PLANNING and BANGKOK

FOREWORD
Instructions to reader.
When you first click the link you will see a few chapters but to complete the story you have to return to the beginning (Home) in to access the later chapters one by one. The clickable chapter titles are listed on the right hand side of the very first page under my photo. 

This story is rewritten from notes and photographs taken at the time, many digitised by me from the original slides. 
In November/December 1999 we visited Southern Thailand for the first time in several years, had a wonderful time and started to plan a joint visit with our family of children and grandchildren for the next school summer holiday, essentially following the same travel route.
As it turned out 2000 will also be remembered as the year of the Dot Com Boom, the year it was not uncommon for tech shares to rise to ten times their cost a few years earlier and to drop more rapidly and remorselessly in the following year.

Jim and Judy the oldest and youngest of our three children came each with their two children, Alice and Hazel, Rachel and Joe. Second son Geoff was in a bad place at the time having fallen out with his girlfriend, declined the offer no doubt feeling he would be the odd one out. Making 10 people in total an ideal number for hiring a minibus with driver for each change in venue, the main difference to the previous winter when we had as usual travelled by local scheduled buses. All the adults were carrying heavy rucksacks their first experience of backpacking.

Jim and wife Anne-Marie and their bilingual family lived in France and flew from Paris, the rest of us flew from Heathrow. I booked rooms in the Asia Hotel as previously knowing that the Bangkok. An excellent choice as the Sky Train would have just opened with a station just across the road offering an easy way to the river and major attractions. I had also pre-booked tickets for the journey south by overnight train from Bangkok to Trang, and had a reservation in a guest house in Krabi. The rest was unreserved as usual, but that was correctly deemed to be sufficient even though finding rooms for ten rather than two was potentially a far greater challenge, but on the whole we would be of the beaten track.

We knew that summer weather would be less ideal than winter, being hotter but more importantly the sea would be rougher, thus less than ideal for trips to the islands in small boats. Nevertheless it was vital to stay within school holidays. 

STORY STARTS HERE on the 20/21 July 2000
Both parties flew overnight, we hired a minibus from the airport to the Asia Hotel, though two taxis would have been cheaper and collected the train tickets as organised through a helpful one man travel agent in Cardiff. Jim and family arrived a little later and we went out straight away catching the Sky Train (30baht) to the river and took the ferry (6baht) to Wat Po and the magnificent golden Buddhas. 

But to get there we had to walk through a small street market. The store holders were so amazed with this galaxy of four blond haired kids that they kept inviting them to try a range of current Thai fruits, Rambutan, fresh Pineapple pieces  and minute sweet bananas with pips, Mangosteen whose innocuous looking segments left a permanent red stain on Rachel's clothes..

Evening was approaching as the rain started to pour and as we walked towards Wat Pho a young trainee Buddhist monk donated his umbrella to blond haired Alice with a smile. The streets of Bangkok are full of, learning survival by begging in the streets was a necessary preliminary, he was more permanent. We didn't stay long dodging inside the temple buildings to avoid the cold wind and rain. The kids creating a stir by rampaging full of excitement but seeing little of Thailand's most spectacular monument.

Anne-Marie, Jim, Hazel, Rachel,Joan, Judy, Alice and Gary (background) at Wat Pho

JOE and ALICE at PLAY

Joe the youngest of the group then just four, still with the angelic golden blond hair of childhood, was to be get special treatment from Thais throughout the holiday, for as a race they are normally dark in hair and eyes. The great tragedy is that he alone cannot remember anything of the holiday. 

That evening I was determined to introduce the group to eating Thai style on the streets remembering from last November a good cafe just a 100 metres away with seats inside and on the pavement. Knowing exactly where we were going I was accosted by a young Thai who was equally determined that we were going to follow him. Typical Bangkok style interference by chancers, especially vulnerable are people exciting a good hotel like the Asia. A problem not suffered as much by backpackers walking out of a dive in say Khao San Road - which is where we started our education as over enthusiastic backpackers ten years earlier. But on our fifth visit to Bangkok I was not going to be diverted  - though it took time to convince him of the fact. 

Our First Meal in Bangkok

Memories of the time ringing in my ears how years before we were diverted from just outside the wonderful Chinese market. A very plausible young trainee 'doctor' simply informed us the market was closed and diverted by taxi to a precious stone emporium, immediately realising we had been conned we beat a hasty exit (hopefully so fast he didn't even get his commission). Returning to the market we found it was was open after all!

No doubt we had ordered beer with the excellent meal before returning to the hotel, but Jim and Gary returned for more beer which the restaurant weren't allowed to sell without food, the solution was beer disguised in a teapot! 

