Trip to Phuket, Khao Lak, and Ao Nang on the Andaman Sea coast

[daydreamer]

I just returned from a one month holiday trip to Thailand.  Since there are very low numbers of international tourists in Thailand at this time, I decided to focus my travel on some of the very popular southern areas on the Andaman Sea.  These regions are usually overrun with sun seekers and are heavily crowded in the high season, so I thought this would be a good time to take advantage of lower hotel costs, and of not being swarmed with tourists and day trippers from the nearby resort areas.   

The last time I was in Thailand before this was in Jan/Feb 2020, just two years ago.  It was on this trip that I met N.  For nearly two years since that last trip, I had been planning to see N again on my next trip.  In the interest of anonymity, I will refer to my friend as N in this report, by initial only.  Because I did not see other boys during this most recent trip, this report mostly covers our travels together.  Sorry, but no details of boy bars and massage shops, as I did not visit any.

For this current trip, I intended to see only this boy for the entire month in Thailand.  He pushes all my buttons, and I said why not?  This is the first time I have had only one boy stay with me for my entire holiday.

Although I didn't spread my baht amongst many boys as is usual for me on my trips, I surely made a very large difference to this one boy's finances.  I did tip generously in hotels, taxis, etc in most cases, but the only tips given to a boy was to N.

As luck would have it, the Bangkok bars were ordered closed again before I arrived in Thailand in early January.  With the ever-changing rules, and opening times teetering back and forth, I hadn't planned to be bar hopping on this trip anyway, so I didn't really miss making my usual rounds of the nighttime haunts and go go bars.  

I had applied for the Thailand Pass in December 2021, and I entered through the airport with no issues.  I won't bore you with the details, as the entry process, paperwork requirements, the blue chairs at Suvarnabhumi, etc have already been reported in this forum by other members.   I entered the country under the original 7 day Thailand Pass program, but with the amended version requiring two PCR tests, one upon arrival, and a second test on the 7th day.  Under the amended rules, the second PCR test was to be paid for by the Thai government.

N had taken two ATK tests 3 weeks apart before my arrival, and sent me emailed photos of them, so I felt confident that he was being safe, and taking the required precautions to avoid the virus.

Upon arrival, and before exiting the baggage claim area to face the gauntlet of awaiting private car drivers at the airport, I purchased a DTAC Sim card in the baggage claim hall, right after passing through immigration.  To answer a previous question from a board member, I did see a True Sim card kiosk in the baggage claim hall as well.  I didn't see an AIS kiosk, but I wasn't looking for them.  Surely they would have a presence there too, as they are a major telecom player in the Thai marketplace.

Insurance - I bought a 100k USD policy from a US company before the trip.  I know only 50k was required, but I wanted the higher limit, and the price difference was minimal.  The policy I chose was also a "cancel for any reason" policy.  I'm usually not inclined to purchase travel insurance, as my health insurance plan covers me overseas anyway.  But since the Test & Go program required it, I opted for a decent US based plan.  I considered the options, and figured that it would also cover any pre-paid hotels and or flights I might have to cancel if testing positive for covid during my travels.  

I compared insurance policies on Squaremouth.com before deciding on which one to buy.  The policy I chose gives me 90 days after an event to submit a claim.  I thought this would allow me plenty of time to sort it all out at home, if it came to submitting a claim.

My Test & Go hotel was The Quarter Silom.  The driver took me in a private car to Paolo Hospital in Saphan Kwai, where a nurse came out to the car for the obligatory swabs, then off to Silom.  The time at the hospital was about 7-8 minutes.

The Quarter Silom is in a very good location on Soi Tarntawan, nestled in between Silom and Suriwong Roads.  It is a new hotel, and very clean.  It is not a place I would normally stay due to the small rooms, but they offered a 6 hour PCR test window package for a very low price, along with a private car from the airport, and breakfast was included.  The fact that the only meal in the Test & Go package was breakfast gave me confidence that they intended to usher me out of the room before noon the following day.  

Upon checking in about 1 AM, the boy at the front desk asked if I needed anything else, and I jokingly said "Yes, I'd like two cold Singha beers, but I know you won't allow me any alcohol per the Test & Go regulations."   I only wanted a shower and about an hour to wind down before a long awaited sleep after crossing through 12 time zones, on three flights to reach Bangkok.  The boy at the hotel reception  replied "the bar is closed, but just take what you want from the bar refrigerator, and we'll charge you in the morning when you check out".   I got my nightcap of two cold Singha beers from the bar fridge.  Amazing Thailand!!

The next morning after breakfast was delivered to the room, I called reception, and they confirmed that my test was negative, as I expected.  N had already emailed me.  I sent him an SMS, and he was in my arms less than 45 minutes later.

My plan was not to look for luxury in a Test & Go hotel, but for a fast PCR test turnaround time, and to be on my way after a few hours of shut eye.   The Quarter Silom was very close to my next hotel, so the taxi the next morning was only about 60 baht.  Upon check out, a Quarter Silom hotel employee introduced me to the Bolt car and motorbike taxi app.  He called a Bolt car for us to move to the next hotel.  Bolt is similar to Uber, with some very attractive prices.  A Bolt car for us in some cases in Bangkok was no more expensive than skytrain tickets for the two of us would have cost, to cover the same distance.  I believe Bolt is subsidizing their shorter rides to generate business, since it's a fairly new service.  I suspect prices may go up in the future, once they have established a solid customer base.

The total price for The Quarter test & go package was 3,899 baht inclusive of the room, a 6 hour PCR test, a private car from the airport, and breakfast.  I booked the package through Agoda.

I checked out, and into the Furama Sathorn, into an executive suite.  Very large quarters, and a beautiful view of the Bangkok skyline, especially at night, from the 12th floor room.  I only book rooms with balconies, as I enjoy sitting in the open air in the morning for a bit after I wake up.  We sat on the balcony a couple evenings as well.  Only staying in rooms with balconies eliminates a large percentage of available hotels for me to choose from, but I don't like being trapped inside, behind glass windows.  

The breakfast buffet at the Furama was included in the room price.  The food was a mix of Thai and western fare, changing each day.  Clear plastic food service gloves were provided for guests for touching the spoons, tongs, and opening the food warmer bin lids at the buffet tables.  As with masks, many customers ignored the hotel request to wear the disposable gloves when filling their plates with food.

Much as I like Bangkok, a few days on both ends of my trip is usually enough for me.  To me, the big city is not a beautiful place for a holiday.  I like to visit a different area of the country on each trip.  N and I stayed at the Sathorn Furama for four nights before flying south.  

Here is the view of the city skyline from the balcony of the Furama.  A perfect view of the Maha Nakhon building.  If you look closely, you can see a number of people out on the glass platform at the top of the skyscraper in one photo.

 

 

To be continued...

