PharusPlan

This trip report needs definitly more gossip!

offerendum

Understandable!

The changes looks nice

ChristianKiev

You don't want to know the details - we would be happy not knowing them...

The_Mileonaire

...that actually made me even more interested But jokes aside, glad you are okay and found a window to get to Pattaya again. I don't want to imagine what is must've been like, living in the same villa for multiple weeks with a separating couple.

roadwarrier

This is turning into an epic trip, cannot wait for your updates and see how you are handling the curve balls coming your way.

ChristianKiev

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Today’s the day, the day Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, so restaurants may open their doors to awaiting guests, markets, some stores and hairdressers for humans and animals. But for most the main important events is: the alcohol ban is over, at least you can buy in shops, but not drink in restaurants.

The morning started with a let-down: the hotel doesn’t offer a coffee machine inside the room, just a kettle and instant coffee. Sorry, but that’s maximum 3* standard.

We went down for breakfast – not Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit style – but at least a proper breakfast with decent selection (no mangoes though, no fresh juices…), but a bit on the standard, boring, side.


In addition to some freshly baked bread, salami, cheese and fruits I had some Eggs Benedict, on Muffin, with a kind of spicy mayo.


I had a plan for today, to drive to town.

When entering the lobby, I saw the ex-girlfriend sitting around, with her luggage, in tears. Since I’m not a complete ....... I approached her, ask her what’s wrong.

She told me that she just wanted to leave, not staying one second longer even not knowing how to reach her hotel in central Pattaya. The lady at the reception desk told her that there’s no way to reach there, her ex-boyfriend didn’t really care. So it was on her to find a way.

I told her we would drive to town anyway, that we could try to deliver her, without guarantee – which she happily accepted.

On Sukhumvit we drove north, until we reached a checkpoint, where we were told ‘no’, we would have to use a road surrounding Pattaya. I turned eastwards, taking the advised road for some kilometres, until I saw that the side street towards Sukhumvit was free. When back to Sukhumvit we reached the checkpoint at ‘Pattaya South’. She went out of the car, asking the officer what to do. The friendly guy came to our car, telling me how I could enter without a checkpoint. Wow !

We did as advised and reached the ‘hotel’ (more a cheap guesthouse) without any problem.

When she finally realized that she really arrived ‘back home’ she was so happy that she couldn’t stop crying of happiness. She thanked us 1’000 times, telling us how happy she was to end this episode of her life..
For security we took the same way back to Sukhumvit, turning north, driving to ‘Bangkok Hospital’ in Pattaya.

No, no Covid-19 fear, just I wanted to remove this stupid Titanium plate in my lower arm, which is in place since December 2019 and limits the movement of my hand.

Spaying, temperature screening and further to reception, where I got my papers and info where to go.


Blood pleasure was measured (ideal), temperature screened, before X-Ray of both lower arms, top- and sideview.




The doctor informed that everything grew together, but some misplacement which might have to be adjusted later on. For now it would be a very simple surgery to remove plate and screws, just under an hour plus one night in hospital for observation.

Fine, I thought – before they told the price: US$ 5’000 !!!! Are they crazy ? At home, in the best clinic, I would pay approx. 1’000… No, thanks, I’m not an idiot, even I do have insurance.

25 kilometres back south on Sukhumvit, having a stop for caffeine as well as for a small Thai lunch, non-take-away.


Back at the hotel I scanned my X-Rays, contacted various hospitals in Pattaya and Bangkok for cross-check of prices, Valentyna down to the pool to get tanned.


The beach – well, even if it would be open to the public, isn’t very inviting and not really connected to the hotel anyway. Quite a let-down for a beachside resort.


In the evening we wanted to enjoy our new freedom and luxury: dining out.

After sunset


we went to the reception, where we were informed that ALL restaurants would be only open for take-away, dining in not allowed… Wow, that’s knowledge.

We told them that already for lunch we could eat at the restaurant, saw many open restaurants. That made them think, starting to make calls. And, what a surprise, one of the requested restaurants was open to guest, ‘Ban Amphoe Seafood Restaurant’, next to my beloved ‘Preecha Seafood Restaurant’, less than a kilometre from our hotel.

I pushed the pedal to be there as quick as possible, outside dining, what an exciting experience !

We were quite surprised that except us there was just one other couple, dining out seems still not to be very popular. So social distancing g wasn’t a problem.

The restaurant was, as expected, quite simple,


the waiters very welcoming, live seafood available.


We took a seat, received the menu and selected shrimps in fish sauce, scallops in a curry-pepper combination (extremely spicy),


soft-shell crab in curry powder and


Thai omelette with crab meat (oysters weren’t available).


I was near to order an ice-cold beer with the food – but alcohol is still forbitten to be served in restaurants.

The food was nicely prepared, the omelette came with lots of crab-meat. But my favourite is clearly ‘soft-shell crab’, especially when prepared in curry-powder with some chilies, Thai basilic and crunchy spring onions.

The bill came to US$ 32, on the higher side, because of the soft-shell crab.