22 July
After a fine breakfast from a selection of of Thai and European dishes we again left by Sky Train and Chao Phraya express boat disembarking at Tha Chang to see the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace. Several of us had to borrow clothes to cover shoulders upper arms and legs, Rachel had to wear trousers over her short dress and was exceptionally hot. Joan and I always adhered to the dress code, borrowing just a head scarf but we had not envisaged that the children would have to comply. Strangely T-shirts were acceptable!

Very impressive but not ideal for the children so my idea was to take a local long tailed river taxi up the Bangkok Noi river on the opposite bank to Bang Yai for lunch, but everyone was too hot to face the two hour journey so we returned to the hotel's pool which was a huge success. Except that Joe, who couldn't yet swim, jumped in out of his depth unseen except thankfully by his father who immediately dived in and saved him. 

River Life in Thonburi (Bangkok)

Looking for a different venue for our evening meal I walked alone along Phetchburi looking for the Suki restaurant where Taniya took Joan and I in November for a steamboat meal. It was closed and a new one would be opening shortly so back to the same one as the night before at 342/15-16 Playa Thai. I made a note of some of the options we chose
Buap Phat Kung   Stir fry prawns with sponge gourd
Tom Yam Kung      Sour and Spicy Prawn Soup
Yam Malakoo        Hot Papaya Salad
Pla Koo Pad Phick Kaeng    Spicy and Sweet Fish Curry

Pu Phat Phong Kari   ?
Yam Thale               Spiced Sea Food Salad
Pla Menk Thot        Fried Squid
Phad Plak Ruam Mid  Stir Fried Asparagus Carrot and Cauliflower
Kay ma Muang        Chicken and Cashew

The children were too tired to eat well at 19:30 and Joe even fell asleep. They are going to take a while to acclimatise to this daytime temperature of 30-35C. It poured both evenings between 5pm and 6pm. The security precautions for Alice and Hazel with each wearing small textile wallets round their necks giving name and contact details for the expected itinerary including the hotels we hoped to be using was deemed a success. The next day we bought similar wallets for Rachel and Joe, but young Joe was a worry especially in big cities being unaware of the risks of getting lost.

Before leaving we booked rooms in the Asia Hotel for our return to Bangkok for the 11 and 12 August before the flight home on 13 August  flight home making 26 days away in total.

23 July We arranged to keep my room until 4pm and thus kept a base for luggage and wash/shower for the day for in the evening we would board the night train for Trang in the far south. Following yesterday's intention we went back to the quay at Tha Chang again a bought tourist tickets for a visit to Bang Yang by the Bangkok Klong Bangkok Noi, a canal on the Thonburi side of the Chao Praya river.

PIER at THA CHANG in BANGKOK

Joan and I had previously been allowed onto the locals service where a far lower payment was made by handing the money hand to hand until it arrived at the driver immediately before each passenger descended, usually at his own river side home.

Ban Yang Pier up Bangkok Noi Canal

BANG YANG PIER

Nevertheless the experience was similar the same long tailed boats steered using the engine as a rudder, the delivery trade by similar boats on the river to the houses with everything from food stuffs to fuel. The overhead electricity supply to the houses  wires and heavy cables dangling from large concrete pylons. We had forty minutes for lunch of chicken, chips and coke at a pier-side cafe before re-boarding our waiting boat, the stop itself gave a contrast to the buzz of the city.

We finished off with another visit to the pool and just made it to the station with ten minutes to spare. Asking prices for taxis from or to the hotel were about three times the cost of our option of paying according to the meter, we typically needed three, each costing 50B. Everyone realises few tourists have developed a feel for correct prices. 

Hazel, Jim and Joe on overnight train Bangkok - Trang

JIM and sister JUDY with families on train from BANGKOK to TRANG

The dinner on the train was disappointing especially in a country rightly renowned for its unique cuisine and the beer expensive. I had not remembered from our previous overnight journeys that they left the flourescent lights on overnight still I slept well though no one else did. The joins between carriages we deemed unsafe for small children but since there were 2 sinks and 2 toilets in each carraige it was not a problem. The rest of the carriage were clearly delighted with the over excited European children, who were having a great time.

Alice and Rachel's Clapping Games on overnight train south

English speaking Rachel and her bilingual French speaking cousin Alice were exchanging clapping rhymes in the two languages and not tolerant of loss of co-ordination.

    

TRANG and KRABI

24 July 2000

On arrival at Trang we were approached by Samran looking for business as a tour guide, hoping eventually to open a Tour Office to extol the new found attractions of the newly opened up coastal area around Trang. We had explored the area several years earlier and had seen the possibilities but at that time the area was unknown and without custom. Since clearly I was guide enough and had a guest house booked in Krabi somewhat to the north he instead offered to take us to Krabi in his pickup truck for 1000B if I would first buy the petrol. 

