It being my 65th birthday this month, Ian’s 60th in January, and also the start of the 40th year we have know each other, we have decided on a new mega trip, via Thailand to New Zealand and the Cook Islands. It's now 10 years since my big round the world tour that took in part of NZ* so it seems like a good time to further explore there.
But first off we broke our journey in Thailand, and after flying to Phuket via Bangkok, we caught a motor boat to the little island of Koh Yao Noi. This crossing gave us some early views of the thrilling limestone karst country of Phang Nga Bay, under a steel grey sky that marked the fag end of the rainy season. The tender zipped around the coves and mangrove fringes to our hotel, its villas stacked on a densely wooded hill above a little sandy beach. Just 56 villas are arranged here, with views to the islets of the bay, or in our case to the jungle.
The hotel has a kampung-chic vibe, all thatched houses, gamelan lounge music and coconut ‘wellness’ water. I could do without the crystals and Tibetan prayer bowls, but it is really well done, and we immediately felt very comfortable. We tried several of the restaurants on the first few evenings and had reserved a special meal at the Hilltop restaurant for my birthday. This has perhaps the most famous view in Thailand, across the bay to the rusty white stack islands and grey mountains beyond. Unfortunately, Ian fell badly in the shower during the day, gashing his arm, and getting badly bruised, so we ended up eating in the villa, but the staff came up trumps with a cake and champagne. They are rightly proud of their food, much of it based on local produce. Some they grow themselves, and a wide range of cuisines is tackled with aplomb. The breakfasts are spectacular. Our villa is huge, with a small pool and outdoor Lana style living area, and a bathroom that goes on for miles.
Altogether, apart from Ian's fall, a great relaxing way to start the trip, just gentle walks on the beach or to nearby headlands. I had a ‘healing’ massage as a birthday treat and my ‘wellness’ is doing very well thank you, even if Ian's isn't! With luck he will recover quickly for the next leg of our trip. Some great people too, including Kuhn May, our always charming staff member who looked after us; the nurse who came and dressed Ian’s elbow every day, even on her day off, always with a big smile; the local people who always said sawatdee kah/krup as they passed in a genuinely friendly way; and some of the other guests, especially a retired Australian couple who seemed very much on our wavelength.
*See http://k-e-i-t-h-m.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
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