[daydreamer]

The next day after breakfast at the Furama, we went to the MBK Mall to buy a few clothes for N for the trip.  There was nearly no clothing for young men at MBK, as many of the shops appeared to be permanently closed.  It looked like less than 50% of shops were open.  Two years ago, all the shops in MBK were open and it was very busy with customers.  I suggested we go to Pratunam market the following day.  N liked that idea.

There was no shortage of selection at Pratunam, with hundreds of small stalls and shops open for business.  The open air market at Pratunam turned out to be the perfect place for N to buy everything he needed for the trip to the south, a few nice looking T-shirts for 80 baht each, a nice button up shirt for 250, shorts at 120 each, and a pair of knock off Nike shoes for 350 baht.  N seems to be very aware of prices, and he is careful in spending my money, and he looks for the bargains.  A few pair of stylish underwear and socks from a Silom open air market, and he was set for the two week trip.  

Everything a Thai boy wears seems to look great on them, regardless of the price paid for the clothing.  BTW, I just stood in the shops as his personal ATM, without providing any input on his choices for clothing, unless he asked for my opinion.  After buying 2 pair of socks for 100 baht in a market area, he later spied 4 similar pair for 100 baht on the sidewalk in Silom, and he was dismayed that he had spent more per pair for his recent purchase, even though he wasn't spending his own money.  He even mentioned later that he overpaid for his socks.  Also, I had bought a nice backpack, and a pair of sunglasses for him at home before I left on my trip, and carried them to Bangkok to give to N.  

We flew Thai Smile to Phuket,a subsidiary of Thai Airways.  The airline staff wanted to see our vaccination records and my Thailand Pass at the check in counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport.  The Boeing 737 was about 35% full going to Phuket.  Even though I had booked two seats for us together, at check in, there were enough empty seats that they gave us each a window seat in two adjoining empty rows.

 

Takeoff from Suvarnabhumi:

 

We flew over Phang Na Bay a couple minutes before final approach to Phuket.  The unusual karst mountains appear to be melting into the sea.

 

Upon final approach into Phuket, the plane flew over Khao Lak, with it's endless miles of unspoiled beaches.  The water is so clear, you can see coral reefs below the surface.  As you can see below, Khao Lak is still very undeveloped.  There are many small resorts, but they are mostly tucked under the tree cover.  No tall concrete buildings, and no condo towers.  Let's hope it stays that way.

 

Upon arrival in Phuket, I picked up the pre-booked rental car at the domestic arrivals hall, and we headed for Patong.  I had reserved a Toyota Vios sedan, a perfect sized car for the trip.  By the end of  three weeks in the south, I clocked about 2,000 kilometers of driving the car to the many different spots we visited.  We traveled to parts of four provinces in all;  Phuket, Phang Na, Krabi, and Surat Thani provinces.

I had bought an inexpensive smart phone windshield suction cup holder to use for driving navigation before leaving home.  That and a cigarette lighter socket USB plug I brought with me were invaluable in providing GPS navigation in English for free to navigate through the four southern provinces in the rental car. I used the HereWeGo phone app, and downloaded the free maps for south Thailand.  For a free app, it's about as good as you can get for Thailand.  I toyed with a couple other navigation apps while still in Bangkok, but I liked HereWeGo the best.  A British lady's soothing voice gives the directions.

There was a USB port on the stereo, but I used that for a USB stick that I had loaded with many hours of current music for the road trips we had planned.  N liked the western music I had brought on the USB stick.  One huge benefit of the music I brought was it caused him to turn the volume off on his phone at all times while in the car.  That way we both had something enjoyable to listen to, and while driving, I was saved from hearing his various phone feeds. 

We were surprised at the large number of farang wandering around Phuket without masks upon arrival in Patong.  I read in the Bangkok Post on January 20th that the governor of Phuket had finally decided to crack down on the many mask violators with two fines of 20K + 40k, and plans to have the police arrest the unmasked, to set examples.  I don't know if he followed through with this, or if he was only blowing hot air.

We stayed three nights at the Phusita House 3 Hotel in Patong Beach.  The small hotel is fairly new, and very clean, with SHA certification.  It's located very near the Paradise area which is the hub of gay activity in Patong.  They offered free parking for the rental car.  Patong is very congested, similar to Pattaya, and parking can be an issue at some of the hotels close to the Paradise complex.

We drove to the southern part of Phuket to see the Big Buddha.  It sits on a mountaintop, with a superb view out over the southern part of the island of Phuket.  The huge statue is made of concrete, and is entirely covered with small white marble tiles.  The inside is hollow, and visitors are welcome to walk inside and view different displayed items.  

There are not many sightseeing attractions on Phuket, so the big Buddha is one of the more heavily visited points of interest on the island.  Most tourists to Phuket come for the beaches and/or the nightlife.  The adjoining provinces of Phang Na and Krabi offer loads of things to see and do, however.  The Phi Phi islands are a very popular day trip amongst Phuket visitors, but Phi Phi is actually located in Krabi province, it is not part of Phuket.

 

 

Soi Bangla is the main nighttime entertainment street in Phuket.  It is located in Patong Beach, and is similar to Walking Street in Pattaya.  Soi Bangla was filled to the rafters with people occupying every bar stool, and spilling out onto the surrounding sois.  While the bars in Bangkok were closed at this time, bars in Phuket were allowed to open until 9 PM daily.  And none of that facade of having to sell food to camouflage as restaurants.  These bars and clubs were jam packed with customers, and were operating as real bars, not pseudo restaurants.  

We walked the length of Soi Bangla two nights, and at 9 PM each night, police vehicles with red lights flashing started crawling forward from one end of the street to the other end to ensure the bars stopped selling alcohol, and turned the loud music off.  Customers were allowed to stay in the bars, to finish their drinks.  I would estimate there were at least 4,000 - 5,000 customers in the myriad of open air bars and clubs in Soi Bangla and connecting sois every night that we were in Phuket.

 

This is Karon Beach, the next beach a couple miles south of Patong Beach, on Phuket:

 

Somehow, on day 6 in the country, the Morchana app on my phone changed from orange "medium risk" to green "very low risk".  This was before the second required PCR test that was supposed to be administered on my 7th day.  WTF??  How is this possible?  

Our second evening in Patong, we went to the Paradise Complex, and watched an outdoor ladyboy show in front of the Zig and Zag bars.  I don't really enjoy these shows, but N wanted to see it.  Kudos to the ladyboys for a show well done.  Everything went smoothly until a boy performer poured a full bottle of kerosene in a large circle on the cobblestone plaza, and then repeatedly attempted, but failed to ignite the fuel.  That left the odor of petrol fumes as the fuel slowly evaporated throughout the duration of the show.  

The seating at the show was outdoors, with only a couple feet between tables.  No one was wearing masks except for the bar staff.   The outdoor seating arrangement was similar to the outdoor seating plan at the Soi 4 restaurants (bars) in Bangkok.

 

 

[Londoner]

Thanks so much; the report and the photographs brought back many memories.

Phuket isn't one of our favourite parts of Thailand- Patong in particular-  but it looked (and sounded) wonderful. How I miss Thailand!