The children sat in the cramped rear seat of the air conditioned cab, I sat beside driver Samran but the rest had to rough it in the back, a bumpy ride with very hot sun overhead no doubt made it their first taste of travelling like backpackers. It was an unexpectedly long journey lasting 90 minutes, but Samran and I got on exceedingly well with him honing his already good English and helping me with my Linguaphone Thai. The kids were full of beans especially when Thai pop songs were played on the cassette with Joe strumming his imaginary guitar.

We were welcomed at the Bai Fern GH where I had made the last of our advance bookings, the one mistake I made in planning this trip. Joan and I had been very comfortable one of several front rooms last November but they were now unavailable being on extended off season rent. The rooms we had in the rear had not been in regular use due to the season didn't have hot water or air conditioning, there was no where to hang clothes and not great security but the downside was a constant smell from the sewers which was worse in some rooms than ours. I should have decided to move to better accommodation after the first night but didn't being anxious not to break my word (booking) to the very pleasant owner and perhaps over anxious to show backpackers taking the rough with the smooth. My record shows after a couple of nights the others seemed content, continual flushing having reduced the smell of the sewers.

I found large black scorpions in the street nearby just under a nut tree and advised the children to wear sandals. A bite can be serious and children might need to go to hospital for treatment, but the pharmacist says simply to treat with antihistamine cream and tablets. Gary was already taking antihistamine tablets 4 times/day because of a severe reaction including joint pains to mosquito bites. 

After that first lunchtime after arrival the owners husband on request drove us to the Ao Nang beach. When we first visited  the south in January 1992 this beautiful beach was deserted except for a few sun bathing/swimming couples and a pineapple seller who pealed and sold complete fruit to order. There was some housing and a shop but nothing directly behind the beach, what a contrast the beach was now backed by small tourist hotels.

We walked along the beach to the new restaurant at the far end. I went straight in for a swim and the others followed but before long Rachel ran out screaming having been bitten by a jelly fish. There were big painful wields which Judy treated with anti histamine cream but the restaurant keeper simply with vinegar. He told us jelly fish were a problem in summer time and particularly a now at low tide. Because of the season there was no food available at the cafe. By night time only a few bite marks remained, but what terrible luck to have this as an introduction to the wonderful beaches and warm seas of southern Thailand.

Krabi featured one especially good indoor restaurant well known to us from our two earlier visits just across from the ferry boat pier the Kotung. Everyone was delighted with the food, at least ten different plates including Tom Yang Kung, Spicy Seafood Salads, Chicken and Cashew nuts, Green Curry, Rice, and Chips for the children, all for 1000B half of which went on six large bottles of beer.

The good times were back with a bang.
Joe complained that 'Hazel is pulling up my carpet' meaning his table mat. 
The Girls were singing 'Maya, Maya l'Abbeille, Winnie Winnie l'Oursan, attention au bout de toi de l'abbeille, te piquera, allez un, allez deux, allez trois, pique!'

25 July Because our GH was unable to provide us with breakfast we went to the nearby Tower GH in who offered either Continental or Full English menus including egg, bacon and sausage (a sign of the times as tourism grips). The Thai who had accompanied us last night to the restaurant hoping for a commission arranged for a boat to take us to Chicken Island, Poda, and Prang Na (Raleigh beach) hoping to get an early start it was 1am before we had finished breakfast.

The sea was very rough everyone aboard was drenched by spray during the one hour crossing and we were all worried at times by the lack of free-board so the route was modified somewhat to two small islands joined by a sand bar.

Beautiful green sea, golden sands, lovely coloured fish for snorkelling luckily they had all brought plastic masks and flippers. The sun was so hot that by 2pm everyone was sufficiently burned in spite of frequent addition of sun screen cream. 

Everyone was overwhelmed by the beauty of the tropical beauty. 

ALL ABOARD FOR RETURN

The return journey was even more treacherous as we surfed the waves, and all but swamped twice as the boat rolled in the bigger ones. The driver was as relieved as we were on getting back to the calm of the estuary and the Raleigh Bay which is mostly approached by sea. 

FACES WORRIED by ROLLING SEA

We ate excellent multiple dish style again on the front before returning to Krabi about 5pm. Later that evening we ate again at the Kotung restaurant itself in Krabi with even more dishes for 1145B. Rachel ate Chicken and Noodles and the other children ate Charcoal grilled Fish and Chips.

