Eterno Dia PhotographyFrom Sea to Stars: A Weekend In The City of Angels
Posted on May 10, 2020
Back in September, we spent a whirlwind three days in California. Shawn turned 40 and as part of his gift I got him tickets to a double bill concert of Ben Folds and Cake, two of his favorite artists, playing at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. I wanted him to have a very special memory of his 40th year, so I booked the Los Angeles part of be bands’ tour. We took a long weekend and flew down to Southern California, a favorite destination of mine, despite the smog, traffic and general discord happening in America at the time.
Our concert didn’t start until the evening on our first full day, so we had the morning and afternoon free. As a landlocked Canadian, my priority was to get to a beach and Santa Monica seemed like a good option, if a bit touristy. I’d never been there but of course I knew of the iconic pier and carnival located there. We headed out from Glendale with our rented Kia Soul and her trusty GPS with WiFi. With traffic, it took about an hour to drive and we found parking just off the pacific coast highway. The famous Santa Monica pier was fairly far off in the distance from our parking spot, but we found bathrooms and water stations right away, which was great. As we made our way to the pier, we admired the cute beach houses and pretty landscaping and watched the bikers and joggers passing us by. The pier was busy; we’d passed some kind of street festival up on Ocean Avenue on our way down to the beach, so lots of people were filtering down over the pedestrian bridge. The day was so smoggy that for a while it was hard to tell if it was just overcast, but the smog did keep the heat down a bit and there was a nice ocean breeze to keep us comfortable.
At the start of the pier, there’s a small aquarium that we didn’t go into just due to time constraints. It’s dedicated to education about the bay and how to conserve and protect it. I sort of wish I’d stopped in, as it was a very reasonable entrance fee as well, so if you have time, stop to check it out. We made our way along the pier, looking at potential spots for lunch, checked out the amusement park and some of the souvenir shops.
A smoggy morning at Santa Monica Pier
There were lots of musicians and painters busking along the pier and a number of people were fishing off the side. Below us, beach goers splashed in the waves. We found some historical markers, artifacts and information about the pier and Route 66, which I was unaware we were on, at the far end of the pier. We found a cute, three-story restaurant with a rooftop patio for lunch and people watched and just took in being by the ocean. After lunch, we headed over the pedestrian bridge up to Ocean Avenue to check out what the festival was and have a quick look around. We checked out some of the cool architecture along the ave and made our way back to the car once we’d had our fill.
With time on our side, I was itching to check out the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and Hollywood, where my husband had never been before. We headed from Santa Monica to Hollywood. We parked and just started walking Hollywood Blvd down the Walk of Fame. 
We passed all of the hundreds of tour operators, the Hollywood Church of Scientology, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and we investigated the stars on the sidewalks. We kept our sightseeing efficient as we got to the TCL Chinese theatre to look at all the hand and footprints of celebrities. If we’d had more time, we could have entertained ourselves for the entire day. There are private tours, group tours and self directed tours, if you enjoy ogling celebrities homes. I’m not sure how many of the tour groups are legit though, and a lot of the information we saw advertised was for celebrities that were big 20 years ago – maybe more fun for mom and dad than the kids….
After a whirlwind tour of Hollywood, we saved enough time to make it to Griffith Observatory. I hadn’t really done any research on it- I only knew that it had great views, and a telescope, which unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to look through, as we had the concert to go to that evening. We drove back to LA and navigated our route to the observatory. Parking was a bit nightmarish; the only parking left was parallel parking up along the winding, desert hillsides headed up to the observatory. It is metered pay parking for $10/hr. We decided two hours was about all the time we had to look before heading back to Glendale to get ready for the concert.
We hurried hiked from the car up to the observatory. It looked a hundred miles away but was probably about a kilometre from where we parked, which I definitely felt, hiking uphill in the afternoon California heat. The smog from the morning was dissipating, so it was starting to get warm (keep your sunscreen handy and bring some bottled water).
We explored Griffith Observatory (admission is free!), which was quite remarkable with numerous space exhibits, huge planetary displays, and of course a theatre named in Leonard Nimoy’s honor. We could have spent hours learning about the Tesla Coil, tides, moon phases, seasons, spectroscopy and looking through the camera obscura that peers over the city, but we only had time for a brief walk through.
We headed outside to the garden and outdoor area to take in some stunning landscapes of the city before leaving to head to the concert. This is a place I could have spent a full day (and evening) at. There is so much to learn here; they have star parties, theatre presentations and educational events and the outdoor views are stunning. I can only imagine they’re also stunning at night. Griffith Observatory is a must see when in LA and I was sad to have not had enough time to take it all in.
