I ordered a bottle of water for 20 baht (50¢) and proceeded to relax until it was time to swim. Uncle1K watched our stuff while Mike, Koko and I tested the water. The temperature was perfect, as was the weather in the upper 80s. We splashed around for quite a while and then returned to our chairs.

We had to leave the beach around 4:30 so Koko and Uncle1K could make their flights back to Bangkok so we all walked down Bang La Road to the Sand Inn and changed. We gave them passionate belly hugs goodbye and then Mike and I walked back to the beach road to schedule a dive trip with Scuba Cat ( www.scubacat.com ), a good outfit that we had used many times before. As in the past, they had a live-aboard boat orbiting the Similans with transport back and forth every day so we could design our own trip. We decided to leave tomorrow and stay for two nights. I asked for the past-customer discount and they threw in the equipment rental, about a 10% savings. It ended up costing 14,900 baht ($355) each for the three-day, two-night, 11-dive trip. We paid with our FirstUSA Mileage Plus cards because they only have a 1% markup on foreign transactions and then walked back to Sand Inn and cleaned up and rested for dinner.

Mike had found a new restaurant, the Aloha Villa, just past Mr. Good’s on 200-Year Road. We stopped at the supermarket to pick up a bottle of wine and ended up getting both a bottle of red and a bottle of white French table wine. We paid for them, 330 baht ($8) each, and took them to Aloha Villa where we were greeted with smiles and sawasdees. We pointed to a lobster and some tiger prawns and ordered them up, the lobster Thermidor and the prawns barbecued. We were shown to a table and we pulled the bottles of wine out of their plastic sack. Waiters gathered around and talked amongst themselves. Finally one of them asked which we would like first, the red or the white. We said please open both of them. Mike explained in Thai that we would like the white wine put in an ice bucket, but not the red wine. They took both bottles away to the back of the room and we ordered some spring rolls as an appetizer.

The spring rolls came and were delicious. In a process that took fifteen minutes and at one point involved five staff members, they finally brought back the red wine in a basket and the white in an ice bucket—unopened. Then one waiter slowly and proudly brought out the corkscrew and reverently opened the various attachments to prepare for opening the white wine, which he did as I mumbled to Mike, “Bless this our holy hand grenade…” When he finally finished pulling the cork out, gently, millimeter by millimeter, then closed all the corkscrew attachments, Mike politely asked if he could take a look at the corkscrew. The waiter handed it to Mike, who grabbed the red wine and whipped out the corkscrew, attempting an end run. It was no good, though, because another waiter saw Mike trying to use the point of the screw to cut the foil and gently took the device away and used the correct implement, the hidden knife on the other end, to do it. He was on a roll so he pulled out the cork too and we finally had wine. The lobsters and prawns came out and were superb. We got the inexpensive check-bin and strolled over to the Rock Hard for a nightcap and show, but with a 6:30 pickup tomorrow morning we didn’t make a late night of it.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

Similan Splendor

My wakeup call came on schedule at six but all night I was half-awake, trying to remember if I had really looked at the clock or just dreamed I had looked at the clock, and trying to add the amount of time I thought had elapsed since the time I thought I had looked at the clock to the time I thought I had seen to figure out how close it was to six. The whole process was unsatisfying and I ended waking up 45 minutes early and doing some writing before the phone rang. I stripped my laptop bag and stuffed some clothes in there along with my scuba booties and before I knew it the minibus had arrived. Already on board were Mark, a San Francisco man working in Japan as editor of an English-language newspaper, and Rachel (pronounced Ra-SHELL), a French-Canadian vegetarian horticulturalist from Winnipeg, a city best known for a hockey team they no longer have.

After a quick tour of Patong Beach serving no apparent purpose, we headed out for the 90-minute drive north to the point closest to the Similans. It was good highway almost all the way and our driver was conservative, rarely crossing the solid yellow line to pass uphill on a blind curve. The island of Phuket is only 150 meters from the mainland and we barely noticed when we crossed the bridge. When we arrived at the pier we loaded our stuff into a dive boat and boarded along with a group of people doing an arduous Similan day trip, meaning they had a seven-hour boat ride for just two dives. Our boat sped along at 11 knots while we enjoyed some fruit and toast for breakfast and watched the flying fish.