26 July A lie in to give everyone a good rest and then planned for an elephant ride, 800B per adult and 400B per child. Joan and I merely watched for uncomfortable rides on Elephant or Camel had no attraction for us since the novelty wore off. With Anne-Marie we looked after the children whilst the other three went shopping in the market returning with large bottles of water, fruit, biscuits and pineapple buns.

The a/c minibus picked us up at 1:25pm and went along the road to Ao Leuk before turning to the coast through an area of limestone outcrops. There were two elephants which the children enjoyed feeding with whole bunches of green bananas which they devoured whole along with the fruit only of whole pineapples leaving the husk as a brush to clean their skin. They had an enormous appetite for fruit and for the fleshy reed plants in the fields. Whilst walking over loose red sandstone they picked it up with their  trunks and then sand blasted their underneath's.

For the first trip each family had one elephant but it was obviously a little cramped with four up. I complained that we had had only 20 minute rides rather than the 60 mins advertised, he offered another ride but there were no takers! We went for a short trek in the limestone outcrops but the young adults were taken on a much longer trek. When they returned the children asked for another ride this time Jim and Gary stayed behind to leave extra space and a much better experience.

Finally the kids again reveled in feeding the elephants and we took photos, the man wanted to get in the shots obviously realising the sales advertisement in being photographed with our young children especially Joe the blond haired blue eyed favorite. I wrote a day the kids won't forget - but Joe did.

Back to the Kotung restaurant and we ordered more for 1300B, this time more than was wanted. I also took them to the market in town and to the Muslim stalls with particularly 'hot' food. There was a fine selection, curries of many differing kinds, sea foods, winkles, Gary has a particular love of the hot spicy flavour of such food and so obviously wants to eat there. 

In addition we looked around the night market on the other pier side of the road, normally with such street food markets each stall specialises in one dish, we tried a selection with the stall holders fondling Gary's stomach. At this time of year they were short of custom. There was also a much larger stall selling a big range of dishes that I didn't remember from the previous November, we noted that they were heating the pots nightly in order to keep them fresh. The coffee shop on the pavement was however absolutely full and tempting but we decided to avoid more agro by taking the children home.

27 July Breakfast at our GH Bai Fern

Then hiring a song thaew to Hat Nopparathara on an overcast day following the second successive night of heavy rain.

PORT at HAT NOPPARATHARA

THE RIVER CROSSING

Getting off the boat across the river we met an East German with his son who recommended the Emerald Court restaurant where they were staying as sole residents. There I got talking to his wife also an East German from Leipzig where she was the Head of Protocol in City Hall, which entailed making arrangements for visiting dignitaries. They had been to Phuket and Long Beach on Phi Phi which unlike most of Phi Phi was really clean and recommended Paradise Resort Bungalows right on the beach at 350B/night. She also recommended Bali, which they had cycled around, but had found the sea at Kuta too rough for children - though attractive to surfers. They had also been to Toba on Sumatra and Jo Jakarta (city of  kings) on Java and Lombok. She also recommended Vietnam. The sort of helpful advice normally passed between independent travellers. After retirement we toured Sumatra, Bali and Lombok.

Our girls were collecting shells on the beach and dug out a crab from its hole in the sand only to see it disappear down another nearby.

We had an excellent lunch at the Emerald, not cheap at 935B without beer. The cook said he gave hour long lessons when he had time often aimed at cooking a clients favorite dishes for their next meal. He showed us two recommended books 'Authentic Thai Food' and 'Cooking Thai Food in American Kitchens' which referred to Cardoman as Candle Nut. I remember Jim and Gary, both fond of cooking, being particularly interested. 

Alice and Rachel lazing at the EMERALD RESORT

For dinner we returned to the Muslim restaurant on the market, but although cheap at 25B/plate it was deemed a failure being far too hot for most and not at all refined. To finish off we had pancakes on the estuary side street market, after leaving I remembered leaving behind my day sack with Joan's money belt and my camera. The heart pounded on realisation but it was still on the seat when I returned.  

28 July Another cloudy day further disorganised by deciding to shop independently, though Alice and Rachel ended up with pretty Thai wrap around skirts. It was 2pm before we all met up and hired a boat to Rai Leh (Raleigh Beach) as planned, squabbles about boats and lifejackets and a further dispute on return about price, eventually 140B for each adult but the children went free all as initially agreed. Unlike high season in November there were no boats pulled up to shore selling food. Where was the sun? All that was needed to complete a spectacle of the cliffs.

Hazel, Alice and Rachel (in their new Thai Skirts)

RALEIGH BEACH

We decided to move on to Ko Phi Phi tomorrow rather than wait or the festival which would soon open on spare ground close to the GH and was expected to attract shop stalls from all over Thailand. So we bought tickets for six adults, as with the small boat and buses children went free. The GH bill for ten, five nights, 3 breakfasts and drinks was just 6200B.