P and I were there when the Buddha was being built; he bought a tile (for want of abetter word) , wrote his name on it and it was used as some sort of cladding. It was a spiritual experience for him; I stood well away as he said a long prayer. I noticed other Thai visitors observing him with respect.

I was touched.

I  look forward to the next instalment.

[Guest reader]

8 hours ago, daydreamer said:

Everything a Thai boy wears seems to look great on them, regardless of the price paid for the clothing. 

+1

[daydreamer]

Up to this point, I had followed the health regulations of Thailand under the covid rules.  I downloaded the Morchana app before arriving in Bangkok, wore a mask, used hand sanitizer, scanned my temperature upon entering businesses, etc.  But it all started to fall apart on my 7th day.  This was the day I had planned to get the required second PCR test under the one day Test & Go entry program.   I had checked the Ministry of Public Health web site to access the list of approved labs for PCR tests in Phuket.  Of course this being Thailand, the list was outdated, or at least the list in English was.  I chose a private clinic in Patong from the MOPH list.  

I took my paperwork, and drove to the clinic.  There were no customers when I arrived.  The receptionist/nurse went in the back to show the doctor my papers.  He flat out refused to test me.  The nurse told me to go to Patong Hospital (not on the MOPH list).  

So I then drive to Patong Hospital, and after sitting in the waiting area for my number to be called, a nurse at a desk in the lobby told me they would do the test, but I needed a letter from my hotel.  So back to the hotel I went, and asked about a letter at the front desk.  "Not our hotel, you get letter from your Bangkok hotel".  

I asked the receptionist to please call The Quarter Silom Hotel, where I had spent my first few hours in Thailand.  I figured she would get further than I could on the phone, as she seemed to understand my plight.  Of course, the Quarter Silom refused to issue me a letter.  The Quarter Silom insisted that the pink paper given each passenger arriving at the airport was all that was needed to obtain permission to receive the second (free) PCR test, and to receive payment from the Health Ministry in Bangkok for the cost of the second PCR test.  

So back to Patong Hospital we went in the car.  By now, the hospital lobby was packed with people awaiting assistance.  This second attempt at Patong Hospital was as useless as the first visit.  After sitting in waiting area once again for my number to be called , again they refused to help, still insisting on a letter from the hotel.  The Quarter Silom was correct, as I found out the following day in Khao Lak.   Since the private clinic and the Patong Hospital were uncooperative, I was fast running out of options and time that I was willing to invest in this fruitless pursuit.

At this point, after spending nearly the entire morning running back and forth and getting nowhere, I said fuck it all, and just decided to chill.  If two approved medical facilities were unwilling to help after my repeated attempts, I decided I had done about all I could to comply with the arcane rules of the Kingdom, at least for today.  I wasn't trying to flaunt the rules, but I think many others would also have given up by this point in the day.

Since the morning had been wasted trying to get a PCR test, after lunch we purchased ATK tests at a pharmacy.  I had totally given up on the Thai red tape to obtain a second PCR test until we left Phuket the next morning.  I thought both of us taking ATK tests was the next best thing.  N's test was negative.  My sealed test packet from the pharmacy had no liquid in the vial, not one drop, so it was useless.  That was 150 baht wasted.  The box said the test was made for a German company, but in small print, it said "Made in China".  Typical of shoddy Chinese manufacturing and quality control.  We went to a 7-Eleven and bought a different brand of ATK test for me to test with.  My new test result using the 7-Eleven kit was also negative, the same as N's.

That evening, we went to Soi Bangla one more time after dinner, and walked on the beach for a while, before winding up back on the balcony at the hotel for drinks and some moo ping.  The following morning, we would be driving about 2 hours north from Phuket to a reserved beach side bungalow in Khao Lak, in Phang Nga province. 

 

This is Saphan Sarasin, the bridge that connects Phuket island to the mainland of Phang Nga province.  When driving into Phuket from the mainland, all vehicles must pass through a military police checkpoint.  The MP's wanted to see my passport and driver's license both times upon entering Phuket province by car.  

 

Since the bridge is not very long, there is also a nice foot and bicycle pathway to cross the channel

 

 

This narrow channel of water is all that separates Phuket island from the mainland.

 

There are many food vendors and a waterfront restaurant at the southern end of the bridge

 

After crossing the bridge, you are in Phang Nga province

 

On the way to Khao Lak from Phuket, we took a detour to the Samet Nangshe Lookout.  It's located on a mountaintop, with a gorgeous view out over Phang Nga bay.  Much of this area of Thailand features limestone karst formations that are covered in rainforest vegetation.  Similar to Guilin in China, or Halong Bay in Viet Nam.  And the unique karst formations are not only in the sea, they are spread throughout this region on the land as well.

The road to the top of the lookout is a heavily rutted and extremely steep dirt road.  Since the lookout is on private land, everyone is charged a small admission price.  You have two options, either walk to the top of the mountain for 20 baht, or ride in a 4 wheel drive songtaew for 80 baht each.  I didn't see anyone walking to the top.  In just a few minutes, the songtaew filled with passengers, and we were off.  It's the only time I have ever ridden in a 4 wheel drive songtaew with big off-road tires.  The ride requires you to hold on tightly, as the truck bucks and heaves over the potholed and heavily rutted steep road surface while slowly making its way up the rough hewn path to the summit.  Before arriving at the lookout, I had envisioned driving the rental car up the mountain, but there's no way a car could manage to traverse the road to the top.  4 wheel drive truck, or by foot were the only options.

 

Samet Nangshe Lookout, high above Phang Nga Bay:

 

The bungalow resort was located on one of the best beaches in Khao Lak. 

 

The sand at White Sand Beach was soft like powdered sugar.  The water was very warm, and perfectly clean. 

And plenty of natural shade to escape the heat...

 

There was room to park the car right in front of the bungalow - just make sure you don't park beneath a coconut palm tree. Falling coconuts can really put a dent in your ride. 

 

There are several bungalow resorts located adjacent to each other.  They all offer beach front dining.  Unlike Phuket, the food and beverage prices are very reasonable.  The food was very good.  Everything we ordered was tasty.  Our first night at the small resort, a man from Germany saw us headed to eat dinner at the beachfront.  He stopped us to tell us how much he enjoyed eating here, saying the food was excellent. 

 

There are attractive beachfront dining areas at the resorts

 

to be continued...

 

[Londoner]

Thanks; every photo is  beautiful and evocative, particularly on this cold London morning. Even photo of the  menu; I've chosen today's breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I'm sorry to read about the problems with your test. It's hard to see what else you could have done but, on consideration, I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising....TIT. 

Please keep reporting and sending those photographs. They brighten-up my day.

 

[gerefan]

Daydreamer

You are not the only one to have trouble with the second test.

After 6 or 7 days ( that was the rule in December) I returned to the hospital where I had the first test. I asked about making a booking for the second test and they insisted it had to be done on line. They gave me a QR code but wouldn’t book me in.
 