The Greek Theatre. I’d seen it in movies and I knew it had been designed in the style of an ancient Greek theatre. This was one of the most magical nights. The sun began to set as we got to our seats but the air was still pleasant and warm. As it got darker and the opening band was playing, I was actually pretty overcome with how gorgeous the venue was; crickets were chirping, the forest and hills around us were lit beautifully. Off in the distance where the moon was rising, the city lights were twinkling in the dusk and planes were landing and taking off at the distant airport. The whole atmosphere was just beautiful and I had a few moments of being taken aback at how perfect everything was in that moment. The bands were phenomenal and only added to how great the experience was. At the end of the concert, we did have to walk a ways down from the venue to find a taxi (I know, I know, but we don’t UBER) to get back to our little motel in Glendale…
Ben Folds at The Greek Theatre
On our final morning, we went for breakfast at Foxy’s in Glendale, which had a lot of greasy breakfasts to choose from (so much cheese) but a super gorgeous little patio. After breakfast we walked across the street to find The Americana at Brand, a shopping complex we’d heard was nearby, but hadn’t seen yet. We walked down a little alleyway, and a bit like walking through Diagon Alley in Harry Potter, we emerged in a gorgeous shopping plaza with stunning garden areas, cobblestone streets and adorable boutique shops. Only a few coffee places were open this early, but there were gardeners and maintenance workers cleaning the streets, stringing up lights and busying themselves with tasks. It was so quiet, peaceful and fresh.
Breakfast at Foxy’s
We’d scheduled in just enough time to head to Playa del Rey on the way to the airport before flying home. We parked and found a little lagoon, and then made our way to the beach. While we were headed through the burning sand to get to the ocean, I head distinct “borking”. I looked towards a rough concrete pier in the water where the “bork” had come from and watched a sea lion dive under the water! I was thrilled, as was my husband. He’d read that sea lions could often be spotted here, which I didn’t know. He didn’t tell me in advance, as he was afraid I’d be disappointed if I didn’t see one, so he was happy that I’d been surprised by the treat of seeing a sea lion in the wild. We continued to hear them bark as we made our way to a cute cafe, Playa Provisions, for lunch. We had a nice, healthy meal here before finally having to make our way to the airport and head home.
Three days wasn’t nearly enough time to spend in Cali, but we certainly did make the most of our time. At the time, we couldn’t have foreseen the coming pandemic events and this was our last trip, at least internationally for the time being. Even though LA is crowded and has issues with homelessness, poverty and pollution, there’s just something about it that I love. We made great memories in the City of Angels for Shawn’s milestone birthday and California will always have my heart. TTFN. ‘Til we meet again.
– L
The Breathtaking Beauty of Phi Phi
Posted on June 25, 2019
The last stop on our “Island Hopper” group tour to finish off our first week in Thailand would be Phi Phi Island. Phi Phi, pronounced “pee-pee”, (yes, have a giggle) is part of a small chain of islands just south of and administratively belonging to Krabi province. Koh Phi Phi Don (the main inhabited island) and Koh Phi Phi Lee are the most well known. You may have heard of Phi Phi only because it made the news when in 2004 a deadly tsunami hit the island and took as many as 4000 lives, though the exact number to this day is unclear. I didn’t remember this information and when we arrived into the bay at Phi Phi Don, and I was enamored. Koh Phi Phi’s beauty is simply unparalleled; stunning craggy, limestone cliffs, covered in emerald green jungle and surrounded by sparkling turquoise waters. This place is exactly what you imagine when you think of paradise.
