Wednesday 2 April 2008
Bangkok One Last Time
However it's also a great place to pick up some tailored suits and shirts at bargain prices. The real trick is trying to separate the good tailors from the bad tailors, because frankly, there are thousands of them - in fact around Suhkimvit 11 (Nana) there's practically nothing else.
Don't, don't, don't go with any taxi driver or tuk tuk driver - it's all about the kick backs the driver gets rather than providing you with a quality tailor. If you want to be ultra safe then use a tailor with a shop in the foyer of one of the major hotels, you will pay more however you will have some come back with the hotel as well as the tailor.
Also bear in mind that whatever the "headline" offer is i.e. $199 for three suits, three ties etc etc this will be for their lowest quality offering. To get real value for money you would be well advised to look at their highest quality fabrics then negotiate the best deal you can.
So in the three days before I fly home I'm getting some cashmere suits and some 120 cotton shirts tailored.
I chose Narrys in the end; they don't have touts working for them, they have substantial colour ads in the press, and they visit the UK twice a year. All signs of a good bet.
OK that's it from me. Just two fittings then it's off to the airport, but I'll be back with some final thoughts in a couple of days.
Mr C
Saturday 29 March 2008
Full Moon Party Koh PHi Phi
Lunch is usually about a litre of fresh fruit ice blend smoothie, then it's time to shower and cool off under the a/c while watching an afternoon movie on cable. Quick siesta and then out for the night.
You could get used to this.
I already have.
So it's full moon party night and I have to say I'm pleased with my decision not to go to Koh Panang. Everything is so much more intimate here on Phi Phi, there are no worries about police or crime and the bars and restaurants here have really stepped up for the full moon party with fire shows, live bands and all night dancing. Transport is easy on Phi Phi as everything is just a short drunken stagger away.
You can't beat a band and a fire show, especially when a 1 litre bucket of vodka and coke costs £2.
My head WILL hurt in the morning but then again my most pressing engagement for tomorrow is lying on the beach for 4 hours so I should be ok.
Tuesday 25 March 2008
Back to Phi Phi
Saturday 22 March 2008
Koh Lanta
This vessel was positively QE2 by comparison, seats for everyone and air conditioning. There's even a snack bar selling cold beer and the first Twix I've seen in 3 weeks.
Koh Lanta is a little further south in the Adaman sea and a much bigger island. You can tell instantly by looking at the wide, sandy, deserted beaches on approach that this is a completely different island.
Lanta is how I imagine Thailand must have been 10 years ago, before the tourism industry ran amok with all that barbarous neon glitter and rampant building programs.
My home is one of a number of small scale bungalow developments which stretch away down the coast for miles. Nice pool and even air con - however on Lanta only the 5 star establishments can guarantee such formidable luxuries as hot water and cable TV, having said that the sunsets more than make up for it.
The beaches are vast, and surprisingly pretty much empty. This really is a sleepy little backwater of Thailand, and that is its' primary charm. My only criticism is that the beaches are quite rocky and with deep water making it less attractive for non swimming swimmers like myself.
There is little to distract you in Lanta; no clubs, discos or 24 x 7 shopping. Just endless beaches, good food, the sound of the waves and sunsets that leave your breathless.
The main port town is tiny and built out into the water on stilts. It reminds me very much of Changi village in Singapore where I spent some of my childhood. Changi ,I note ,very nearly disappeared under a wave of modernisation that swept through Singapore 20 years ago and was saved at the last gasp when someone finally realised that sometimes the past is every bit as valuable as the future. Looking at this sleepy, charmingly parochial little island I hope that it too escapes the ravages of "progress".
OK, I'm going to kick back and tune the world out for a bit. Catch up with you again soon.
MrC
P.S. Don't know if you know but if you click on any pictures in my blog you should be able to get a full screen of that picture - try it.
Friday 21 March 2008
The Beach
Fortunately years of heavy drinking prepared me fully for situations that combine moving surfaces and a near total lack of balance. The sheer dread of capsizing saw me cutting through the water in my kayak like a ruddy torpedo.
Eventually the day trippers left and we 30 brave few had the beach to ourselves; as you can image quite a few asked for my autograph, I was able to put them straight on the fact that I am not in fact Leonardo, first thing in the morning.
Tents were set up and the BBQ and most importantly the portable bar. I'm sure I don't need top paint you a picture, but those buckets of Sansong (Thai whisky) and coke stack up pretty quickly, especially with lager chasers.
The highlight for me was swimming in the phosphorescent algae, beneath a perfect clear night sky.......before passing out cold on the beach.
I find it ironic that following the uproar about the ecological damaged caused by the filiming (the film company actually had the audacity to plant real trees on the island) not one word is now being said about the significant damaged caused by thousands of littering tourists that decend on the beach every week.
Anyway.....crikey, that rock looks like a gigantic penis!
Join me for more intellectual humour next time from Koh Lanta.
Next: Koh Lanta
Take care all.
Mr C
Thursday 20 March 2008
Koh Phi Phi
The beach is lined with a myriad of small bar/restaurants so when the sun and the swimming all gets too much you can kick back with a cocktail or a cold beer or a truly excellent fresh fruit shake.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves I have to get back to the bikinis. Sorry I mean beach, obviously.
Next: "The Beach"
Mr C.