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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
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 |
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) |
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 |
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 |
 |
| Alice and Rachel's Clapping Games on overnight train south |
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