Ferry ride from Krabi mainland to Koh Phi Phi
I love being on the ocean and watching the sea
First glimpses of Koh Phi Phi Lee
Main Pier in Phi Phi
The crowded “main street” upon arrival in Phi Phi
After a two hour voyage from Ao Nang in Krabi province across the deep indigo waters of the Andaman sea, on a big, modern ferry, we disembarked onto a very large and exceptionally crowded pier. We waited with the group under the blazing sun awaiting our tour guide to confirm passage to our hotel. We were given 30 minutes to explore Phi Phi Don’s main port while our baggage was transferred and boats were readied. The main pier was completely overwhelming. There was a giant McDonald’s next to a 7-Eleven at the main entrance and the crowds were reminiscent of being at an outdoor music festival. There were so many people, mostly backpackers, searching for lunch, getting tattoos, bartering for souvenirs, booking tours, and just hanging out. My relaxed vibe gained in Krabi was suddenly depleting and I didn’t want a repeat of the overwhelmed feeling I had in Phuket. We waited in a long lineup to get water and beer in the 7-Eleven (the tour guide warned us that things would be pricier in Phi Phi due to it’s remote location and suggested the liquor might be cheaper to buy here than at the hotel) and headed back to the pier. We were all a bit shocked, suddenly recalling that we’d been told Phi Phi has no cars, as we saw our luggage all piled into two traditional Thai wooden long tail boats. Our group was then ushered into two more boats to get to our hotel. A short boat ride down the coast, we arrived at our hotel to check in – on the beach. This was a first for me. The boat crew literally unloaded our luggage onto the hotel beach. We took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and held our camera bags above our heads as we disembarked the boat and waded to shore to collect our luggage.
The long tail boats waiting to take ferry passengers to their hotels.
Our “taxi” to the hotel
definitely a first
Check-in is literally beside the beach…
After checking into a unique hotel built up into the hillside, we went to the beach-side hotel restaurant for lunch and took in the stunning views of the bay and adjacent Koh Phi Phi Lee. The sand was soft and white, the beach was fairly clean and quiet and the water was still and shallow. After lunch, we joined the group for an afternoon swim at one of the hotels three stunning private beaches. We floated in the warm, shallow bay, had some drinks from the beach snack shack and watched an entertaining resident dog play fetch with some backpackers. On the way back to the room to clean up to go for dinner I had a bit of time to get some sunset photos from our view of the bay. I also discovered the MASSIVE millipedes that hang around here. I’m not sure if they’re harmless, but they’re slow. I’d rather hang out with one of these guys than the giant Asian wasps I’d heard about while doing bug research before the trip. Just be sure to have your phone’s flashlight handy for your nighttime walk back to your room, if you don’t want to step on a sausage sized centipede….
the long climb up and down from the beach to our room and back
the breathtaking views from the lookout at the hotel
Lunch view
paradise
This pad thai tho….
Private beach after lunch
This beach tho…
“Girl on Swing”
Headed back to the room to get ready for dinner, the bay below is gorgeous at sunset
Sunset is stunning.
For dinner, we met up with the group again and headed up at a rooftop bar in town. The walk to the main tourist area from the hotel was about 15 minutes. The evening was busy with lots of shops and restaurants to chose from, but not as bad as I’d feared from the pier earlier in the day. There was a definite party vibe in the area, and it was more crowded that Krabi, but still had a more relaxed, island vibe that Phuket. The lack of cars and traffic keeps the noise down and the general feeling less frenetic. The majority of the tour group planned to go to the “beach party” that night after dinner. Shawn and I decided to at least check it out just to say we’d been but we’d heard enough stories about the spiked drinks, druggings and just plain insane partying that we knew that wasn’t the kind of fun we were seeking. After walking along the beach and checking out the beginnings of what would be a long, debaucherous night for some, we left and strolled through town to see what there was to see.
We eventually found ourselves at a bar hosting Muay Thai boxing. They had tourists volunteer to spar with each other for one round and then actual Muay Thai professionals would have a match in between. They protected the volunteer tourists well with padded head wear and safety gear and the minute it became apparent that a fight was ill matched, they’d call it and reward both the participants with a medal and a beer; it was all in good fun. Shawn was so excited about the Muay Thai, he put his hand up while they were calling for volunteers. For a moment I considered putting my wifely foot down, but we had three travel health insurance plans (two employer provided and a third required as part of the tour package), Phi Phi has a small hospital, and this was Shawn’s epic vacation too- if he wanted to walk around with a black eye or a busted nose, who was I to stop him? Luckily for me (and probably for him) with him being a bit smaller than most the the other guys there that night, the bar didn’t have anyone in his weight class to match him up with. As consolation, one of the boxers posed for photos with him. We enjoyed the matches, some cold Thai beer to ease the heat of the night and had a great time with tourists from New York who we shared our table with.
took me a minute to figure out the red bowl is to scoop water into the toilet to flush…
Shawn posing for photos after being declined a Muay Thai fight
After a few more drinks and exploring, we walked back to our hotel along the gorgeous moonlight sand, climbed way up to our hotel room atop the hill, avoiding stepping on giant millipedes as we walked, and had a great sleep with the islands resident monkeys calling out to each other in the night. Little did I know, we’d meet the monkeys in the morning.
