SATURDAY 4th APRIL
Nice easy hassle-free breakfast; no hoards of Indian folk, no 'gentlemen' from China bellowing across the room or using the same volume to bellow at someone at the same table a mere meter away.
Started packing but we do have most of the day so we got a taxi to Asok market and mooched about looking for some dried squid and such for Aom to take home.
This stuff is dirt-cheap here and costs a small fortune back in UK. For instance, a half-kilo packet of dried squid costs 200 Baht here and would cost £20-£30 (GBP) back in UK.
She didn't really find what she wanted so it was back in a taxi to Klongtoey Market which is a huge market selling mainly fresh produce, be it fish, meats, vegetables, spices, fruit, etc. She did find what she wanted here and ended up with bags and bags of different dried fishy things. Let's hope it fits in her blinking suitcase along with her mangoes and herbs.
After the (severe!) heat of the market it was back to Nana for a drink and a final foot massage.
We have to check-out at 3pm, but don't need to be at the airport until 5 - 5:30 so we'll leave the cases in the lobby and pop down Soi 4 for a final beer.
Enjoyed said few last beers in Hilary-1 bar and then returned to the lobby, changed from shorts to trousers (strange feeling) and into a waiting taxi to to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Easy check-in and off for a bite to eat before going air-side and waiting out.
Below is a set of photos of the big Klongtoey Market. No captions as there's so many fruits, vegetables, spices and meats on display. Plus, I've no idea what some of them are. Photo No.6 (3rd row) is dried squid, crab, fish and similar and the bottom right picture is the dreaded very smelly durian which, I'm told, is tasty.
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TOP LEFT: Our last few beers also had Aom eating chicken's feet. Starnge lady at times.
TOP RIGHT: Just after check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangok's main airport (of two).
BOTTOM LEFT: Aom's second snack at an airport restaurant at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Just a small section of Suvarnabhumi Airport's main concourse.
SUNDAY 5th APRIL:
(Easter Sunday). Both flights on time and both flights had extra legroom.
Arrival at Manchester a bit delayed because of air traffic. Manchester cool and very misty, but the pre-arranged taxi (or rather the driver) was there waiting at the arrivals exit with our name on his board. A swift walk to the 'taxi' which was a swish black Mercedes limo.
So, it's back home now and sorting out the chaos. Aom's suitcase had that load of dried fishy-type food and mine had that load of mangos in it. Strictly speaking one is not supposed to bring fresh fruit, veg, meats, plants, etc into UK, but Aom's fishy things were dried food well sealed. Not sure about the mangos, but to heck with it.
So that's the end of this trip to Thailand, but it certainly won't be the last. In fact, we're probably back there in 6 months time.
Below is the author, TonyT, at work writing this blog.
Reflections on this 2 month visit to Thailand.
Well I’ve certainly got to know the country, its culture and its people quite well since I’ve been coming here. Marrying into a Thai family is a good teacher and knowing what delights and what offends Thais is so important. It’s good to go about my business and not be considered a tourist anymore.
Up in Phanomdongrak District, where my Thai family live and farm, life is so significantly different to that in the cities of Bangkok, Pattaya and areas like Phuket; that’s not Thailand really.
When I planned where to visit as a true holiday after staying with the Khongjaidees, the only real mistake was spending as long as we did in Pattaya. I’d really had my fill of the place in past years especially in 2013 when Aom and I lived there for three months. But we both have friends who live and work in Pattaya, but on reflection, we should have only stayed a few days and moved on to far nicer places.
Our time on Koh Kood was fantastic. Thailand can come up with some surprises and this is one of them. The island is beautiful, peaceful and largely unspoilt. We could easily have spent another week or more there, and maybe we should have.
Time spent in Bangkok is a necessary evil as it’s the hub of our travel arrangements. Also we both have friends and, in Aom’s case family who live and work there. We have our apartment in Bangkok and that’s not a bad place to stay. Like Pattaya, it has its seedy side which feeds largely off the tourists, but it’s avoidable.
So that’s it. The end of this visit, but we’re back in Thailand again in 6 months and that blog can be viewed by following this link:
"TonyT's third Thailand blog"
Tony Tollitt
April 2015
If, perchance, you enjoyed reading this blog, you just might wish to take a look at my original one written in 2013 which details, amongst other things, the trials and tribulations of applying for a visa so's my wife can stay in the UK. If so, take a look at our original 3-month visit around Thailand which can be viewed at:-
www.tony-tollitt.com/index.html
But there's more here:-
A second visit later on in 2015:-
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2015-2
and
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2017
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2018
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2022
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2024
www.tony-tollitt.com/Thailand-2025
Feedback? ...email me at [email protected]
All photographs and contents
© Tony Tollitt
April 2018
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