With a stop at 7-Eleven (we had to stock up water and Coke Zero since we’re in a Pepsi hotel) back to the Renaissance.

P.S.: my Casanova-friend sent me a message, that another Russian girl is arriving tonight. We just hope she’s leaving early - so we don’t have to have the same situation again.

offerendum

Not sure if I would do a standard surgery in Thailand

zip10001

I broke the radius bone in my left wrist in 2017, the surgeon also put titanium plate. But was told it would stay on forever. My range of motion is not bad, maybe 90% compared to the other hand.

That should be interesting!

ffI

At the start I thought you would have problems with the virus sitting in Thailand instead of Germany
I can see your problems are more human ....

ffI

Wow! Even without the Ferrari in the next post!
A VERY entertaining thread - when I started it was just a photo report to pass time - now I am impressed with the plot's casual twists and turns and look for updates daily.
A race car driver and Asian melodrama - lucky for you not in the same car! - Almost a Bollywood film


You sir, are almost British in your understatement

ffI

Chivalry
Suspense

This thread is 5 Star!

miuk

Dare i say, this trip report definitely is going to be one of the legends in Flyer Talk
Definitely entertaining to read in the midst of this travel break

cockpitvisit

I hope the new one comes with free return shipping

Great report (as always), and good to see you on the road again - even if for a little road trip inside Thailand!

HAF

Such a surprise! We could not see this coming!!

ChristianKiev

Monday, May 4, 2020

Good morning, rainy Pattaya !!!


Just you understand the up and down, the complete mess about the regulations, the show-off of power between majors, governors and PM, I’ll tell you about breakfast at the Renaissance Pattaya Resort:

Yesterday there was a nice buffet-breakfast set up, so that was what we were expecting today. But when we arrived to the restaurant, we saw the buffet empty. Instead we found a piece of paper laying at the table, with available items to select.


We’ve been informed that starting today buffets aren’t allowed in Thailand, instead we would receive a breakfast to order, as many items as we would want, as often as we would wish.

Okay, that wouldn’t be a problem – if we wouldn’t have to wait ages until the dishes have been served. For example, the omelette: there was no choice, just omelette – so you would expect a plain omelette to arrive. But it arrived with tomatoes, peppers… So, they had to prepare it a second time, 45 minutes until it arrived. And it wasn’t just the omelette, it was about every single item.

By luck, we had enough time.

After the time-consuming breakfast, we entered our car, drove to the next pharmacy


to get some muscle-relax medication, since I had a hiccup for nearly 36 hours, which started directly after dinner at the hotel restaurant. It happened the first time in my life – and I can tell you, a constant hiccup is something extremely annoying.

The day we spent at the pool, the reason we selected to chose this hotel. I’d called many hotels up and down Thailand, and, according to government measures, they were all closed – except at the Renaissance Pattaya Resort.

Since the long holiday weekend was over, 99% of the Thai guests left back to Bangkok and the hotel now was in the hand of mostly Westerners, don’t know if Expats or Tourists like us. This made the situation at the 3-leveled-infinity-pool quite comfortable.

So, we basically relaxed, tanned and swam.


Back in the room I lost a round of UNO high numbers… what a shame ;-)

I received two other quotes for my surgery, one from Bangkok at US$ 6’500, one from Sriracha at US$ 2’500. Now I was curious what my driver back home in Kiev would be told. He came back to me in the late afternoon, after he talked to one of the most expensive private hospitals in Kiev. The difference was shocking: they would charge US$ 750 !!! Thanks, even my insurance pays, I’ll wait until back home.

In the evening it got interesting again: the district’s government announced that in Chonburi, in contrast to yesterday, restaurants would only be allowed to offer dine-out, so take-away meals. Other sources wrote that dine-in would further be allowed, but under strict regulations.

We decided to give it a try anyway, drove off the hotel towards the restaurant we dined yesterday – and found it open.

But with my hiccup I opted for a ‘chili-free’ meal, European style. Some kilometres further, directly on Sukhumvit, we checked out ‘Pan Pan’, a Pattaya chain of Italian restaurants, beloved by the Thai Royal family.

We drove in the property, found a Tuscany-style villa in which this outlet is located. Judging from the empty parking lot it was obvious we would be the only guest.


To our big surprise ‘dine-in’ wasn’t a problem at all, either at one of their outside tables, or even inside the airconditioned restaurant. Since the temperatures were quite moderate and the terrace pretty, we selected to sit outside.

Valentyna chose a Pizza with Italian sausage and anchovies, I ordered Spaghetti Amatriciana.

The Pizza came first, was extremely well prepared, thin and crispy.


Also, my Pasta was very nice, the spaghetti al dente, with the right amount of sauce, not swimming in it.

‘Pan Pan’, for Thailand, isn’t cheap – and so we paid for Pasta & Pizza exactly the same we paid the night before for 4 seafood dishes at the Thai restaurant.

Funnily while eating my hiccup disappeared (and came back 3 hours later). On the way back to the hotel I bought a litre of milk, always a good drink when your stomach isn’t on 100%.