Another day, more sun

Posted under Thailand 2008

Well here we are in Khao Lak. This is the area that was most seriously hit by the tsunami, but it shows the resilience of the people here as they are building some very nice resorts. As a plus, the resorts are trying to encourage visitors and we got a 4-star at a rather frugal price. Left Karon Beach and went into Phuket town for an overnight. Thought we had taken a wrong turn somewhere and had landed in Beruit. Finally figured out that all the gunshots were really fireworks as we had arrived on the first day of Chinese New Year. The “year of the rat”. Let me see, — yes I should fit in well.

Took a government bus to Khao Lak. Got the spiffy one with air conditioning. Had our choice of that or the non air conditioned, or the open air with the goats and chickens. Well you know Bonnie, air conditioned it was.

Now for the good news — two of our sons are meeting us over here for about 10 days. It initially was going to be a surprise, but as they couldn’t figure out where we were going to be at any given moment, they had to spill the beans. It was that, or we could compare notes when we got together back in North America. That’s what happens when you have parents who don’t know where they are at, or what they are doing. When they are here, I am going to find out how you post pictures to the blog. You don’t have to be smart when you have smart kids, {and grand kids}.

Being at the resort [Briza], gives us ample time to sit around and work on our tans — that and make the 100 yard dash to the hopper. It appears as though Montezuma was a bit ticked that we didn’t vacation in Mexico, and exerted his influence all the way over here. On the upside, people can no longer say that I am full of it!

We have a tame elephant in front of our resort. At least it hasn’t eaten or stomped anyone to the best of my knowledge. Apparently the trained ones stay with their trainers, like 24/7. Sort of like taking the company truck home every night. Hopefully they are not afraid of the dark as I think that they may be a bit ungainly as a house pet.

Well I believe that someone is possibly suffering shopping withdrawal as the suggestion was made that we could take a tuk-tuk into the actual town tomorrow. As, I believe, the only item we have on our pressing schedule for tomorrow, is to pick up our laundry. In Chiang Mai we found a coin operated laundry. Good washers but they dryers were a tad slow. Took pretty much all the 10 baht coins we could get. When we got to Karon, low and behold, we again had need of a laundry. After trudging all over town in the hot sun, dragging a suitcase of dirty clothes, all we were able to find were drop-off services, which were everywhere. However, as we are doing this “on the cheap” we wanted the pleasure of doing these ourselves, and Bonnie asked some obvious tourists where we could do laundry. In the happiest of terms, they expressed how they just take theirs to a laundry service, and for a meager sum they come back clean and folded. Going with the flow, we trundled back to a “laundry” near our hotel. Turns out they will wash, fold and package for 50 baht per kg. That is about 35 cents per lb. Hell, I wouldn’t even bury those clothes for 35 cents per pound, and after opening our dirty clothes suitcase that was seriously considered. At any rate, Bonnie is checking rates with DHL to figure out just how big a laundry parcel she would have to ship from Canada to make it worthwhile.

Enough for now, more to follow.