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TonyT's third Thailand blog:
Another month in and around the country:
September to October 2015.
This third journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand between 7th September and 4th October, 2015.
Although it's called the "3rd", I've actually travelled Thailand firstly in 2007, twice in 2011 and three times in 2012 which are not documented online, so this is actually my 9th visit to Thailand..
The purpose of this visit was to go along with my wife Khemjira to visit the Thai side of the family again and to give both of us an opportunity to catch up with friends in Thailand.
I'm rewarding Aom (Khemjira), and myself a couple of visits and holidays at various places throughout Thailand before travelling to Surin where her family resides. After spending 10 days or so there, the trip will be rounded-up on a holiday to Khao Lak in South-west Thailand with our 12-month old son Jack.
To anyone who has stumbled across my earlier blogs pages they will note that one or two of the photos are repeated here on these pages. This is purely because at times we have visited the same places again and I've seen fit to make use of some of the photos and movies again.
The original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed at:-
TonyT's 1st Thailand Blog
The earlier 2nd blog in 2015 is at:-
TonyT's 2nd Thailand Blog.
Further 2-month visits are blogged here:-
TonyT's 4th Thailand Blog, 2017
TonyT's 5th Thailand Blog, 2018
TonyT's 6th Thailand Blog, 2022
TonyT's 6th Thailand blog, 2022
TonyT's 7th Thailand Blog, 2024
TonyT's 8th Thailand Blog, 2025
Our mixed itinerary is thus:
Manchester, UK to Dubai, Emirates flight 7+hrs.
Dubai Airport 140 minutes for transfer
Dubai to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport flight 6+ hrs.
Bangkok stay: 1 night.
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (7hrs).
Stay in Kanchanaburi for 3-4 days.
Kanchanaburi to Pattaya, 3 nights.
Pattaya to Pratas, Surin, 7 hours.
Phanom Dong Rak, Surin: 10 days
Surin/Pratas to Bangkok, 1 night.
Taxi to Don Muang Airport, Bangkok (old international airport).
Air Asia internal flight to Phuket, 1.5 hours.
Limo-taxi from Phuket to Mukdara Resort,Khao Lak, 1 hour.
Mukdara Resort, Khao Lak: 10 days.
Taxi to Phuket Airport then Air Asia flight to Don Muang Airport, Bangkok.
Bangkok, 3 nights
Bangkok to Manchester UK.
Anyway, here’s the journal/blog:-
SUNDAY 6th SEPTEMBER: Picked up from home at 06:45 and on an empty motorway to Manchester Airport. Check-in at one of the Emirates desks was oh so simple and rapid as was security check.
The 7-hour flight to Dubai on a Boeing 777 uneventful. Time spent at Dubai waiting for the next flight was spent travelling from terminal to terminal followed by an excellent good strong Americano for me and a plateful of spicy chicken wings and a mango slushy thing for Aom.
Next flight to Bangkok was an eye-opener for me as I'd never flown on an Airbus A380/800. The thing was enormous. Where we were seated was near to the foot of the stairs leading up to the upper deck and it was not unlike being seated in an airy hotel reception foyer. Seats comfy, plenty of legroom and a big widescreen display; not bad, not bad at all.
BANGKOK
MONDAY 7th: Arrived at Bangok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on time at 08:00. Usual chaotic passport control and the usual 20% or so unmanned desks makes for very long queues. Aom was through on her Thai-only passport control and had picked up our cases and had been waiting by the time I hacked it through to join her.
Long hike through the terminal and downstairs to the taxi-rank and we were off and onto the chaotic mayhem which is the motorway into the city. Even an ambulance with blues (& reds) and twos (& threes) couldn't hack it through the grid lock. Very hot and humid even in the air-con taxi. Our driver was one of the smart ones as he knew three of the crafty short-cuts, two through hotel reception drop-offs and a hospital emergency drop-off zone; it was then through the back streets (Sois) to the our apartment block off the Sukhumvit Road at Nana.
We are only in our apartment for one night so no cases were unpacked. We were both very tired; I for one didn't sleep much on the flights. Add jet-lag to this fact; I was well zonked. In the end we both slept for 2 hours and then showered and felt a whole sight better.
First job was to sort our phones and the Aircard out. The cards are normally sold in 7-11's but it took visits to 4 outlets before they stocked what we wanted. Job done it was a stroll down Sukhumvit Road towards Asok where there's a Robinsons department store (very Thai name?). Reason for going there was for me to buy a new pair of sandals. I'd seen a pair I liked on our last visit to Thailand in March but didn't buy. Good quality robust ones!
