Day 20 Surin Beach, Phuket Thailand
December 26th, 2007
This is the second time I am writing this entry – I went to hit save and word crashed – unbelievable – I am very frustrated with Office 2007 – I have never before lost so much work in word. Pam had come into the room in tears and I decided to hit save and a dialog came up saying the program had stopped responding – unbelievable – so I will try to recreate what I wrote earlier.
After my bag did not arrive we checked the international baggage claim to see if it had been misrouted – no luck. I filed a report and the man taking the report had never heard of the Benyada lodge – an ominous sign. My bag had all of my clothes – except what I was wearing – shorts, the charger for the notebook – I cannot even imagine trying to replace that – Dell chargers are finicky and I have tried others – sometimes they will run the notebook but not charge the battery and finally all of my medications were in the bag. Another lesson learned – if I ever see my luggage again I will be more careful regarding what I check vs. carry-on.
We found a taxi desk with rates published – 450 to Surin beach – we pre-paid and again the lady behind the counter had not heard of the Benyada – starting to get concerned. We picked up some free tourist maps and of the hundreds of hotels listed again Benyada Lodge did not show up.
We shuffled outside and got in line with a whole bunch of other people – the workers for the limousine service kept looking at our voucher and then loading other families and people into these beautiful BMW series 8 cars- I was excited by the prospect of being chauffeured around Phuket in a new 8 series. I could not tell how the workers were picking who was loaded next – but it seemed that we were being ignored – we waited patiently and I tried not to think about my luggage – eventually we were loaded into a beat up old Toyota – I guess we got an economy taxi voucher? My visions of a smooth, series 8, tinted window ride were dashed. Again, our driver looked confused by our Hotel Name but off we went, bumping our way down the highway. Our driver pulled over at a building and I was approached by a lady offering to book excursions – I guess this is normal according to our guide book – I thought our driver was trying to get directions. I said we were not interested, she took my name and off we drove. Not too intrusive and very polite – not too pushy. We stopped again unexpectedly – the driver seemed to be dropping off paperwork. Again we drive and the driver receives a cell phone call – I think he is getting directions, eventually he gives me the phone and I am asked the name of the hotel and my name again. I am starting to get very concerned – did we book with a non-existent hotel – or perhaps a dive that nobody in their right mind would stay at? We have pre-paid – and it was not cheap – 7500 baht per night. I give the phone back and try to give the driver the phone number of the hotel – he looks confused. We hit Surin Beach and just happen to see the sign as we drive by – at least it exists – he turns around but there is no place to park in front of the hotel so he just stops in the street. I go to the counter and they seem to be checking us in – I hope so as the driver has already departed.
We check in – the room is not yet ready – they give us a welcome drink – something green and sweet it is pretty good. A gentleman named Viki? who is Indian but seem to speak fluent Thai helps us and tells us our room is not normally available until 2 but they will have it ready in an hour. He also calls the airport to inquire about our bags – no luck there. We go to the rooftop bar – not open – the swimming pool is a wading pool – about 1 meter deep – I hope the room is nice. He also spends some time talking to Pam about places to eat, things to do, massages and the tailor shop he owns just up the way. He works at the hotel to help his friend just a few hours a day in the mornings.
I ask about internet and they say it is wired in the rooms – that’s good news – the girls find three computers in the lobby with free internet and they are happy – but they do complain about the speed and it not working correctly.
Pam and I have a drink and an appetizer – when the room is ready we move the luggage up – it is fine – there are 2 roll away’s, a queen size bed, a small balcony, bar and couch. The bathroom shower and bath have blinds but are open to the room – there is also a view through telephone wires of a temple and the ocean. It is a fine room but I guess I was expecting more of a resort.
We decide to walk and we head north to Bang Tao beach - about a 1.5 miles – I am sweating profusely – we pass a number of small places to eat, small car rental places, a laundry, some resorts, a beauty parlor where the girls ask to get nails and feet done – perhaps later. We are looking for a dive shop –we find one – a bar/restaurant/dive shop – we get some water but decide to skip the inquiries regarding snorkeling and diving. We inquire about daily rates for cars they say 900 baht which is so much more appealing than paying for taxi’s but I am nervous about driving and do not know if it includes insurance – it looks like that will be the most economical way for us to see the island – taxis are expensive here. Minimum 450 baht – tuk-tuk’s are minimum 400 baht – much more expensive than Bangkok – this is a resort area after all?
I feel the Indian Ocean - Bay of Bengal - Andaman Sea for the first time – it is warm and feels very salty and sticky. We decide to walk back. Not very comfortable – we end up at the beach about 200 meters from our hotel. We swim – I am worried that now my clothes are wet. My back is also peeling badly and I am a little self-conscious –I beg Aria in the water to rub the skin off – she absolutely refuses but Allysha comes to my rescue.
Back to the hotel and there is a new person behind the counter – just as I ask about my bag Pam spot’s it in the corner – a tremendous wave of relief passes over me as I carry the bag upstairs. The girls and I change – Pam heads downstairs to find a place to eat and comes up saying we should head to Patong Beach. I am dreading hiring a taxi or tuk-tuk, I don’t want to spend so much on a taxi – the clerk at the hotel says we should be able to get there for 300 baht – I tell Pam if she wants to go away from the are to eat she can negotiate the ride. She talks to the taxi driver across the road from our Hotel 450 baht – we head up the road to the tuk-tuk’s 400 baht. She does not try to negotiate just walks away – so we have alienated our only ride and she acts like we are going by foot. It is dark and probably a 10 mile hike so I tell her no. We wander around the area – there are lots of places to eat but the Surin Beach Inn – right next to our hotel has a big menu and seemed the most reasonable – Allysha ends up getting to pick – we are all cranky and frustrated and we end up eating right next to our hotel.
The meal was fantastic – Pam and I split some red duck curry, Phuket style noodles, steamed rice, fried rice, cashew chicken and sweet and sour pork – delicious – oh and a bottle of Australian wine. Allysha had a kids meal spaghetti on toast – not a very big helping but she helped with our food and Aria had lasagna. The service was great – the food was great and the bill 2000 baht or 60 dollars. Half of that was the wine. We are all happy and I fell much better – a Christmas dinner we will not forget.
Back to the room – Aria goes on the computers in the lobby, Allysha and I fall asleep. Pam makes arrangements for the FantaSea buffet dinner from a girl at the front desk.
I can hardly believe we are 20 days into our adventure.