Went back to my room and tried on line. Eventually after a few hours I thought I’d made a booking but got no confirmation or even acknowledgement.

So I turned up on the day and walking to the entrance tripped up over an unmarked step in the car park. Dishevelled, I sat in the queue for over 2 hours until my number was called.

That was on the 3 January. Now, nearly 6 weeks later, I am still waiting for the result.

Ive lost interest!

[Midguy1]

I'm enjoying reading about your trip, thank you for posting.  I'm sorry to hear of the bureaucratic problems you've been encountering, but I hope that is offset by the enjoyment you're having.  The photos are brilliant.

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, Midguy1 said:

I'm enjoying reading about your trip, thank you for posting.  I'm sorry to hear of the bureaucratic problems you've been encountering, but I hope that is offset by the enjoyment you're having.  The photos are brilliant.

+1

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Londoner said:

 

I'm sorry to read about the problems with your test. It's hard to see what else you could have done but, on consideration, I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising....TIT. 

 

rest assured covid related idiocies  are everywhere.

As reported in other thread recently ( on Sunday ) I was forced to take PRC test twice in the same say by two very developed and otherwise well governed Western nations. 

[daydreamer]

Upon check-in at the bungalow, the manager wanted to see my 7th day PCR test result.  Since yesterday's attempts to get a PCR test in Phuket ended in failure, it was now day 8, and I still had not been tested.  The manager was very understanding and helpful after I explained my inability to find a cooperative test facility for my second PCR test in Phuket the previous day.  He made a few calls and found I could receive my second PCR test at a very small hospital in Khao Lak, but he indicated that it might not be free since it was supposed to have been done on my 7th day, and today was day 8.  

I drove to the hospital, checked in, and waited my turn.  There were a number of farang there for the same thing, some were families with small children.  The test was free, no mention was made that I was one day late.  Khao Lak was sure much more accommodating than Phuket had been to obtain a PCR test.

The next morning after my 8th day PCR test, the manager came to the bungalow with some bad news.  I had tested positive on the PCR test, although with a very low viral count of covid.  I was in disbelief as neither of us were experiencing any symptoms at that time.  This meant N would need to be tested by PCR as well.  The bungalow staff asked us to both take ATK tests at this time.  The ATK tests for both of us were negative.  We had been staying together, so we almost certainly both had the virus, and would likely have both been at the same stage of infection.  

Wait a minute, how could I test positive for covid on a PCR test, yet my ATK tests were all negative?   The following link provides the answer.  The Omicron variant is not always detected on an ATK or rapid antigen test.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/health/covid-rapid-test-omicron-detection.html

If you can't access the NY Times site because it may be behind a firewall for you, the article can be read here:  https://bdnews24.com/coronavirus-pandemic/2022/01/06/emerging-data-raise-questions-about-antigen-tests-and-nasal-swabs

At this point, I asked for a second PCR test, suspecting a false positive.  After an hour or so, the answer came back from the hospital - "NO second test will be done.  You will be sent to quarantine."  I had many questions, and nobody available to answer them.  Since I did not have any symptoms, I had visions of being placed in some old unused military barracks as an isolation facility, as without symptoms, I certainly didn't qualify for, or need a room in a regular hospital.  

Nobody issued any instructions to me, other than that later that afternoon, I would need to report to the hospitel.  But after lunch, the hospital called the bungalow manager, and offered me a choice of two hotels that were being used as hospitels, in partnership with the hospital.  

I looked up the hotels on the web, and made my choice of hospitel.  I was told that an ambulance would take me to the hospitel later that afternoon for the check in procedure.  Since I had the rental car, and the rental car office was two hours away in Phuket, I could not return the car.  I told the bungalow staff to inform the hospital that I would drive my car to the hospitel quarantine hotel, and to please cancel the ambulance.  The hospital agreed to that.

I was not about to strand N at the bungalow, as he was rather confused by all this as well.  In Khao Lak, there is no public transportation, no songtaews, no taxis, no motorcycle taxis, and no way for him to get to the hospital to be tested other than in our rental car.  Since I was not yet under quarantine, we put our masks on, and I drove N to the same small private hospital that administered my test yesterday, as he needed a PCR test.  

At the hospital, there was a lot of discussion, and they then directed N to go a small government hospital a couple klicks away, since he did not have insurance that would cover the cost of a private hospital's lab fees.  So off we went, in search of the second hospital.  The government hospital was certainly not Bumrungrad quality, but an older, small typical government facility with a billboard in front, displaying a huge image of King Rama X.  It took about 45 minutes for N to wait to be tested.

Since N's PCR test was administered one day after mine, I would stay that night in the hospitel, and he would stay in the bungalow, as his test results would not be back until the following morning.  The doctor at the small government hospital told N that if his test was positive, he would be sent to stay at the same government hospital for his isolation period, as it would be free of charge for him.  Out of earshot of the doctor, I told N that he would not be going to the government hospital if he tested positive, but he would stay with me in the hospitel.  This caused an immediate problem, as I was seen as trying to override the decision of a Thai doctor.  At this point, I decided the doctor's loss of face be damned, N was going to stay with me if his test result came back positive tomorrow.

N went back to speak with the doctor again.  The doctor tried to dissuade N, telling him how much I would have to pay for his stay, while he could stay in the government hospital for free.  What the good doctor didn't understand was to never get in the way of a determined sex tourist.  I didn't travel on three airplanes, across 12 time zones, all the way to Thailand to stay alone in quarantine for 10 nights of my holiday, and I wasn't about to allow a Thai doctor to prescribe celibacy for both of us, in order to save me some baht.  

Arriving back at the bungalow, I packed my belongings, and I gave N some money for meals and beer.  He was distraught at the thought of my leaving him alone, and the uncertainty of what would happen to him.  I assured N that he would almost certainly be coming to the hospitel tomorrow, as I saw zero chance that he could not have contracted the highly contagious virus as well.  N told me several times he would go to the government isolation facility, as he was very concerned about the cost that I would have to pay for him to stay at the hospitel.  I let him know that I would not leave him to stay alone, far from home.  I would have felt like a complete jackass to abandon him at that point.

The following morning N's PCR test came back positive, as expected.  Of course if one of us had it, we would both have it, as we had been sleeping together since my release from the first night of quarantine at the Quarter Silom one week previous.

In both our cases, the ATK tests had given false negatives.  I would hesitate to put my trust in an ATK test in the future.  All I know is they were useless in our two situations in identifying any virus.  Two ATK tests each, two days apart, and all were negative.  My second ATK test was negative even after a PCR test had proven otherwise.  

The doctor said we both had very low viral counts, and may be released in 5 days because of it (a white lie).  I had N ask the doctor in Thai why our ATK tests were negative.  He said because we both had very low viral counts, so the ATK tests would not detect it.  This corroborates the information from the NY Times article I linked above.