Job done again it was back down Sukhumvit to Soi 8 for my first taste of Chang beer; actually two in a bar next door to a massage place we've used before. After the relaxant juice it was a visit next door for a massage. An excellent and extremely relaxing foot, hand, arm, head & shoulders massage was so relaxing I fell asleep and got a prod and a telling off from Aom for snoring!
A stroll back to the apartment in the now 36ºC heat it was a quick freshen-up and then a wait for one of Aom's old friends to come-a-calling. Her name's Nei an they've been friends since early school days. The girls yacked away for 30 minutes before I bullied them into popping down the road for drinks. The beer really taking hold of me since I was 7 hours out of sync and with very little sleep. We walked down to Sukhumvit Road to a restaurant we've been to before and ate a variety of dishes.
The idea now was to meet up with another of Aom's friends, Kik. Readers of my blogs may recall that past meetings with Kik ended up with very lively and drunken evenings indeed. So, I very reluctantly chose to go back to the apartment and let the three Thai ladies natter away; my being there would only be a complication with my primitive Thai.
TOP LEFT: Spicy chicken wings for Madam at Dubai Airport.
TOP RIGHT: Aom's friend, Nei from their school days came to visit.
CENTRE: A drink at Hilary 1 bar before eating.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Fish for dinner.
TUESDAY 8th: Well, Madam put in an appearance at around 3am after a long session with her old friends. Needless to say Kik was the bad influence again, as ever up for a drink and a good time. Aom left them to it in the end and (staggered) back in the early hours.
Aom's friend Kik does have her uses: she had passed on details of a taxi-driver who does long distance that she regularly uses who charges reasonable prices. A quick phone call got him agreeing to drive us the 150km to Kanchanaburi. Job done he turned up at 11:30 in his mini-bus instead of his regular taxi which was more comfy for us especially as Aom was sporting a rather large hangover from her stint with Kik last night.... no sympathy there! And, yes, she honked into a plastic bag half way to Kanchanaburi. The drive took just over two hours and we arrived at our place-of-stay at around 13:00. This was way better than the bus which would have taken us considerably longer with far less comfort.
Next > or Go To Page: - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
This third journal or blog was written whilst in Thailand between 7th September and 4th October, 2015.
Although it's called the "3rd", I've actually travelled Thailand firstly in 2007, twice in 2011 and three times in 2012 which are not documented online, so this is actually my 9th visit to Thailand..
The purpose of this visit was to go along with my wife Khemjira to visit the Thai side of the family again and to give both of us an opportunity to catch up with friends in Thailand.
I'm rewarding Aom (Khemjira), and myself a couple of visits and holidays at various places throughout Thailand before travelling to Surin where her family resides. After spending 10 days or so there, the trip will be rounded-up on a holiday to Khao Lak in South-west Thailand with our 12-month old son Jack.
To anyone who has stumbled across my earlier blogs pages they will note that one or two of the photos are repeated here on these pages. This is purely because at times we have visited the same places again and I've seen fit to make use of some of the photos and movies again.
The original 3-month visit in 2013 around Thailand can be viewed at:-
TonyT's 1st Thailand Blog
The earlier 2nd blog in 2015 is at:-
TonyT's 2nd Thailand Blog.
Further 2-month visits are blogged here:-
TonyT's 4th Thailand Blog, 2017
TonyT's 5th Thailand Blog, 2018
TonyT's 6th Thailand Blog, 2022
TonyT's 6th Thailand blog, 2022
TonyT's 7th Thailand Blog, 2024
TonyT's 8th Thailand Blog, 2025
Our mixed itinerary is thus: Manchester, UK to Dubai, Emirates flight 7+hrs. Dubai Airport 140 minutes for transfer Dubai to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport flight 6+ hrs. Bangkok stay: 1 night. Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (7hrs). Stay in Kanchanaburi for 3-4 days. Kanchanaburi to Pattaya, 3 nights. Pattaya to Pratas, Surin, 7 hours. Phanom Dong Rak, Surin: 10 days Surin/Pratas to Bangkok, 1 night. Taxi to Don Muang Airport, Bangkok (old international airport). Air Asia internal flight to Phuket, 1.5 hours. Limo-taxi from Phuket to Mukdara Resort,Khao Lak, 1 hour. Mukdara Resort, Khao Lak: 10 days. Taxi to Phuket Airport then Air Asia flight to Don Muang Airport, Bangkok. Bangkok, 3 nights Bangkok to Manchester UK.