Three and one-half hours later we rendezvoused with our live-aboard, the Scuba Explorer, a boxy blue-and-white dive boat with the company’s web address prominently displayed on the side. We waited for the previous group to enter the water for their final dive and then the overnighters boarded while the day-trippers stayed on the shuttle for their two dives. We got assigned our cabins, each with upper and lower bunks, and then we had a delicious Thai lunch. In addition to Mark and Rachel, there was Laura, a New York backpacker, Jim and Ellen, software developers from high in the Rockies and authors of a travel web site ( www.thisdoesntsuck.com ), and Andreas and Doris, young newlyweds from Austria. Rounding out the guest list were a nice young German couple and two Swedes who didn’t dive due to ear problems but played cards the whole time instead. Already on board was Martin, who was finishing up a weeklong trip.

Our dive directors were a Dutch couple, Sandra and Theos. Assisting them were divemasters Tobias and Ulrich. All were great. We started out the dive trip at island #5 in and did two day dives there, Hideaway and Hideaway Bay. The coral was terribly abused here and I was glad we were moving north tomorrow. After a great Thai dinner a night dive was offered but I passed, not being a big fan of night dives. We started to watch The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps, but I lost interest and went to bed, the rocking of the boat lulling me to sleep.

The next two days we did islands 6, 7, 8, and 9, all of which offered much more of the spectacular terrain and sea flora I remembered. High points were dives at The Boulders and Morning’s Edge. We didn’t see any sharks or octopi but there was one impressive great barracuda and several cute little nudibranchs. The colorful triggerfish and parrotfish, as always, were a highlight of Similan diving. We had Western breakfasts and more great Thai food for lunch. Laura and the German couple left after the first night, having scheduled themselves for only one day. We joked that we had voted them off the island and wondered who was next. Mike and I toyed with the idea of staying on an extra day but rightly concluded that nine dives in three days (10 for Mike, who did the first night dive) would be sufficient to sate our scuba appetite without exhausting it. Jim and Ellen and I discovered we were on exactly the same Cathay Pacific flight back to Hong Kong and LA on the 28th!

The second day we got called into emergency action as an inexperienced diver on another boat had descended to 65 meters and got decompression sickness (the bends) upon surfacing. Recreational divers are safe only to a depth of 40 meters, and then only with strictly monitored bottom time and surface intervals between dives. Our team administered first aid and called a speedboat to take him to the decompression chamber an hour and 45 minutes away. No one could figure out how anyone could make a mistake like that but we were glad we had experienced dive personnel and emergency equipment on board with us.

We had a final lunch and the boat took us away as we waved tearful goodbyes to the dive crew and to Rachel, Mark, Jim, and Ellen, all of whom got an extra day, mostly because their travel agent didn’t tell them it was possible to do only two nights. Andreas and his beautiful wife Doris returned with us along with Ulrich, the two non-diving Swedes, and several other Swedes who I presumed had gone on a day trip. We watched the flying fish, some of which flew as much as 200 meters (200 yards), and remarked on how much more enjoyable a 3.5-hour boat ride was than a plane ride of similar length.

We docked three boats out from the pier and risked life and limb walking across railings to get to the pier. Life is cheap in Thailand. The minibus met us and we drove the harrowing 90-minute trip back to Patong Beach in air-conditioned comfort. Back at Sand Inn, I tried to get the key to my room and the night manager kept telling me there was already a guest in the room. We finally got across to him that I was in fact the guest in the room and he broke into a big grin and apologized. We took long hot showers and then headed out for dinner.

After three days of Thai food we felt like a steak so we returned to Rundtårn after stopping at the supermarket for a nice bottle of Montepulciano. Dinner prices were the same as lunch, 290 baht ($6.90) for 200g, so we relaxed and enjoyed the Thai beef. I briefly popped into the Rock Hard and said hello to Karen, one of the owners, before returning to Sand Inn and calling it a night.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

Very nice, QL!

We're planning a trip to BKK, PEK and HKG next March. I wasn't planning on Phuket but it sounds like maybe I should.

What do you think it would be like with kids in tow? By then, Sarah will be 5 and Vanessa will be 17. I'm not sure about the trip out to the liveaboard with a 5 year old. But it sounds great.

Thanks,
David

David,

I pretend to be an expert on many things but having children is not one of them. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

LIH: While I did see many families with children in Patong, I personally didn't really see it as a very family-friendly kinda place (its not the sort of place I'd go out of my way to bring my kids).

But apparently other spots on Phuket are more sedate, including Karon, Kata and Rawai. Next time I go, I'll probably try those just to see...


[This message has been edited by kokonutz (edited 02-26-2001).]

QL or koko or anyone:

What other hotels would you recommend in Phuket besides the Sand Inn?