Have you been to the stunning island of Phi Phi? What did you think of it? Plans to travel to Thailand and wondering where to visit? Feel free to ask questions or comment! Thanks as always for coming by and stay tuned for more Thailand rambles. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Finding My Calm In Krabi
Posted on April 5, 2019
Arriving at Nopparat Thara Pier
Continuing our adventures in Thailand, after two days in Phuket it was time for the tour group to move on, which was fine with me because I was surprised to discover that I didn’t love Phuket. It had been loud, busy, and the general feel of the place was a frantic, party vibe, and not the relaxed beach-y feel I’d hoped for. I was ready to leave Phuket and see what was next. While the tour we were on was referred to as an “Island Hopper”, our next destination, Krabi, is actually not an island. Located on Thailand’s south west coast, it’s a province on the mainland, surrounded by more than a hundred offshore islands. The area is known for is jagged limestone rock formations jutting from the turquoise waters, snorkeling, scuba diving, white sand beaches, lagoons and rock climbing.
Transportation from Phuket to Krabi had been pre-arranged of by the tour company. After successfully not dropping our luggage into the sea while negotiating a very narrow gangway with skinny rope rails, me, Shawn and the tour group boarded a rundown, two story ferry, with ancient captain style seats and antique life preservers from decades past. It was a peaceful 1.5 hour open ocean trip until we got our first sights of Krabi.
splash!
Islands in the distance
The ferry first stopped in the bay at Railay beach to drop off other passengers who would be staying in this area of Krabi. By “dropped off” I mean traditional Thai long-tail wooden boats drove up alongside the ferry and loaded passengers and luggage into them and then jetted off to shore. I’d never seen a boat to boat transfer like this and was a bit surprised to not see a pier or port.
Railay Beach West
Railay Beach – Passengers disembarking onto long-tail boats
Traditional Thai Long-tail Wooden Boat at Railay beach
The view of Railay beach was simply stunning; a gorgeous bay surrounded by emerald green rain forest covered mountains. The beaches were sparking white sand. Long-tail boats decorated in rainbow flags and ribbons dotted the turquoise water. Paradise. Our ferry continued along the shore northward until we reached the Nopparat Thara pier where we disembarked and boarded a songthaew, a pickup truck converted to an open sided taxi/bus, to take us to our hotel.
Nopparat Thara Pier
A boat named “Gretzky”. Never too far from home as an Edmonton Oiler’s fan!
Riding in a songthaew on route to the hotel
La Playa Hotel
Spirit House outside the hotel
Stone relief outside of the hotel
Our hotel was also a pleasant surprise, especially compared to our hotel in Phuket; a gorgeous tropical themed hotel tucked secretly into a stunning garden grove just off the “main” streets of the town of Ao Nang. The rooms weren’t ready yet, and although it had started raining, we wanted to explore. First we wandered through the gardens of the hotel. We found beautifully manicured lawns, orchids, tropical plants and a variety of small birds, unknown to me from back home.
Orchids
Myna bird
Common Tailorbird
We headed down a quiet street behind our hotel and found two 7-elevens for water and a stopped at a delightful small restaurant for lunch. The shopkeepers and restaurant staff in Ao Nang were polite and welcoming, but far less desperate than they seemed in Phuket. The streets were nearly empty, only a few tourist wandering about. It was a bit shocking but a welcome change from the noise and crowds in Phuket. We walked around the nearby streets for a while before checking in, getting settled and meeting the group for a pre-dinner pool party.
Lunch!
My favorite. Plumeria aka Frangipani
We didn’t stay long with the group and soon found ourselves exploring the quiet streets again. On the advice of our guide, we found the Ao Nang night market, a small but charming set up. There were makeshift “clubs” and bars along the back perimeter, set up on the back of flatbed trucks, with blinking LED lights and most only large enough to seat 10 or so people. There were plenty of booths to find food, drinks and souvenirs. There were a number entertainments acts going on in the centre of the market, mostly children and teens dressed in traditional Thai costumes, singing or doing traditional dance for the visitors. For dinner, I opted for a coconut stir fry, which was served in a freshly opened coconut.
Krabi night market
The woman who made it for me was absolutely artful in her skill of opening the coconut, making the stir fry from scratch in front of me and even topping the finished dish with an orchid for presentation. I offered her a tip but she was confused, thinking I misunderstood the price. I tried to explain with our language barrier that the extra was because she did a beautiful job making it for me and I thought she deserved extra for her hard work and skill. We had known before going to Thailand, and it was noted by our tour guide as well, that tipping is a rarity. So rare apparently, that I had to explain what it meant. When she understood my intention, she was thrilled; she began to giggle and blushed, clutching the money to her chest, and we thanked each other with a wai, a slight bow with hands pressed together. Shawn and I wandered around the market, purchased a few souvenirs, had a few drinks and called it a night on our first night in the lovely town in Ao Nang in Krabi.
