Bird’s Eye View

I was so excited for our bottle of Chandon Rose last night and for what a bargain it was at 899 baht ($30 USD); that’s almost the same price as buying it from the winery. We chilled the bottle in a bag of ice as we showered and got ready to tuck in and relax in bed with our Chandon in hand. Brandon looked at me oddly, “Isn’t Chandon a California wine?” This wine said product of Australia. Holy crap; we had bought knock-off sparkling wine!!! The label is almost identical, I was a member at Chandon in Napa for years and never heard of them having an Australian counterpart. I should have known it was too good to be true. In hindsight, we are the idiots for actually thinking we had a found a bottle of Napa sparkling wine here in crappy Krabi. It wasn’t bad though and we sipped on it until I popped a sleeping pill and managed to fall asleep on the concrete bed. I really love those sleeping pills, I must figure out how to get my doctor to prescribe them for everyday use and not just for when I’m facing jet-lag.

Our plan for today was very clear, we would get up and ready, NOT eat the disgusting hotel breakfast, walk back down to the main drag so I could buy a couple more tank tops and bikinis (I was SHOCKED at how well the bikini I bought yesterday fit and how good I felt in it; for 400 baht ($13 USD)) I wanted more. I slept like a rock thanks to my magic little pill but Brandon did not sleep so great, again he was up by 4:30am and exhausted. And cranky. And not feeling well. Our idea for the morning was not as well planned as we had thought as nothing was open. All the restaurants and shops shuttered, those with signs indicated opening time at 10am. It was maybe 8:30. One little “restaurant’ had fried chicken and buns; we bought a piece of each to hold us over as we hunted down real food. The fried chicken was ok and the bun was gross. A milk tea stand was open and we were able to get thai milk tea for me and thai milk coffee for Brandon. This would hold me over for a bit and I was hoping it would hold him over as well. I kept telling him I was sure we would find real food soon as to keep him moving as we made our way down the road. I was also sure that as we got closer to the beach places would be open earlier to accommodate the masses heading out for the island tours.

Waiting until 10am for the shops to open seemed like too much of a stretch at this point, we wanted to get on the road and he really didn’t feel well. We knew there was a McDonalds close to the beach and knew they would be open. Sounds lame I know but we had both been legitimately curious to try a burger from a Thai McDonalds. But they were only serving breakfast. And they were way more expensive than McDonalds in the US! Brandon really wasn’t feeling well and needed to eat something and hydrate. Thankfully there was a 7-11 next door where we were able to get water, some almond protein milk thing, and a banana. I suggested we just sit outside for a few minutes for him to eat. Suggesting to sit instead of keep moving is not like me. “You’re stalling, aren’t you? I know you, you’re stalling until the shop opens.” Maybe.. But I didn’t want to waste time and really did want to get back to maximize our time at our resort in Phuket so I conceded to give up finally. But wait, the bikini shop was right across the street and the lady was rolling up the metal door.

We froggered across the street and asked if she was open as she obviously was just setting up for the day; and of course she wasn’t going to turn business away. I picked out two more bikinis and it was time to negotiate, we had gotten her down from 480 to 400 baht yesterday. Unfortunately, Brandon accidentally threw out a number to open the negotiation, he really was in a hurry, asking the shop keep if she’d take 700 baht ($23 USD) for both. She didn’t hesitate at all, “ Yes, yes, 700, this one is cheaper one.” Dammit, who knows how much less we could have paid! We waved down a Tuk Tuk and went straight back to Phu Petra to check out and get on our merry way.

The majority of the 2 hour and 45 minute drive from Krabi to Phuket was exactly how we had imagined the drive from Bangkok to the FloatHouse would have been; all beautiful jungle, greenery, and cliffs. And very little traffic. We encountered our first police checkpoint of the trip and were quickly told, “Go!” and waived through as soon as they saw we were properly armed with our international driving permits. I have never actually gotten an IDP for any of my previous travels and was glad we did this time as there were three officers on each side of the car as we pulled up, all with ticket books in hand ready to fine foreigners.

One the challenges of driving in Thailand, true for every drive we’ve taken here, is that often streets are tucked away and look like tiny alleys so it’s easy to second-guess turns. But also everywhere, the roads have been in great shape, smooth and well maintained, way better than the roads back home in California. We still really needed to find a real meal and finally saw a place that looked worthy. A high-ceilinged open-air (they are all open-air here) restaurant right off the highway. It was off a quieter stretch and set back off the road and seemed like a perfect stop. After a challenge trying to order, even with pictures and English on the menu, we honestly weren’t sure what was coming out but ended up with shrimp noodles (basically pad thai) and seafood rice. I tried to order coconut griddle cakes for dessert and was quite sad to learn that they were all out. After a good meal, better moods prevailed as we drove our last hour to the resort.