And in all seriousness, what is the correct pronounciation of "phuket"? Is it foo-KET, or FOO-kit, or ****-it?

Try pu-ket!

Try snorkling in a couple of feet of 85 degree water in the Andaman Sea to see some amazing and beautiful sealife-fish all around the islands off Phuket. No tanks needed.

You can stay on the Beach overnight or look for James Bond. PiPi islands have bungalows on the beach. The tourist speedboats leave in the afternoon, and it is time for some native living and food. No need to rough it on a liveaboard unless diving is included.

The **** silent h!

"I tried to get a coach ticket on United and upgrade with two of my six unused systemwide upgrades that expire March 31, but when I called the 1K line a recording said, “Please hold while we continue to suck,” .

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

That killed me.

There are plently of hotels here. If you want to pay a lot try the Novotel. Sand Inn is quiet, cheap, and has in-room Internet access (just for me though).

Last day in Phuket

We got up late and had breakfast at World Foods, south of Sand Inn on the 200-Year Road. I had instant coffee and an excellent Western-style Thai Omelet for three times as much as I would have paid in a less touristy restaurant.

Today was a shopping day. Mike picked up some disposable Thai luggage (average life: six months, but it looks good) and I bought some prizes to bring back to America. We walked around town and bargained dramatically until early afternoon. Then it was time to eat so we took a cab to Baan Rim Pa, the excellent Thai restaurant by the beach. We ordered set menu #3, which included a variety of yummy Thai dishes such as chicken wrapped in banana leaf and duck with peanut curry sauce. The bill was 2035 baht ($48.50) including a rare 10% service charge.

After lunch we walked back along the beach. Two small U.S. Navy supply ships were moored in the harbor, Patong Beach being a favorite R&R stop what with the cool refreshing drinks offered all around town. February was still high season and European sunbathers packed the beaches end to end. The weather remained delightful with a cool breeze balancing the hot sun all day.

We rested and cleaned up before dinner. Since we had such a late lunch we relaxed outside at the Rock Hard Café and had a few drinks for happy hour as we watched the people walk by and the drivers load the Pepsi truck, sorting all the empty bottles dexterously into several blue plastic cartons. Around 9:30 we decided to have for our final dinner a repeat of Aloha Villa so Mike picked up some wine at the supermarket while I went to Sand Inn and left a note in case our friends from the dive boat came looking for us. The expensive gifts I had bought for friends back home had depleted my baht reserve for I went to the ATM and picked up some more cash for dinner and paying the hotel bill tomorrow. It’s always amusing to see my bank balance in baht.

Once again we had delicious lobster Thermidor and barbecued tiger prawns. The wine service improved dramatically although a new, older waiter was now the guardian of the holy corkscrew. He refused to open the red wine until the bucket had arrived for the white and then he opened both, precariously pulling the cork out of the red wine lying almost flat in the wicker basket. For a change we got some fried beef with plum sauce as an appetizer and some yummy green curry chicken. The bill was about 1800 baht ($43) including tax, excluding the two bottles of wine.

As a rule I don’t eat dessert but Mike wanted to go for Bud’s ice cream. It was closed 15 minutes early so we went for Baskin-Robbins instead and I had just one small sundae for 80 baht ($2). I put in an obligatory visit to the Rock and then went back to Sand Inn to catch up with FlyerTalk and email. I got to sleep after one.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

QL,
I think you will find your cash advaces to have a Unlimited 3% charge on them with a $10.00 minimum. I tried during the Holidays to find the lowest credit card charge for ATMS. And they all are 3-3 1/2% now with UNLIMITED and $10.00 minmum charges.

The Baan Rim Pa was the place I tried to remember. It is known to be the best Thai food with the best SUNSET. Enjoyed the set dinner in Jan., while the mosquitos helped themselves to my legs.

There are a lot of BUngalows at reasonable prices around and on the beach. The Cottage Inn is a newer property with bungalos in lush landscaping. Actually a bicycle ride to the beach and holiday Inn.

RoadRunner,

I never use a credit card at an ATM. Regular ATM cards have no fee and a 1% markup over the interbank rate.

Bangkok overnight

We got up late and had brunch at Jasmine Rice, a Thai restaurant just steps from Sand Inn across Soi San Sabai. I had green curry chicken, which arrived spiced for Thai taste buds—somewhere between surface of the sun and thermonuclear war. I ate it anyway and tried to enjoy the afterglow of hot food without feeling the compulsion to immerse my tongue in a bucket of liquid nitrogen.

