I Love China

This is really a travel report which might be more interesting for anyone considering a visit to Phi Phi Island any time soon and is probably the last Thailand blog post till the next time.

Last week really was the perfect short break.  It was a stroke of genius on my part to split the week between Bangkok and Phi Phi. Bangkok was great for big city shopping and other conveniences, followed by 4 days on a relatively remote island with not a lot to do but work on my sun tan.

WoAi Top Tip : Break up the week with a day or two in the Thai capital.  The shopping is great and Siam Paragon is not to be missed!

I stayed at the Phi Phi Cabana Hotel which is located right by the ferry pier. You literally step off the boat and in to the hotel. The area by the ferry pier is a bit of a circus with touts selling boat tours but it’s also full of great restaurants and bars offering both Thai and western food. There are other hotels on other more remote parts of the island, but then you’re limited in options for meals apart from what’s on offer at the hotel.

WoAi Top Tip : Go to the pool and get a nice sun bed BEFORE you go have breakfast, as all the good ones are taken by mid morning!

There’s an amazing seafood restaurant which was great value for money. Their barbequed tiger prawns were fantastic although I did get a little stomach ache after that meal. A much safer alternative was Sports Bar, which was a very western style bar with perfect British comfort food including Cumberland sausages, egg and chips and even beans on toast. Yes, I know it’s odd to come to Phi Phi for sausages but I did have more than my fair share of tom yum gong and pad thai as well.

The 3 hour long tail boat tour was probably the highlight of the trip which included the famous Maya Bay beach. It was good value too at just 1200 baht all in, although we were asked for an extra 200 baht per person to land the boat on Maya Bay. It’s a no brainer though as you can’t possibly not stop there and take a dip in the sea there.

WoAi Top Tip : Don’t miss Maya Bay.  Yes, it’s over-hyped but well worth a visit.

On the last day, I also hired a canoe. It was very spur of the moment. I was walking back to the hotel from lunch and a tout approached me and asked if I wanted to hire a canoe for 200 baht for an hour. I had seen these canoes but assumed you just paddled around close to the beach in a confined area. But the tout showed me a map and said “you can go to Monkey Beach”. And that was it. He just showed me a canoe and gave me a paddle and a few minutes later I was in the open sea together with speed boats and long tails. It’s quite an experience seeing a speed boat heading directly in your direction and just hoping the driver can see you and changes course!

I bought a snorkel on the last day too (yes, left it a bit late) but put it to use immediately when I canoed to Monkey Island. Just a few feet out from the beach, there were hundreds of fishes. You could see them from above the water, but putting on the mask and watching the fishes from below the surface was a completely difference experience. It was like you were swimming with the fishes and I’ve never experienced that before. I think next time I will have to take some proper diving courses.

WoAi Top Tip : Buy a snorkel, it’s well worth it.

So all in all, a fantastic new year break.  I am now back in freezing Shanghai, refreshed and energised and counting the days till the end of winter.

WoAi Top Tip : Save some time and money for the airport at Bangkok.  It’s a HUGE retail site with lots to buy.  There’s also a Boots so you can stock up on your favourite OTC medicines.

The hotel I stayed at on Phi Phi had a variety of guests from different parts of the world. It was interesting watching the mix of cultures all together in one place.

Firstly there were the Brits. Quiet and reserved. And very red from being out in the sun for more than 3 minutes. At breakfast one morning, a French speaking lady grabbed two slices of bread then put them back and took a different type of bread. I watched the expression of disgust on the Brit standing behind waiting to get some bread. The Brit later very deliberately skipped over the two “touched” pieces of bread and got some from underneath.

There were many mainland Chinese guests at the hotel, much to my surprise. It’s a testament to the new Chinese middle class who have money and want to see the world. Sadly, many of them were loud and obnoxious in a place where everyone else had come for peace and tranquility. A huge group of about 8 men, women and children swept through one afternoon, jumped in the pool, screaming at each other from one side of the pool to the other while the other guests looked on in horror and annoyance. They were completely oblivious to the fact that others were disturbed by their shouting and screaming. Thankfully, the group stayed a while then moved on, of course neglecting to remove their towels. But then a funny thing happened – someone I assume was their tour guide came along and tidied up their towels for them, returning them to the towel station. Why do something yourself when you can pay someone to do it! These people upset me because they are the ones that give Chinese a bad name abroad. There are many more well behaved Chinese, but people won’t remember those ones.