Check-in time was 3pm and we would be early so we decided to drive by the nearest beach so we knew if it was even worth leaving the resort later to check it out. It didn’t look so. Kamala beach was just another crowded stretch of sand lined with vendors. Hard pass. We didn’t feel like dealing with more crowds and decided to head straight to the resort early, we could also relax in their lounge if our room wasn’t ready. We also decided that it was officially a thing that red lights are mere suggestions in Thailand as every light had car after car running thru without even slowing.

For our last night in Thailand, we had booked at Keemala; a 38 villa boutique resort nestled in the hillside. The resort is crazy expensive, but they are on the Hyatt network so we had booked with points. Quite frankly, half the reason I had wanted to stay there was because it looked so enchanting and the other half was simply because I had to see what kind of resort rooms went for 30,000 Hyatt points a night (that’s 50% more per night than we use for the Hyatt Ziva all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta!).

It was an odd route up a narrow road through both a run-down residential area and another hotel to get to Keemala. We were greeted by a security guard who adorned us with gardenia leis and whisked away on a golf cart up the hill to check in. It is hard to properly describe the buildings that make up the resort. The main buildings and villas are all rounded, wooden domes, like bird nests tucked away into the trees. We were led through the lobby and across a plank to an open dome so we could enjoy the view while eating our welcome cookie and juice. Both were delicious. Our villa host, Toby, completed our brief check-in process while sitting in the open nest and then gave us a resort overview while he led us to our villa. He was pleased to inform us that due to my Hyatt status we had been upgraded. Sweet! But I was devastated when he mentioned that we could have had an early check-in of noon. We could have had three more hours to enjoy the property! My heart still hurts over that.

Our villa was stunning, with a large front patio that led to the first entrance to our private pool. Inside, a large bed was adorned with flower petals and wrapped in a mosquito net. The bathroom was fully equipped with a rich wine barrel vanity, deep black tub, and both indoor and outdoor showers (though we sadly never could figure out how to get the door to open to our outdoor shower, the lock was broken). Toby would be our designated host for our stay and we were given his direct number to call him if we needed anything. We got antsy waiting for our luggage, it was taking way too long, and sure enough, after a brief call to Toby it was quickly (finally!) delivered. We wasted no time freshening up and changing into swimsuits to walk down to happy hour at the main resort pool; wearing my new flamingo bikini from our Krabi shopping spree.

Only one other couple was at the pool but in reality it was like we had it to ourselves. They sat on a daybed, drinking a bottle of Dom Perignon, and completely ignoring each other. Staring at their phones for the entire hour our time overlapped they never interacted once or came anywhere near the water. Such a sad life. We, on the other hand, frolicked with cocktails in hand. Playing under the waterfall, laying on the shallow underwater recline, swimming around, and taking advantage of the poolside bar. I had the most delightful lemongrass and ginger gimlet, each one went down quick and easy. After two or three rounds, we both switched to Prosecco and enjoyed a poolside lunch of chicken satay and Cesar salad. The chicken was tender and grilled to perfection; another outstanding meal. Eating romaine lettuce after 12ish days of no ruffage felt like a special treat.

Reluctantly, we pulled ourselves away and headed back to our villa. But wait, we had a private pool at our villa didn’t we?! But the water was much colder. I wished there was a hot tub but in lieu of I drew a bath in the large smooth tub, complete with decadent bath salts that filled the entire villa with a sweet floral scent. It made me really wish we had a large tub in our new home, now I’m trying to figure out how to make one fit when we remodel our master bathroom this winter.

We had already agreed that our plan was to stay on-sight for dinner and as we were getting ready, a bellman arrived with a sparkling beverage for us. He had a sparkling juice in hand but upon confirming that we drank alcohol, excused himself and returned a few minutes later with sparkling apple wine instead.

Dinner was good. But not amazing. The menu was expansive and included a stand-alone water menu. Water is never free anywhere in Thailand. It is all bottled water and all an additional cost. We drink a lot of water and constantly having to order another bottle each time our cups ran low during our meal was annoying. The restaurant had different bread services based on your order. We ordered Thai meals so were brought some type of crispy wonton with dipping sauces. Those who ordered Indian meals received naan. And others received rolls. We finally saw fresh spring rolls on a menu! Though they weren’t quite the same as the ones we get back home that we are now convinced aren’t Thai at all. Our pork belly and seafood fried rice dishes were perfectly portioned but lacked anything special about them. For the price of the resort we had both really expected a very decadent dining experience but it was in fact a more casual meal.

Dessert for us was a glass of sparkling wine and quick dip in the pool back at our villa. I would’ve loved to enjoy the patio more but giant wasps decided they wanted to hang out too and the last souvenir I want to take home is a giant wasp stinger. I wish we had more time here but tomorrow we must leave by mid-morning to fly to Taiwan where we’ll spend our last night abroad of before making our way back to US soil.