We checked out, paid in cash to avoid the 3% surcharge for MasterCard, and soon the minibus we had hired showed up. Mike needed to transport his bicycle back to Chiang Mai, given that he had ridden it down here over the course of 17 days and didn’t care to ride it back. The driver nimbly strapped the bike to the roof of the bus, loaded our bags into the back, and headed off right on schedule. It was quite a rig, midnight blue with a (non-working) TV, lots of can and bottle holders, and ashtrays at every seat. We made the airport in a quick 39 minutes.

We had spent about an hour yesterday at a travel agency calling Thai Airways to see if it was really possible to check the bike through to Chiang Mai. After several lengthy conversations we were assured it was possible but were worried nonetheless that we upon arrival at the ISO 9002-certified Phuket International Airport we would be required to disassemble the bike using tools we didn’t have and pack it into a box that was only available from Bangkok. But the Thais were all smiles and Mike just lifted the bike onto the conveyor where the agent attached a baggage tag and someone carried it away. We got Business Class seats across the aisle from each other and were directed to the new lounge upstairs.

The Thai Royal Executive Lounge was in the back of a new restaurant above the check-in counters. We got a complimentary snack and drink, served by a waiter. I ordered spring rolls and a Piña Colada and then glanced over and saw Rachel from the dive boat sitting at the next table reading Angela’s Ashes! She had coincidentally booked the very same flight and even more coincidentally been assigned the seat next to mine, which upon reflection was really not all that surprising since I’d noticed the Thais like to seat all the white people together.

As usual we waited and waited to be called for boarding but when it got to be 15 minutes before flight time we lost the chicken game and headed to the gate on our own. We got a cold towel and welcome drink on this Airbus 300 and then taxied and took off right on time. In flight we got another drink and then a snack of either sesame honey bars or crispy baby clam. There was no choice; you just got one or the other.

We landed in Bangkok on time, taxied by the busy golf course, and docked at a Jetway gate. The bags took only minutes to come off the plane and of course our Royal Executive luggage came off first. Who should be there waiting for bags but Jim and Ellen, also from the dive boat! I told them I would see them on my flights home to LA tomorrow. Mike escorted me to the secret place to get a taxi-meter, I gave him a passionate belly-hug goodbye, and I was off to Sukhumvit.

There was no traffic until we got within a kilometer of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit but when we did we sat for 25 minutes, inching our way up. “Evening traffic,” said the driver. “Yes, traffic,” I replied. Finally we arrived. The fare was 183 baht ($4.35) plus 70 baht ($1.65) in tolls. There was a short line at the checkin counter but once I was there they informed me I was Platinum and hence would be upgraded to a Premier Suite. They collected my United 50% off cert, which saved me $55, and escorted me up to a nice two-room suite. There was already a fruit bowl and a plate of peanuts in the room and a butler brought a tray of hand-made chocolates a moment later.

I decided to spend the afternoon doing a little shopping at MBK, the giant mall, so I took the SkyTrain for 25 baht (60¢) each way and browsed for an hour or two, buying a couple more expensive gifts for friends before returning. A flyer in the bedroom announced Eldee Young had flown in from Chicago to play jazz downstairs so I went to check it out and had a couple Manhattans and a hamburger for dinner at the near-American price of 880 baht ($21). He had an electric bass and played some nice standards along with his piano and drum trio, singing a couple of numbers too.

It was late so I watched the impalas mate on the National Geographic channel for a bit before packing it in early for my long travel day tomorrow.


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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com

Sorry, I thought the FirstUSA MileagePlus was a credit card.

Great report QL. I really enjoyed Phuket and especially Phi-Phi island. I am working on my Dec.1999 "Baht Run" trip report, Thailand, Viet Nam , Hong Kong. My India report is also in the works. You do have a flair for writing...how do you remember each little detail? My journal is a shoebox full of notes that I have to assemble.

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MRKEY

"and escorted me up..." You mean the bell hop carried your bags up and you gave him a "generous" $2 tip?

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Money doesn't make the Man.

[This message has been edited by QuiteLion (edited 02-28-2001).]

Roadrunner: The FirstUSA Mileage Plus Visa/masterCard is a credit card. I use it to pay for things, which costs 1% over the Interbank rate, about the best exchange rate you can get. I do not use any credit card for cash advances because it is much cheaper to withdraw money from my checking account using my ATM card, again incurring a 1% markup over the Interbank rate.

MRKEY: Thanks. I sometimes take notes but usually just write first thing in the morning from memory.