Thinking back to where and how we were possibly infected, we decided the most likely place of contact was our second night in Patong, while watching the ladyboy show.  Although the show was outdoors, the tables were not far apart, and we were there about 90 minutes, unmasked and amongst a group of other unmasked customers.  Sitting in close proximity to other unmasked customers, even though outdoors, seemed to be the path of transmission.  The doctor told N that the new variant was possible to catch in under one minute outdoors, if unmasked and in the close vicinity of an infected individual.

We had both been careful of mask and hand gel protocols in order to avoid catching the dreaded virus.  We tried to avoid crowded places, and aimed to eat at open air restaurants with not many customers.  But in the end it was not enough to avoid a few stray covid particles.   At least I know I did not import covid into Thailand, as I had two negative PCR tests, one three days before departure, and one about 4.5 days later, upon arrival in Bangkok.

I had thought we were safe in the outdoor seating area, but apparently not.  In the future, if this pandemic persists, I intend to avoid outdoor seating areas where people are unmasked as well, unless the tables are spread far apart.  In any case, we were both headed to quarantine.  

 

Last photos of the beach at the bungalow resort:

 

 

to be continued...

 

[Guest reader]

Thanks for sharing the story of your trip, and the great photos. Deciding to keep N with you as you enter quarantine speaks volumes about your relationship.

So long as Thailand insists on a second PCR test, outcomes like this will deter would-be tourists (myself included) from visiting. Omicron is with us until it runs its course and no country can test its way out of it.

Looking at today's headlines in the Bangkok Post, the mixed messaging the government is sending couldn't be more evident, something I'd been doing (pre-covid) 2-3 times a year since 2002. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved a travel bubble with India in hopes of attracting high-spending young people (earlier this week it was announced that travel tours were being negotiated with China and Malaysia). Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority is wheeling out yet another version of "Amazing Thailand" to attract international tourists in an attempt to rebuild the economy.

If the government would simply revert to the original version of test-and go it would realize a far greater yield than all the promotions combined.

[Londoner]

A nightmare. I wonder how many other tourists are in a similar situation? 

I'm delighted you taking are care of N.  Thais recognise and appreciate love when it is offered so spontaneously.

Trying to think of positives, I can only allude that you are both well. And together. 

Best of luck.

 

 

 

[gerefan]

What an unbelievable state of affairs. It is no wonder tourists are put off hearing horror stories like this. Lost bungalow booking, lost car rental, lost time with a loved one....for what, a bit of flu.

A Thai friend of mine and his ladyboy wife both caught covid in Pattaya a few weeks ago. They were both sent to a hospitel at government expense but had to have separate rooms. I hope you are more successful.

[Guest]

Thanks for the report.    

Do advise us if you develop any symptoms.

As it was in Phuket, after a suitable waiting period, an antibody test would be very interesting, to confirm if you really had it. 

Moses reported a case where a friend failed the hospital test twice and also had two independent tests, both passed. In Phuket.

[daydreamer]

Later that afternoon, after 2 PM, I drove to the hospitel, only about five minutes away from the bungalow where I had just left N.  After unloading my belongings, and parking the car, I was directed to a table set up outside the entrance of the hospitel.  Soon a nurse appeared  in full protective gear.   She was dressed like a member of the Fukushima nuclear plant clean up crew, shoe covers and all.  I was interviewed by the nurse.  She asked me about any current medical conditions, health history, and of any possible chronic  health conditions.  This interview and any covid symptoms at that time, depending on their severity are what determine whether you will stay in a hospitel, or be admitted to a regular hospital as an inpatient, and placed under treatment.  As a tourist, the positive PCR test dictates that you will be placed in quarantine, under the current regulations.

Once the nurse was satisfied that I was healthy, I was given a small canvas tote bag with the hospital name on it.  Inside the bag was a digital thermometer, a pulse oximeter that clips on a fingertip, a plastic bag containing 10 green surgical masks, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer gel.  We were required to take our armpit temperature and oxygen readings twice a day, at 10 AM and 6 PM.  I was instructed to take a photo of these readings from the two instruments, and send them to the nurses at the hospitel lobby via the WhatsApp phone app.  There were 3 nurses on duty at the medical station in the open air hotel lobby every day.  

Check in and check out time at the hospitel was after 2PM daily.  At 2 PM, a couple accounting staff from the hospital arrived at the hotel to assist the nurses and hotel front desk staff in coordinating the financial accounts for every person in quarantine.  If anyone had symptoms and requested any medication, that was added to the final bill.

There was no option to bill the insurance directly, for either the hotel charges or the hospital fees.  I tried to get them to accept my insurance directly, and was told that they would not accept any insurance payments or authorizations, they would only take cash or a credit card from the individual as payment.  I was assured that the total amount of the two bills together, the hotel, and separate hospital bill, would not be more than 50,000 baht per person.  Payment was to be made in full at check out, and before being given the medical clearance certificate.

There were maybe 50 - 60 people in quarantine when I arrived.  Since the hospital was in partnership with a second hotel, also used as a hospitel, it looked like they were receiving some good income from this side business, while still keeping the hospital beds available for people with serious medical conditions.  The other hospitel was also offered to me, but I chose this one from the two.

The following morning, N called me from the bungalow, and told me an ambulance from the hospital would be bringing him to the hospitel that afternoon.  I could no longer use the car, as my quarantine period had begun, and I was not allowed to leave the hotel grounds.  The charge for the short ambulance ride from the bungalow to the quarantine hotel was 2,000 baht (about 3 km). When N arrived by ambulance, I went to the front of the hotel to meet him, and help get him checked in.  The ambulance was merely the hospital's taxi.  The ambulance attendants did not even open the back door for N to climb out of the vehicle.  Not that N needed assistance, but still, it was an ambulance.  I watched as N went through the exact same process, with the nurse dressed like she was ready for a walk on the moon.

Once we went into the lobby and approached the reception desk, I was told that N could not stay with me, and that he would need to stay in a separate room.  I had to get assertive once again, this time with the hotel reception staff and hospital personnel, to again protect our interests.  With my best poker face, I politely let them know that if we could not stay together, then N would not be a guest at the hospitel, and he would be going to a free Thai quarantine facility at the government hospital.  

I was a youngster the first time I came to Thailand more than 40 years ago, and I've observed a few things over the years.  One thing I have learned is that Thais will not miss an opportunity to empty a farang's wallet of any baht they possibly can.  I was confident they did not want to lose out on the money i was prepared to pay for N's quarantine stay.  

Sure enough, after a lengthy discussion in Thai, and a couple phone calls, the hotel reception staff and hospital staff switched to English, and a representative from both groups spoke to me.  Miraculously, they had changed their stance, and agreed to let N stay with me, in my room.  I suspect their respective managers or business offices that they had contacted by phone couldn't bear the thought of my money remaining in my wallet, and not in their cash register drawer.  My bluff had worked.