Since Gary had to fly back early for work we booked him a train ticket locally from Trang to Bangkok for 3 August, the price was identical to that from the stations, receipt was given on paying and the actual ticket was available a few hours later. 

One final evening meal at the Kotung for another fabulous meal this time featuring giant prawns at 700B/kg. On leaving I gave the bent old Chinese man who spoke good English and always took our orders, a 500B tip for himself, especially the kitchen staff and the pleasant young waitresses.

KO PHI PHI

29 JULY 2000 Ferry to Phi Phi
A quick 20 minute look around the fair at Krabi was enough to convince us we were not missing much. Rachel came back with a Longines watch and proudly declared 'It's a Fake'.

The boat to Phi Phi was almost empty and since they too had experienced several poor days with rain many were heading back to Krabi. As it turned out our timing was much almost perfect. 

On arrival we took a long tailed boat to Ma Proa as near to Long Beach as he would go because of the surf and low tide height (220B). 

KRABI FERRY and LONG TAILED BOATS in TON SAI

In fact it was unsatisfactory for swimming in spite of glorious weather. We had to complete the difficult journey with full rucksacks over rain soaked ground on foot including descending a steep slope holding onto the mass of overhead ropes for rucksack carriers with free hands (on our first visit years ago a single rope had to suffice). By the time we arrived the sun was shining and the beach was full of sunbathers. There were several  European families like ours but the vast majority was adult backpackers.

From Paradise Pearl we hired a M3 medium sized bungalow for ourselves or 450B and large bungalow (M15 500B) with two double beds for Judy and two more M3's for Jim. The next day they changed for two doubles each on the beach for 600B. The bungalows were a good condition with full mosquito protection.

RACHEL, ALICE and JOE

HAZEL and JOE, RACHEL and ALICE

The large restaurant roofed but otherwise open to the air was good without quite the finesse of Kotung but was 50% more expensive. In the early evening they display the fresh fish catches for dinner by special order and could choose the manner of cooking eg green curry. We missed out that our first day but never again.

Swimming wonderful, scenery magnificent, sand almost silver from coral reef just offshore, lots of fine shells to collect. Out came the camera.

The restaurant was almost full for dinner but the service was fairly quick and above all cheerful. A Star Wars video was playing so Alice and Hazel went over to look and on return were quizzed on return, was it Star Wars I or II and the precise style of the headdresses.

30 July Everyone slept well. Air Con was by fan playing directly over heads which suited met but not Joan. I hope Judy has a good night so far the heat, humidity, smelly shower, mosquitoes and even the young children had been too much for her in Krabi. Gary has been great at playing with the children but Judy had ended up carrying Joe home on her shoulders.

I took the advantage of the early light to go out with the camera, the colour of the surf, of coral segments protruding from the sea.There were two other like minded people with SLR's,  Jim and Alice were the only others out early strolling at the edge of the sea. 

JIM and ALICE

ALICE

JOAN

We four went for a swim and Anne-Marie and Hazel who I guess had been watching us from the bungalow soon joined us. Alice was given a big selection of shells by the Sea Gypsies. 

We all went swimming after breakfast but thereafter I kept out of the way with a worsening cold and read the Bangkok Post (in English I guess, never having tried to master Thai Alphabet symbols).

Thai Politics 2000
Following the last elections it had taken 5 months to select and re-elect the members of the Senate and the dispute now was to elect a Speaker. Chuan Leepai is still PM as he has been for 9 years since 1992, before him it was military rule.  There had been concern about vote buying and other corruption 'can no longer be regarded as a valid form of wealth redistribution'. 'An independent body will now vet Congress but that too is expected to be corrupt so a third level will be needed to scout them. Special harsh measures are needed to combat entrenched corruption'. The Electoral Commission is to be given powers to revoke the election rights of candidates found guilty of campaign fraud, even to the point of dissolving an entire political party  As I write in 2015 there is still electoral chaos with the military back in charge of that country and the revered old king nearing the end of his reign.

Another article concerned a 45 year old illiterate woman Sa-ing Tawaisin on hunger strike to draw attention to the poor the main losers in the increased organisation of production, particularly forest management and the use of outside firms. She had started protesting in 1990 against the scheme to take farm land from villagers in her village Dong Mae Ped to plant eucaluptus trees for paper making.
There are 40 hunger strikers protesting about lay offs in front of Government House

Korean Politics 2000
Kim-Jong II has suddenly become a cult figure following his formal meeting with the South Korea leader Bae-lo-Shak, now a Kim look alike.  Kim has adopted bouffant hair style, a Mao jacket, oversized sun glasses and 5 inch lift to shoes. He was previously seen as the despot at the helm of a rogue nation with a large nuclear arsenal. 90% of the southern people polled thought Kim deserved a Nobel prize. The Korean war ended without a Peace Treaty and they thought he needed help with a population of 22 million and a failing economy.