Have you visited Krabi? What did you think? Too quiet or touristy or just right? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for our continued Thailand adventure. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Thailand: We Aren’t In The Caribbean Anymore…
Posted on March 4, 2019
Last you heard from me, I was writing about my travel fears and anxieties while waiting with my husband at the airport for our daunting journey to Thailand to begin. Spoiler alert: Although I did use a A LOT of the medication I brought, I lived through my journey and nothing especially terrible happened. In fact, we had some amazing, once-in-a- lifetime experiences and an epic adventure, which I’ll fill you in on over a number of blogs, I’m sure. I have so many things I want to share about our 21 days in Thailand. It was such an incredible trip, and my longest abroad so I’m a bit lost as to where to start, so I’ll start at the beginning:
The flights: Edmonton, Alberta to Vancouver, BC, Vancouver to Hong Kong and Hong Kong to Phuket, Thailand, were not as bad as I had been dreading. The longest haul; 14 hours from Vancouver to Hong Kong, stuck in cozy economy at the back of the plane, was challenging but not awful. I don’t sleep on planes well though, and unfortunately our seat-back USB charging ports weren’t working, so we had to ration the devices we brought along. The Cathay Pacific service was great despite the tight quarters and the food was surprisingly good, if a bit strange based on my western tastes.
Time had lost all meaning to me by the time we arrived in Phuket; I think it was late morning. The familiar wave of vacation heat and humidity hit me as soon as we entered the jetway to head to customs. That’s where all my previous travel experience came abruptly to a halt and I had a realization: We didn’t book an all-inclusive, we had no shuttle bus scheduled to pick us up to take us to the hotel. We were on our own, in a different hemisphere, half a world away from home. We were on an adventure.
Customs was smooth; staff were professional but friendly, language barriers weren’t much of an issue and there was enough English signage to figure out where to go to for baggage and taxis. We stepped just outside the airport and found our first 7-Eleven convenience store (which I was told was the cheapest, fastest way to get nearly anything one needs in Thailand) and loaded up on water- a necessity after being dehydrated during 17 hours of flying and arriving to 32 degree Celsius temperatures. 
The next part of the voyage proved to be a bit of a challenge. We found a van service just outside the airport doors claiming to be headed Patong, the area of Phuket we were staying in, and paid a flat rate of 160 Baht. At the time we thought maybe that was pricey, but we didn’t realize how far away from our hotel we actually were. While waiting to depart, I began making conscious observations of my surroundings. I found myself comparing things to Mexico and other places in the Caribbean we’d been to previously, as it was really my only point of reference. Palm trees and that stifling, oppressive, humid heat were familiar (and welcomed as we had escaped the beginnings of what would prove to be a long winter back home). I was watching Thai airport employees walking to and from the staff motorcycle parking area and noticed how warmly dressed they were in the heat; long sleeves, long pants, and even jackets. Then I realized they had entire parkades just filled with motorcycles; thousands of them, lined row upon row, making me wonder how a person would find their own at the end of the day, let alone retrieve it. Most of the staff carried a form of meal with them in plastic grocery bags. I noticed birds flitting about; none of which I recognized from my North American birding. After a wait of over an hour (not so different than Caribbean island time) while the van service waited for a full load of tourists before departing, we finally headed out for what would end up being a very long drive.
A home-based business selling Thai floral garlands and other spiritual items
Along the way we passed small, dilapidated houses serving dual purposes as home-based businesses; mechanics, food stands, restaurants, massage parlors, floral shops, and souvenir stands. Many of the houses were two floors with the main floor area serving as an open-air business in what might be recognizable to us as a garage-type space. It appeared that the family living spaces were on the second floor. Buildings were brightly painted and highly disorganized with heaps of scrap and junk piles off the the side of most of the businesses- definitely an organized chaos; reminding me of having a pile of junk on my desk and unfinished tasks going on, but I could still find anything in the pile if I needed it… even if it looked like a mess to an observer. There were spirit houses outside of nearly every home and business, ranging from the size of a microwave to a washing machine. Spirit houses are wooden shrines to the spirit world in the shape of houses, ornately painted and decorated with trinkets and effigies and offerings of food, drink (strawberry Fanta is a popular choice). I knew about them before coming to Thailand, but I didn’t realize they were everywhere, giving me a clue about just how spiritual the Thai people are.