Of course, if they had given us separate rooms, we would have stayed together anyway.  It just made it much easier for us to be in one room.  N's meals would have been sent to an empty room if we had been separated, and it would have created much inconvenience.  I must say, they were not very clever at business affairs.  By staying together, we freed up another room in the quarantine wing of the hotel that they could then rent to more people, who were arriving daily.

No hotel staff were allowed to enter our rooms, so nobody would have checked up on us or have known otherwise that we were staying together.  Maid service was not provided.  Requests were sent to the front desk for supplies (bottled water, soap, toilet paper, tissues).  Plastic trash bags were provided daily, and all waste, cans, bottles, etc went into the bags, and were left outside the door to be picked up.  The room was at ground level, so both the entry door and the sliding patio door on the opposite side had outside access, and there were no enclosed hallways or elevators.

 

This photo of our hospitel room shows the outdoor patio where we ate every meal.  Of course with no maid service, the room did not look like that for long.  We took a larger side table than the one shown in the photo out onto the patio to use as a dining table.  Just beyond the wall at the rear of the photo was Khao Lak beach.

 

We were allowed to wander the attractive hotel grounds, but not allowed to use the swimming pool.  The hotel had one wing dedicated as a hospitel, and the other side was open to regular hotel guests, so the pool was reserved for the regular guests, to keep them away from the guests in quarantine.

 

 

As you can see in the photos, the buildings have rooms on two floors.  Our room was on the ground floor.  The entire L shaped building was reserved for quarantine guests.  There was also another quarantine building behind this one, but only a few of those rooms were occupied.

 

 

This was the view from the patio, where we sat and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.  If you look on the grass, you can see a towel and pillow someone used for sunbathing.

 

Three meals a day were provided in take-out plastic boxes.  A mix of Thai and Western foods.  Always fresh fruit included, and the typical horrible Thai hot coffee every morning, along with fresh orange juice.  Luckily I had stopped at a 7-Eleven on the way to the hospitel in the rented car to purchase 10 cans of Nescafe iced coffee, as a substitute for proper coffee, one can for each day.  N was not a much of a coffee drinker.  The Nescafe canned coffee was much more palatable than the hotel java.  The hotel provided each room with a case of 1.5 liter bottles of drinking water, and more could be ordered.  There was also a limited room service menu for food and drink items (not included in the hospitel package).  The  delivered meals were left on a small table just outside the door.  A knock on the wooden door let us know it was time to eat.  

One day for lunch, to give you an idea of the meals, we had BBQ chicken, rice, yum woon sen with shrimp and chicken, and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Don't get me wrong, this was not a banquet, it was small portions served in small divided take out boxes, but it was enough food.  We didn't go hungry.  We ordered food once from the room service menu, and N ordered a number of big bottles of Leo Beer several times from the bar.  Once N realized that the food ordered from the room service menu was from the same kitchen that provided our regular meals, he gave up on that idea, and turned to the old Thailand standby of 7-Eleven.

We ordered items to be delivered a few times from a 7-Eleven that was about a kilometer away, including a few of 7-Eleven's infamous microwaved meals.  N would go into rice withdrawals if the meal served was western food.  One day for lunch the chef had made nice plump homemade beef hamburgers on homemade buns, and served with french fries.  N would not touch his meal.  He wanted rice three times a day.  Although he wasn't fond of western food, he could inhale two bags of Lay's potato chips from 7-Eleven in under ten minutes.  The Thai food served was not ultra spicy, but there was enough red pepper in it to let know you were eating genuine Thai food.  It was spicy enough for N, so I guess you could say it was medium spicy, but not Isan flamethrower hot.

I saw people smoking on their patios, drinking beer, sunbathing in the compound, exercising outdoors, etc.  Other than the fact we couldn't leave the hotel grounds, there was no real hardship in staying there.  It's not like we were sentenced to Bang Kwang Prison.  Since I was able to share the room with N, it certainly made it more enjoyable, if we didn't fixate on the fact we couldn't leave.  I must say, if I had to go through that quarantine alone, it would have been a harrowing ordeal to endure.  A few times I thought of the Hotel California song by the Eagles, "where you can never leave".

N took photos of everything, and I mean everything we had to eat, including our takeout food boxes during quarantine.  He did this everywhere during the month we were together, not just in quarantine.  He even took photos of some street food that we carried back to the Phuket hotel one evening for a snack.  I asked what he did with all the photos of food, and he replied "put on Facebook".  I can understand taking a photo of a nice looking multi dish dinner, but fried rice in a plastic take out box served in a quarantine hotel?  Now I know why I don't have a Facebook account.

I had purchased a bottle of green chiretta at home before my trip after reading about how it is successfully used in Thailand prisons to quell the spread of covid.  I had read an article published by Chulalongkorn University, and they indicated that after taking the capsules for eight days, the virus was undetectable.  They went on to claim it  is effective in inhibiting viral replication, exactly what we needed.  It is an herb, the Latin name is Andrographis paniculata, or “Fah Talai Jone” in Thai.  I purchased it as a precaution, just in case I needed it on my trip, and was darned glad I had brought it in my suitcase.  

We both took the capsules for eight days.  When I first showed the bottle to N, I asked him if he wanted to take it.  He looked it up on his phone, translated  in Thai, and yes, he said wanted to take it every day.  I didn't need to convince him, after he translated the name into Thai, he was eager to take it.  N said the pills can be purchased in pharmacies and 7-Elevens in Thailand, and it is very commonly used.  I bought mine through iHerb, it is the Nature's Way brand.  I chose that brand because it is an extract, standardized to 10% of andrographolides, so it's a good strong dose, not just powdered leaves as some companies fill their capsules with.  

Here are links to the article in case you want to read what Chula U. says about green chiretta and covid:

https://www.chula.ac.th/en/highlight/50619/

https://www.newswise.com/coronavirus/read-medicine-labels-how-to-safely-use-green-chiretta-against-covid-19/?article_id=757479

 

I have had the vaccines and a booster shot, and N has had two different western vaccine shots.  He wisely avoided the less effective Chinese vaccines when they were offered to him.  So this certainly kept the virus and symptoms in both of us to a minimum.  We both had a very negligible symptom that lasted less than 48 hours.  The only symptom we noticed was a slightly runny nose, much less than you would have with a common cold.  I don't know if the green chiretta helped, but I would take it again if I contracted another respiratory virus.  Chula University claims it inhibits viral replication in the body, so I believe it may have helped to knock out the viral load fast.

We were directed to contact the medical team via the app, and only go to the nurse's station if needed for medical issues.  A few days before my scheduled release from quarantine, I sent the nurses at the hotel a WhatsApp message asking for my exact release date and time.  I had to deal with renewing the rental car contract, and wanted to know for sure when I would be freed from captivity so I could drive back to Phuket airport to take care of the car contract renewal.  

