My husband and I have just recently returned from two weeks in Thailand.
I have to admit I was a bit nervous about the trip; first of all I worried about flying after the disappearance of flight MH370. I guess at the best of times I am not a very relaxed traveller and I really don’t relish long haul flights. After we had been in the air for a few hours I relaxed, and a glass of wine helped calm my nerves.
Our two weeks in Thailand went by very fast. Our son is teaching there so he was able to take us around to quite a lot of places including a three night visit to Rayong. It is such a pretty beach resort, out in the middle of nowhere. It is some three hours’ drive from Bangkok, down a very bumpy freeway. The unit we stayed in at the Bandara resort was refreshing with its light floral touches and white wood, it had a quite colonial feel. The frangipani trees with different coloured blossoms looked stunning, as did the exotic plants. Little geckos kept running along the buildings and footpaths as well as the occasional frog, which my husband has a great aversion to and will avoid at any cost.
Bangkok
Rayong is unspoilt and has yet to become really commercialised which is refreshing compared to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. In the evening the green lights from the fishing boats looked beautiful on the horizon. The evening air was really warm, and going into our unit into the air-conditioning was a welcome relief.
In Bangkok we had a few days at the Shangri-La hotel which was delightful. I loved the tradional dress the staff wore and the doorman looked very smart in his safari type uniform complete with helmet. The hotel is situated right on the river. From our bay window we could look down at the lovely swimming pool and right up the river. In the evening all the boats were lit up and they really looked a picture cruising passed the hotel. Singapore orchids dotted around the gardens and looked so delicate along with the various types of palm trees.
Thai people have such a gentle nature; they are such happy souls and would do anything to make you feel welcome and comfortable. I noticed how the lovely hostesses in the hotel just seemed to glide around the floor; they were gentle and wore stunning traditional Thai clothing. All this helped make our time in Bangkok relaxed and comfortable. The food was divine and the hotel breakfast was the most lavish I have ever eaten. We ate so much that we skipped lunch every day. I have to say the watermelon and pineapple was the sweetest I have ever tasted. I didn’t try any of the exotic fruit that was left in our apartment daily apart from the baby bananas which were delightful.
Our experience
We were not game enough to buy food from food stalls. My husband walked past one selling kebabs which were covered in flies. There is no way I would eat anything like that. I guess with the locals they are used to it and it does not affect them. I am cautious when travelling about where and what I eat and not particularly adventurous with my diet.
I do have to say litter is a huge problem in Bangkok. Rubbish was everywhere, as you drive down the freeway garbage was piled up on the sides of the roads. There is clearly a lot of poverty and it does make you feel very grateful for what we do have here in New Zealand. I really noticed how clean everything was when we got home.
I am really amazed at how well my son copes with the traffic in Bangkok. He has only had his vehicle for two months but has mastered the traffic and drives around with total ease. I think the secret is no one gets impatient; no one toots or gets aggressive like in New Zealand. One thing I did notice there were very few old cars on the road. Most would have been no older than five years old. Apparently it is cheaper to buy a Ute rather than a sedan so the roads were full of them.
Security
When leaving Bangkok we really noticed how much the security had been stepped up. When doing the customs checks we did all the normal security checks that are in place including body scans and pat downs, but at the gate a new security check had been set up. All the crew’s hand luggage was gone through and then after that was completed all passengers’ hand luggage was re checked. I have to say it was very reassuring to see how thorough they were. My husband had a water bottle taken off him; we had purchased it for the flight after going through security.
As a result of MH370 I am sure security is going to be beefed up at a lot more at a lot of airports, this can only be a good thing what is a bit of inconvenience compared to one’s safety?
Our trip was all too short and it was hard leaving our son, daughter-in-law and little grandson. It will be another year before we see them again and I hope that time passes quickly.
If you are thinking of visiting Thailand, do. It is quite safe, as long as you heed all the warnings. We registered ourselves with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Travel Advisory to keep our selves abreast of any of the political demonstrations that could be a concern for our safety. We felt perfectly safe the whole time we were there. Thailand is lovely so go and enjoy all it has to offer.
Last quote
Each night when the staff turned down our bed for the evening a delightful little quote was left. Here is one of those quotes.
‘He liked the serene world that Shangri-La offered him, pacified rather than dominated by its single tremendous idea.
He liked the prevalent mood in which feelings were sheathed in thoughts, and thoughts softened into felicity by their transference in language.’
From the book: Lost Horizon.
- 10 years ago
loved reading your article on your trip. sounds like you had a wonderful time with family and enjoying the hospitality of the Thailand people and their beautiful country.