There was the badly behaved European at breakfast. Breakfast is served from 7am to 10am. It was 10.10am and he was shouting at the staff because there were no more noodles left:

Staff : Sorry it’s after 10am, we stop serving at 10am, so no replenishment after 10am, but you can still take what’s still out.

Eurotrash : But I was here at 9am and I have not finished eating, so you must get me more noodles. Where is the manager?

The manager eventually came and instructed the staff to get some fresh noodles made. I was fuming. It’s a buffet. You can’t just stay there for hours and expect fresh food to keep coming out as long as you are still there.

Then there were the Indians.  I was horrified to see two of them almost empty the entire tray of fresh fruit on to their plate, then walk out of the dining room with it.  I guess they had filled themselves up and wanted to take some for a snack later on.

Strangely, there was not a single Thai guest at our hotel. I wonder where Thais go for vacation!

Departure lounge, Phuket International Airport, Thailand.

A couple of points:

1. We don’t give monks enough respect here in China.

2. These Thai monks sure dress modern these days!

Yes, I am back in cold Shanghai. A few more Thailand posts to follow before we get back to the business of China.

Phi Lay Bay, Phi Phi, Thailand.

I just have one more day on Phi Phi before heading back to Shanghai on Saturday.  As requested, a few pictures from this lovely island.

Maya Bay, Phi Phi.

Today I hired a long tail boat to take me aruond the islands, the highlight of which was Maya Bay, where they shot the movie (directed by Slumdog Millionaire’s Danny Boyle) The Beach.  It was pretty amazing swimming in the clear waters.

The Beach -  Just like it is in the movie!

I paid 1200 baht (240 rmb) to hire the boat for a 3 hour tour round the island, stopping at a few scenic spots, the last of which was Maya Bay.  As you can see, it beats new year in Shanghai!

Wo Ai takes a quick dip at Phi Lay Bay.  It was quieter than Maya Bay but there was no beach so I just jumped off the boat.

These are the long tail boats that you can hire for a day or a few hours.  Good value for money although not as cheap as they used to be.

This was taken just be my hotel which overlooks a beach.

And finally, the hotel pool with the beach in the background.

I thought I’d do a list of likes and dislikes. First the things I like:

1. Cheap as chips – I’m amazed how cheap Bangkok is, considering it’s the capital city.

2. Food – Tasty and spicy, just how I like my food (and my women, but I digress).

3. Weather – In the high 80s (Fahrenheit) compared to freezing Shanghai.

4. People – Maybe it’s because I look like a visitor, but the people have been so friendly and helpful everywhere. I guess I now know what it’s like to be a westerner in China!

5. They have Boots (the British chemist) here. I was so tempted to get some Optrex eye wash and a load of other personal care items that you can’t get in Shanghai, but I packed light and have no extra luggage space.

6. The ahem, “scenery” – Bangkok has some stunningly beautiful women. Well, I think they’re women. Ok, to be fair, Shanghai has its fair share of stunners too, but in a very different way.

And now for the things I dislike about Bangkok:

…. erm …. give me a few days. I am sure I’ll think of something!

I’ve been to Thailand many times, but it’s usually on business which for obvious reasons, isn’t quite the same as coming on holiday. So I’ve been surprised by how much I’m loving Bangkok this time round, so much so that after just one day here, I’ve decided I’m not ever, ever going back to Shanghai.

The food has been amazing, yet cheap. I had an excellent chicken with rice meal that cost 40 baht. That’s 8 RMB! Everywhere I’ve been, people have been helpful and smiley. Getting around the city is easy and taxis are incredibly cheap. The temperature in Shanghai when I left was about minus 5 degrees celcius. Here it’s somewhere around 30 degrees. I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to wake up this morning in my hotel and wander in to the bathroom without shivering, without putting on 6 sweaters and some jog pants. Oh, and they have Boots drug stores all over the city.

By amazing coincidence, Swiss James happened to be in town the same night I was, so we met up for a few drinks last night before we go our separate ways and head to different islands. The bar pictured above is called The Fuel Tank, just by the famous Khao San Road in the old part of the city. It’s basically an old Shell petrol station and I guess after it closed down, someone decided to put a few tables and cheers right there by the pumps and call it a bar. Fantastic!

WoAi @ Siam, one of Bangkok’s best modern shopping districts. I loved Siam Paragon, a huge, upscale shopping mall. They even had a Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini showroom on the top floor!

Tomorrow morning I have a 5am wake up call, then I’m of to Phi Phi Island for some sun and relaxation. I’ll try taking a few photos as well if I can be bothered.

Goodbye Bangkok, it was short but sweet.