| April 2011 - Thailand
This year I went to Thailand. (No, I didn't do Elephant Polo. I was too late.) I did the Four Seasons Tour of Thailand and stayed at resorts in Koh Samui, the Golden triangle, and Chiang Mai respectively. Each resort was excellent. So much so that I will probably plan my next few vacations at a Four Seasons resort. Did I mention they all speak English? My first stop was the island of Koh Samui in southern Thailand. They have a very nice airport. A little deceiving when you first arrive, but quite spread out. The "no walls" theme is a brillant idea. I had Four Seasons pick me up from the airport in a Land Rover. It was great. They know it's hot so they have cold, bottled water and a cold, scented towel waiting for you in the vehicle. After a 40 minute ride through some scenic and not so scenic parts of Samui, I arrived at the Four Seasons. The greeting area is an unexpected surprise. It's a room with no walls, high a a hillside, overlooking the resort. After a quick welcoming drink (or two), it's a buggy (golf cart) ride to your villa. As I understand it, the resort has 60 something villas and 14 residence type villas. Pictures of my villa are here: One bedroom residence villa. Day one I spent recovering from the 24 hours of travel to get here. (Thailand is 14 hours ahead of California BTW.) Day two, explore the resort. Well as much as I could anyway. The resort is huge. The Four Seasons resort at Koh Samui is a great place if you want to get away from people, have some privacy, and bring the family along if you wish. There are others staying at the resort, but you don't really see them unless you're at breakfast or the beach. It is peaceful, but not exactly quiet due to birds, insects and other wildlife making noise in the jungle. Conveniently, they all become quiet when the sun sets. There's plenty to do at the resort. I opted for some of the off-site activities. The first one was Elephant trekking. Elephant trekking was great. I highly recommend it. Make sure you bring your camera. It's an hour ride. The first half hour you sit on back of the elephant and take pictures (not as easy as it sounds) while your mahout does all the work. The next half hour, you take your mahout's place for the ride back. Give him your camera so he can take pictures during the ride back. FYI, you're not really driving the elephant. You're just sitting up front while the mahout gives the commands. It's still great though. Once you return, you get off the elephant the same way you got on: From a platform that's the same height as the elephant. The next day was the Canopy Adventure. It's a cable ride: 6 cables running between platforms in trees. A little background information: It seems I had just missed a major rainstorm the week before. There was some damage and some roads were washed out. To get to the Canopy Adventure location, you need a 4x4 vehicle. Implying the road isn't that good to begin with. The rainstorm the week before destroyed it. The 4x4 was not getting through. However, you could hike it. So that's what a few others and I did. We hiked an extra kilometer to the spot where the 4x4 was originally supposed to drop us off. We took a rest break, then hiked the rest of the way to camp. We took another break, then geared up, then started the "short nature walk" to the top of the ride. I'm not sure if it was the extra kilometer or I'm just out of shape, but the other tourists and I were gasping for air half way up. By the time we reached the top of the "short nature walk", I was seriously sweating and gasping for air... Another 5 minute break... The ride itself was awesome. (Another definitely bring the camera trip. Your guide will take pictures of you coming down the line.) I would do it again. At the Hammocks bar they had fruit and water waiting for us. After we finished eating, we started our trek back to the Land Rover. Somewhere along the way, I pulled a muscle in my leg (quad). Not so great. Seems I can't walk down hills and take pictures either. The next day I left for the Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle. To say this place was outstanding would be an understatement. The resort picks you up from the airport in a Mercedes. From there, it is about a 40 minute ride to the resort through again some scenic and not so scenic places. The driver takes you to a drop off point on the Mekong river. There, a boat takes you the rest of the way to the resort. After a welcoming drink and a short introductory lecture about camp layout and your personal itinerary, you are shown your tent. The tent is phenomenal. It was better than 97% of hotel rooms that I have ever stayed in. It was about 20x40 (not counting the deck), wood floor, air-conditioned, with king size bed, wine cabinet, desk, dual vanity, toilet, tub, outdoor shower, and wifi. It also had 110 power sockets in addition to 220. Pictures of my tent are here: Tent. Resort map here: Tented Camp. From the tent, I went to the Burma Bar. A camp host recommended a Lemon Grass martini. It was good. I also liked their Infusion martini, quite spicy. But my favorite was a drink called Opium. Later, I went up to the camp wine cellar for wine and cheese. I think the way it’s supposed to work is you go to the wine cellar to try different wines and decide on which one you will have with dinner. The next day: Golden Triangle, market, temples, Mahout training and massage. Mahout training was fun. The difference between this and elephant trekking is I'm the one actually directing the elephant. I learned a few elephant commands in Thai: Go forward, turn left, turn right, go back, sit down, stand up, stop…. The elephant, Thong Kam, actually followed my commands. After demonstrating some proficiency at controlling my elephant, I got a certificate. Mahout training was fantastic. I really wasn’t sore after, but I still opted for the Mahout recovery massage later. You have a choice of location for your massage, the deck of your tent or the spa. I already knew what the deck of my tent looked like, so I opted for the spa. As with everything else in the camp, the massage was excellent. (I'm getting more massages in the future.) Then more Burma Bar, dinner, etc. I left by boat the next day. A few things about the camp:
The last stop was the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. Instead of flying, I opted to have Four Seasons drive me from the Golden Triangle to Chiang Mai. I did the touristy thing and had the driver stop at some places along the way. Upon arrival, another welcoming drink. (Whoever thought of this is genius.) Then off to my room. My room or pavilion was very nice. However, after spending time at the Four Seasons in Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle, it wasn't as private. Still a great room and it also had 110 power. Pictures of it are here: Upper Rice Terrace Pavilion. Resort map here: Chiang Mai Four Seasons. Chiang Mai was supposed to be the mellow leg of the trip. The plan was to eat, drink, get a massage, do nothing. However, I had also arrived in time for Thai New Year and the Songkran Festival. It starts April 13th and lasts for 3 days. Also known as the Water Festival as people believe water will wash away bad luck… Imagine a water fight on a massive scale, as in, nationwide. People standing on the side of the road with buckets of water, water guns, hoses, which they spray on vehicles (or anything really) as they pass by. Pick-up trucks carrying people with buckets of water, water guns, who do the same thing. If a pick-up truck passes people on the road, water fight. If trucks pull up next to one another, water fight. Water fights at events. Water fights just about everywhere really. I went to a Songkran event. I got a little briefing beforehand so I was somewhat prepared. I got soaked. If I ever go again, I do know one thing: Must get water gun!!! Some observations about Thailand:
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