To my surprise, the nurse responded that I could leave the following afternoon, after paying both the hotel and hospital bills, and then receiving a letter of release from quarantine.  This meant only 9 nights total, including check in day, not the 10 plus check in day originally quoted by the medical team.  Good news!   The way they re-calculated the isolation time was beginning from the day the swabs were done, not the next day, when the result of the test was received.  Originally upon check in, I was told my release date would be on January 26, but they modified that to the 25th.  I wasn't about to stay there a minute longer than required.  

 

One of the nurses sent this flow chart to my phone.  Note the original release date of the 26th.

 

The next afternoon I checked out, and I had to leave N to stay alone that night.  Out of my month in Thailand, that was to be our second and last night apart.  I think he was having thoughts of my possibly driving off into the sunset, leaving him there, and not returning to pick him up the next day.  I could not stay at the hospitel that night because my release paperwork was complete, and my bill was already paid in full.  I was more than happy to jump in the Toyota and put that place in the rear-view mirror until the next day, when I would be back to settle his bill, and we could continue our trip together.

We had talked it over, and rather than rush back to Bangkok, and go to Pattaya for a few days as planned, we decided to continue our travels in the south, and stay an extra five days.  My rented car was in the hotel parking lot, and raring to go as soon as we were both free of quarantine.  We decided we wanted to see Ao Nang more than we wanted to go to Pattaya for the umpteenth time. 

I had booked the rental car from Phuket airport for two weeks, and the agency at Phuket said I had to return to Phuket with the car to renew the contract.  So since N's quarantine ended one day after mine, I drove to Ao Nang  to spend one night alone in a hotel there.  This was the same hotel that had to be canceled  earlier.  

The following morning, I drove from Ao Nang south to Phuket province, about a three hour drive, to renew the car contract at Phuket airport.  It was an ordeal to get the car renewed.  The car rental counters are in the secure arrivals area, and not accessible to the general public.  I knew this was going to be an issue beforehand, because of the way the airport is designed.  I had N write a note for me in Thai, explaining that I needed to access the car rental counter, rather than chance it to pantomime with the airport police.

I showed the note and the rental car contract to two different groups of airport police, and after reading it, they smiled, but would not let me inside.  I was beginning to wonder what he had written on the note.  Then I noticed a man sitting at a table with a banner above him that was marked "Tourism Authority of Thailand".  He spoke fluent English.  I let him know it was an unusual request, but since I was a tourist in need of assistance, he was more than ready to help.  I explained the difficulty I was having, and just like Moses parting the Red Sea, he had a woman from the car rental counter seated in front of me in under three minutes, writing a renewal contract for the car in the lobby of the airport.  

Then after a quick lunch, I went back to pick up N in Khao Lak, where he was finishing up his last day of quarantine.  When I walked into the room, he was sound asleep at 2 in the afternoon.  He said since he had been alone last night, he had stayed up all night drinking Leo Beer, and watching shows on the big TV. Then another long trip back to Ao Nang, where both of us stayed together that night.  It was a lengthy day of driving.  I spent about 10 hours behind the wheel that day, driving in parts of three provinces to tie up loose ends, so we could resume our travels, and finally put the quarantine behind us.

Free at last!

to be continued...

 

 

[daydreamer]

To everyone who has commented, thank you for your kind words.  I wanted to make sure N was able to stay in a comfortable hotel room, and he did appreciate that he didn't have to go to the government facility.  

I completed my travel and health insurance claim today, and sent it off.  In addition to the hotel and hospital charges, I included all the canceled nights of hotel stays, and the lost return airfare to Bangkok.  My insurance policy included trip interruption, so we'll see how much they will actually pay out.  I'll leave a note here in a few weeks, after the claim is settled, to let other Thailand travelers know if it was a good policy that I chose.  

Although I can't claim N's quarantine charges on my insurance, it was worth the money to have him stay with me.  It helped both of us make it through the ordeal much easier than it would have been for both of us to be several kilometers apart. 

 

[vinapu]

50 minutes ago, daydreamer said:

....... I can't claim N's quarantine charges on my insurance, it was worth the money to have him stay with me.

no doubt and right thing to do too

[Londoner]

I'm delighted you are together again. And back on holiday. I hope the rest of the trip is full of happiness.

 

[spoon]

Glad that u make what seems like a nightmare for most to an actually the best way to deal with quarantine. I wouldnt mind to be stucked in a hotel with someone i adore enough to bring him travelling with me especially if the alternative is staying there alone. And yes, it is definitely worth the  money to spend for that kind of luxury!.

Though your experience definitely affirms my thought that a short trip to thailand is definitely not worth it at this time. Too much hassle and much less rewards. 

[tm_nyc]

Thank you so much for providing such a detailed account of the ups & considerable downs of your trip.  Before reading your posts, I did not think I would return to Thailand with the current restrictions in place.  Now I am certain that I will wait for the restrictions to be lifted (or at least reduced).

[daydreamer]

 

On the way to Ao Nang, it was a very scenic trip by car through mountain passes, with many sharp bends in the road.  The flat land of Khao Lak begins to give way to impressive limestone karst mountains that seem to pop up around every bend in the road after entering Krabi province.  

 

 

Ao Nang is the center of tourist activity in Krabi province.  Ao Nang's location is home to some of Thailand's most scenic beaches.  There are also numerous offshore islands that can be visited on day trips from Ao Nang.

We stayed at the Krabi Heritage Hotel in Ao Nang.  I chose this hotel because of the good location, and the stunning views from the superior sea view rooms located on the top floor.  I stayed there for six nights, and N stayed for five nights, since his quarantine in Khao Lak ended one day after mine did.

 

Our room at the Krabi Heritage Hotel

 

The next three photos were taken from the balcony of our room at the Krabi Heritage Hotel.  The huge volcanic eruptions in the Tonga islands in January contributed to spectacular colors in the sky every day at sunset.

 

All three areas where we stayed in the south were affected by the tragic tsunami that occurred on Boxing Day in 2004.  Of all the locations in Thailand hit by the giant wave, Khao Lak suffered the heaviest damage and loss of life, due to the fact the land is so flat in that location.  The wave swept large boats inland about one kilometer from the coast in some areas of Khao Lak.  One large police boat has been preserved where it landed about one kilometer inland, as an outdoor display at a small tsunami museum, a reminder of the devastation and loss of many lives in the region on that day.  King Bhumipol lost a grandson to the tsunami in Khao Lak in 2004.  

In beachfront areas throughout the region, there are visual warnings of the danger.  

 

One day we traveled from Ao Nang to Khao Sok National Park, in Surat Thani province.  The main attraction there is the huge Cheow Lan Lake, and surrounding rainforest.  This area receives more annual rainfall than any other part of Thailand.  The lake was formed in 1987 when a large dam was built.  In order to form the huge lake, a portion of Khao Sok National Park was intentionally flooded by the rising waters, and today the lake provides electricity and a constant supply of fresh water to the region.  