31 July Time for today's reminiscences are another indication I was doing my own thing away from the crowd because of my cold. Joan and I are feeling the heat and I developed a soar throat a few days ago and now she has it.

First a note about menus for example the special offers were 
1) Large White Snapper for two at 180B each cooked in three flavour Thai sauce, slightly hot (picante) and sweet.
2) Mixed Sea Food for two at 150B each, crab, clams, mussels, shrimps cooked in hot Thai coconut curry sauce.
3) Plates of Six large Prawns for 150B
4) Smaller Snapper for one at 140B
The all-day breakfasts were served as complete plates of croisantes, chocolate and nut cakes, banana and nut cakes. 

Confusion occurred at  meal time because the waiters who took our orders spoke a little English but not so those who delivered the food, resulting in frequent concern about the match between order and receipt. Not helped because we were by far the largest party and we tended to order in at least three parts.

Dinner was always a struggle, Rachel was really great throughout with her behaviour but the rest were not quite old enough. Alice, Hazel and Joe are difficult and Hazel sometimes insists on French fries and egg, though they like food cooked in batter eg squid, chicken pieces. They could drink Fanta and eat bread, cheese burgers, chocolate cake, banana cake, and ice cream all day.

I am always amazed by the number of backpackers who ate an American fast food diet of burgers and chips and drink milk shakes in the face of all this lovely unique Thai food. But few backpackers drunk beer - it was too expensive, but not for us, so it accounted for half the cost of dinner, typically 1600B for all ten of us.

Long Beach is beautiful clean with a silvery gold texture the sea a light turquoise colour turning to deep blue where it passes over coral - I am sure we were right to come straight here in spite of the hard walking of long ups and steep slippery downs.

HAT YAO or  LONG BEACH

JUDY with JOE, RACHEL,ALICE HAZEL

Our Paradise Pearl is well run, more than can be said for the third of three GHs on the beach. It is now wall to wall but not obtrusively so and there is a fair speaking of sun worshipers lying on the sand. Long Beach remains a backpackers resort in spite of higher prices 300-450B even in low season like this and at least double that in winter. Green corrugated roofs, white newly decorated walls, tiled verandas and interiors. Very comfortable. Unfortunately next door they are building new wooden framed bungalows in front of those existing, encroaching further onto the beach. This delightful quiet place too will be spoiled by over expansion

At the correct state of the tide there is superb snorkelling over the reef, to high and the coral is too deep to be seen well, too shallow and you have to wade carefully over the reef avoiding damage and the sea urchins. Yellow blue striped fish, turquoise and purple, phosphorescent blues, black and white spotted fish, sea cucumbers, giant clams embedded in the rocks recognised when their mouths close as you approach. 

Sea temperature is lovely, neither too hot nor too cold, so you can stay in for hours but eventually your skin gets waterlogged, and the kids do just this.  The steeply shelving sea and the tendency for surf means the kids, particularly Joe and Hazel, need to be well watched in spite of their armbands.

We have just got off the boat which took us for a three hour visit to Phi-Phi Leh having spent the time in the sea inlet snorkeling in deep water.

PHI-PHI LEH

GARY and JOE

JUDY and JOE

PHI-PHI LEH

GARY, ALICE and JIM

Joe's first attempt with his dad, a big move on from the near tragedy in the hotel pool in Bangkok, and Rachel having overcome her fears for the first time probably for lack of sight of giant urchins in the deep. Judy stayed behind with Hazel who did not fancy a boat trip, but had to play pretend long tailed boat sitting astride a fallen tree whilst Hazel drove.

Flying fish in great shoals flew out of the water alongside the boat attracted by the noise of the engine.

Hazel is always very easy to amuse as she plays by herself, in contrast Joe is always off and in to everything. After dinner as we are dallying and chatting the girls are watching the video but Joe is outsde in the dark, trying out the hammocks by the beach, getting the Thai boys to play soccer, chasing crabs on the sand for there are hundreds and thousands. Jimmy dug one out of its hole to find it huge and fierce as it scampered away sideways.

JOAN and ALICE on HAT YAO

ANNE-MARIE and HAZEL on HAT YAO

HAT YAO or LONG BEACH

Grand-dad 'look at me, regarde moi' say the girls. Rachel now speaks English with a French person's accent, Hazel and particularly Alice are getting fluent in English. Alice will describe the wonderful fish she has seen, the colours, the shapes, the coral, to her parents and only break into French for the really difficult passages. 