A spirit house outside of a hotel
The streets and neighborhoods were crowded, as I expected. There were scooters and mopeds taking up every available space on the streets; another form of organized chaos. Bikes were zooming in and out of traffic, honking, bumpers missing each other by millimeters. There didn’t seem to be any sort of anger or aggressiveness by the drivers, it’s just the way it’s done, and it somehow works for them. It’s actually impressive to watch the dance of traffic. One thing that really reminded me that I was out of my comfort zone: the Thai signs. It’s a beautiful language to look at, but unlike Spanish, not one you can guess at.
My first impression driving through the foreign streets was that Thailand, or at least Phuket, seems to be in conflict with itself. There’s a war being waged between modern and traditional; small, run-down, family businesses and restaurants and old, ornately designed Wats (Buddhist temples) are spaced between extravagant premium outlet shopping malls, yacht showrooms and Ikeas. There is an obvious dichotomy between the very rich and extremely poor. New, sparkling condos and mansions are snugged up next to weathered, crumbling homes. There is a lot of advertising on large billboards, and most of the models are thin, white “Westerners”. There seems to be confusion between how Thai versus how Western they want to be, or have to be and I was unsure yet, having just arrived, if they have some balance of the two or not.
Fruit stand
As we drive on, I noticed that surrounding the infrastructure was dense tropical rainforests with graceful mountains rising in the distance. Everywhere you looked, there were showy tropical flowers flaunting their colours and size and some of the fattest stray cats and dogs I’d ever seen. Cows grazed in open lots next to busy residential and industrial areas. Every few blocks there was a shop for locals to buy religious statues and carvings such as spirit houses. There were even small, home-based greenhouses; essentially someone selling a collection of potted plants or flowers in the front of their property. There were a surprising number of office supply and furniture businesses as well. There were endless small, family-run restaurants and convenience stores; we even drove past a go-kart track and waterslides. The roads were winding and narrow with cutbacks into the hills that were growing steeper and I was glad I had a good supply of anti nausea pills in my luggage.
After about 45 minutes of gazing out at my new surroundings, we pulled into a sketchy “tour agency” where we were told in broken English we had to wait for a different van to transfer us to our correct area. We were encouraged to use their services and book tours while waiting. Our Spidey senses tingling, we suspected a scam, and feeling jet lagged and weary, were on guard. After 10-15 minutes of waiting around and keeping a close eye on our luggage in the van, we ended up being ushered back onto the same van (at this point we were getting a bit worried about making it to our destination without a scam of some kind). Another 30 or so anxious minutes of driving later, we finally began to see signs of being in the Patong area so we both started to relax. I was able to start focusing again on the sights and sounds (and smells). There were apartments everywhere, crowded and in disrepair. Most had tiny balconies with colorful laundry hung out to dry. The telephone and power poles were so covered in draped cords and wires, they looked hazardous to say the least. We drove past a number of Wats and even a Hindu temple. We neared the beach and tourist area where there was a 7-Eleven on nearly every corner, plenty of vendors selling beachwear and souvenirs and more tattoo and massage shops than I’ve ever seen in my life.
Hindu temple on the way to Patong
Apartments and cable wires everywhere
Suddenly the driver pulled over on a busy street, pointed down an alley, and stated in broken English that our hotel was “that way”. We stumbled out of the van, retrieved our luggage, confirmed with him as best as possible that he was certain it was “that way” and jet-laggedly struggled down cracked and broken sidewalks in the direction he pointed. We had no idea how far “that way” it was. The streets were crowded and noisy, there were interesting new smells, the heat was oppressive, we were hungry and becoming nervous that maybe we weren’t out of the woods with our concerns of being scammed, especially since the strange and unnecessary “van transfer” earlier. We passed more massage shops, more 7-Elevens and numerous casual family-run restaurants. We were feeling overwhelmed and starting to get testy with each other when our hotel came into view in the distance. We’d made it safely, if exhausted, hungry, paranoid and a bit culture shocked. It was time to check in, find food and decompress.
View from our hotel, the Ibis Patong
View from our hotel
Thanks as always for stopping in to read my thoughts and see my photos. Check back again for more updates of our epic Thailand trip. Feel free to ask questions or comment and until next time, safe and happy travels!
Eterno Dia Photography 