Longtail boats can be rented to tour the lake and view the interesting landscape of the area.  Many boats carry groups on tours, but I decided to hire our own private boat for two hours, so we could have the boat to ourselves.  There is only one booth selling tickets for the all longtail boats.  The prices are on a large board, and are non-negotiable.  We decided that a two hour boat ride was sufficient, not wanting to sit on a plank seat in a wooden boat for longer than that.  There were two options for a two hour boat ride; 1,700 baht for an uncovered boat, or 2,000 baht for a boat with a small sun shade.  We didn't want to sit in the blazing sun for two hours, so we rented the boat with the sun shade.  

This being a national park, the fee to enter the national park was 300 baht for me, and 60 baht for N.  This is not included in the boat rental fee.  Then they charge an extra 20 baht on top of that for a boat usage fee.  In addition, they require everyone, both Thais and foreigners to show your vaccination record to enter national parks nowadays.  They also wanted to see my passport and Thailand Pass QR code.

 

No buildings can be constructed on land inside the national park, however the government allows some floating bungalows to operate for overnight guests.  The neat groups of floating bungalows are anchored near shore, and placed in various parts of the huge lake.  About halfway through the boat ride, we stopped at a group of floating bungalows for a toilet break.  Attached to the rafts of bungalows was a floating park ranger station.

Water everywhere, and that potted plant next to the bungalow died of thirst.

Southern Thailand has a large population of Thai Muslims, as evidenced by the numerous mosques and women with scarfs as head coverings throughout the region.  This large mosque is right in the center of Ao Nang, on the hill leading away from the beach.  Some restaurants do not serve any pork dishes due to their religion.

 

to be continued...

 

[vinapu]

views are spectacular indeed

[CurtisD]

Your photos are wonderful, thank you!

On 2/9/2022 at 10:00 PM, daydreamer said:

HereWeGo phone app

I am also making notes of useful tips like the one above!

Very glad that you and N navigated quarantine with sanity and humor intact.

[daydreamer]

The next day we traveled a couple hours from Ao Nang to a remote, but large and very impressive Buddhist wat.  This is a place that N had told me he wanted to visit since we had arrived in the south.  The wat is beautiful, and there were very few people there, we nearly had the place to ourselves. 

Of all the Buddhist temples I have seen in Thailand, this one is prominent, due to the rich gold ornamentation everywhere, and its impressive size.

 

 

These immense cloisters, lined with Buddha statues, extend around all four sides of the base of the main chedi:

 

It seemed odd that such a large and distinctive temple was located very far from any center of population.  We traveled through miles of groves of palm oil trees and rubber tree plantations to reach the location of this temple.  Rubber trees are seemingly everywhere in many parts of the south.  Thailand is the world's leading rubber producer.

Our last day in Ao Nang was reserved to visit area a couple area beaches.  We had relaxed at the beach for a couple days in Khao Lak before we were sent to quarantine, and were ready for another beach day.  To reach the nicest beaches, we took a shared 10 minute longtail "water taxi" boat ride from Ao Nang Beach to Railay Beach.  Several of the best beaches in the area are only accessible by longtail boat.  Each water taxi holds eight passengers.  The longtail boat associatioon is a cooperative run by local fishermen.  

The boat system is very well organized.  There are ticket kiosks at both ends of Ao Nang beach.  You tell them your destination, buy a roundtrip ticket at 200 baht per person, and hang out a few minutes until there are enough passengers to fill the boat.  If you are impatient, you can pay 1,000 baht, and not wait until the boat is full.  We only had to wait about five minutes for the boat to fill with people.  There are no piers, you wade out into the surf, and board the boat that is floating in a couple feet of water.  

The Railay peninsula, where these beaches are located, is isolated from Ao Nang by high limestone cliffs.  This beach is one of the most picturesque beaches in Thailand, with the aqua colored water, highlighted by the large promontories at each end of the beach.  There are several companies that specialize in rock climbing, and we saw a couple people in harnesses scaling the cliffs in the area.  

 

 

Railay Beach has a population of interesting looking monkeys.  They all have white rings around their eyes.

 

Although Railay Beach is beautiful, our destination that morning was Phra Nang Cave Beach.  It can be reached on foot via an easy 20 minute walk from Railay Beach.  The pathway leads through a grotto filled with limestone stalactites and a few stalagmites.  The limestone cliff hangs over the foot path, forming a cool open sided cave to escape the sun.

 

The majority of tourists on these beaches appeared to be Thais, very few farang here:

As we were walking through the grotto, I heard a loud thunk, and turned to see that N had walked headfirst into a low hanging stalactite, about one foot thick.  It was wrapped with brightly colored ribbons, but like many young people, N's eyes were glued to his phone as he was walking, and he missed the large stone object hanging from the grotto ceiling, at eye level, directly in front of him.  Luckily, he had his sunglasses propped up on his head, so they took the brunt of the impact, instead of cracking his head.  The only thing injured was his pride.  After that incident, he put his phone away for at least two minutes while we continued walking.

 

At the southern end, Phra Nang Cave Beach has two shrines with many wooden penis offerings inside shallow caves in the limestone cliffs.

 

There are no hotels or shops on Phra Nang beach, it is completely unspoiled.  We walked about 10 minutes to the northern end of the beach, and had the area all to ourselves.  Usually, in high season in pre-covid times, these beaches were wall to wall with tourists.  Now was a great time to visit these beaches, as much of Thailand is uncrowded, even at the peak of the tourist season in January.

 

After a couple hours relaxing at Phra Nang beach, we walked the path back to Railay beach.  On the way, I stopped to take this photo of someone scaling the rock face.  It's a bit hard to see, but if you follow the rope up, you can see the adventurous soul in the center of the photo:

 

Back at Railay Beach.  The water taxis are only allowed to stop at this beach.  That's one reason we didn't want to stay there.  Although the boats make for a visually pleasing photo, they are loud.  They are powered by car engines with no mufflers, similar to the boats in the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok.  Phra Nang Beach is silent, with no boat traffic.

 

The return boat back to Ao Nang filled up with passengers in just a few moments, and 10 minutes later we arrived back in Ao Nang, just steps away from the hotel.   After a few hours exploring and relaxing on the beaches, it was time to head back to the hotel for a quick shower. 

 

After lunch, we drove to Nopparat Thara Beach, the next beach north of Ao Nang.  There is a nice tree shaded park, and many small shops, just in back of the beach.  These were a couple Thai style iced teas we ordered from a local shop along Nopparat Thara Beach.  Two fancy drinks that cost 55 baht each:

The drinks were artistically made, complete with lots of whipped cream, chocolate wafers, and loaded with pieces of fresh mango, strawberries, and orange slices, crunchy cereal flakes, chocolate sauce, a rolled wafer cookie, and the cups had a handmade palm frond carrying handle.   The toppings alone on the drinks were equivalent to a full dessert.  Much higher quality, and less expensive drinks than you find in chain stores like Cafe Amazon or Starbucks.  It took the lady at the shop about 4 minutes to decorate each drink with all the toppings. 

 

to be continued...