All three girls are now equipped with Thai wrap around skirts which look so much better than the tiny shorts Rachel was wearing, she is being good as are all four. Hazel is the most prone to tantrums, Alice can sulk, Rachel gets uptight and Joe screams when he is not allowed to use the chopsticks with which he surely will drop all his pad Thai (noodles) down his T-shirt and onto the floor.

Joe is given fruit by the waiters most days, maybe a bunch of bananas or a bag of Lam Yai (?). He is definitely their star with his blue eyes and silver blond hair.

SUNSET at HAT YAO

The morning light and the red sunsets are highlights of the day. Early this morning at 7am we walked to the end of the beach and then across to the beach on the opposite side of this narrow, there is no doubt our coast with high cliffs visible is far the more attractive.

JOAN and SUNRISE at AO LO MU DI

JOAN SEES SUNRISE at AO LO MU DI

The roar of long tailed boats is ever present interrupted by the odd cry of a bird. Bananas ripen on the tree outside our bungalow, there are small coconut trees, which will present danger from falling fruit if allowed to grow tall, we remember the explosive sound of nuts falling on metal roofs from a previous holiday. Grass is always kept short by strimming, we watched a green and cream hooped snake being held up by a stick so its head could be strimmed off to keep us all safe. Trees of Banana, Papaya, coconut, white Garland flowers, many flowers in white orange and yellow. Bushes, grass and small yuccas around the bungalows.

Less than half the girls are topless, there are some beautiful female bodies on display. Though we are probably the only grandparents around there are many families with children aged say 3- 16 years but the vast majority are backpackers. 

'This little piggy goes to market, this little piggy stayed home', with toes under warm sea water keeps Rachel and Alice happy, as do handstand competitions in deeper water. 

One or two very heavy monsoon showers come and go but mainly it sunny days, the sea whips up easily so its easy to understand why boatmen, unlike in winter, do not come here.

Not too many mosquitoes in well proofed huts like these, but invariable encountered in the shade and after dusk but no worse than the dry season. Judy seems a little happier now, she never relaxes with Joe to look after, but Anne-Marie has no compunction on going off on her own. All agree on the importance of cold showers last thing at night to rid the heat of the day and ensure sound sleep.

Tomorrow I am going with Gary to Krabi to help ensure he gets a good start on his journey back Trang, Bangkok and the UK and work. I intend to get our own rail tickets back from Hat Yai to Bangkok, and Thai money from the bank, cash Jim's Post Office cheques because the rates were poor on Phi-Phi. Even Paradise Pearl charge an extra 3% for card transactions. I will also check my email room Mary and Bryn as promised and from Songkla (Sao) and Pattani (Nok).

When discussing the last few days of our holiday we all agreed the kids would never find anywhere as interesting as here but Anne-Marie was clear 'It's not just their holiday but ours and we want to see more of Thailand for we may not get the chance again'. We planned 5 days 1-2 at Phattalung (Thaleh Noi), 2 days Songkla and maybe 1 at Pattani.  It would be nice to contact Samran (our first pick up truck driver) but Trang area as a destination sounded too much like more beaches.

3 August
I woke up at 2 am to hear a tremendous storm and immediately started to worry about Gary's departure in the morning because oo stormy sea and the low tide the long tailed boat to Ton Sai might not leave at 8 am as usual. It was vital to get the morning ferry at 9 am to be able to get to Trang in plenty of time to catch the 17.10 train back to Bangkok. I had visions of having to walk the hard, wet, slippery path along the Phi Phi coast in order to get the ferry. Gary was having similar doubts. We needn't have worried for by 7:30 it was fine again, if overcast, but the sea was as calm as we had seen it. We were in fact the first on the ferry though by departure time it was full of backpackers returning and local Thais headed for the mainland.

The backpackers were a mixture of nationalities but all young between in their twenties and many were reading whereas on the way out many arrivals from Ko Samui had been sleeping like me. To us travel was an incidental part of the holiday, a necessary evil.

Everything went like clockwork in Krabi. I was able to get 200,000B in cash from the bank, Gary had expected me to be limited to my £200 limit in the UK. Thus I was able to purchase our return train tickets from Hat Yai, all in the same carriage but mostly in upper bunks, she told me to come back at 1:30 but waved me in when I was passing the travel agents office an hour earlier. A very efficient delivery of  9 tickets for 5750B, so I asked about hiring an air conditioned minibus and driver for our intended journey to Pattalung. She joked, being done out of business, 'so you're acting as the group tour leader'. A rather a pleasing observation which hadn't previously occurred to me, I was a Thai talking Englishman rather than an English talking Thai. She even offered me a 10% discount at 1800B. So hiring a minibus with driver each time we wanted to move destinations on was the obvious pattern.