Anyway, here’s the journal/blog:-
SUNDAY 6th SEPTEMBER: Picked up from home at 06:45 and on an empty motorway to Manchester Airport. Check-in at one of the Emirates desks was oh so simple and rapid as was security check.
MONDAY 7th: Arrived at Bangok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on time at 08:00. Usual chaotic passport control and the usual 20% or so unmanned desks makes for very long queues. Aom was through on her Thai-only passport control and had picked up our cases and had been waiting by the time I hacked it through to join her. TOP LEFT: Spicy chicken wings for Madam at Dubai Airport. TOP RIGHT: Aom's friend, Nei from their school days came to visit. CENTRE: A drink at Hilary 1 bar before eating. BOTTOM RIGHT: Fish for dinner.
TUESDAY 8th: Well, Madam put in an appearance at around 3am after a long session with her old friends. Needless to say Kik was the bad influence again, as ever up for a drink and a good time. Aom left them to it in the end and (staggered) back in the early hours.
The 7-hour flight to Dubai on a Boeing 777 uneventful. Time spent at Dubai waiting for the next flight was spent travelling from terminal to terminal followed by an excellent good strong Americano for me and a plateful of spicy chicken wings and a mango slushy thing for Aom.
Next flight to Bangkok was an eye-opener for me as I'd never flown on an Airbus A380/800. The thing was enormous. Where we were seated was near to the foot of the stairs leading up to the upper deck and it was not unlike being seated in an airy hotel reception foyer. Seats comfy, plenty of legroom and a big widescreen display; not bad, not bad at all.
BANGKOK
Long hike through the terminal and downstairs to the taxi-rank and we were off and onto the chaotic mayhem which is the motorway into the city. Even an ambulance with blues (& reds) and twos (& threes) couldn't hack it through the grid lock. Very hot and humid even in the air-con taxi. Our driver was one of the smart ones as he knew three of the crafty short-cuts, two through hotel reception drop-offs and a hospital emergency drop-off zone; it was then through the back streets (Sois) to the our apartment block off the Sukhumvit Road at Nana.
We are only in our apartment for one night so no cases were unpacked. We were both very tired; I for one didn't sleep much on the flights. Add jet-lag to this fact; I was well zonked. In the end we both slept for 2 hours and then showered and felt a whole sight better.
First job was to sort our phones and the Aircard out. The cards are normally sold in 7-11's but it took visits to 4 outlets before they stocked what we wanted. Job done it was a stroll down Sukhumvit Road towards Asok where there's a Robinsons department store (very Thai name?). Reason for going there was for me to buy a new pair of sandals. I'd seen a pair I liked on our last visit to Thailand in March but didn't buy. Good quality robust ones!
Job done again it was back down Sukhumvit to Soi 8 for my first taste of Chang beer; actually two in a bar next door to a massage place we've used before. After the relaxant juice it was a visit next door for a massage. An excellent and extremely relaxing foot, hand, arm, head & shoulders massage was so relaxing I fell asleep and got a prod and a telling off from Aom for snoring!
A stroll back to the apartment in the now 36ºC heat it was a quick freshen-up and then a wait for one of Aom's old friends to come-a-calling. Her name's Nei an they've been friends since early school days. The girls yacked away for 30 minutes before I bullied them into popping down the road for drinks. The beer really taking hold of me since I was 7 hours out of sync and with very little sleep. We walked down to Sukhumvit Road to a restaurant we've been to before and ate a variety of dishes.
The idea now was to meet up with another of Aom's friends, Kik. Readers of my blogs may recall that past meetings with Kik ended up with very lively and drunken evenings indeed. So, I very reluctantly chose to go back to the apartment and let the three Thai ladies natter away; my being there would only be a complication with my primitive Thai.
Aom's friend Kik does have her uses: she had passed on details of a taxi-driver who does long distance that she regularly uses who charges reasonable prices. A quick phone call got him agreeing to drive us the 150km to Kanchanaburi. Job done he turned up at 11:30 in his mini-bus instead of his regular taxi which was more comfy for us especially as Aom was sporting a rather large hangover from her stint with Kik last night.... no sympathy there! And, yes, she honked into a plastic bag half way to Kanchanaburi. The drive took just over two hours and we arrived at our place-of-stay at around 13:00. This was way better than the bus which would have taken us considerably longer with far less comfort.
Next > or Go To Page: - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13