"QuiteLion": Nice handle. I was escorted up, as usual, by a beautiful Thai woman in a colorful dress/uniform. The bellman took a separate elevator and met us up there. I did not tip him since a 10% service charge is added to the hotel bill.

QL,

1% over Interbank rate would be: 1%+2%=3%!

Am I missing something, that I should know?

QL: "expensive gifts for friends..."

Tell me please, QL, do you always find it necessary to buy "expensive" gifts for your "friends"?

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Money doesn't make the Man.

RoadRunner,

The Interbank rate is a bidirectional exchange rate with no commission or markup. (Since it is bidirectional there could not be a markup.) So 1% over the Interbank rate is 1%+0%=1%. You can find the historical Interbank rate between any set of currencies by visiting the excellent site http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory

"QuiteLion": Absolutely. Don't you? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I am still puzzled about the card you are using from FirstUSA Milesplus to get this rate. Sorry that I am so slow.

If you are using another card, you didn't mention it in the initial posting about the 1% rate.

Huff and Puff

I got up well before my 6:30 wakeup call and spent the time writing before going down to breakfast at 7:15. Because I was an honored guest I got a sit-down breakfast at Rossini’s instead of the usual buffet. I had a salmon steak and several glasses of watermelon juice. I checked out—the bill, $120 plus 17% tax and service, was as much as it had cost for six nights at Sand Inn—and at 8:00 got a taxi-meter to the airport. The fare was 171 plus 70 baht for the tollways. The driver made a face and mentioned several times that I should give him a tip. I gave him a few baht’s round-up but he made another face and drove off. I could have given him an extra 50 baht or so, not much more than a dollar, but that is not the custom here and I do not like to reward tip hustling.

There was no First Class checkin for Cathay Pacific so I went to the empty Business Class line and promptly got invitations to the First Class lounge in both Bangkok and Hong Kong airports. I paid the 500-baht departure fee and found the lounge in the main corridor near the gates. It was nothing special so I waited there a few minutes and then boarded when called.

I had seat 12C, the bulkhead aisle on this Airbus 330. Jim and Ellen were of course seated right behind me. The flight was smooth and on time. For lunch we were offered a cold sliced-duck appetizer, which was pretty good, and a choice of veal or fish, which I declined along with the walnut cake offered for dessert, which as a rule I don’t eat. I did have a couple glasses of champagne.

Upon landing in Hong Kong I was able to get Jim and Ellen into the First Class Lounge, where I caught up on FlyerTalk and email. Our 747 was docked mercifully close to the lounge so we went down at the last minute and I settled into my First Class seat 3A while they went upstairs. I asked for a USA Today as my flight attendant Margaret brought me a Manhattan and another slice of duck. They didn’t have any USA Todays so I asked if it was possible to get a copy from the lounge. Margaret said she’d see what she could do. A few minutes later she returned huffing and puffing with the paper, which I wanted to read to see what was happening in the Microsoft appeal. I told her she was my new best friend and thanked her profusely.

There was a slight delay while they off-loaded baggage from some missing customers but when we took off it was a quick 11:30 flight time to Los Angeles. I started off watching Pay It Forward with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment, a great movie for an hour and 54 minutes until they ruined it with a ridiculous ending. I got the full dinner service: a large helping of superb smoked salmon and Sevruga caviar followed by an average slab of beef. Naturally I passed on dessert.

For the second movie I turned to Adam’s Rib, a classic Tracy/Hepburn vehicle, and then I watched Nurse Betty, a wacky comedy with the beautiful Renée Zellweger. It was by then time to sleep so I converted the Betsy into a bed, changed into my sleep suit, and before I knew it we were on our descent into LA. I had mercifully missed breakfast.

We landed right on time at LAX and taxied to the farthest possible gate from baggage claim, taking a dozen consecutive moving walkways to finally arrive at immigration. I got no hassle returning to my own country and my bags were first off the plane. Two separate customs agents wanted to have a long jolly talk with me about my occupation, or lack thereof, but eventually let me through. I made it past the agricultural inspector with relative ease and a sullen cabbie smelling of lunch, who probably had been called by the Bangkok driver to warn him about me, drove me quickly home. I gave him a generous tip. It had been raining in LA for a week and the walkways in my apartment were full of dead and dying earthworms. I weaved through them and unpacked until the next adventure.

The end.

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I hope you enjoy my Lion Tales. For photos, past travelogues, subscriptions, and more, see www.liontales.com