Then I chose the right Song Thaew first time, he was already heading for the train station where we found a bus to Trang waiting. Gary said goodbye no doubt relieved it had all gone so smoothly.

As a last resort I checked my aol email in an Internet cafe. Nok had replied twice once to the wrong address the first to bricorbett had been returned but the second correctly on 21 July, the day of our departure to say she was now at the Songkla University, actually in another destination Pattini and only a few minutes from where we had stayed the previous winter, the excellent My Garden hotel in that city. She would be pleased to see us and because of the young children suggested a visit to play in their Kindergarten - back at base everyone thought this was a great idea. We revised plans to 2 nights at Sonkla and a new one at Pattini plus more before boarding the train at Hat Yai. 
 
Before returning to Long Beach I decided to stroll around Ton Sai and was immediately struck by its development since our original visit, a 3or 4 storey PP Hotel with 200 superior substantial wooden chalets over towards the opposite beach. Ton Sai was going rapidly up market, not my scene I preferred the memories of it largely basic and undiscovered, contrasted vividly now with the squalor of the areas where the Thais lived. There were lots more shops and so many places to eat. I bought a Batik T-shirt for Geoff.

At 5pm it looked as though it would be impossible to get a long tailed boat back and so I decided to walk instead, substantial building everywhere but still mainly bungalows many now air conditioned a far cry from the days when we made a point of acclimatising rapidly to the heat of the tropics by avoiding a/c. The Andaman development near Gypsy, where we stayed last winter seemed good, there was a game of pick up football on some spare ground nearby. At the entrance to the Phi-Phi school the path ended forcing you onto the beach up to Ma Prao and the difficult rope aided section.

4 August I had to go to Ton Sai to email Nok in Pattani giving her details of our itinerary. It demonstrates the absence of pre ordained routes one of the beauties of our form of travelling

6 Aug Phattalung
7 Aug  am Thaleh Noi
            pm travel to Songkla
8 Aug Would like to visits Wannaluks (?) home and Samila beach.
9 Aug am Travel to Pattani
           pm Hat Tah (?)
11 Aug am Hope to visit Kindergarten
           pm Travel to Hat Yai for train to Bangkok

Judy Anne-Marie and Rachel accompanied me to spend a fine morning shopping, mainly T-shirts for the children with soft  animal motifs attached from Anne-Marie, elephants for Hazel and Joe, I bought another two for Geoff. Rachel bought an orange dress and a dainty silver ring with a blue stone.

TON SAI, Ko Phi-Phi Don

We had lunch in Mama Pizza where the menu delighted A-M by being in French, above English!, and above phonetic Thai.  Judy and Rachel shared a sea food pizza, A-M had a huge plate of mussels in garlic and I settled for squid curry Pla Mak Pad Pet. After finishing we went over to where Mama was eating and were offered Maing Khan a mixture of cashew nuts, chopped onion etc in a sweet and sour sauce put into a leaf (lemon?) and formed into the shape of a cup.

Jim was not so lucky he was snorkeling and dives in to take a closer look just as another snorkeler shot a harpoon which passed near his chest, he bid a hasty retreat to the surface.

Joe has a little girlfriend Saphire whose original group of friends had just left. After dinner we panicked thinking we had lost Joe when Judy was unable to find him on the beach or hammocks. We eventually found playing with Saphire close to the restaurant, Judy had searched far and wide without success. Rachels favourite is still Chicken Island and the lovely sea, she enjoyed our day in town but likes Long Beach much better. 

After dinner when everyone else had gone to bed leaving Alice excitingly discussing with Jim the colours and names of the fish they had seen snorkeling and stayed on for the night's film 'Werewolf in Paris'.  

The ferry boat back had been memorable for a pretty red haired blue eyed girl sitting opposite. I literally couldn't keep my eyes off her and there she was eating dinner in our restaurant when I got back.

5 Aug. Jim, A-M, Rachel and Alice took the long tailed boat into Ton Sai where they climbed up the hill giving them fine view over opposite bays which formed the narrow section of Phi Phi. Four years later on Boxing Day 2004 this was to be the escape route for those lucky enough to escape the tsunami which tour across this of the intensively inhabited central strip including the main town.

When Jim got back he and I went for one last snorkel together swimming right out and over the main ref where dive boats had been sitting all day. There were few large fish but Jim alone saw two 3 foot long reef sharks. Further inshore there was an excellent variety of smaller fish including long thin trumpet fish and large bright mauve starfish plus others in hues of yellow, blue, turquoise and dark red.